Among the 12 metropolitan areas in Illinois, 10 had annual wages that were significantly below the national average for registered nurses. Eight areas had below-average wages for nurse practitioners and six had below-average wages for nursing assistants. Four areas had below-average wages for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that only two areas had above-average wages for any of the selected occupations- Chicago-Joliet-Naperville had two of the four and Bloomington-Normal had one. Nationwide, the average (mean) wage for registered nurses was $69,790, for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, $43,420, for nurse practitioners, $97,990 and for nursing assistants, $26,250. (See table A. For comprehensive definitions of metropolitan areas in Illinois, please see Technical Note.).

Table A. Average (mean) annual wages for selected nursing occupations in the United States, Illinois, and metropolitan areas in Illinois, May 2014

Area	Registered Nurses	Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses	Nurse Practitioners	Nursing Assistants
United States	$69,790	$43,420	$97,990	$26,250
Illinois	68,030*	44,870*	85,410*	25,260*
Bloomington-Normal	58,200*	45,640*	(1)	24,090*
Cape Girardeau-Jackson	51,990*	35,820*	94,800	21,370*
Champaign-Urbana	57,460*	42,530	88,130*	26,490
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville	72,470*	47,660*	90,700*	25,620*
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville	73,540*	48,680*	92,130*	25,670
Lake County-Kenosha County	68,520	47,690*	75,610*	27,140
Danville	62,050*	45,420	(1)	29,450
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island	54,710*	37,780*	91,840*	24,440*
Decatur	53,550*	42,400	(1)	25,390
Kankakee-Bradley	71,530	42,270	86,670*	29,330
Peoria	56,210*	43,640	77,470*	23,940*
Rockford	59,610*	45,320	82,190*	25,990
Springfield	62,480*	38,860*	59,610*	25,820
St. Louis	59,130*	40,780*	86,880*	23,840*
Footnotes: (1) Data not available.
Note: An asterisk indicates that the mean annual wage for this area is significantly different from the national average of all areas at the 90-percent confidence level.

The Chicago-Joliet-Naperville area had a combined employment of 138,270 in the four selected nursing occupations, the largest among the 12 metropolitan areas located entirely or partially in the state. Over 84 percent (116,810) of those jobs were located in one of the area’s three divisions, Chicago-Joliet-Naperville. Another division, Lake County-Kenosha County, had 9,970 jobs in the selected nursing occupations. With the exception of St. Louis (60,920), combined employment for the four nursing occupations was less than 9,000 in the remaining metropolitan areas for which data were available in Illinois. (See table B. The Chicago-Joliet-Naperville area’s other division, Gary, contains no counties in Illinois, and the data have not been presented in this release.)

Table B. Employment of selected nursing occupations in the United States, Illinois, and metropolitan areas in Illinois, May 2014

Area	Registered Nurses	Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses	Nurse Practitioners	Nursing Assistants
United States	2,687,310	695,610	122,050	1,427,740
Illinois	111,600	20,850	3,600	61,320
Bloomington-Normal	1,380	220	(1)	640
Cape Girardeau-Jackson	1,940	300	140	890
Champaign-Urbana	2,390	410	150	990
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville	81,780	13,410	2,520	40,560
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville	69,750	10,810	1,960	34,290
Lake County-Kenosha County	5,700	940	210	3,120
Danville	550	180	(1)	390
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island	3,220	750	120	2,360
Decatur	1,400	260	(1)	900
Kankakee-Bradley	1,340	340	(1)	660
Peoria	4,790	670	130	2,480
Rockford	3,830	750	170	1,880
Springfield	2,950	840	170	1,380
St. Louis	34,400	5,920	1,800	18,800
Footnotes: (1) Data not available.

Wages for registered nurses in metropolitan areas in Illinois

Registered nurses in the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville metropolitan area earned $72,470 per year, significantly above the U.S. average of $69,790. Wages were significantly below the national average for this occupation in 10 of the 12 metropolitan areas in Illinois, with wages ranging from $62,480 in Springfield to $51,990 in Cape Girardeau-Jackson. One area, Kankakee-Bradley, had wages that were not measurably different from the national average.

Wages for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in metropolitan areas in Illinois

Two metropolitan areas had mean annual wages for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses that were significantly higher than the U.S. average of $43,420: Chicago-Joliet-Naperville ($47,660) and Bloomington-Normal ($45,640). Four metropolitan areas had wages significantly below the national average for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses: St. Louis ($40,780), Springfield ($38,860), Davenport-Moline-Rock Island ($37,780), and Cape Girardeau-Jackson ($35,820). Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in the remaining areas earned wages that were not measurably different from the national average for this occupation.

Wages for nurse practitioners in metropolitan areas in Illinois

Eight metropolitan areas had average wages for nurse practitioners that were significantly lower than the $97,990 national average. Annual wages in these areas ranged from $91,840 in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island to $59,610 in Springfield. One area, Cape Girardeau-Jackson, had wages that were not measurably different from the U.S. average.

Wages for nursing assistants in metropolitan areas in Illinois

Six metropolitan areas had average wages for nursing assistants that were significantly lower than the $26,250 national average. Wages in these areas ranged from $25,620 in Chicago-Joliet-Naperville to $21,370 in Cape Girardeau-Jackson. Nursing assistants in the remaining six areas in Illinois earned wages that were not measurably different from the U.S. average.

These statistics are from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey, a federal-state cooperative program between BLS and State Workforce Agencies, in this case, the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the Iowa Department of Workforce Development, the Missouri Department of Employment Security, and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

Technical Note

The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey is a semiannual mail survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in the United States. Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands are also surveyed, but their data are not included in the national estimates. OES estimates are constructed from a sample of about 1.2 million establishments. Forms are mailed to approximately 200,000 sampled establishments in May and November each year. May 2014 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2014, November 2013, May 2013, November 2012, May 2012, and November 2011. The overall national response rate for the six panels is 74.3 percent based on establishments and 70.5 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The unweighted employment of sampled establishments across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 57.1 percent of total national employment. (Response rates are slightly lower for these estimates due to the federal shutdown in October 2013.) For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.

The OES survey provides estimates of employment and hourly and annual wages for wage and salary workers in 22 major occupational groups and 821 detailed occupations for the nation, states, metropolitan statistical areas, metropolitan divisions, and nonmetropolitan areas. In addition, employment and wage estimates for 94 minor groups and 458 broad occupations are available in the national data. OES data by state and metropolitan/nonmetropolitan area are available from www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcst.htm and www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcma.htm, respectively.

The May 2014 OES estimates are based on the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system and the 2012 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Information about the 2010 SOC is available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/soc and information about the 2012 NAICS is available at www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm.

Metropolitan area definitions

The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

• Bloomington-Normal, Ill. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes McLean County in Illinois.
• Cape Girardeau-Jackson, Mo.-Ill. MSA includes Alexander County in Illinois and Bollinger and Cape Girardeau Counties in Missouri.
• Champaign-Urbana, Ill. MSA includes Champaign, Ford, and Piatt Counties in Illinois.
• Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. MSA includes the following:
  • Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill. Metropolitan Division includes the following: Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, McHenry, and Will Counties in Illinois.
  • Gary, Ind. Metropolitan Division includes the following: Jasper, Lake, Newton, and Porter Counties in Indiana.
  • Lake County-Kenosha County, Ill.-Wis. Metropolitan Division includes the following: Lake County in Illinois and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.
• Danville, Ill. MSA includes Vermilion County in Illinois.
• Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, Iowa- Ill. MSA includes Henry, Mercer and Rock Island Counties in Illinois and Scott County in Iowa.
• Decatur, Ill. MSA includes Macon County in Illinois.
• Kankakee-Bradley, Ill. MSA includes Kankakee County in Illinois.
• Peoria, Ill. MSA includes Marshall, Peoria, Stark, Tazewell and Woodford Counties in Illinois.
• Rockford, Ill. MSA includes Boone and Winnebago Counties in Illinois.
• St. Louis, Mo.-Ill. MSA includes Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair Counties in Illinois and Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Louis, Warren, and Washington Counties and St. Louis City in Missouri.
• Springfield, Ill. MSA includes Menard and Sangamon Counties in Illinois.

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