Greene County employment dips, wages rise

Employment in Greene County dipped 1.6 percent in September, while the average weekly wage grew by 2.7 percent, compared to a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Labor said this week, citing preliminary data.

In third-quarter 2010, there were 8,000 Greene County establishments employing 146,800, according to the March 29 Bureau of Labor Statistics report, which tracked the nation’s 327 largest counties. Greene County employees earned a weekly wage of $684 on average.

Seven Missouri counties were researched, with Boone and St. Charles counties recording the largest employment growth at 2.5 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively. All other Missouri counties recorded employment losses.

Nationwide, employment increased in 162 counties resulting in national job growth of 0.2 percent between September 2009 and September 2010. The U.S. average weekly wage increased 3.4 percent to $870 in third-quarter 2010.[[In-content Ad]]