Wage increases in Providence, Bristol Co. on pace with U.S.

AVERAGE WEEKLY WAGES rose 2 percent in Providence County in the second quarter, ranking Providence No. 133 out of the 334 largest U.S. counties, and rose 2.1 percent in Bristol County, Mass., which ranked No. 123. / COURTESY U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
AVERAGE WEEKLY WAGES rose 2 percent in Providence County in the second quarter, ranking Providence No. 133 out of the 334 largest U.S. counties, and rose 2.1 percent in Bristol County, Mass., which ranked No. 123. / COURTESY U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

PROVIDENCE – The average weekly wage in Providence County rose to $908 in the second quarter of 2013, a 2 percent increase over the same period last year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.

The income hike landed Providence at No. 133 in the BLS ranking of the 334 largest U.S. counties in order of highest percentage rise in weekly wages.

Among the largest New England counties – those with 75,000 or more people employed – Providence placed ninth. The top New England counties in terms of second-quarter wage gains were Rockingham, N.H. (No. 4), with a 6.9 percent rise to $908, Chittenden, Vt. (No. 36), with a 3.4 percent rise to $945 and Essex, Mass. (No. 69), with a 2.8 percent rise to $979.

In Bristol County, Mass., the average weekly wage rose 2.1 percent to $842 in the second quarter, placing at No. 123 in the country and No. 8 in New England. The Bristol County rise in average weekly wages matched the national year-over-year increase, also 2.1 percent. The average weekly wage in the U.S. for the second quarter was $921.

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Among the 334 largest counties in the U.S., 304 experienced wage increases, according to the BLS.

In terms of year-over-year gains in employment, Providence and Bristol County lagged the nation. In the second quarter, employment rose 1 percent compared with the previous year, earning the county a spot at No. 203 among U.S. counties and No. 9 among New England counties.

The BLS reported that 273,200 employees worked at 17,400 workplace establishments in Providence County in the second quarter.

Bristol County, Mass., saw an increase of 0.7 percent in employment over the year, for a total of 217,500 people working at 16,300 workplace establishments. Bristol County placed at No. 233 in the U.S. and No. 12 in New England for gains in employment.

The top New England counties for second-quarter employment growth were all in Massachusetts. Middlesex County (No. 124) topped the list with 1.9 percent employment growth, followed by Norfolk County (No. 131) with 1.8 percent and Suffolk County (No. 143) with 1.7 percent.

Nationally, employment increased 1.6 percent, and 288 of the 334 largest counties in the U.S. saw year-over-year employment gains in the second quarter. Among the 36 counties that experienced employment losses was New London, Conn. (No. 320), with a decline of 1.1 percent.

According to the report, 135 million Americans worked at 9.2 million workplace establishments in the second quarter of 2013.

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