County Employment and Wages in Iowa — Second Quarter 2020

News Release Information

20-2162-CHI
Wednesday, January 06, 2021

Employment declined in the four largest counties in Iowa from June 2019 to June 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2019.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that Scott County had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment at 9.9 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

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National employment decreased 9.4 percent over the year, with all of the 357 largest U.S. counties reporting declines. Atlantic, NJ, had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 34.2 percent.

Among the four largest counties in Iowa, employment was highest in Polk County (282,300) in June 2020. Within Polk County's private industry, finance and insurance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the four largest Iowa counties accounted for 38.8 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 357 largest counties made up 72.9 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 95 counties in Iowa with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in all 95 smaller counties were below the national average in the second quarter of 2020. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All four large Iowa counties reported average weekly wage gains from the second quarter of 2019 to the second quarter of 2020. (See chart 2.) Two counties had rates of wage gains that were above the national rate of 8.6 percent. Polk County had the largest gain at 10.8 percent. Over-the-year wage gains among Iowa's remaining large counties ranged from 10.2 percent to 7.6 percent.

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Among the 357 largest counties in the United States, 352 had over-the-year wage increases. The increases in average weekly wages largely reflect substantial employment loss among lower-paid industries. Atlantic, NJ, had the largest percentage wage increase (+22.5 percent). Five large counties had wage declines during the period. Ector, TX, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-6.6 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Weekly wages in the four largest counties in Iowa were below the national average of $1,188 in the second quarter of 2020. Average weekly wages in three of these counties ranked among the top half nationwide: Polk ($1,176, 107^th), Linn ($1,096, 165^th), and Johnson ($1,094, 167^th).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 101 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the second quarter of 2020. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,045. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in 256 counties. At $698 a week, Cameron, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Iowa's smaller counties

Among the 95 smaller counties in Iowa-those with employment below 75,000-none reported average weekly wages greater than the national average of $1,188. Dallas County ($1,174) reported the highest average weekly wage in the state, while Decatur County ($666) reported the lowest average weekly wage.

When all 99 counties in Iowa were considered, 28 reported average weekly wages of less than $800, 28 registered wages from $800 to $849, 23 had wages from $850 to $899, and 20 had average weekly wages of $900 or higher. (See chart 3.)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3. For additional information about quarterly employment and wages data, please read the Technical Note or visit www.bls.gov/cew.

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2019 edition of this publication was published in September 2020. Tables and additional content from the 2019 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online are available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2019/home.htm. The 2020 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2021.

The County Employment and Wages release for third quarter 2020 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 24, 2021. The County Employment and Wages full data update for third quarter 2020 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, March 9, 2021.

Technical Note

Average weekly wage data by county are compiled under the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, also known as the ES-202 program. The data are derived from summaries of employment and total pay of workers covered by state and federal unemployment insurance (UI) legislation and provided by State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). The average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total wages by the average of the three monthly employment levels of those covered by UI programs. The result is then divided by 13, the number of weeks in a quarter. It is to be noted, therefore, that over-the-year wage changes for geographic areas may reflect shifts in the composition of employment by industry, occupation, and such other factors as hours of work. Thus, wages may vary among counties, metropolitan areas, or states for reasons other than changes in the average wage level. Data for all states, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), counties, and the nation are available on the BLS web site at www.bls.gov/cew. However, data in QCEW press releases have been revised and may not match the data contained on the Bureau's web site.

QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are simply the sums of individual establishment records reflecting the number of establishments that exist in a county or industry at a point in time. Establishments can move in or out of a county or industry for a number of reasons-some reflecting economic events, others reflecting administrative changes.

The preliminary QCEW data presented in this release may differ from data released by the individual states as well as from the data presented on the BLS web site. These potential differences result from the states' continuing receipt, review and editing of UI data over time. On the other hand, differences between data in this release and the data found on the BLS web site are the result of adjustments made to improve over-the-year comparisons. Specifically, these adjustments account for administrative (noneconomic) changes such as a correction to a previously reported location or industry classification. Adjusting for these administrative changes allows users to more accurately assess changes of an economic nature (such as a firm moving from one county to another or changing its primary economic activity) over a 12-month period. Currently, adjusted data are available only from BLS press releases.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: [phone]; Federal Relay Service: [phone].

Area	Establishments, second quarter 2020 (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage
		June 2020 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2019-20	National ranking by percent change	Second quarter 2020	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2019-20	National ranking by percent change
United States	10,451.0	135,114.4	-9.4	--	$1,188	--	8.6	--
Iowa	104.7	1,458.8	-8.0	--	978	36	8.4	27
Johnson	4.4	77.2	-7.5	121	1,094	167	10.2	98
Linn	7.1	122.3	-8.0	138	1,096	165	7.6	215
Polk	18.3	282.3	-8.5	157	1,176	107	10.8	84
Scott	5.8	84.0	-9.9	202	934	297	7.7	209
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Area	Employment June 2020	Average weekly wage
United States	135,114,354	$1,188
Iowa	1,458,774	978
Adair	2,824	803
Adams	1,165	762
Allamakee	4,783	751
Appanoose	4,468	765
Audubon	1,796	766
Benton	5,765	815
Black Hawk	68,346	945
Boone	8,677	861
Bremer	9,331	842
Buchanan	6,489	780
Buena Vista	10,751	862
Butler	3,380	757
Calhoun	2,741	815
Carroll	10,774	795
Cass	5,632	780
Cedar	5,077	808
Cerro Gordo	23,659	864
Cherokee	4,857	848
Chickasaw	4,730	866
Clarke	4,144	808
Clay	8,328	837
Clayton	6,407	843
Clinton	18,842	841
Crawford	6,487	887
Dallas	44,058	1,174
Davis	1,975	797
Decatur	2,222	666
Delaware	6,663	867
Des Moines	19,393	835
Dickinson	10,232	732
Dubuque	55,171	931
Emmet	3,531	801
Fayette	6,706	741
Floyd	5,263	891
Franklin	3,883	892
Fremont	2,193	824
Greene	3,239	848
Grundy	4,178	934
Guthrie	3,064	858
Hamilton	5,647	826
Hancock	5,925	804
Hardin	6,443	833
Harrison	3,948	786
Henry	8,558	851
Howard	4,132	751
Humboldt	3,693	884
Ida	3,614	883
Iowa	9,321	766
Jackson	5,763	738
Jasper	10,810	820
Jefferson	6,725	909
Johnson	77,210	1,094
Jones	5,614	810
Keokuk	2,190	784
Kossuth	6,426	863
Lee	14,538	906
Linn	122,290	1,096
Louisa	3,866	909
Lucas	3,619	833
Lyon	4,588	736
Madison	3,760	788
Mahaska	7,735	857
Marion	17,473	896
Marshall	15,518	907
Mills	3,418	882
Mitchell	4,265	933
Monona	2,522	735
Monroe	3,433	1,057
Montgomery	3,852	845
Muscatine	21,211	988
O'Brien	6,480	772
Osceola	2,441	813
Page	5,698	821
Palo Alto	3,600	778
Plymouth	11,469	962
Pocahontas	3,009	889
Polk	282,291	1,176
Pottawattamie	36,444	874
Poweshiek	9,370	943
Ringgold	1,291	763
Sac	2,914	802
Scott	83,958	934
Shelby	5,321	817
Sioux	20,833	858
Story	42,674	1,068
Tama	5,335	853
Taylor	1,861	731
Union	5,620	826
Van Buren	1,925	741
Wapello	15,033	888
Warren	11,514	860
Washington	8,013	748
Wayne	1,786	820
Webster	17,037	929
Winnebago	4,023	762
Winneshiek	9,870	848
Woodbury	47,936	898
Worth	2,190	767
Wright	6,098	927
NOTE: Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.

State	Establishments, second quarter 2020 (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage
		June 2020 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2019-20	Second quarter 2020	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2019-20	National ranking by percent change
United States	10,451.0	135,114.4	-9.4	$1,188	--	8.6	--
Alabama	131.2	1,868.7	-6.4	964	40	5.9	42
Alaska	22.7	296.2	-12.7	1,195	14	11.2	11
Arizona	170.7	2,708.4	-5.1	1,090	22	7.9	30
Arkansas	93.0	1,156.5	-5.5	924	47	7.3	33
California	1,633.1	15,911.2	-10.2	1,468	4	10.9	12
Colorado	216.4	2,545.9	-8.0	1,226	9	8.7	25
Connecticut	123.4	1,483.6	-12.3	1,407	6	11.3	9
Delaware	34.5	416.0	-9.3	1,156	17	9.0	22
District of Columbia	41.7	701.8	-10.0	1,987	1	11.7	7
Florida	738.0	8,113.8	-7.1	1,032	28	6.6	40
Georgia	307.2	4,196.0	-7.0	1,075	23	5.7	44
Hawaii	45.9	524.9	-20.1	1,108	21	12.0	6
Idaho	67.9	748.3	-2.3	882	50	7.6	32
Illinois	379.6	5,391.8	-11.3	1,218	10	8.6	26
Indiana	171.6	2,865.7	-7.3	960	41	5.6	45
Iowa	104.7	1,458.8	-8.0	978	36	8.4	27
Kansas	90.0	1,306.0	-7.0	969	38	7.1	34
Kentucky	125.4	1,754.0	-8.2	970	37	6.4	41
Louisiana	137.8	1,710.1	-11.0	985	34	6.7	39
Maine	53.8	572.5	-10.8	980	35	12.3	5
Maryland	175.8	2,430.3	-11.2	1,305	8	10.7	13
Massachusetts	263.1	3,178.8	-14.3	1,570	2	14.0	1
Michigan	268.5	3,850.9	-12.9	1,114	20	9.5	16
Minnesota	185.4	2,644.6	-10.5	1,200	13	9.0	22
Mississippi	73.8	1,063.1	-6.4	812	51	5.9	42
Missouri	215.9	2,622.2	-7.5	1,015	32	7.1	34
Montana	51.5	459.5	-4.9	919	48	9.1	19
Nebraska	72.9	932.3	-6.0	960	41	8.0	28
Nevada	85.9	1,191.6	-15.4	1,048	26	9.1	19
New Hampshire	54.8	605.4	-10.5	1,215	12	11.5	8
New Jersey	284.1	3,570.3	-14.6	1,376	7	11.3	9
New Mexico	62.4	757.0	-9.4	958	43	7.8	31
New York	652.0	8,142.6	-15.9	1,520	3	12.8	4
North Carolina	296.2	4,205.4	-6.9	1,038	27	6.9	37
North Dakota	32.4	390.1	-9.7	1,061	24	3.3	51
Ohio	302.3	5,049.8	-8.0	1,031	29	7.0	36
Oklahoma	112.1	1,521.3	-6.3	940	44	4.4	49
Oregon	160.9	1,789.3	-9.6	1,143	19	10.3	15
Pennsylvania	362.8	5,314.5	-11.1	1,170	16	9.2	18
Rhode Island	39.5	429.3	-13.2	1,172	15	13.1	3
South Carolina	144.4	1,991.0	-7.2	928	46	6.9	37
South Dakota	34.7	415.9	-5.9	912	49	9.0	22
Tennessee	171.1	2,847.2	-6.6	1,016	31	5.3	46
Texas	727.4	11,807.1	-6.3	1,156	17	5.0	47
Utah	111.6	1,474.8	-3.0	1,017	30	9.1	19
Vermont	26.1	271.8	-13.6	1,055	25	13.6	2
Virginia	283.3	3,635.2	-8.8	1,218	10	9.4	17
Washington	253.8	3,207.1	-8.4	1,424	5	10.6	14
West Virginia	51.3	634.9	-9.4	933	45	4.9	48
Wisconsin	179.2	2,690.0	-8.7	1,014	33	8.0	28
Wyoming	27.2	260.5	-9.6	965	39	3.7	50
Puerto Rico	46.1	798.7	-7.9	556		4.7
Virgin Islands	3.4	35.4	-7.0	1,016		6.9
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

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