BLS: Employment increased in Providence County, R.I. in Dec.

PROVIDENCE was among 319 U.S. counties that experienced employment increases year over year in December, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment also increased in Rhode Island in December, the agency said.
PROVIDENCE was among 319 U.S. counties that experienced employment increases year over year in December, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment also increased in Rhode Island in December, the agency said.

PROVIDENCE – Providence was among 319 U.S. counties that experienced employment increases year over year in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said.

Providence County had a 2.1 percent employment gain year over year to 283,500 jobs, ranking it 151st on the list, according to the federal agency, which looked at employment data for 339 of the country’s largest counties. Local job growth nearly matched the national job growth rate of 2.2 percent.

Large counties are defined by the BLS as having 75,000 or more jobs in 2013.

The BLS said Weld, Colo., and Midland, Texas, had the largest percentage increases, with gains of 8 percent each over the year. Atlantic County, N.J., had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment among the largest counties with a 5 percent loss.

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Rhode Island’s employment also grew 1.9 percent year over year in December, to 471,500, according to the BLS.

Weekly wages grew 4.4 percent year over year in fourth quarter 2014 to $1,062, ranking Providence 81st among the 339 largest U.S. counties. That compares to a national average weekly wage of $1,035, a 3.5 percent increase, for the same period.

In Rhode Island, the average weekly wage rose 4.5 percent to $1,003 in the fourth quarter compared with the prior year period.

Among the 339 largest counties, 332 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wage. Benton, Ark. had the largest percentage wage increase at 9.9 percent. San Mateo, Calif., had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages, with a loss of 20.4 percent; the BLS said the decline in average weekly wages in San Mateo was partially due to wages returning to normal in the information sector after higher levels in 2012 and 2013.

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