GeraJobs / US Wage Premium / Union County, NC
Union County, North Carolina — Wages & Employment (2023)
Ranked #586 of 3,141 US counties by the Gera Local Wage Premium US (81.2, US = 100) — computed from real BLS QCEW 2023 establishment data.
What is the average wage in Union County, NC?
Union County, NC has a GLWP-US of 81.2 (rank #586 of 3,141), below the US average. Average weekly wage: $1130 (~$58,760/year, US = $1392/wk). Its highest-concentration sector is Construction (LQ 2.59x). Source: BLS QCEW 2023.
Gera Local Wage Premium US
Union County's wage premium vs US average (rank #586 of 3,141). Below the US average.
How this is calculated$1,130
Avg weekly wage (2023)
$58,760
Approx annual pay
81.2
GLWP-US (US = 100)
#586 / 3,141
National rank
72,115
Average employment
$1,392
US avg weekly wage
Union County vs US average — wage comparison
| Metric | Union County | US Average | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg weekly wage | $1,130 | $1,392 | -$262 |
| Approx annual pay | $58,760 | $72,384 | -$13,624 |
| GLWP-US index | 81.2 | 100.0 | -18.8 |
Source: BLS QCEW 2023, all industries, all ownership types. Annual pay = weekly wage × 52 (derived). GLWP-US = (county wage / US $1392/wk) × 100.
Union County — top industries by employment concentration
Location Quotient (LQ) > 1.0 means the industry is more concentrated here than the US average. Private sector, BLS QCEW 2023.
| Industry (NAICS sector) | LQ | Avg Wk Wage (sector) |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 2.59x | $1,551 |
| Manufacturing | 2.01x | $1,291 |
| Educational Services | 1.40x | $694 |
| Retail Trade | 1.12x | $719 |
| Administrative & Support Services | 1.07x | $1,009 |
LQ = (county sector employment share) / (US sector employment share). Source: BLS QCEW 2023, agglvl_code=74, own_code=5 (private sector).
Union County — GLWP-US breakdown
GLWP-US
81.2
US = 100
National Rank
#586
of 3,141 counties
Wage Premium
$262
vs US avg/wk
GLWP-US = 81.2 (rank #586 of 3,141, below the US average). Formula: ($1130/wk ÷ $1392/wk) × 100 = 81.2.
Explore US County Wage Premiums — Interactive
US average = $$1,392/wk (GLWP-US 100). Showing top 50 results.
| Rank | County | State | GLWP-US | Avg Wk Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #29 | Durham County | NC | 126.9 | $1,766 |
| #55 | Mecklenburg County | NC | 117.2 | $1,631 |
| #125 | Orange County | NC | 103.6 | $1,442 |
| #139 | Wake County | NC | 102.4 | $1,425 |
| #353 | Forsyth County | NC | 87.8 | $1,222 |
| #392 | Iredell County | NC | 86.1 | $1,199 |
| #553 | Guilford County | NC | 81.7 | $1,137 |
| #577 | New Hanover County | NC | 81.3 | $1,132 |
| #586 | Union County | NC | 81.2 | $1,130 |
| #719 | Pitt County | NC | 78.1 | $1,087 |
| #770 | Buncombe County | NC | 77.4 | $1,077 |
| #771 | Granville County | NC | 77.4 | $1,078 |
| #850 | Rowan County | NC | 76.2 | $1,061 |
| #940 | Catawba County | NC | 75.1 | $1,046 |
| #1,040 | Franklin County | NC | 73.9 | $1,029 |
| #1,073 | Craven County | NC | 73.4 | $1,022 |
| #1,089 | Cumberland County | NC | 73.3 | $1,021 |
| #1,100 | Lincoln County | NC | 73.2 | $1,019 |
| #1,106 | Wilson County | NC | 73.1 | $1,018 |
| #1,137 | Henderson County | NC | 72.6 | $1,010 |
| #1,153 | Cabarrus County | NC | 72.5 | $1,009 |
| #1,160 | Johnston County | NC | 72.4 | $1,008 |
| #1,181 | Lee County | NC | 72.2 | $1,005 |
| #1,220 | Moore County | NC | 71.8 | $999 |
| #1,247 | Davidson County | NC | 71.5 | $995 |
| #1,248 | Gaston County | NC | 71.5 | $995 |
| #1,287 | Nash County | NC | 71.0 | $989 |
| #1,357 | Alamance County | NC | 70.4 | $980 |
| #1,377 | Cleveland County | NC | 70.3 | $979 |
| #1,514 | Davie County | NC | 69.0 | $960 |
| #1,551 | Chatham County | NC | 68.8 | $958 |
| #1,587 | Brunswick County | NC | 68.5 | $953 |
| #1,705 | Caldwell County | NC | 67.5 | $939 |
| #1,746 | Camden County | NC | 67.1 | $934 |
| #1,773 | Lenoir County | NC | 66.9 | $931 |
| #1,797 | Person County | NC | 66.7 | $928 |
| #1,861 | Pasquotank County | NC | 66.2 | $921 |
| #1,879 | Mitchell County | NC | 66.0 | $919 |
| #1,909 | Montgomery County | NC | 65.8 | $916 |
| #1,923 | Hertford County | NC | 65.7 | $915 |
| #1,928 | Northampton County | NC | 65.6 | $913 |
| #1,949 | Sampson County | NC | 65.5 | $912 |
| #1,950 | Scotland County | NC | 65.5 | $912 |
| #1,951 | Surry County | NC | 65.5 | $912 |
| #1,996 | Wayne County | NC | 65.1 | $906 |
| #2,005 | Chowan County | NC | 65.0 | $905 |
| #2,019 | Beaufort County | NC | 64.9 | $904 |
| #2,020 | Transylvania County | NC | 64.9 | $903 |
| #2,030 | Haywood County | NC | 64.8 | $902 |
| #2,051 | Randolph County | NC | 64.7 | $900 |
Source: BLS QCEW 2023 Annual Single File, US public domain. GLWP-US = (county avg weekly wage ÷ US avg $1,392/wk) × 100. Top sector LQ = employment location quotient (private sector). Computed by GeraJobs.
Union County wages — FAQ
- What is the GLWP-US score for Union County, NC?
- Union County, NC has a Gera Local Wage Premium US (GLWP-US) of 81.2 (US average = 100), ranking #586 of 3,141 US counties. This puts it below the US average. Source: BLS QCEW 2023.
- What is the average weekly wage in Union County, North Carolina?
- The BLS QCEW 2023 data shows the annual average weekly wage in Union County, North Carolina is $1130, equating to approximately $58,760/year. The US average is $1392/wk ($72,384/year). GLWP-US: 81.2 (US = 100).
- How many people are employed in Union County?
- In 2023, Union County, North Carolina had an annual average employment of 72,115 workers covered by unemployment insurance, per the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. This covers private-sector and government workers across all industries.
- What industries are most concentrated in Union County?
- Based on BLS QCEW 2023 employment Location Quotients, the most concentrated private-sector industries in Union County, North Carolina are: Construction (LQ 2.59x, avg $1551/wk); Manufacturing (LQ 2.01x, avg $1291/wk); Educational Services (LQ 1.40x, avg $694/wk); Retail Trade (LQ 1.12x, avg $719/wk); Administrative & Support Services (LQ 1.07x, avg $1009/wk). An LQ above 1.0 means the county has a higher share of that industry than the US overall.
- How does Union County's wage compare to North Carolina overall?
- Union County has a GLWP-US of 81.2 vs the US average of 100. To see how Union County compares to other counties in North Carolina, explore the full GeraJobs US Wage Premium rankings. The GLWP-US is computed from BLS QCEW 2023 establishment data covering all industries and ownership types.
How the Gera Local Wage Premium US is calculated
GLWP-US = (county avg weekly wage / US avg weekly wage) × 100. US average $1392/wk in 2023 → US = 100 by construction. Data: BLS QCEW 2023 annual singlefile, all industries, all ownership. Suppressed cells excluded. No imputation. Full methodology · Licence: US public domain.
Find jobs in Union County
Search live roles across Union County and nearby areas on GeraJobs.
Get Union County wage updates
We'll notify you when BLS QCEW 2024 data is published — including the updated wage premium for Union County, North Carolina.
Other counties in North Carolina by GLWP-US
Related on GeraJobs
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW 2023 Annual Single File (data.bls.gov/cew/data/files/2023/csv/2023_annual_singlefile.zip). US public domain. Area title from BLS area_titles.csv. FIPS: 37179. No figure is modelled or estimated.