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Utah County enjoyed the second-fastest job growth last year among the nation's 343 largest counties.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday the number of jobs grew there by 6.6 percent during 2015 — more than three times faster than the national average of 1.9 percent. The county's total number of jobs at the end of the year was 215,700.
The only county with faster job growth was Williamson County, Tenn., at 6.8 percent.
Carrie Mayne, chief economist for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, said most growth is fueled by the "Silicon Slopes" high-tech business area in northern Utah County.
For example, computer-related jobs in the information industry grew by 12 percent in the county last year. Related jobs in the professional, scientific and technical services industries grew by 5.5 percent.
"What is good about having your growth driven by higher-paying industries," she said, is that those workers "turn around and spend money, and you get those secondary effects of growth in restaurants and other types of leisure and hospitality, and you get growth in retail trade. That's also occurring."
While Utah County may be gaining jobs, average wages there are still low. New data said the average wage in the county is $869 a week, about 25 percent below the national average of $1,082. Still, the county's average wage rose by 7.3 percent during the year.
Mayne said one reason average wages may be low is because of the county's high number of university students — it is home to Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University — who work part-time in service industry jobs at hotels and restaurants.
"There is a lot of employment in those secondary industries" in Utah County, she said. "We have a lot of employment in retail trade, and a lot of employment in leisure and hospitality." She said they dilute "the effects of adding all those high-paying jobs."
Mayne added that average ages in Utah County are young, showing many people may be starting careers — when wages tend to be lower than after years of experience.
Still, she noted, data show that wages in computer-related industries in Utah County rose a hefty 20 percent last year. Also, Mayne said wages in scientific and professional careers — which are already high — rose by 5.5 percent.
Data released Wednesday also showed that Salt Lake County had a job growth rate last year of 3.8 percent to a total of 663,800 jobs. The average wage was $1,035 a week, up 5.3 percent.
In Davis County, the job growth was 3.7 percent to a total of 120,100 jobs. Its average wage was $839 a week, up by 4.5 percent.
And Weber County saw a job-growth rate of 3.1 percent to a total of 100,500 jobs. The average wage there was $790 a week, up by 5.3 percent.