County Employment and Wages News Release — 2021-08-18

From March 2020 to March 2021, employment decreased in 324 of the 343 largest U.S. counties, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In March 2021, national employment--as measured by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program--decreased to 140.5 million, a 4.5- percent decrease over the year. Calcasieu, LA, had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 14.9 percent. Employment data in this release are presented for March 2021, and average weekly wage data are presented for first quarter 2021. Employment was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to contain it. Among the 343 largest counties, 312 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. In the first quarter of 2021, average weekly wages for the nation increased to $1,289, a 5.6-percent increase over the year. San Francisco, CA, had the largest first quarter over-the-year wage gain at 33.9 percent.