1996 Employer Costs for Employee Compensation — 1998-11-12

Of the 290 largest counties in the United States, 132 had rates of employment growth in 1996 above the national average of 2.1 percent, 131 had equal or lower rates of growth, and 27 had declines in employment, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The western states dominated the fastest-growing counties, while the counties with the largest declines were all in the eastern United States. Employment and annual pay data by county are compiled from reports submitted by employers subject to state and federal unemployment insurance (UI) laws, covering 118.0 million full- and part-time workers. Average annual pay is computed by dividing total annual payrolls of employees covered by UI programs by the average monthly number of these employees. (See Technical Note beginning on page 3.) The attached tables and charts contain data for the nation and for the 290 counties with employment of 75,000 or more.