County Employment and Wages News Release - 2022 Q04 Results — 2023-05-24

From December 2021 to December 2022, employment increased in 325 of the 355 largest U.S. counties, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In December 2022, national employment increased to 152.3 million, a 2.6-percent increase over the year, as measured by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program. Midland, TX, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment, with a gain of 7.9 percent. Employment data in this release are presented for December 2022, and average weekly wage data are presented for fourth quarter 2022. Among the 355 largest counties, 240 had over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. In the fourth quarter of 2022, average weekly wages for the nation decreased to $1,385, a 2.3-percent decrease over the year. This is the fourth decline since 2016, and 1 of only 10 declines in the history of the series dating back to 1978.