Weld County recorded the nation’s highest employment growth rate in 2013 with a 6 percent surge in new jobs, according to a report issued Monday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The report showed each of Colorado’s largest counties notching high marks in job growth in 2013, beating or tying national averages.
“The growth in Weld County, in particular, has been driven by the energy industry, ” said Patty Silverstein, chief economist of Littleton-based Development Research Partners. “Employment gains throughout the Metro Denver area have generally been strongest in the natural resources and construction sectors, as well as diverse growth in education and health services, professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality.”
Douglas County had the third-largest rate of employment growth in the nation at 5.2 percent. The national average was 1.8 percent.
Colorado’s overall rate of job growth was 3 percent in 2013, the largest increase since 2000.
The BLS report included job growth and wages in 334 of the largest counties in the U.S. Smaller counties were not included in the survey.
Among Colorado’s nine most-populous Front Range counties, Denver had the highest average weekly wage at $1,224, ranking 29th in the nation.
Arapahoe, Boulder, Douglas and Jefferson counties also showed higher wages than the national average of $1,000. Adams, El Paso, Larimer and Weld counties were below the national average, with Weld the lowest among the largest Front Range counties with an average of $871.
Steve Raabe: 303-954-1948, sraabe@denverpost.com or twitter.com/steveraabedp
