Data / Rankings / Covered employment (QCEW) / US counties

US counties by covered employment (QCEW)

Los Angeles County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 3132 counties in 2016, at 4,344,132 jobs. Loving County had the lowest, at 74 jobs. The median was 8,074 jobs and the figure for the United States was 141,870,066 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest4,344,132Los Angeles County
Lowest74Loving County
Median8,0743132 counties
United States141,870,066History

Map of counties, 2016

jobs, 2016. Hatched areas have no value for this period. 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, 2016

Los Angeles County: 4,344,132 jobsLos Angeles County4,344,132Cook County: 2,561,922 jobsCook County2,561,922New York County: 2,415,773 jobsNew York County2,415,773Harris County: 2,266,730 jobsHarris County2,266,730Maricopa County: 1,871,953 jobsMaricopa County1,871,953Dallas County: 1,651,334 jobsDallas County1,651,334Orange County: 1,559,959 jobsOrange County1,559,959San Diego County: 1,405,808 jobsSan Diego County1,405,808King County: 1,315,662 jobsKing County1,315,662Miami-Dade County: 1,107,359 jobsMiami-Dade County1,107,359Santa Clara County: 1,046,049 jobsSanta Clara County1,046,049Clark County: 936,500 jobsClark County936,500Hennepin County: 901,095 jobsHennepin County901,095Middlesex County: 888,073 jobsMiddlesex County888,073Tarrant County: 855,756 jobsTarrant County855,756Bexar County: 841,335 jobsBexar County841,335Fulton County: 823,703 jobsFulton County823,703Orange County: 793,424 jobsOrange County793,424Broward County: 782,923 jobsBroward County782,923District of Columbia: 756,646 jobsDistrict of Columbia756,646Alameda County: 751,599 jobsAlameda County751,599Franklin County: 738,559 jobsFranklin County738,559Oakland County: 721,461 jobsOakland County721,461Cuyahoga County: 719,480 jobsCuyahoga County719,480Wayne County: 711,606 jobsWayne County711,606San Bernardino County: 706,208 jobsSan Bernardino County706,208Travis County: 705,811 jobsTravis County705,811San Francisco County: 703,188 jobsSan Francisco County703,188Riverside County: 689,386 jobsRiverside County689,386Allegheny County: 688,600 jobsAllegheny County688,600Kings County: 687,358 jobsKings County687,358Salt Lake County: 668,481 jobsSalt Lake County668,481Hillsborough County: 665,072 jobsHillsborough County665,072Philadelphia County: 663,398 jobsPhiladelphia County663,398Mecklenburg County: 661,927 jobsMecklenburg County661,927Suffolk County: 659,565 jobsSuffolk County659,565Suffolk County: 650,509 jobsSuffolk County650,509Queens County: 647,912 jobsQueens County647,912Sacramento County: 638,422 jobsSacramento County638,422Nassau County: 622,087 jobsNassau County622,087Los Angeles County: 4,344,132 jobsLos Angeles County4,344,132Cook County: 2,561,922 jobsCook County2,561,922New York County: 2,415,773 jobsNew York County2,415,773Harris County: 2,266,730 jobsHarris County2,266,730Maricopa County: 1,871,953 jobsMaricopa County1,871,953Dallas County: 1,651,334 jobsDallas County1,651,334Orange County: 1,559,959 jobsOrange County1,559,959San Diego County: 1,405,808 jobsSan Diego County1,405,808King County: 1,315,662 jobsKing County1,315,662Miami-Dade County: 1,107,359 jobsMiami-Dade County1,107,359Santa Clara County: 1,046,049 jobsSanta Clara County1,046,049Clark County: 936,500 jobsClark County936,500Hennepin County: 901,095 jobsHennepin County901,095Middlesex County: 888,073 jobsMiddlesex County888,073Tarrant County: 855,756 jobsTarrant County855,756Bexar County: 841,335 jobsBexar County841,335Fulton County: 823,703 jobsFulton County823,703Orange County: 793,424 jobsOrange County793,424Broward County: 782,923 jobsBroward County782,923District of Columbia: 756,646 jobsDistrict of Columbia756,646Alameda County: 751,599 jobsAlameda County751,599Franklin County: 738,559 jobsFranklin County738,559Oakland County: 721,461 jobsOakland County721,461Cuyahoga County: 719,480 jobsCuyahoga County719,480Wayne County: 711,606 jobsWayne County711,606San Bernardino County: 706,208 jobsSan Bernardino County706,208Travis County: 705,811 jobsTravis County705,811San Francisco County: 703,188 jobsSan Francisco County703,188Riverside County: 689,386 jobsRiverside County689,386Allegheny County: 688,600 jobsAllegheny County688,600Kings County: 687,358 jobsKings County687,358Salt Lake County: 668,481 jobsSalt Lake County668,481Hillsborough County: 665,072 jobsHillsborough County665,072Philadelphia County: 663,398 jobsPhiladelphia County663,398Mecklenburg County: 661,927 jobsMecklenburg County661,927Suffolk County: 659,565 jobsSuffolk County659,565Suffolk County: 650,509 jobsSuffolk County650,509Queens County: 647,912 jobsQueens County647,912Sacramento County: 638,422 jobsSacramento County638,422Nassau County: 622,087 jobsNassau County622,087
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

RankCounties2016
jobs		Change on 2015
1Los Angeles County4,344,132+2.3%
2Cook County2,561,922+1.2%
3New York County2,415,773+1.7%
4Harris County2,266,730-1.1%
5Maricopa County1,871,953+3%
6Dallas County1,651,334+2.9%
7Orange County1,559,959+2.7%
8San Diego County1,405,808+2.6%
9King County1,315,662+3.3%
10Miami-Dade County1,107,359+2.6%
11Santa Clara County1,046,049+2.8%
12Clark County936,500+3.1%
13Hennepin County901,095+2%
14Middlesex County888,073+1.7%
15Tarrant County855,756+1.8%
16Bexar County841,335+2.8%
17Fulton County823,703+4.1%
18Orange County793,424+4%
19Broward County782,923+2.8%
20District of Columbia756,646+1.8%
21Alameda County751,599+3.1%
22Franklin County738,559+2.4%
23Oakland County721,461+2.2%
24Cuyahoga County719,480+0.8%
25Wayne County711,606+1.8%
26San Bernardino County706,208+2.4%
27Travis County705,811+2.7%
28San Francisco County703,188+4.2%
29Riverside County689,386+4.7%
30Allegheny County688,600+0.5%
31Kings County687,358+3.9%
32Salt Lake County668,481+3.6%
33Hillsborough County665,072+3.3%
34Philadelphia County663,398+2%
35Mecklenburg County661,927+3.9%
36Suffolk County659,565+3.1%
37Suffolk County650,509+1.3%
38Queens County647,912+2.3%
39Sacramento County638,422+1.9%
40Nassau County622,087+1.5%
41DuPage County612,265+1.4%
42St. Louis County598,815+1.3%
43Fairfax County595,313+1.4%
44Marion County591,186+1.4%
45Palm Beach County584,989+3.4%
46Wake County530,547+3.7%
47Hamilton County509,034+0.7%
48Denver County494,890+3.5%
49Multnomah County492,062+2.5%
50Shelby County491,027+1.5%
51Duval County486,433+2.9%
52Milwaukee County484,344+0.5%
53Montgomery County484,289+1.4%
54Honolulu County471,586+1.4%
55Davidson County470,477+3.5%
56Erie County466,253+1%
57Montgomery County463,967+0.9%
58Jefferson County459,791+2.1%
59Oklahoma County447,610-0.6%
60Bergen County444,086+0.7%
61Westchester County422,288+0.8%
62Pinellas County417,990+2.4%
63Middlesex County413,524+2.9%
64San Mateo County391,640+2.1%
65Kent County388,828+5.3%
66Monroe County383,990+1.4%
67Collin County380,419+4.3%
68Fresno County374,939+2.8%
69Baltimore County373,523+0.8%
70Jackson County363,137+1.4%
71Contra Costa County359,242+3.6%
72Pima County358,682+1.3%
73Norfolk County349,730+2.1%
74Tulsa County349,4710%
75Cobb County345,651+3.9%
76Gwinnett County342,828+2.5%
77Jefferson County340,512+0.7%
78Worcester County340,503+1.9%
79Johnson County337,859+0.9%
80Baltimore city337,194+0.9%
81Douglas County336,971+1.4%
82Essex County336,420+0.9%
83Lake County332,564+0.4%
84Dane County329,751+2.3%
85Ramsey County327,317+0.1%
86Bernalillo County324,566+1.8%
87Essex County322,726+1.1%
88Arapahoe County321,758+1.7%
89Macomb County320,677+1.9%
90Ventura County319,053+1%
91Kern County314,213+0.7%
92Prince George's County312,033+1.9%
93Bronx County299,438+0.2%
94El Paso County296,977+2.1%
95Pierce County295,451+3.5%
96Polk County294,984+2.2%
97DeKalb County294,582+1.2%
98New Castle County286,566+0.4%
99Morris County285,590+0.6%
100Providence County283,429+0.7%
101Snohomish County283,295+2.8%
102Washington County283,114+3%
103Guilford County278,182+1%
104East Baton Rouge Parish268,133-0.3%
105Anne Arundel County267,653+2.8%
106Summit County266,282+0.8%
107El Paso County263,521+2.7%
108Greenville County262,325+2.2%
109Bucks County259,721+1.8%
110Monmouth County256,634+2%
111Montgomery County252,750+1.4%
112Hudson County252,557+4%
113Lee County250,630+4.4%
114Hidalgo County249,614+1.7%
115Sedgwick County248,772+0.2%
116Chester County248,027+1.7%
117Pulaski County247,493+1%
118Mercer County245,383+3.1%
119Onondaga County243,700+0.8%
120Charleston County241,962+2.8%
121San Joaquin County239,314+3.3%
122Waukesha County238,806+1.3%
123Knox County235,681+2%
124Lancaster County234,156+2.1%
125Jefferson County233,337+2.2%
126Albany County232,495+1.2%
127Will County230,559+4.4%
128Denton County227,819+4.2%
129Ada County226,196+4.4%
130St. Louis city225,643-0.1%
131Bristol County223,466+1.7%
132Utah County219,775+5.7%
133Delaware County219,145+1%
134Richland County217,303+1.9%
135Union County217,047+0.6%
136Spokane County215,023+2.7%
137Washoe County209,985+4.2%
138Lucas County209,850+1%
139Polk County209,550+2.8%
140Kane County207,883+0.7%
141Hampden County207,091+2%
142Washtenaw County206,162+1.8%
143Sonoma County201,875+2.4%
144Camden County201,214+2.9%
145Brevard County201,065+3.4%
146Burlington County200,809+2.1%
147Hillsborough County199,731+1.5%
148Adams County198,368+3.4%
149Hamilton County196,794+2.2%
150Durham County195,657+2.3%
151Santa Barbara County194,999+0.6%
152Orleans Parish193,474+0.7%
153Jefferson Parish193,457-0.6%
154Fayette County192,405+1.4%
155Madison County191,678+2.7%
156Henrico County189,377+1.3%
157Plymouth County189,237+1.6%
158Monterey County188,586+2%
159Dakota County186,981+1.7%
160Lake County186,812+0.5%
161Lehigh County186,616+1.6%
162Somerset County184,061+1.7%
163Stanislaus County183,977+2.7%
164Allen County183,107+0.7%
165Seminole County183,001+5.1%
166Forsyth County182,389+1.1%
167Dauphin County179,997+1.3%
168Cumberland County178,895+1.7%
169Boulder County176,652+2.3%
170Virginia Beach city176,470+1.6%
171York County176,421+1.5%
172Fort Bend County173,591+2.2%
173Arlington County172,888+1.5%
174Berks County170,657+0.7%
175Mobile County169,094+1%
176Montgomery County168,572+2.1%
177Lancaster County168,495+1.5%
178Howard County168,168+1.8%
179Volusia County167,484+4.3%
180Passaic County165,631+1%
181Sarasota County163,533+2.8%
182Greene County162,887+1%
183Ocean County162,187+1.9%
184Nueces County161,769-0.8%
185Tulare County160,995+3.2%
186Loudoun County159,753+3.4%
187Williamson County158,526+5%
188Stark County158,204+0.1%
189Clackamas County157,789+4.4%
190Placer County156,271+5.2%
191Brown County153,891+1.4%
192Richmond city153,128+2.3%
193Larimer County153,102+3.8%
194Lane County151,396+3.1%
195Anchorage Municipality151,070-1.8%
196Butler County150,345+3.5%
197Ingham County149,623+2.1%
198Marion County149,278+2.8%
199Chatham County149,090+2.5%
200Clark County149,070+3.3%
201Rockingham County146,932+2.3%
202Leon County146,254+2.5%
203St. Charles County143,850+3.1%
204Luzerne County143,619+0.9%
205Collier County140,728+4.7%
206Orange County140,467+1.1%
207Norfolk city140,246+0.3%
208Cameron County138,490+1.5%
209Lubbock County137,296+2.4%
210Hamilton County136,859+3.3%
211Solano County135,792+3.7%
212Chesterfield County134,066+2.2%
213Genesee County133,469+0.8%
214Westmoreland County132,976-0%
215Cumberland County132,087+1.1%
216Spartanburg County131,655+3.7%
217Montgomery County131,172+1.7%
218Lafayette Parish130,217-5.4%
219Escambia County130,114+3.2%
220Linn County129,649+0.4%
221Sangamon County128,646-0.7%
222Elkhart County127,535+2.9%
223Buncombe County127,316+2.8%
224Winnebago County127,007-0.3%
225Alachua County126,846+2.8%
226Prince William County126,283+3%
227Atlantic County124,840-0.1%
228Minnehaha County124,333+1.2%
229Williamson County123,592+7.3%
230St. Joseph County122,570+2.1%
231Erie County122,533-1.7%
232Jefferson County122,507-1.1%
233Ottawa County122,467+2.2%
234Horry County122,156+3.3%
235Rockland County121,227+2.6%
236Anoka County121,026+2.1%
237Hinds County121,018+0.5%
238Davis County120,916+2.2%
239Clayton County120,544+2.7%
240Cumberland County119,025+1.7%
241Rutherford County118,753+2.6%
242Manatee County118,423+2.8%
243Kalamazoo County117,002+2.1%
244Cass County116,890+1%
245Douglas County116,821+3.5%
246Bell County116,479+1.1%
247Lexington County116,084+2.6%
248Richmond County115,173+1.6%
249Benton County114,646+4.7%
250San Luis Obispo County114,421+0.2%

Showing the top 250 of 3132. The Excel download has every row.

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. 11 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2016 and are left out rather than filled from another source. 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/2016/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 (US counties by covered employment (QCEW), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/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, US counties by covered employment (QCEW), 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-counties?period=2016. 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. US counties by covered employment (QCEW), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-counties?period=2016.

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, US counties by covered employment (QCEW), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_counties_by_covered_2016,
  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: US counties by covered employment (QCEW), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-counties?period=2016. 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/2016/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: US counties by covered employment (QCEW), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-counties?period=2016.
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/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Los Angeles County, with 4,344,132 jobs in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Loving County, with 74 jobs in 2016.

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. 11 counties have no value for 2016 and are not ranked.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

US counties: more rankings