County Employment and Wages in Indiana — First Quarter 2024

Employment rose in 7 of the 9 largest counties in Indiana from March 2023 to March 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2023.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that Hamilton County and Marion County had the largest over-the-year increases in employment at 2.0 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

National employment increased 1.3 percent over the year, with 300 of the 369 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Monterey, CA, and St. Johns, FL, had the largest over-the-year increases in employment, with gains of 4.8 percent each. Elkhart, IN, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment (-4.9 percent).

Among the nine largest counties in Indiana, employment was highest in Marion (619,400) in March 2024. Within Marion County's private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the nine largest Indiana counties accounted for 53.8 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 369 largest counties made up 73.3 percent of total covered U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 83 counties in Indiana with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 81 of the 83 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,527 in the first quarter of 2024. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All nine large Indiana counties reported average weekly wage gains from the first quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024. (See chart 2.) Marion County had the largest gain (+8.8 percent), followed by Tippecanoe County (+6.8 percent) and Lake County (+5.6 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among Indiana's other six large counties ranged from 4.3 percent to 1.8 percent.

Nationwide, wages increased by 4.2 percent over the year. Among the 369 largest counties in the United States, 357 had over-the-year wage increases. Santa Clara, CA, had the largest percentage wage increase (+14.6 percent). Saginaw, MI, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-3.4 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

The average weekly wage in Marion County was above the national average of $1,527 in the first quarter of 2024. Average weekly wages in 2 of the 9 large counties ranked among the top third nationwide: Marion ($1,642, 58^th) and Hamilton ($1,438, 111^th).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 85 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the first quarter of 2024. San Mateo, CA, had the highest average weekly wage ($4,385). Average weekly wages were below the national average in the remaining 284 counties. Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage ($807).

Smaller county average weekly wages

Among the 83 smaller counties in Indiana-those with employment below 75,000-Bartholomew County ($1,727) and Martin County ($1,712) reported an average weekly wage above the national average. Brown County ($686) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 92 counties in Indiana were considered, 14 reported average weekly wages of less than $900, 34 registered wages from $900 to $999, 18 had wages from $1,000 to $1,099, and 26 had average weekly wages of $1,100 or higher. (See map 1.)

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 for the County Employment and Wages News Release or visit the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. This publication is typically published in September of the following year of the reference period or shortly after the QCEW first quarter full data update.

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Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the nine largest counties in Indiana, first quarter 2024

Area	Establishments, first quarter (thousands)	Employment	Average weekly wage (1)
March 2024 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2023-24 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	First quarter 2024 ($)	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, first quarter 2023-24 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	12,169.0	153,585.6	1.3	--	1,527	--	4.2	--
Indiana	195.2	3,148.3	0.6	--	1,271	30	5.7	1
Allen	10.5	196.7	0.5	260	1,224	235	4.3	128
Elkhart	5.3	127.5	-4.9	368	1,266	207	2.3	307
Hamilton	12.8	160.4	2.0	71	1,438	111	3.2	236
Hendricks	4.3	79.9	0.5	260	1,048	343	2.2	318
Lake	12.0	189.1	0.8	217	1,217	240	5.6	37
Marion	28.9	619.4	1.4	151	1,642	58	8.8	6
St. Joseph	6.6	120.1	0.3	278	1,147	299	2.4	300
Tippecanoe	4.3	92.4	-0.2	319	1,209	245	6.8	16
Vanderburgh	5.3	107.4	0.4	272	1,113	319	1.8	337
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. (3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Indiana, first quarter 2024

Area	Establishments	Employment March 2024	Average weekly wage ($) (1)
United States (2)	12,169,000	153,585,576	1,527
Indiana	195,166	3,148,267	1,271
Adams	783	12,836	950
Allen	10,542	196,700	1,224
Bartholomew	2,151	50,201	1,727
Benton	218	2,116	1,054
Blackford	242	2,856	910
Boone	2,530	43,506	1,045
Brown	377	3,159	686
Carroll	446	5,476	922
Cass	740	14,454	939
Clark	3,193	58,115	1,026
Clay	531	8,148	864
Clinton	643	11,473	1,001
Crawford	174	1,891	833
Daviess	984	13,161	942
Dearborn	1,219	14,181	982
Decatur	714	13,926	1,042
De Kalb	1,090	22,133	1,368
Delaware	2,387	44,718	997
Dubois	1,396	27,844	1,067
Elkhart	5,337	127,535	1,266
Fayette	429	5,902	861
Floyd	2,081	32,171	1,080
Fountain	384	4,926	889
Franklin	367	3,968	852
Fulton	482	6,126	910
Gibson	815	21,362	1,280
Grant	1,293	27,132	1,007
Greene	605	6,350	895
Hamilton	12,841	160,379	1,438
Hancock	2,044	28,640	1,154
Harrison	757	10,459	978
Hendricks	4,326	79,902	1,048
Henry	899	13,601	924
Howard	1,912	35,751	1,331
Huntington	996	13,452	970
Jackson	1,054	22,638	1,130
Jasper	890	11,602	957
Jay	432	7,043	938
Jefferson	728	12,731	973
Jennings	489	8,063	925
Johnson	4,225	64,651	963
Knox	964	17,182	979
Kosciusko	2,158	36,080	1,315
Lagrange	1,044	14,709	974
Lake	11,985	189,110	1,217
La Porte	2,518	40,311	1,021
Lawrence	924	13,397	983
Madison	2,495	39,479	955
Marion	28,869	619,400	1,642
Marshall	1,150	19,358	1,000
Martin	281	7,992	1,712
Miami	643	8,996	968
Monroe	3,470	66,810	1,225
Montgomery	925	15,475	1,104
Morgan	1,426	15,273	963
Newton	299	3,236	938
Noble	992	16,579	997
Ohio	90	1,099	739
Orange	405	7,366	866
Owen	334	5,426	1,237
Parke	326	3,480	823
Perry	387	6,460	995
Pike	210	2,512	1,236
Porter	4,261	62,803	1,108
Posey	604	8,684	1,371
Pulaski	362	5,324	1,090
Putnam	768	12,397	976
Randolph	573	7,052	935
Ripley	808	11,153	1,007
Rush	433	4,937	975
St. Joseph	6,566	120,115	1,147
Scott	436	8,001	955
Shelby	1,027	18,612	1,121
Spencer	502	6,507	1,008
Starke	342	4,100	834
Steuben	1,033	16,210	943
Sullivan	385	5,703	1,037
Switzerland	148	1,577	823
Tippecanoe	4,311	92,431	1,209
Tipton	350	4,396	1,014
Union	153	1,550	813
Vanderburgh	5,254	107,360	1,113
Vermillion	299	4,323	1,240
Vigo	2,570	45,728	1,050
Wabash	786	12,391	1,000
Warren	166	1,848	988
Warrick	1,392	17,871	1,126
Washington	503	5,756	846
Wayne	1,507	29,812	987
Wells	705	11,318	978
White	713	8,636	952
Whitley	770	13,989	1,273
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, first quarter 2024

State	Establishments, first quarter (thousands)	Employment	Average weekly wage (1)
March 2024 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2023-24	First quarter 2024 ($)	National ranking by level	Percent change, first quarter 2023-24	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	12,169.0	153,585.6	1.3	1,527	--	4.2	--
Alabama	160.7	2,091.9	1.6	1,201	37	3.3	44
Alaska	25.2	318.1	2.2	1,374	22	5.6	2
Arizona	229.4	3,257.0	2.9	1,372	23	3.1	46
Arkansas	104.6	1,292.8	1.4	1,171	44	4.0	24
California	1,835.8	18,053.0	1.5	1,833	5	5.5	3
Colorado	264.4	2,851.4	0.3	1,613	8	3.5	38
Connecticut	149.5	1,661.9	1.0	1,908	4	4.4	18
Delaware	43.0	469.3	1.8	1,484	15	3.7	33
District of Columbia	52.3	759.8	0.7	2,434	1	4.0	24
Florida	898.9	9,863.2	2.1	1,384	20	4.2	20
Georgia	401.4	4,843.9	1.3	1,441	17	4.7	12
Hawaii	58.6	638.8	0.6	1,278	29	4.8	10
Idaho	98.5	835.8	1.9	1,130	47	4.1	22
Illinois	410.2	5,966.9	0.3	1,608	9	2.7	50
Indiana	195.2	3,148.3	0.6	1,271	30	5.7	1
Iowa	110.8	1,543.1	0.9	1,214	36	3.2	45
Kansas	100.7	1,415.7	0.7	1,199	38	3.8	32
Kentucky	155.8	1,987.2	1.4	1,178	42	3.4	43
Louisiana	154.5	1,904.2	0.7	1,195	39	4.0	24
Maine	65.0	626.4	1.3	1,249	34	5.2	4
Maryland	198.4	2,690.0	0.8	1,591	10	4.5	16
Massachusetts	287.4	3,599.0	0.5	2,015	3	4.9	8
Michigan	338.6	4,351.0	1.0	1,352	24	3.5	38
Minnesota	210.5	2,850.4	0.2	1,519	14	4.0	24
Mississippi	89.5	1,157.2	0.2	980	51	3.6	36
Missouri	257.5	2,882.5	1.0	1,269	31	3.7	33
Montana	61.8	503.1	1.2	1,126	49	4.4	18
Nebraska	76.0	1,007.3	1.5	1,195	39	2.6	51
Nevada	112.1	1,534.4	2.4	1,304	28	4.7	12
New Hampshire	65.9	680.0	1.1	1,531	13	4.7	12
New Jersey	335.6	4,218.8	1.3	1,761	7	3.5	38
New Mexico	67.9	861.5	1.6	1,159	45	4.8	10
New York	709.5	9,537.4	1.8	2,089	2	3.5	38
North Carolina	395.7	4,871.0	1.8	1,401	18	4.0	24
North Dakota	36.1	419.9	1.6	1,261	33	3.7	33
Ohio	337.0	5,452.8	0.8	1,315	25	4.0	24
Oklahoma	132.9	1,690.0	1.7	1,152	46	4.0	24
Oregon	198.9	1,971.9	-0.3	1,377	21	3.1	46
Pennsylvania	392.0	5,967.0	1.1	1,449	16	3.0	48
Rhode Island	48.5	483.9	1.1	1,387	19	4.0	24
South Carolina	184.6	2,265.9	2.1	1,194	41	4.9	8
South Dakota	39.9	449.7	2.0	1,129	48	4.2	20
Tennessee	230.1	3,261.3	1.9	1,311	27	3.5	38
Texas	839.6	13,826.9	1.7	1,540	12	4.1	22
Utah	135.7	1,699.6	1.9	1,313	26	5.2	4
Vermont	32.8	307.3	0.6	1,232	35	3.6	36
Virginia	318.3	4,072.6	1.6	1,554	11	5.2	4
Washington	224.3	3,577.3	1.3	1,815	6	5.1	7
West Virginia	60.8	694.0	1.6	1,110	50	4.6	15
Wisconsin	206.0	2,899.1	0.6	1,263	32	4.5	16
Wyoming	30.8	274.1	1.1	1,177	43	2.8	49
Puerto Rico	54.7	952.8	1.6	677	(3)	4.8	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.9	36.5	0.9	996	(3)	1.6	(3)
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (3) Data not included in the national ranking.
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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