Providence County had 2.2% wage gain in ’14 2Q

THE U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS said the average weekly wage in all Rhode Island counties were below the national average of $940 in second quarter 2014. Providence County had the highest weekly wage in the second quarter at $928. / COURTESY U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
THE U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS said the average weekly wage in all Rhode Island counties were below the national average of $940 in second quarter 2014. Providence County had the highest weekly wage in the second quarter at $928. / COURTESY U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island’s largest county – Providence – reported a 2.2 percent wage gain in the 2014 second quarter, ranking it No. 123 among the 339 largest counties in the country, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more, according to the bureau.

The average weekly wage in Providence County was $928 in the second quarter, 2.2 percent more than it was during the year-earlier period. Nationally, the weekly wage was $940, a 2.1 percent increase from the prior-year quarter.
Newport County had the highest average weekly wage among the four smaller counties at $908, while Bristol County had the lowest at $760. All four counties with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average. Kent County reported a weekly wage of $828, and Washington County, $800.

Nationally, Midland, Texas, ranked first in average weekly wage growth with a 9 percent increase, followed by Douglas, Colo., at 8.8 percent and Hillsborough, N.H., 7.4 percent.
Twenty-two large counties experienced declines in average weekly wages, with Williamson, Texas, having the largest at 2.7 percent.

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The bureau said Providence County ranked No. 118 for its $928 weekly wage, which lands it in the top half out of the 339 large counties, even though that amount lagged the national average weekly wage of $940. A total of 109 large counties had wages above the national average. Santa Clara, Calif., had the highest weekly wage at $1,886. The lowest weekly wage was reported in Horry, S.C., at $548.

Employment in the Ocean State’s largest county accounted for 59 percent of statewide employment in June 2014, the bureau said. A total of 472,920 people were employed in Rhode Island in June 2014, with Providence County employing the most at 279,241, followed by Kent County at 74,958; Washington County at 54,053; Newport County, 40,713 and Bristol County, 14,098.

Providence County had an employment gain of 1.7 percent in the second quarter of 2014, the bureau reported.

Out of 339 large counties, Providence County was one of 305 that had year-over-year job gains in June. The largest over-the-year percentage gain was in Weld, Colo., at 8.9 percent, while Atlantic City, N.J., had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment at 1.6 percent.

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