The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, August 28, that employment covered by its Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages reached 154.8 million in March, up 0.1% from March 2025. Average weekly wages rose 3.9% in the first quarter to $1,654.

The QCEW is based primarily on state unemployment-insurance records filed by employers. It provides quarterly information on covered employment, establishments and wages. Its figures differ from the monthly Current Employment Statistics payroll survey, which is based on a sample of establishments.

Wage growth was more widespread than job growth

Among the 376 largest counties covered in the news release, employment increased in 151. By contrast, 358 counties recorded higher average weekly wages.

That split matters for workers and local officials. A county can post higher average wages even when employment is flat or falling, particularly when high-paying industries make up a larger share of the local job base. Average weekly wage growth is not the same as a typical worker’s raise.

The counties in the release had annual average employment of at least 75,000 in 2025. Table 1 is titled for 377 counties because it includes the United States aggregate row alongside the 376 counties.

Local results ranged from Ohio gains to Washington losses

Licking County, Ohio, recorded the largest employment percentage increase, at 3.6%. BLS said the largest increase within the county came in trade, transportation and utilities, which added 677 jobs, or 3.7%.

Washington, D.C., and Arlington County, Virginia, recorded the largest employment declines, down 4.5% each. Government accounted for Washington’s largest loss, with employment down 25,704, or 11.0%. Arlington’s largest decline came in professional and business services, which fell by 3,563 jobs, or 5.6%.

Some county-level movements were heavily influenced by individual industries. BLS said St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, had the largest wage increase, 23.4%, with an unusually large gain in natural resources and mining contributing substantially to the result. That figure should not be read as a broad-based change for every worker in the parish.

Among the 10 largest counties, only three recorded year-over-year employment increases. Orange County, California, led that group with a 0.7% gain, supported in part by education and health services.

Why another BLS jobs number appeared the same day

BLS also released a preliminary benchmark comparison for the March 2026 Current Employment Statistics series. The agency said the preliminary benchmark difference was 79,000 lower for total nonfarm employment and 178,000 lower for private employment.

That does not mean the official monthly payroll estimates have already been revised. BLS said the preliminary benchmark reflects the difference between two independently derived employment counts, each subject to its own sources of error. Official establishment-survey estimates are not updated using this preliminary figure.

The final benchmark revision is scheduled to be incorporated in February 2027 with the release of the January 2027 Employment Situation. Until then, the preliminary figure is best understood as a measurement warning rather than a finalized change to the monthly jobs series.

What readers can watch next

The QCEW release provides a detailed view of where covered jobs and wages were changing through March, but it does not measure unemployment, labor-force participation or household income. BLS also cautioned that adjusted year-over-year changes in the news release may differ from unadjusted figures in its data tools and interactive charts.

Readers can use the BLS county tables and the Census Business Builder to examine employment, establishments and wages in specific counties. The next QCEW release, covering the second quarter of 2026, is scheduled for December 2, 2026.

Sources

• BLS County Employment and Wages Summary — First Quarter 2026

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development released the county figures Thursday, August 27, 2026. Obion County’s rate was unchanged, while Weakley County was the only county where unemployment increased.

Where unemployment was highest

Perry County recorded Tennessee’s highest July unemployment rate at 5.8%, followed by Hancock County at 5.7% and Weakley County at 5.3%.

Pickett, Shelby and Meigs counties each reported a 5% unemployment rate. In all, six counties had rates of 5% or higher, while 89 counties were below 5%.

Perry’s July rate fell three-tenths of a percentage point from June. Hancock’s rate fell one-tenth, while Weakley’s increased four-tenths.

Four counties tied for the lowest rate

Cheatham, Sevier, Williamson and Dickson counties tied for the lowest reported unemployment rate in July at 2.8%.

Cheatham’s rate declined two-tenths of a percentage point from June. Sevier, Williamson and Dickson each declined three-tenths.

These figures describe the share of the local labor force counted as unemployed. A lower rate does not necessarily mean every county added jobs: The rate can change when employment, unemployment or the number of people in the labor force changes.

Statewide rate also fell, with a smaller labor force

Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 3.5% in June to 3.4% in July. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported Tennessee’s July seasonally adjusted rate at 3.4%.

The Tennessee labor-force estimates document identifies Tennessee and the United States as the only seasonally adjusted figures in the report. County rates are not seasonally adjusted, so readers should not compare the statewide 3.4% figure directly with an individual county rate without accounting for that difference.

Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted civilian labor force totaled 3,486,533 in July, down 44,903 from July 2025. Employment totaled 3,366,261, while 120,272 people were counted as unemployed.

The year-over-year labor-force decline is a statistical change reported in the state estimates. The data does not identify it as the reason for differences among counties.

When the next updates are scheduled

The Labor Department said Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment data for August is scheduled for release at 1:30 p.m. CDT on September 17, 2026.

August county unemployment data is scheduled for release on September 24, 2026. Those dates are future release dates, not results already available as of August 27, 2026.

For residents, workers and employers, the July report offers a county-by-county snapshot rather than a single statewide measure. Most counties improved over the month, but the reported rates remained uneven, and the statewide labor force was smaller than a year earlier.

Sources

• Tennessee Labor Department county unemployment release
• WSMV report on Tennessee county unemployment