Employment, Hours, and Earnings is a special edition of Bernan Press’s Handbook of U.S. Labor
Statistics. This seventh edition brings together a wealth of employment data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and provides estimates on employment, hours, and earnings
for each state and employment data for the nation’s 75 largest metropolitan areas (MSAs). Detailed industry data is presented on a monthly and annual basis giving the user a variety of tools
for analysis—an excellent source of employment information for analysts in both the public and private sectors.
Features of this edition include:
•Nearly 300 tables with data on employment for each state, the District of Columbia, and the nation’s 75 largest MSAs
•Detailed industry data organized by month and year from 2000 through 2011
•An introductory page for each state that summaries salient data and noteworthy trends, including population, civilian labor force estimates, unemployment rates and rankings and a
figure for each state showing employment percentages by industry
•Concise technical notes that explain the sources of, changes to, and other pertinent facts about the data contained in the volume, as well as a reference for further
guidance
•An appendix that details the geographical components of the MSAs
How Has the Nation’s Employment Industry Changed?
•In 2011, 23 states and the District of Columbia recorded employment-population ratios that were significantly above the U.S. ratio of 58.4 percent, and 16 states recorded ratios
that were appreciably below it.
•Thirty states posted statistically significant unemployment rate decreases, the largest of which was in Michigan (-2.4 percentage points). Four additional states experienced
decreases greater than 1.0 percentage point: Ohio (-1.4 points), Utah (-1.3 points), Oregon (-1.2 points), and Indiana (-1.1 points).
•In almost all states, the industry with the largest growth in employment from 2000 through 2011 was Education and Health Services; the industry with the smallest growth in
employment was Manufacturing.
•Government made up 34 percent of industry employment in the District of Columbia but only 13 percent in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania.
•North Dakota registered the lowest jobless rate among states for the third year in a row (3.5 percent), followed by Nebraska (4.4 percent). Overall, 28 states had unemployment
rates that were significantly lower than the U.S. rate of 8.9 percent.
•From 2000 through 2011, total nonfarm employment increased in the vast majority of MSAs. In McAllen–Edinburg–Mission, TX, total nonfarm employment increased 43.8 percent.
Bakersfield–Delano, CA, was the closest follower with a 19.1 percent increase in nonfarm employment.
•Of the MSAs wi
