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Jobs growth: Fastest-growing counties
Survey: Which counties added the most jobs -- and which had the biggest declines.
April 15, 2005: 2:45 PM EDT

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Rutherford County, Tennessee had the largest rate of job growth, at 9.2 percent, of any of the 317 largest counties in the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Thursday. Results are for the year through Sept. 30, 2004.

Other fast-growing counties included Clark County, Nevada, home of Las Vegas, at 7.4 percent, and Riverside County in California, at 7.2 percent.

Elkhart, Indiana, an old mid-western industrial town, came in a surprising fourth, with 6.8 percent growth.

In absolute numbers, Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix, added more than 58,600 jobs during the 12-month span, the most of any county. Clark County was right behind at 56,500 followed by Orange County, California, at 44,100.

Job growth was above the national average of 1.3 percent in 137 of the largest counties, while 162 lagged the national average.

Biggest losers

Employment declined in 54 counties with Trumbull County, Ohio the biggest percentage loser at minus 3.7 percent. It was followed by Tulare, California. (-2.7 percent), Ingham, Michigan (-2.6 percent), Richmond, Georgia (-2.2 percent), and Okaloosa, Florida (-2.0 percent).

The worst performing large counties in absolute numbers were Wayne County Michigan (Detroit), which lost 9,700 jobs; Philadelphia (-8,500); Cook County Illinois (-7,100); Baltimore (-6,800); and Milwaukee (6,500).

New York County (Manhattan) leads the country in average weekly wages ($1,327) and that figure grew by $87 during the 12-month period, trailing only Suffolk County (Boston), where wages grew by $98. The biggest percentage gain was in St. Joseph County Indiana, where wages grew a whopping 10.4 percent.

Counties with the fastest population growth.

Hottest zip codes -- and the forecast for the coming year.

Most tax-friendly places to live.  Top of page

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