Municipio Employment and Wages in Puerto Rico — Third Quarter 2021

Employment in Puerto Rico's only large municipio, San Juan, increased 6.4 percent from September 2020 to September 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties and municipios are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2020.) Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that in September 2021, San Juan's employment level of 237,400 accounted for 26.7 percent of total employment in the commonwealth. (See table 1.)

National employment increased 4.4 percent over the year, with 332 of the 343 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Honolulu, HI, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 13.3 percent. Jefferson, LA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 3.2 percent.

The average weekly wage in San Juan was $689 in the third quarter of 2021, a 3.5-percent increase over the year. In the United States, the average weekly wage increased 6.7 percent to $1,251. Among the 343 largest counties in the United States, 333 had over-the-year wage increases. San Mateo, CA, had the largest percentage wage increase (+27.2 percent). Union, NJ, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-1.2 percent).

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 77 municipios in Puerto Rico with employment below 75,000. All 77 municipios had wages below the U.S. average of $1,251. (See table 2.) Juncos, located on the eastern part of the island, had the highest average weekly wage at $893. Guaynabo, located in the northern part of the island, had an average weekly wage of $726. Twenty municipios had average weekly wages below $400, with the lowest wages reported in Las Marías ($320). See chart 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 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. 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. The Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online is available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/.

The County Employment and Wages release for fourth quarter 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. The County Employment and Wages full data update for fourth quarter 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 8, 2022.

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: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Area	Establishments, third quarter (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage
		September 2021 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2020-21	Third quarter 2021	Percent change, third quarter 2020-21
United States	11,021.4	144,863.9	4.4	$1,251	6.7
Puerto Rico	47.9	887.9	6.5	568	4.0
San Juan	11.3	237.4	6.4	689	3.5
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Area	Establishments	Employment September 2021	Average weekly wage
United States	11,021,414	144,863,915	$1,251
Puerto Rico	47,872	887,941	568
Adjuntas	227	1,755	355
Aguada	557	4,621	393
Aguadilla	928	18,575	642
Aguas Buenas	147	1,716	414
Aibonito	330	5,948	540
Añasco	268	5,316	559
Arecibo	1,118	21,044	516
Arroyo	105	2,531	516
Barceloneta	284	10,352	583
Barranquitas	334	2,998	432
Bayamón	2,941	53,841	534
Cabo Rojo	590	6,750	346
Caguas	2,276	45,176	516
Camuy	363	3,784	367
Canóvanas	359	5,334	474
Carolina	1,971	45,680	525
Cataño	313	10,336	629
Cayey	478	9,495	531
Ceiba	104	1,456	434
Ciales	149	1,641	406
Cidra	391	6,058	501
Coamo	296	3,548	412
Comerío	136	1,684	418
Corozal	326	3,675	389
Culebra	58	439	418
Dorado	623	9,995	558
Fajardo	515	9,646	524
Florida	59	1,044	386
Guánica	109	2,720	347
Guayama	466	10,254	519
Guayanilla	129	2,343	400
Guaynabo	2,525	52,181	726
Gurabo	386	7,583	566
Hatillo	579	9,275	409
Hormigueros	189	2,766	395
Humacao	766	16,069	541
Isabela	479	5,856	436
Jayuya	161	2,744	478
Juana Diaz	342	6,433	509
Juncos	270	8,074	893
Lajas	229	3,400	355
Lares	289	4,136	379
Las Marías	88	1,116	320
Las Piedras	288	6,749	579
Loíza	92	1,773	408
Luquillo	147	1,983	463
Manatí	627	13,812	612
Maricao	65	1,289	451
Maunabo	61	1,260	602
Mayagüez	1,542	29,487	499
Moca	422	4,900	392
Morovis	192	2,326	397
Naguabo	179	2,251	408
Naranjito	322	3,526	457
Orocovis	210	3,390	372
Patillas	108	1,513	451
Peñuelas	177	2,518	439
Ponce	2,224	46,212	484
Quebradillas	234	2,260	372
Rincón	219	2,086	391
Río Grande	363	5,187	512
Sabana Grande	207	3,347	379
Salinas	210	3,632	472
San German	379	7,524	428
San Juan	11,336	237,405	689
San Lorenzo	279	4,461	562
San Sebastián	582	5,513	340
Santa Isabel	229	5,739	455
Toa Alta	400	3,898	429
Toa Baja	723	13,024	483
Trujillo Alto	582	10,171	387
Utuado	279	3,533	415
Vega Alta	329	4,114	483
Vega Baja	499	8,019	515
Vieques	124	1,348	487
Villalba	154	3,342	590
Yabucoa	204	2,643	391
Yauco	427	6,302	423
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

State	Establishments, third quarter (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage
		September 2021 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2020-21	Third quarter 2021	National ranking by level	Percent change, third quarter 2020-21	National ranking by percent change
United States	11,021.4	144,863.9	4.4	$1,251	--	6.7	--
Alabama	139.8	1,955.3	2.6	1,030	36	5.3	37
Alaska	24.0	316.9	4.6	1,205	16	3.4	50
Arizona	184.5	2,926.3	4.6	1,167	19	7.0	13
Arkansas	97.4	1,212.9	2.9	963	47	7.8	6
California	1,679.6	17,208.7	6.6	1,576	4	7.7	8
Colorado	231.8	2,723.4	4.8	1,322	9	7.0	13
Connecticut	132.0	1,605.1	2.9	1,401	6	5.7	31
Delaware	35.9	439.7	2.1	1,198	18	4.4	45
District of Columbia	45.4	736.1	3.1	2,042	1	4.1	46
Florida	808.4	8,910.9	7.0	1,120	25	8.7	3
Georgia	343.9	4,491.4	4.9	1,158	20	6.8	17
Hawaii	49.2	592.8	16.6	1,150	22	3.3	51
Idaho	79.2	804.0	5.3	953	50	7.8	6
Illinois	398.4	5,751.2	3.3	1,274	11	6.3	22
Indiana	178.9	3,020.6	2.6	1,032	34	7.4	10
Iowa	106.8	1,509.6	2.2	1,015	39	4.9	43
Kansas	92.1	1,349.3	1.7	997	40	4.7	44
Kentucky	134.3	1,869.0	3.4	989	43	5.8	28
Louisiana	144.2	1,772.7	1.7	1,021	37	5.4	36
Maine	58.5	619.9	3.6	1,031	35	6.7	18
Maryland	178.1	2,604.6	3.9	1,314	10	3.5	49
Massachusetts	281.4	3,501.0	5.5	1,593	2	7.0	13
Michigan	271.3	4,181.4	3.6	1,154	21	5.3	37
Minnesota	186.9	2,780.5	2.7	1,249	13	6.1	24
Mississippi	77.3	1,122.2	2.6	859	51	6.3	22
Missouri	223.9	2,760.3	2.9	1,055	31	6.0	26
Montana	57.0	487.5	4.4	963	47	6.5	21
Nebraska	75.6	964.6	1.4	1,017	38	5.5	35
Nevada	96.0	1,389.5	10.8	1,135	23	8.3	5
New Hampshire	60.0	654.6	3.3	1,349	8	15.0	1
New Jersey	304.1	3,977.2	5.1	1,384	7	4.1	46
New Mexico	64.8	806.2	4.2	997	40	5.6	32
New York	671.2	8,922.4	4.4	1,534	5	6.1	24
North Carolina	318.4	4,516.4	4.5	1,112	26	7.1	11
North Dakota	33.0	407.2	2.2	1,076	30	5.1	40
Ohio	315.7	5,248.0	2.2	1,098	28	5.6	32
Oklahoma	116.4	1,576.6	1.8	966	45	5.6	32
Oregon	171.2	1,909.5	3.7	1,220	15	9.6	2
Pennsylvania	375.4	5,685.4	3.2	1,205	16	5.8	28
Rhode Island	43.2	474.1	4.8	1,131	24	3.6	48
South Carolina	152.9	2,086.0	2.8	988	44	6.9	16
South Dakota	37.0	435.6	3.1	965	46	5.1	40
Tennessee	187.7	3,044.1	4.2	1,111	27	8.7	3
Texas	770.0	12,613.1	5.6	1,227	14	6.7	18
Utah	123.1	1,594.7	5.0	1,087	29	7.1	11
Vermont	28.1	293.5	2.7	1,055	31	5.8	28
Virginia	299.2	3,845.3	2.9	1,264	12	5.3	37
Washington	266.6	3,415.2	4.4	1,578	3	6.6	20
West Virginia	53.6	664.2	2.7	960	49	5.0	42
Wisconsin	189.5	2,815.9	2.3	1,049	33	7.5	9
Wyoming	28.7	271.1	2.5	995	42	6.0	26
Puerto Rico	47.9	887.9	6.5	568		4.0
Virgin Islands	3.6	34.5	1.9	956		-5.4
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.