BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

09/04/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/04/2026 10:32

County Employment and Wages in California — First Quarter 2026

News Release Information

26-1465-SAN
Friday, September 04, 2026

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  • (415) 625-2270

County Employment and Wages in California - First Quarter 2026

Employment rose in 20 of the 26 largest counties in California with published data from March 2025 to March 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. California employment increased 0.9 percent over the year to 18,211,800 in March 2026, as measured by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program. (See table 1.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that Monterey County (+3.4 percent) had the largest over-the-year increase in employment. (See chart 1.)

View Chart Data
Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among selected large counties in California, March 2026
County Percent change, March 2026

Monterey

3.4

Kern

2.3

Placer

2.2

San Francisco

2.0

Santa Cruz

1.7

Fresno

1.6

Santa Clara

1.5

Santa Barbara

1.4

Merced

1.2

San Joaquin

1.1

San Bernardino

0.7

San Luis Obispo

0.7

Stanislaus

0.3

Marin

0.1

San Diego

0.0

Sonoma

-0.3

Ventura

-0.5

Solano

-0.7

Yolo

-1.4

Napa

-1.7

Los Angeles County (4,548,000) had the highest employment level in California in March 2026. Together, the 29 largest counties accounted for 93.1 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 376 largest counties comprise 73.5 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 2025.)

Large county average weekly wages in the first quarter 2026

Average weekly wage changes in 21 of the 28 large counties in California with published data were below the national average of 3.9 percent. (See chart 2.) Santa Clara had the largest gain (+7.8 percent). Over-the-year wage changes among the other 27 large California counties ranged from 7.0 percent to -9.6 percent.

View Chart Data
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among selected large counties in California, first quarter 2026
County Percent change, first quarter 2026

Santa Clara

7.8

San Diego

7.0

San Mateo

6.1

Alameda

4.4

Orange

4.3

San Luis Obispo

4.3

Ventura

4.1

Solano

3.5

Tulare

3.5

Placer

3.1

Riverside

1.9

Santa Barbara

1.7

Yolo

1.7

Contra Costa

1.6

Los Angeles

1.5

Monterey

1.5

San Bernardino

1.5

Stanislaus

1.4

Marin

1.1

San Francisco

-9.6

Weekly wages in 9 of the 29 largest counties in California were above the national average of $1,654. Average weekly wages ranged from $4,650 in San Mateo to $1,062 in Tulare.

Statewide, average weekly wages increased 2.7 percent over the year to $1,986. California ranked 6th in average weekly wages among the 50 states and the District of Columbia and 44th in wage growth.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the first quarter 2026

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 29 smaller counties in California, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2025. (See table 2.) Wage levels in all of the smaller counties were below the national average. Nevada reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,505) among small counties. Alpine reported the lowest average weekly wage ($936) in the state.

Among all 58 California counties, 9 reported average weekly wages less than $1,075, 21 had wages from $1,075 to $1,224, 9 had wages from $1,225 to $1,374, 8 had wages from $1,375 to $1,524, and 11 had average weekly wages of $1,525 or higher. (See map1 and table 2.)

Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in California, first quarter 2026

(U.S. average = $1,654)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for all 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 second quarter 2026 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 2, 2026.

County Changes for the 2026 County Employment and Wages News Releases

Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2025 are included in this release and will be included in future 2026 releases. Five counties have been added to the publication tables: Kenton, KY; Union, NC; Licking, OH; Gregg, TX; and Kenosha, WI. One county has been dropped from the publication tables: Wood, OH.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the 29 largest counties in California, first quarter 2026
Area Establishments,
first quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2026
(thousands) 		Percent change,
March
2025-26 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3) 		First quarter
2026 ($) 		National ranking
by level (3) 		Percent change,
first quarter
2025-26 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

12,381.8 154,771.9 0.1 -- 1,654 -- 3.9 --

California

1,990.7 18,211.8 0.9 -- 1,986 6 2.7 44

Alameda

78.2 780.1 (5) - 2,142 22 4.4 103

Butte

9.5 79.2 (5) - 1,150 335 (5) -

Contra Costa

42.7 375.5 0.8 73 1,808 53 1.6 320

Fresno

47.3 428.8 1.6 22 1,172 328 2.2 283

Kern

30.5 342.3 2.3 6 1,234 287 2.7 243

Los Angeles

609.7 4,548.0 (5) - 1,704 72 1.5 324

Marin

13.6 108.9 0.1 144 1,980 34 1.1 343

Merced

9.2 83.5 1.2 39 1,095 353 1.9 301

Monterey

16.6 185.8 3.4 2 1,262 268 1.5 324

Napa

7.0 77.5 -1.7 340 1,435 167 2.3 273

Orange

160.6 1,663.2 0.7 79 1,766 60 4.3 107

Placer

17.2 191.7 2.2 9 1,519 123 3.1 216

Riverside

95.8 847.9 0.9 65 1,200 315 1.9 301

Sacramento

79.7 736.0 0.7 79 1,635 88 2.7 243

San Bernardino

85.3 846.0 0.7 79 1,226 295 1.5 324

San Diego

142.1 1,537.4 0.0 152 1,814 51 7.0 20

San Francisco

70.9 704.9 2.0 13 4,049 4 -9.6 361

San Joaquin

24.1 289.0 1.1 53 1,230 291 2.2 283

San Luis Obispo

12.4 122.2 0.7 79 1,251 276 4.3 107

San Mateo

33.4 413.1 0.8 73 4,650 2 6.1 31

Santa Barbara

18.4 211.8 1.4 28 1,424 172 1.7 314

Santa Clara

89.3 1,126.1 1.5 25 4,446 3 7.8 14

Santa Cruz

10.8 100.4 1.7 21 1,371 192 2.9 225

Solano

14.7 143.3 -0.7 252 1,477 147 3.5 176

Sonoma

22.9 204.3 -0.3 185 1,422 173 2.7 243

Stanislaus

18.8 196.0 0.3 117 1,265 267 1.4 330

Tulare

15.9 171.6 0.9 65 1,062 362 3.5 176

Ventura

33.7 335.7 -0.5 220 1,488 140 4.1 123

Yolo

8.5 106.9 -1.4 328 1,545 112 1.7 314

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(5) Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

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.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in California, first quarter 2026
Area Establishments Employment March 2026 Average weekly wage ($) (1)

United States (2)

12,381,750 154,771,941 1,654

California

1,990,701 18,211,770 1,986

Alameda

78,227 780,056 2,142

Alpine

95 1,030 936

Amador

1,419 12,375 1,180

Butte

9,484 79,184 1,150

Calaveras

1,530 10,253 1,124

Colusa

1,087 9,040 1,126

Contra Costa

42,652 375,487 1,808

Del Norte

907 8,368 1,116

El Dorado

7,025 58,503 1,320

Fresno

47,326 428,761 1,172

Glenn

1,387 9,378 1,039

Humboldt

7,531 52,806 1,100

Imperial

10,695 68,680 1,085

Inyo

878 7,692 1,211

Kern

30,472 342,335 1,234

Kings

5,821 50,590 1,101

Lake

4,043 17,283 1,105

Lassen

745 8,592 1,174

Los Angeles

609,719 4,548,021 1,704

Madera

6,268 58,026 1,133

Marin

13,576 108,858 1,980

Mariposa

685 5,529 1,029

Mendocino

4,734 31,819 1,059

Merced

9,153 83,506 1,095

Modoc

409 2,564 1,007

Mono

744 8,523 1,033

Monterey

16,559 185,826 1,262

Napa

6,953 77,471 1,435

Nevada

4,733 34,954 1,505

Orange

160,601 1,663,154 1,766

Placer

17,182 191,743 1,519

Plumas

978 6,005 1,257

Riverside

95,761 847,946 1,200

Sacramento

79,699 735,990 1,635

San Benito

2,161 18,367 1,174

San Bernardino

85,331 845,978 1,226

San Diego

142,139 1,537,403 1,814

San Francisco

70,863 704,926 4,049

San Joaquin

24,082 289,010 1,230

San Luis Obispo

12,350 122,183 1,251

San Mateo

33,391 413,139 4,650

Santa Barbara

18,434 211,778 1,424

Santa Clara

89,281 1,126,059 4,446

Santa Cruz

10,804 100,397 1,371

Shasta

8,956 72,258 1,179

Sierra

138 417 1,020

Siskiyou

1,774 13,197 1,059

Solano

14,743 143,279 1,477

Sonoma

22,940 204,329 1,422

Stanislaus

18,812 196,004 1,265

Sutter

4,515 32,576 1,093

Tehama

2,668 19,524 1,167

Trinity

458 2,740 1,125

Tulare

15,949 171,620 1,062

Tuolumne

1,946 18,182 1,155

Ventura

33,699 335,682 1,488

Yolo

8,505 106,896 1,545

Yuba

2,220 20,764 1,384

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

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.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, first quarter 2026
State Establishments,
first quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2026
(thousands) 		Percent change,
March
2025-26 		First quarter
2026 ($) 		National ranking
by level 		Percent change,
first quarter
2025-26 		National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

12,381.8 154,771.9 0.1 1,654 -- 3.9 --

Alabama

168.7 2,121.2 0.7 1,292 38 3.6 28

Alaska

25.4 320.1 -1.3 1,519 18 4.8 6

Arizona

227.8 3,249.1 -0.6 1,495 21 4.5 10

Arkansas

109.4 1,305.2 -0.1 1,291 39 4.6 8

California

1,990.7 18,211.8 0.9 1,986 6 2.7 44

Colorado

264.7 2,848.5 -0.7 1,774 8 5.4 4

Connecticut

150.0 1,668.2 -0.4 2,080 4 5.2 5

Delaware

47.1 473.6 -0.3 1,606 15 3.1 39

District of Columbia

51.4 715.8 -4.5 2,725 1 4.5 10

Florida

894.1 9,962.8 0.0 1,518 19 4.3 13

Georgia

397.4 4,865.2 0.0 1,539 17 3.3 34

Hawaii

64.6 643.9 -0.3 1,387 29 1.7 51

Idaho

100.8 867.9 1.9 1,254 44 6.2 2

Illinois

389.4 5,992.4 0.0 1,731 9 4.1 16

Indiana

197.7 3,160.7 -0.1 1,356 30 2.7 44

Iowa

110.8 1,537.5 -0.1 1,301 36 3.9 22

Kansas

102.2 1,425.3 0.0 1,286 41 3.1 39

Kentucky

163.0 1,979.1 -0.4 1,248 45 2.9 43

Louisiana

159.6 1,917.2 -0.5 1,274 42 4.0 17

Maine

67.5 629.1 -0.5 1,327 34 3.5 30

Maryland

201.1 2,700.3 -1.7 1,676 10 2.7 44

Massachusetts

296.4 3,552.9 -0.9 2,201 3 4.8 6

Michigan

312.6 4,357.5 0.3 1,445 24 3.9 22

Minnesota

213.9 2,878.1 -0.3 1,630 14 3.8 24

Mississippi

93.3 1,162.9 -0.2 1,051 51 3.3 34

Missouri

263.5 2,890.5 0.1 1,354 31 3.4 32

Montana

63.2 506.6 0.6 1,229 48 3.5 30

Nebraska

78.9 1,008.2 -0.1 1,274 42 3.7 26

Nevada

112.8 1,575.7 2.0 1,391 28 2.1 50

New Hampshire

66.1 675.0 -1.2 1,656 12 3.0 41

New Jersey

343.4 4,247.8 0.0 1,879 7 3.3 34

New Mexico

67.1 867.4 -0.4 1,235 46 2.7 44

New York

710.5 9,743.6 -0.3 2,363 2 6.5 1

North Carolina

375.3 4,942.7 0.8 1,515 20 3.3 34

North Dakota

36.9 420.7 -0.5 1,333 33 2.4 49

Ohio

344.6 5,458.3 -0.2 1,417 26 4.0 17

Oklahoma

130.2 1,700.6 0.0 1,235 46 3.6 28

Oregon

173.5 1,952.3 -1.3 1,481 23 4.6 8

Pennsylvania

394.1 6,002.1 -0.1 1,550 16 3.3 34

Rhode Island

49.1 486.9 -0.6 1,487 22 4.2 14

South Carolina

193.1 2,326.6 0.7 1,296 37 4.0 17

South Dakota

41.1 451.7 0.2 1,211 49 4.2 14

Tennessee

228.1 3,254.1 -0.2 1,426 25 4.4 12

Texas

868.8 14,124.6 0.6 1,646 13 3.8 24

Utah

140.6 1,737.8 0.9 1,415 27 4.0 17

Vermont

33.4 304.2 -1.0 1,322 35 3.0 41

Virginia

324.8 4,118.7 -0.2 1,665 11 4.0 17

Washington

240.6 3,558.6 -0.2 1,998 5 2.7 44

West Virginia

63.0 693.3 -0.4 1,188 50 3.4 32

Wisconsin

208.0 2,902.6 0.0 1,353 32 3.7 26

Wyoming

31.8 275.2 -0.1 1,287 40 5.8 3

Puerto Rico

52.9 944.5 -0.8 724 (3) 3.4 (3)

Virgin Islands

2.9 34.9 1.2 1,054 (3) 1.5 (3)

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.

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.

BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on September 04, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 04, 2026 at 16:33 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]