County Employment and Wages News Release - 2023 Q04 Results — 2024-05-22

From December 2022 to December 2023, employment increased in 318 of the 360 largest U.S. counties, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In December 2023, national employment increased to 154.8 million, a 1.5-percent increase over the year, as measured by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program. Hays, TX, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment, with a gain of 5.0 percent. Employment data in this release are presented for December 2023, and average weekly wage data are presented for fourth quarter 2023. Among the 360 largest counties, 348 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. In the fourth quarter of 2023, average weekly wages for the nation increased to $1,435, a 3.6-percent increase over the year. Snohomish, WA, had the largest fourth quarter over-the-year wage gain at 18.6 percent. (See table 1.) Hays, TX, had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment (+5.0 percent).