According to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment declined in 296 of the 326 largest U.S. counties from March 2009 to March 2010. Collier Florida was hit the hardest in terms of percentage of employment lost, registering a loss over the year of 6.0% of its jobs. The nation as a whole lost 2.1% of jobs. On the other side, Elkhart Indiana had the largest percent increase in employment during the year among large U.S. counties, gaining 5.7%.


During the same period of time--through the first quarter of 2010--the average weekly wage nationwide increased by 0.8% to $889. Among the largest U.S. counties, New York, N.Y., had the largest increase, gaining 11.9% in average weekly wages over the year. Financial activities benefited the most in New York, registering an increase in wages by 22.7%. San Mateo experienced the largest decrease in average weekly wages, which dropped 17.7%.

As of March 2010, the 326 largest counties accounted for 70.9% of total U.S. employment and 78.4% of total employment decrease from March 2009 to March 2010.