Three of Connecticut’s four largest counties reported employment increases in the year ended Dec. 2012, according to federal data, but were outpaced nationally.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Hartford and New Haven Counties saw job gains of 1.2 percent over that period, while Fairfield County added 1 percent. New London County employment fell by six-tenths of a percent.
The national gains over that period were 1.9 percent.
All four counties saw weekly wage gains over the year, with Fairfield County up 6.8 percent, compared to 4.7 percent nationally. Fairfield also had the highest average weekly wage of $1,704, ranking fifth highest among the country’s 328 largest counties. Hartford ranked 35th at $1,210.
Three of the state’s four smaller counties — Litchfield, Windham and Tolland — all had average weekly wages below the national average of $1,000. Windham was the lowest at $817.
The four largest Connecticut counties accounted for 84.5 percent of the state’s total employment as of December 2012. The job concentration in large counties (75,000+ jobs) across the country was lower at 71.3 percent.
