From December 2015 to December 2016, employment increased in 280 of the 345 largest counties in the country, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported.

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Included in those 280 are Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester counties:

• With 493,500 people now working, Montco experienced an increase of 1.3 percent in employment, a change that places it, in terms of growth, 164th out of the 344 largest counties in America.
• With 224,100 people now working, Delco experienced an increase of 1.1 percent in employment, a change that places it, in terms of growth, 184th out of the 344 largest counties in America.
• With 251,200 people now working, Chesco experienced an increase of 0.8 percent in employment, a change that places it, in terms of growth, 211th out of the 344 largest counties in America.

Meanwhile, the U.S. average weekly wage decreased 1.5 percent over the year, declining to $1,067 in the fourth quarter of 2016. This is one of only eight declines since 1978. The 1.5 percent decline in average weekly wages was the largest decline since fourth quarter 2011, when average weekly wages decreased by 1.7 percent.

Closer to home, the average weekly wages decreased twice as much as the national average:

• In Montco, the average weekly wage decreased 3.1 percent to $1,288.
• In Delco, the average weekly wage decreased 3.0 percent to $1,111.
• In Chesco, the average weekly wage decreased 3.5 percent to $1,308.

Click here to read more about the nation’s employment picture from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.