County Compensation by Industry, 2009: “Compensation declined in two-thirds of the 3,113 counties in the U.S. in 2009, according to statistics released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Total compensation of U.S. workers contracted 3.2 percent in 2009, as a decline in employment more than offset the increase in average annual compensation per job, which grew 1.2 percent to $56,962. Inflation measured by the national price index for personal consumption expenditures, grew 0.2 percent. Compensation in large counties – Counties with at least $10 billion in total compensation represent 5 percent of the 3,113 counties in the U.S., but account for almost two-thirds (65 percent) of total national compensation. In these 167 large counties:

• Total compensation contracted by 3.7 percent in 2009, ranging from -15.9 percent in St. Louis City, Missouri to 5.3 percent in Arlington County, Virginia
• Declines in finance and insurance, construction, and durable-goods manufacturing were the largest contributors to the contraction in 2009 total compensation
• The professional, scientific, and technical services sector represented the largest share of 2009 total compensation at 10.7 percent
• Average annual compensation per job grew by 0.8 percent in 2009, ranging from $44,750 in El Paso County, Texas to $109,028 in New York County (Manhattan), New York”