County Employment and Wages News Release — 2021-02-24

From September 2019 to September 2020, employment decreased in 355 of the 357 largest U.S. counties, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In September 2020, national employment (as measured by the QCEW program) decreased to 138.5 million, a 6.8-percent decrease over the year. Maui + Kalawao, HI, had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 35.4 percent. Employment data in this release are presented for September 2020, and average weekly wage data are presented for third quarter 2020. Employment was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to contain it. Among the 357 largest counties, 350 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. In the third quarter of 2020, average weekly wages for the nation increased to $1,173, a 7.4-percent increase over the year. San Mateo, CA, had the largest third quarter over-the-year wage gain at 23.2 percent.