Employment in California’s largest counties saw mixed changes between March 2024 and March 2025, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Of the 29 largest counties in the state, 11 recorded employment growth during this period.
San Joaquin County led with a 1.2 percent increase in employment over the year. Los Angeles County had the highest number of employed persons among these counties, totaling 4,504,700 as of March 2025. The combined employment in these large counties represented 93.1 percent of all covered jobs in California. Nationally, large counties—defined as those with at least 75,000 employees—accounted for about 73.4 percent of total covered employment across the United States.
All large California counties with available data reported increases in average weekly wages compared to the previous year. San Mateo County posted the largest wage gain at 11.4 percent. Other large counties saw wage increases ranging from 6.9 percent down to 1.5 percent.
Ten out of California’s largest counties had average weekly wages above the national average of $1,589; San Mateo reported the highest at $4,379 per week while Tulare had the lowest among this group at $1,035.
For smaller California counties—those with fewer than 75,000 employees—employment and wage levels were also tracked by BLS but not their annual changes. All small counties had average weekly wages below the national average; Yuba led among them at $1,335 per week and Alpine was lowest statewide at $837.
Across all 58 California counties, wage distribution varied: eighteen reported less than $1,100 per week on average; fourteen ranged from $1,100 to $1,199; seven from $1,200 to $1,299; three from $1,300 to $1,399; and sixteen reached or exceeded an average weekly wage of $1,400.
QCEW data for states is included in table three of this release. More details about county-level employment and wages are available through the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website and related BLS publications.
The next County Employment and Wages report covering second quarter data for 2025 is scheduled for release on December 3rd.
“Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that San Joaquin County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment, with a gain of 1.2 percent.”
