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

US counties by covered employment (QCEW)

Los Angeles County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 3131 counties in 2018, at 4,445,762 jobs. McPherson County had the lowest, at 69 jobs. The median was 8,159 jobs and the figure for the United States was 146,131,754 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest4,445,762Los Angeles County
Lowest69McPherson County
Median8,1593131 counties
United States146,131,754History

Map of counties, 2018

jobs, 2018. 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, 2018

Los Angeles County: 4,445,762 jobsLos Angeles County4,445,762Cook County: 2,592,847 jobsCook County2,592,847New York County: 2,464,186 jobsNew York County2,464,186Harris County: 2,307,039 jobsHarris County2,307,039Maricopa County: 1,993,417 jobsMaricopa County1,993,417Dallas County: 1,708,032 jobsDallas County1,708,032Orange County: 1,627,009 jobsOrange County1,627,009San Diego County: 1,464,125 jobsSan Diego County1,464,125King County: 1,393,411 jobsKing County1,393,411Miami-Dade County: 1,144,432 jobsMiami-Dade County1,144,432Santa Clara County: 1,098,089 jobsSanta Clara County1,098,089Clark County: 995,906 jobsClark County995,906Hennepin County: 929,690 jobsHennepin County929,690Middlesex County: 924,133 jobsMiddlesex County924,133Tarrant County: 897,988 jobsTarrant County897,988Fulton County: 875,091 jobsFulton County875,091Bexar County: 866,345 jobsBexar County866,345Orange County: 848,915 jobsOrange County848,915Broward County: 812,164 jobsBroward County812,164Alameda County: 786,038 jobsAlameda County786,038District of Columbia: 771,742 jobsDistrict of Columbia771,742Kings County: 767,261 jobsKings County767,261Franklin County: 756,883 jobsFranklin County756,883San Bernardino County: 752,120 jobsSan Bernardino County752,120Travis County: 749,932 jobsTravis County749,932San Francisco County: 740,879 jobsSan Francisco County740,879Riverside County: 738,092 jobsRiverside County738,092Oakland County: 736,982 jobsOakland County736,982Cuyahoga County: 726,917 jobsCuyahoga County726,917Wayne County: 725,302 jobsWayne County725,302Queens County: 704,073 jobsQueens County704,073Salt Lake County: 701,784 jobsSalt Lake County701,784Allegheny County: 701,729 jobsAllegheny County701,729Mecklenburg County: 695,619 jobsMecklenburg County695,619Philadelphia County: 687,903 jobsPhiladelphia County687,903Hillsborough County: 686,050 jobsHillsborough County686,050Suffolk County: 680,021 jobsSuffolk County680,021Sacramento County: 664,745 jobsSacramento County664,745Suffolk County: 661,066 jobsSuffolk County661,066Nassau County: 633,147 jobsNassau County633,147Los Angeles County: 4,445,762 jobsLos Angeles County4,445,762Cook County: 2,592,847 jobsCook County2,592,847New York County: 2,464,186 jobsNew York County2,464,186Harris County: 2,307,039 jobsHarris County2,307,039Maricopa County: 1,993,417 jobsMaricopa County1,993,417Dallas County: 1,708,032 jobsDallas County1,708,032Orange County: 1,627,009 jobsOrange County1,627,009San Diego County: 1,464,125 jobsSan Diego County1,464,125King County: 1,393,411 jobsKing County1,393,411Miami-Dade County: 1,144,432 jobsMiami-Dade County1,144,432Santa Clara County: 1,098,089 jobsSanta Clara County1,098,089Clark County: 995,906 jobsClark County995,906Hennepin County: 929,690 jobsHennepin County929,690Middlesex County: 924,133 jobsMiddlesex County924,133Tarrant County: 897,988 jobsTarrant County897,988Fulton County: 875,091 jobsFulton County875,091Bexar County: 866,345 jobsBexar County866,345Orange County: 848,915 jobsOrange County848,915Broward County: 812,164 jobsBroward County812,164Alameda County: 786,038 jobsAlameda County786,038District of Columbia: 771,742 jobsDistrict of Columbia771,742Kings County: 767,261 jobsKings County767,261Franklin County: 756,883 jobsFranklin County756,883San Bernardino County: 752,120 jobsSan Bernardino County752,120Travis County: 749,932 jobsTravis County749,932San Francisco County: 740,879 jobsSan Francisco County740,879Riverside County: 738,092 jobsRiverside County738,092Oakland County: 736,982 jobsOakland County736,982Cuyahoga County: 726,917 jobsCuyahoga County726,917Wayne County: 725,302 jobsWayne County725,302Queens County: 704,073 jobsQueens County704,073Salt Lake County: 701,784 jobsSalt Lake County701,784Allegheny County: 701,729 jobsAllegheny County701,729Mecklenburg County: 695,619 jobsMecklenburg County695,619Philadelphia County: 687,903 jobsPhiladelphia County687,903Hillsborough County: 686,050 jobsHillsborough County686,050Suffolk County: 680,021 jobsSuffolk County680,021Sacramento County: 664,745 jobsSacramento County664,745Suffolk County: 661,066 jobsSuffolk County661,066Nassau County: 633,147 jobsNassau County633,147
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

RankCounties2018
jobs		Change on 2017
1Los Angeles County4,445,762+1.5%
2Cook County2,592,847+0.8%
3New York County2,464,186+0.1%
4Harris County2,307,039+1.5%
5Maricopa County1,993,417+3.4%
6Dallas County1,708,032+1.3%
7Orange County1,627,009+2.1%
8San Diego County1,464,125+2%
9King County1,393,411+2.7%
10Miami-Dade County1,144,432+1.9%
11Santa Clara County1,098,089+2.5%
12Clark County995,906+3.3%
13Hennepin County929,690+1.5%
14Middlesex County924,133+2.6%
15Tarrant County897,988+2.8%
16Fulton County875,091+2.8%
17Bexar County866,345+1.4%
18Orange County848,915+3.4%
19Broward County812,164+1.8%
20Alameda County786,038+1.9%
21District of Columbia771,742+1%
22Kings County767,261+7.8%
23Franklin County756,883+1%
24San Bernardino County752,120+3%
25Travis County749,932+3.3%
26San Francisco County740,879+3.3%
27Riverside County738,092+3.5%
28Oakland County736,982+1.2%
29Cuyahoga County726,917+0.9%
30Wayne County725,302+0.9%
31Queens County704,073+6.3%
32Salt Lake County701,784+2.5%
33Allegheny County701,729+1%
34Mecklenburg County695,619+2.3%
35Philadelphia County687,903+2.2%
36Hillsborough County686,050+1.9%
37Suffolk County680,021+1.1%
38Sacramento County664,745+2.7%
39Suffolk County661,066+0.1%
40Nassau County633,147+0.7%
41DuPage County616,701-0.6%
42Fairfax County612,537+1.8%
43St. Louis County608,602+0.5%
44Palm Beach County606,403+1.6%
45Marion County598,427+0.7%
46Wake County560,465+3%
47Denver County519,092+2.6%
48Hamilton County518,172+0.6%
49Duval County514,380+2.4%
50Multnomah County512,206+1.8%
51Shelby County499,276+1.3%
52Montgomery County496,676+0.8%
53Davidson County495,791+2.5%
54Milwaukee County488,998+0.9%
55Honolulu County475,007+0.3%
56Montgomery County470,884+0.3%
57Erie County470,229+0.6%
58Jefferson County467,983+0.7%
59Oklahoma County456,678+1.8%
60Bergen County444,513+0.2%
61Pinellas County434,582+2.2%
62Middlesex County430,193+1.8%
63Westchester County429,127+0.7%
64Collin County416,028+4.4%
65San Mateo County404,242+0.9%
66Kent County402,300+2%
67Fresno County390,344+2.2%
68Monroe County388,737+0.9%
69Baltimore County380,537+1.5%
70Jackson County370,836+0.9%
71Contra Costa County368,450+0.5%
72Pima County368,438+1.2%
73Cobb County364,589+2.1%
74Tulsa County356,691+1.5%
75Norfolk County354,053+0.6%
76Gwinnett County354,014+0.5%
77Worcester County350,313+1%
78Jefferson County349,955+1.6%
79Johnson County349,302+2%
80Baltimore city343,996+1.1%
81Essex County341,663+0.3%
82Douglas County339,604+0.2%
83Lake County338,901+1%
84Dane County336,407+1.1%
85Ramsey County333,453+0.5%
86Arapahoe County331,829+1.1%
87Bernalillo County329,965+1%
88Macomb County329,713+0.9%
89Ventura County326,879+1.4%
90Essex County325,671+0.1%
91Kern County324,971+2.6%
92Bronx County320,597+6.4%
93Prince George's County320,443+0.5%
94Pierce County310,879+2.8%
95El Paso County306,358+1.8%
96Polk County301,968+1.1%
97DeKalb County301,013+1.2%
98Washington County295,495+1.9%
99Morris County291,402+1.1%
100New Castle County290,391+0.8%
101Providence County287,533+0.7%
102Snohomish County287,468+1.2%
103Guilford County281,564+0.7%
104El Paso County276,458+2.1%
105Greenville County275,231+3.2%
106Anne Arundel County273,601+1%
107East Baton Rouge Parish267,593+0.8%
108Summit County266,964-0%
109Bucks County266,495+1.1%
110Hudson County263,998+1.5%
111Lee County261,782+2.6%
112Monmouth County261,326+0.9%
113Hidalgo County261,227+2.4%
114Montgomery County254,513-0.1%
115Charleston County254,079+3.1%
116San Joaquin County253,099+2%
117Mercer County252,507+2%
118Pulaski County251,108+0.5%
119Chester County251,021+0.6%
120Sedgwick County250,769+1.5%
121Denton County246,363+3%
122Onondaga County245,982+1%
123Will County245,803+2.4%
124Ada County244,681+4.7%
125Waukesha County243,966+0.7%
126Utah County243,379+5.6%
127Lancaster County242,383+2.1%
128Knox County239,190+0.9%
129Jefferson County238,873+2.5%
130Albany County233,634-0.1%
131St. Louis city229,646+1.5%
132Bristol County228,565+1%
133Union County226,708+3.4%
134Delaware County224,808+1%
135Spokane County223,698+2.4%
136Richland County223,016+1.7%
137Washoe County221,790+2.4%
138Polk County220,809+2.6%
139Brevard County215,206+4.1%
140Adams County213,341+4.1%
141Washtenaw County213,252+1.4%
142Kane County213,005+1.5%
143Sonoma County210,146+2.3%
144Lucas County209,708+1.5%
145Hampden County209,706+0.6%
146Hamilton County205,565+2.5%
147Durham County205,004+2.8%
148Camden County204,761+0.5%
149Hillsborough County203,979+1.1%
150Burlington County201,537-1.5%
151Madison County200,339+2.4%
152Santa Barbara County199,915+1.2%
153Orleans Parish196,659+1.4%
154Monterey County195,650+2.7%
155Seminole County194,887+3.6%
156Plymouth County194,800+0.9%
157Fayette County193,467-0.9%
158Lehigh County193,040+2.2%
159Henrico County191,595-0.7%
160Stanislaus County190,801+2%
161Jefferson Parish189,665-0.7%
162Dakota County189,606+0.7%
163Fort Bend County189,321+5.9%
164Allen County188,032+1.7%
165Lake County187,819+0.1%
166Somerset County187,733+0.3%
167Montgomery County186,706+6.1%
168Forsyth County186,592+1.6%
169Cumberland County185,438+1.5%
170Dauphin County184,687+1.5%
171Boulder County183,538+2.1%
172York County179,411+0.8%
173Virginia Beach city178,196-0.1%
174Arlington County178,158+0.8%
175Berks County173,551+1.3%
176Volusia County173,345+2.1%
177Williamson County173,143+4.8%
178Howard County172,273+1.1%
179Lancaster County171,353+1.7%
180Sarasota County171,108+2.8%
181Mobile County171,077+0.6%
182Loudoun County169,077+2.8%
183Ocean County168,878+2%
184Placer County168,419+4.5%
185Greene County167,262+1.5%
186Clackamas County166,077+2.2%
187Passaic County165,808-0.2%
188Tulare County164,037+1.2%
189Nueces County164,019+1.1%
190Larimer County162,297+2.9%
191Clark County161,261+3.6%
192Stark County160,016+0.5%
193Brown County159,100+1.9%
194Lane County156,774+1.4%
195Marion County156,036+2.5%
196Richmond city155,753+0.8%
197Chatham County155,386+2.5%
198Butler County155,213+0.8%
199Ingham County151,451-0.4%
200Leon County151,280+2.2%
201Rockingham County149,837+0.5%
202Anchorage Municipality148,160-0.5%
203St. Charles County147,805+0.9%
204Collier County147,505+3.2%
205Orange County145,122+1.8%
206Luzerne County144,969+0.1%
207Norfolk city142,754+0.6%
208Spartanburg County141,952+3.5%
209Hamilton County141,940+1.4%
210Solano County141,574+2.3%
211Lubbock County139,727+0.3%
212Cameron County139,199+0.2%
213Chesterfield County138,428+1.9%
214Elkhart County137,512+2.9%
215Escambia County135,555+1.4%
216Williamson County135,127+4.6%
217Genesee County134,488+0.3%
218Cumberland County134,480+0.9%
219Westmoreland County133,713+0.3%
220Buncombe County132,579+2.2%
221Alachua County132,008+2.2%
222Horry County131,240+3.3%
223Montgomery County131,023-0.8%
224Linn County130,637+0.8%
225Lafayette Parish130,603+1.2%
226Prince William County130,335+1.9%
227Rutherford County130,010+4.3%
228Sangamon County129,914+0.6%
229Davis County129,895+3.1%
230Atlantic County126,911+2.8%
231Ottawa County126,890+1.6%
232Minnehaha County126,800+1.1%
233Winnebago County126,796+0.6%
234Rockland County126,330+2%
235Douglas County125,679+3.7%
236Anoka County125,589+2.7%
237Manatee County124,279+2.4%
238St. Joseph County123,222+0.5%
239Jefferson County123,013+0.7%
240Richmond County122,908+6.1%
241Erie County122,028+0.4%
242Clayton County121,924-0.9%
243Hinds County120,145-1%
244Kalamazoo County119,847+1.4%
245Benton County119,780+1.9%
246Lexington County119,766+1.7%
247Cumberland County119,653+0.7%
248Pasco County119,364+3.3%
249Bell County118,632+0.4%
250San Luis Obispo County118,320+0.8%

Showing the top 250 of 3131. 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. 12 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2018 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/2018/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), 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/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), 2018. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-counties?period=2018. 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), 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-counties?period=2018.

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), 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_counties_by_covered_2018,
  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), 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-counties?period=2018. 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/2018/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), 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-counties?period=2018.
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/2018/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 4,445,762 jobs in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

McPherson County, with 69 jobs in 2018.

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. 12 counties have no value for 2018 and are not ranked.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

US counties: more rankings