County employment falls, wages rise in latest data

Employment in Greene County fell in second-quarter 2008 while the average wage rose considerably, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In that quarter, the county reported 8,200 businesses employing 155,400, a 1.2 percent decline from second-quarter 2007. That's compared to a 0.3 percent decrease in overall U.S. employment, which stood at 136.6 million jobs at 9.1 million businesses as of second-quarter 2008.

Greene County's average weekly wage, meanwhile, was $662, up 5.1 percent from a year earlier. The county ranked No. 20 among the 335 largest U.S. counties for wage growth.

The national average weekly wage as of second-quarter 2008 was $841, up 2.6 percent from the same quarter in 2007.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a division of the Department of Labor, released its second-quarter 2008 report on Tuesday.