Counties in New York by covered employment (QCEW)

New York County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 62 counties in 2021, at 2,201,025 jobs. Hamilton County had the lowest, at 1,672 jobs. The median was 31,324 jobs and the figure for New York was 8,817,105 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest2,201,025New York County
Lowest1,672Hamilton County
Median31,32462 counties
New York8,817,105History

Map of counties, 2021

Albany County: 219,339 jobsAllegany County: 12,425 jobsBronx County: 305,567 jobsBroome County: 78,476 jobsCattaraugus County: 26,962 jobsCayuga County: 23,951 jobsChautauqua County: 44,733 jobsChemung County: 32,647 jobsChenango County: 16,502 jobsClinton County: 31,777 jobsColumbia County: 20,153 jobsCortland County: 16,850 jobsDelaware County: 13,906 jobsDutchess County: 104,869 jobsErie County: 434,803 jobsEssex County: 13,709 jobsFranklin County: 16,984 jobsFulton County: 15,628 jobsGenesee County: 22,348 jobsGreene County: 13,883 jobsHamilton County: 1,672 jobsHerkimer County: 15,666 jobsJefferson County: 38,549 jobsKings County: 771,064 jobsLewis County: 6,379 jobsLivingston County: 18,861 jobsMadison County: 20,020 jobsMonroe County: 360,643 jobsMontgomery County: 17,959 jobsNassau County: 591,705 jobsNew York County: 2,201,025 jobsNiagara County: 66,538 jobsOneida County: 98,025 jobsOnondaga County: 230,745 jobsOntario County: 49,858 jobsOrange County: 141,889 jobsOrleans County: 10,949 jobsOswego County: 30,870 jobsOtsego County: 21,332 jobsPutnam County: 25,014 jobsQueens County: 660,987 jobsRensselaer County: 52,849 jobsRichmond County: 125,938 jobsRockland County: 125,657 jobsSt. Lawrence County: 33,993 jobsSaratoga County: 84,936 jobsSchenectady County: 55,666 jobsSchoharie County: 8,199 jobsSchuyler County: 4,794 jobsSeneca County: 10,692 jobsSteuben County: 34,475 jobsSuffolk County: 628,572 jobsSullivan County: 27,332 jobsTioga County: 12,418 jobsTompkins County: 46,351 jobsUlster County: 55,349 jobsWarren County: 35,045 jobsWashington County: 14,543 jobsWayne County: 27,470 jobsWestchester County: 395,736 jobsWyoming County: 13,450 jobsYates County: 6,675 jobs
  • Under 10K
  • 10K to 20K
  • 20K to 30K
  • 30K to 50K
  • 50K to 210K
  • 210K and over
jobs, 2021. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2021

New York County: 2,201,025 jobsNew York County2,201,025Kings County: 771,064 jobsKings County771,064Queens County: 660,987 jobsQueens County660,987Suffolk County: 628,572 jobsSuffolk County628,572Nassau County: 591,705 jobsNassau County591,705Erie County: 434,803 jobsErie County434,803Westchester County: 395,736 jobsWestchester County395,736Monroe County: 360,643 jobsMonroe County360,643Bronx County: 305,567 jobsBronx County305,567Onondaga County: 230,745 jobsOnondaga County230,745Albany County: 219,339 jobsAlbany County219,339Orange County: 141,889 jobsOrange County141,889Richmond County: 125,938 jobsRichmond County125,938Rockland County: 125,657 jobsRockland County125,657Dutchess County: 104,869 jobsDutchess County104,869Oneida County: 98,025 jobsOneida County98,025Saratoga County: 84,936 jobsSaratoga County84,936Broome County: 78,476 jobsBroome County78,476Niagara County: 66,538 jobsNiagara County66,538Schenectady County: 55,666 jobsSchenectady County55,666Ulster County: 55,349 jobsUlster County55,349Rensselaer County: 52,849 jobsRensselaer County52,849Ontario County: 49,858 jobsOntario County49,858Tompkins County: 46,351 jobsTompkins County46,351Chautauqua County: 44,733 jobsChautauqua County44,733Jefferson County: 38,549 jobsJefferson County38,549Warren County: 35,045 jobsWarren County35,045Steuben County: 34,475 jobsSteuben County34,475St. Lawrence County: 33,993 jobsSt. Lawrence County33,993Chemung County: 32,647 jobsChemung County32,647Clinton County: 31,777 jobsClinton County31,777Oswego County: 30,870 jobsOswego County30,870Wayne County: 27,470 jobsWayne County27,470Sullivan County: 27,332 jobsSullivan County27,332Cattaraugus County: 26,962 jobsCattaraugus County26,962Putnam County: 25,014 jobsPutnam County25,014Cayuga County: 23,951 jobsCayuga County23,951Genesee County: 22,348 jobsGenesee County22,348Otsego County: 21,332 jobsOtsego County21,332Columbia County: 20,153 jobsColumbia County20,153New York County: 2,201,025 jobsNew York County2,201,025Kings County: 771,064 jobsKings County771,064Queens County: 660,987 jobsQueens County660,987Suffolk County: 628,572 jobsSuffolk County628,572Nassau County: 591,705 jobsNassau County591,705Erie County: 434,803 jobsErie County434,803Westchester County: 395,736 jobsWestchester County395,736Monroe County: 360,643 jobsMonroe County360,643Bronx County: 305,567 jobsBronx County305,567Onondaga County: 230,745 jobsOnondaga County230,745Albany County: 219,339 jobsAlbany County219,339Orange County: 141,889 jobsOrange County141,889Richmond County: 125,938 jobsRichmond County125,938Rockland County: 125,657 jobsRockland County125,657Dutchess County: 104,869 jobsDutchess County104,869Oneida County: 98,025 jobsOneida County98,025Saratoga County: 84,936 jobsSaratoga County84,936Broome County: 78,476 jobsBroome County78,476Niagara County: 66,538 jobsNiagara County66,538Schenectady County: 55,666 jobsSchenectady County55,666Ulster County: 55,349 jobsUlster County55,349Rensselaer County: 52,849 jobsRensselaer County52,849Ontario County: 49,858 jobsOntario County49,858Tompkins County: 46,351 jobsTompkins County46,351Chautauqua County: 44,733 jobsChautauqua County44,733Jefferson County: 38,549 jobsJefferson County38,549Warren County: 35,045 jobsWarren County35,045Steuben County: 34,475 jobsSteuben County34,475St. Lawrence County: 33,993 jobsSt. Lawrence County33,993Chemung County: 32,647 jobsChemung County32,647Clinton County: 31,777 jobsClinton County31,777Oswego County: 30,870 jobsOswego County30,870Wayne County: 27,470 jobsWayne County27,470Sullivan County: 27,332 jobsSullivan County27,332Cattaraugus County: 26,962 jobsCattaraugus County26,962Putnam County: 25,014 jobsPutnam County25,014Cayuga County: 23,951 jobsCayuga County23,951Genesee County: 22,348 jobsGenesee County22,348Otsego County: 21,332 jobsOtsego County21,332Columbia County: 20,153 jobsColumbia County20,153
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021
jobs
Change on 2020
1New York County2,201,025+0.1%
2Kings County771,064+4.6%
3Queens County660,987+3.7%
4Suffolk County628,572+4.2%
5Nassau County591,705+5.1%
6Erie County434,803+2%
7Westchester County395,736+2.3%
8Monroe County360,643+1.5%
9Bronx County305,567+1.5%
10Onondaga County230,745+1.5%
11Albany County219,339+1%
12Orange County141,889+4.7%
13Richmond County125,938+5.2%
14Rockland County125,657+6%
15Dutchess County104,869+1.5%
16Oneida County98,025+1.3%
17Saratoga County84,936+4.4%
18Broome County78,476+1.5%
19Niagara County66,538+3.4%
20Schenectady County55,666-1.3%
21Ulster County55,349+1.8%
22Rensselaer County52,849+2.8%
23Ontario County49,858+3.4%
24Tompkins County46,351+0.9%
25Chautauqua County44,733+2.5%
26Jefferson County38,549+3.5%
27Warren County35,045+3.6%
28Steuben County34,475+1.1%
29St. Lawrence County33,993+2.1%
30Chemung County32,647+0.2%
31Clinton County31,777+1.5%
32Oswego County30,870+1.4%
33Wayne County27,470+0.8%
34Sullivan County27,332+4.2%
35Cattaraugus County26,962+3.3%
36Putnam County25,014+3.6%
37Cayuga County23,951+1.8%
38Genesee County22,348+4%
39Otsego County21,332+2.2%
40Columbia County20,153+1.2%
41Madison County20,020+2.3%
42Livingston County18,861+1%
43Montgomery County17,959+1.5%
44Franklin County16,984+2.9%
45Cortland County16,850+1.6%
46Chenango County16,502+2.2%
47Herkimer County15,666+0.9%
48Fulton County15,628+1.1%
49Washington County14,543+1.2%
50Delaware County13,906+1.4%
51Greene County13,883+2.8%
52Essex County13,709+3.7%
53Wyoming County13,450+3.1%
54Allegany County12,425+1.7%
55Tioga County12,418+2.3%
56Orleans County10,949+0.1%
57Seneca County10,692+0.2%
58Schoharie County8,199+5.1%
59Yates County6,675+4.7%
60Lewis County6,379+4.2%
61Schuyler County4,794+5.4%
62Hamilton County1,672+6.4%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in New York by covered employment (QCEW), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in New York by covered employment (QCEW), 2021. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/new-york-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in New York by covered employment (QCEW), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/new-york-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in New York by covered employment (QCEW), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/new-york-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_new_york_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in New York by covered employment (QCEW), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/new-york-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in New York by covered employment (QCEW), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/new-york-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/new-york-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in New York by covered employment (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

New York County, with 2,201,025 jobs in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Hamilton County, with 1,672 jobs in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in New York: more rankings