County Employment And Wages: Third Quarter 2003 — 2004-04-06

In September 2003, Manatee County, Fla., had the biggest over-the-year percentage increase in employment among the largest counties in the U.S., according to preliminary data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Manatee County, Fla., experi- enced an over-the-year employment gain of 5.7 percent, compared with a na- tional decline of 0.4 percent. Arapahoe County, Colo., had the biggest over- the-year gain in average weekly wages in the third quarter of 2003, with an increase of 13.0 percent. The U.S. average weekly wage increased by 3.1 per- cent over the same time span. Of the 315 largest counties in the United States, 175 had rates of over- the-year employment growth above the national average in September 2003, and 129 experienced declines in employment greater than the national average. Av- erage weekly wages grew faster than the national average in 149 of the larg- est U.S.