03/17/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/17/2026 13:35
26-539-KAN
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Employment increased in 4 of the 5 largest counties in Utah from September 2024 to September 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Jerome Watters noted that Washington County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment, with a gain of 2.8 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)
| County | Percent change, September 2025 |
|
Washington |
2.8 |
|
Weber |
1.5 |
|
Salt Lake |
1.2 |
|
Utah |
1.1 |
|
Davis |
-0.1 |
Among the five largest counties in Utah, employment was highest in Salt Lake (808,900) in September 2025. Together, the five largest counties accounted for 84.1 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.2 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)
Large county average weekly wages in the third quarter 2025All five large Utah counties reported average weekly wage increases over the year. (See chart 2.) Salt Lake had the largest increase (+4.8 percent). Over-the-year wage changes for Utah's other large counties ranged from 3.6 percent to 1.2 percent.
| County | Percent change, third quarter 2025 |
|
Salt Lake |
4.8 |
|
Washington |
3.6 |
|
Weber |
3.1 |
|
Utah |
2.5 |
|
Davis |
1.2 |
The weekly wage in 1 of the 5 largest counties in Utah was above the national average of $1,459. Average weekly wages ranged from $1,490 in Salt Lake to $961 in Washington.
Smaller county average weekly wages in the third quarter of 2025Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 24 small counties in Utah, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in all 24 smaller counties were below the national average. Garfield reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,358). Piute reported the lowest average weekly wage ($768) in the state.
Among all 29 Utah counties, 5 reported average weekly wages of $924 or less, 11 had wages from $925 to $1,049, 6 had wages from $1,050 to $1,174, and 7 had average weekly wages of $1,175 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)
QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.
Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
The County Employment and Wages release for the fourth quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the five largest counties in Utah, third quarter 2025| Area |
Establishments, third quarter (thousands) |
Employment | Average weekly wage (1) | |||||
|
September 2025 (thousands) |
Percent change, September 2024-25 (2) |
National ranking by percent change (3) |
Third quarter 2025 ($) |
National ranking by level (3) |
Percent change, third quarter 2024-25 (2) |
National ranking by percent change (3) |
||
|
United States (4) |
12,353.8 | 155,767.7 | 0.1 | -- | 1,459 | -- | 4.7 | -- |
|
Utah |
142.4 | 1,745.9 | 1.2 | -- | 1,297 | 28 | 3.8 | 33 |
|
Davis |
10.6 | 144.7 | -0.1 | 183 | 1,153 | 305 | 1.2 | 356 |
|
Salt Lake |
68.7 | 808.9 | 1.2 | 37 | 1,490 | 76 | 4.8 | 88 |
|
Utah |
23.2 | 301.0 | 1.1 | 47 | 1,205 | 254 | 2.5 | 321 |
|
Washington |
8.4 | 90.8 | 2.8 | 6 | 961 | 369 | 3.6 | 224 |
|
Weber |
7.5 | 123.2 | 1.5 | 24 | 1,158 | 299 | 3.1 | 278 |
|
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. |
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|
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. |
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| Area | Establishments | Employment September 2025 | Average weekly wage ($) (1) |
|
United States (2) |
12,353,804 | 155,767,691 | 1,459 |
|
Utah |
142,413 | 1,745,866 | 1,297 |
|
Beaver |
273 | 3,092 | 983 |
|
Box Elder |
1,624 | 24,731 | 1,184 |
|
Cache |
4,578 | 64,385 | 1,035 |
|
Carbon |
640 | 8,717 | 987 |
|
Daggett |
57 | 502 | 795 |
|
Davis |
10,583 | 144,737 | 1,153 |
|
Duchesne |
879 | 9,265 | 1,140 |
|
Emery |
279 | 3,760 | 1,141 |
|
Garfield |
284 | 2,907 | 1,358 |
|
Grand |
695 | 7,260 | 931 |
|
Iron |
2,291 | 26,241 | 976 |
|
Juab |
412 | 4,704 | 931 |
|
Kane |
446 | 4,385 | 883 |
|
Millard |
474 | 5,434 | 1,255 |
|
Morgan |
470 | 3,745 | 1,286 |
|
Piute |
61 | 327 | 768 |
|
Rich |
160 | 1,221 | 771 |
|
Salt Lake |
68,692 | 808,891 | 1,490 |
|
San Juan |
372 | 5,006 | 972 |
|
Sanpete |
751 | 9,693 | 924 |
|
Sevier |
828 | 10,035 | 976 |
|
Summit |
3,597 | 30,556 | 1,301 |
|
Tooele |
1,599 | 21,116 | 1,030 |
|
Uintah |
1,381 | 15,867 | 1,156 |
|
Utah |
23,183 | 301,032 | 1,205 |
|
Wasatch |
1,684 | 12,874 | 1,128 |
|
Washington |
8,443 | 90,834 | 961 |
|
Wayne |
160 | 1,352 | 940 |
|
Weber |
7,517 | 123,197 | 1,158 |
|
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. |
|||
|
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. |
|||
| State |
Establishments, third quarter (thousands) |
Employment | Average weekly wage (1) | ||||
|
September 2025 (thousands) |
Percent change, September 2024-25 |
Third quarter 2025 ($) |
National ranking by level |
Percent change, third quarter 2024-25 |
National ranking by percent change |
||
|
United States (2) |
12,353.8 | 155,767.7 | 0.1 | 1,459 | -- | 4.7 | -- |
|
Alabama |
165.7 | 2,119.0 | 0.6 | 1,212 | 36 | 3.6 | 38 |
|
Alaska |
25.3 | 342.4 | -0.1 | 1,455 | 13 | 5.3 | 7 |
|
Arizona |
228.4 | 3,215.4 | -0.2 | 1,360 | 19 | 4.0 | 31 |
|
Arkansas |
111.2 | 1,310.5 | 0.5 | 1,135 | 49 | 3.8 | 33 |
|
California |
1,986.7 | 18,281.7 | 0.3 | 1,815 | 4 | 7.2 | 2 |
|
Colorado |
252.9 | 2,886.4 | -0.6 | 1,570 | 7 | 5.7 | 3 |
|
Connecticut |
149.6 | 1,693.8 | 0.1 | 1,604 | 6 | 3.8 | 33 |
|
Delaware |
46.7 | 480.8 | 0.0 | 1,394 | 17 | 4.8 | 13 |
|
District of Columbia |
51.5 | 737.4 | -3.1 | 2,393 | 1 | 5.7 | 3 |
|
Florida |
892.1 | 9,818.1 | -0.2 | 1,342 | 21 | 5.1 | 8 |
|
Georgia |
397.2 | 4,874.5 | 0.4 | 1,349 | 20 | 3.5 | 43 |
|
Hawaii |
62.1 | 640.1 | 0.1 | 1,342 | 21 | 3.1 | 48 |
|
Idaho |
103.7 | 879.8 | 1.3 | 1,180 | 44 | 4.9 | 11 |
|
Illinois |
386.5 | 6,086.3 | -0.1 | 1,457 | 12 | 4.3 | 23 |
|
Indiana |
197.1 | 3,198.4 | 0.1 | 1,214 | 35 | 4.3 | 23 |
|
Iowa |
109.6 | 1,549.3 | -0.9 | 1,194 | 39 | 3.6 | 38 |
|
Kansas |
102.2 | 1,431.7 | 0.1 | 1,179 | 45 | 3.8 | 33 |
|
Kentucky |
160.7 | 1,995.4 | -0.4 | 1,176 | 46 | 4.3 | 23 |
|
Louisiana |
158.7 | 1,913.1 | -0.1 | 1,187 | 42 | 3.3 | 46 |
|
Maine |
67.4 | 659.2 | -0.2 | 1,231 | 33 | 5.0 | 10 |
|
Maryland |
199.5 | 2,739.5 | -1.3 | 1,526 | 9 | 3.8 | 33 |
|
Massachusetts |
293.2 | 3,625.0 | -0.9 | 1,818 | 3 | 4.8 | 13 |
|
Michigan |
316.0 | 4,423.8 | -0.4 | 1,323 | 25 | 4.5 | 18 |
|
Minnesota |
214.3 | 2,958.6 | 0.2 | 1,438 | 15 | 3.6 | 38 |
|
Mississippi |
91.3 | 1,172.6 | 0.0 | 1,005 | 51 | 4.7 | 15 |
|
Missouri |
256.0 | 2,903.7 | -0.4 | 1,249 | 31 | 4.4 | 21 |
|
Montana |
64.6 | 518.3 | -0.4 | 1,182 | 43 | 5.1 | 8 |
|
Nebraska |
78.6 | 1,021.8 | -0.1 | 1,190 | 40 | 3.1 | 48 |
|
Nevada |
109.5 | 1,581.0 | 1.4 | 1,314 | 27 | 4.3 | 23 |
|
New Hampshire |
67.3 | 687.8 | -0.6 | 1,481 | 11 | 5.5 | 6 |
|
New Jersey |
334.9 | 4,301.0 | 0.4 | 1,558 | 8 | 3.6 | 38 |
|
New Mexico |
69.0 | 876.4 | 0.3 | 1,190 | 40 | 3.2 | 47 |
|
New York |
720.8 | 9,808.4 | 0.4 | 1,757 | 5 | 4.7 | 15 |
|
North Carolina |
386.3 | 4,939.4 | 0.5 | 1,328 | 23 | 4.2 | 27 |
|
North Dakota |
36.7 | 433.8 | -0.5 | 1,291 | 29 | 2.8 | 50 |
|
Ohio |
346.6 | 5,537.8 | 0.1 | 1,279 | 30 | 3.4 | 44 |
|
Oklahoma |
128.8 | 1,697.9 | -0.3 | 1,143 | 48 | 4.5 | 18 |
|
Oregon |
180.5 | 1,994.7 | -1.3 | 1,409 | 16 | 4.2 | 27 |
|
Pennsylvania |
397.2 | 6,066.3 | 0.2 | 1,383 | 18 | 4.1 | 30 |
|
Rhode Island |
48.8 | 503.3 | 0.2 | 1,322 | 26 | 4.7 | 15 |
|
South Carolina |
190.8 | 2,312.3 | 0.7 | 1,198 | 38 | 4.9 | 11 |
|
South Dakota |
40.9 | 462.9 | 0.1 | 1,146 | 47 | 4.0 | 31 |
|
Tennessee |
224.2 | 3,255.5 | -1.2 | 1,327 | 24 | 5.7 | 3 |
|
Texas |
854.9 | 14,062.3 | 0.7 | 1,444 | 14 | 3.6 | 38 |
|
Utah |
142.4 | 1,745.9 | 1.2 | 1,297 | 28 | 3.8 | 33 |
|
Vermont |
34.1 | 307.2 | -0.7 | 1,243 | 32 | 4.4 | 21 |
|
Virginia |
324.0 | 4,142.4 | 0.7 | 1,504 | 10 | 4.2 | 27 |
|
Washington |
242.3 | 3,639.4 | -0.1 | 1,923 | 2 | 7.7 | 1 |
|
West Virginia |
62.1 | 701.1 | -0.1 | 1,121 | 50 | 3.4 | 44 |
|
Wisconsin |
211.6 | 2,949.1 | -0.4 | 1,228 | 34 | 4.5 | 18 |
|
Wyoming |
31.7 | 285.6 | -1.1 | 1,201 | 37 | 2.0 | 51 |
|
Puerto Rico |
52.8 | 945.5 | -0.6 | 687 | (3) | 2.7 | (3) |
|
Virgin Islands |
3.0 | 33.2 | -5.4 | 1,025 | (3) | 4.7 | (3) |
|
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. |
|||||||
|
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. |
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