Employment in California’s largest counties saw mixed changes between March 2024 and March 2025, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of the state’s 29 largest counties, 11 recorded employment increases during this period.
San Joaquin County led with a 1.2 percent rise in employment, as noted by Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund.
Los Angeles County reported the highest employment figure among these counties, totaling 4,504,700 jobs in March 2025. Collectively, these large counties represented more than nine-tenths of all covered employment in California. On a national scale, the largest U.S. counties accounted for about three-quarters of total covered employment.
Wage growth was seen across all large California counties with available data. San Mateo posted the largest year-over-year increase at 11.4 percent. Other large counties reported wage gains ranging from 6.9 percent down to 1.5 percent.
Average weekly wages exceeded the national average of $1,589 in ten of California’s largest counties during this time frame. Wages varied widely—from $4,379 per week in San Mateo to $1,035 per week in Tulare.
For smaller California counties—those with fewer than 75,000 employees—wage levels remained below the national average across all cases. Yuba had the highest average weekly wage among these at $1,335; Alpine had the lowest at $837.
Across all 58 California counties: eighteen reported average weekly wages under $1,100; fourteen fell between $1,100 and $1,199; seven were between $1,200 and $1,299; three ranged from $1,300 to $1,399; and sixteen had wages of $1,400 or more per week.
Data on county-level employment and wages for other states are also included in this release series. The next report covering second quarter results is set for December 3, 2025.
“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.”
