CATHERINE RAMPELL

Dollars to doughnuts.

In the first quarter of this year, the average weekly wage in the United States increased by 5.2 percent, to $935, compared to the same period last year. But in Peoria County, Ill., workers received an average raise of 18.9 percent, to $944.

That’s according to a report released Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on employment and pay for the 322 largest counties.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

The county with the biggest cut in average weekly wages was Williamson County, Tex., where wages fell 3.8 percent, to $953.

In raw dollar figures, New York County (Manhattan) once again had the highest average weekly wage, at $2,634, and the biggest raise, at $222 (9.2 percent).

The county with the biggest increase in employment was also in the Midwest: Elkhart County, Ind., which gained 6.2 percent more jobs over the year, compared to the national average of 1.2 percent job growth. Elkhart County was primarily buoyed by manufacturing, which added 5,125 jobs over the year (12.4 percent).

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

On the other hand, Sacramento County, Calif., lost the highest percentage of jobs of all the major counties. Its employment fell by 1.6 percent year over year.

Article source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=74d786fb0dd2f9d197d0daa86c907a30