Workers in the Cleveland-Elyria Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $22.72 in May 2015, about 2 percent below the nationwide average of $23.23, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that, after testing for statistical significance, wages in the local area were lower than their respective national averages in 10 of the 22 major occupational groups including legal; computer and mathematical; and arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media. Two groups had significantly higher wages than their respective national averages, including: construction and extraction and sales and related.

When compared to the nationwide distribution, local employment was more highly concentrated in 3 of the 22 occupational groups: production; healthcare practitioners and technical; and healthcare support. Conversely, nine groups had employment shares significantly below their national representation, including construction and extraction; personal care and service; and sales and related. (See table A and box note at end of release.)

One occupational group—production—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Cleveland-Elyria had 91,380 jobs in production, accounting for 9.0 percent of local area employment, significantly higher than the 6.6-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $17.43, compared to the national wage of $17.41.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the production group included team assemblers (8,770); machinists (6,910); and inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (6,190). Among the higher paying jobs were power distributors and dispatchers ($34.83) and model makers, metal and plastic ($31.10). At the lower end of the wage scale were laundry and dry-cleaning workers ($10.51) and pressers, textile, garment, and related materials ($10.54). (Detailed occupational data for production are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to www.bls.gov/oes/2015/may/oes_17460.htm .)

Location quotients allow us to explore the occupational make-up of a metropolitan area by comparing the composition of jobs in an area relative to the national average. (See table 1.) For example, a location quotient of 2.0 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it does nationally. In the Cleveland-Elyria Metropolitan Statistical Area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the production group. For instance, tool and die makers were employed at 4.3 times the national rate in Cleveland, and lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic, at 3.2 times the U.S. average. On the other hand, packaging and filling machine operators and tenders had a location quotient of 1.0 in Cleveland, indicating that this particular occupation’s local and national employment shares were similar.

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 Ohio Department of Job & Family Services.

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. The OES program produces employment and wage estimates for over 800 occupations for all industries combined in the nation; the 50 states and the District of Columbia; 432 metropolitan areas and divisions; 167 nonmetropolitan areas; and Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. National estimates are also available by industry for NAICS sectors, 3-, 4-, and selected 5- and 6-digit industries, and by ownership across all industries and for schools and hospitals. OES data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm.

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 2015 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2015, November 2014, May 2014, November 2013, May 2013, and November 2012. The overall national response rate for the six panels is 73.5 percent based on establishments and 69.6 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The unweighted employment of sampled establishments across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 57.9 percent of total national employment. (Response rates are slightly lower for these estimates due to the federal shutdown in October 2013.) The sample in the Cleveland-Elyria Metropolitan Statistical Area included 5,587 establishments with a response rate of 75 percent. For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.

The May 2015 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.

The Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina Counties.

Additional information

OES data are available on our regional web page at www.bls.gov/regions/midwest. Answers to frequently asked questions about the OES data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm. Detailed technical information about the OES survey is available in our Survey Methods and Reliability Statement on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/oes/2015/may/methods_statement.pdf.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request . Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 800-877-8339.

Table 1. Employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey, by occupation, Cleveland-Elyria Metropolitan Statistical Area, May 2015

Occupation (1)	Employment		Mean wages
	Level (2)	Location quotient (3)	Hourly	Annual (4)
Production Occupations	91,380	1.4	$17.43	$36,240
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	5,630	1.3	28.83	59,980
Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers	140	0.5	23.19	48,230
Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers	130	1.2	15.35	31,920
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers	1,920	1.2	14.75	30,680
Electromechanical Equipment Assemblers	410	1.2	15.14	31,480
Engine and Other Machine Assemblers	910	3.2	(5)	(5)
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters	300	0.5	16.54	34,390
Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators	(5)	(5)	14.69	30,560
Team Assemblers	8,770	1.1	15.61	32,470
Assemblers and Fabricators, All Other	3,230	1.9	13.96	29,030
Bakers	1,250	1.0	12.15	25,270
Butchers and Meat Cutters	1,320	1.3	16.41	34,130
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers	160	0.1	14.91	31,010
Slaughterers and Meat Packers	90	0.2	11.98	24,910
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders	110	0.7	14.76	30,700
Food Batchmakers	440	0.4	13.04	27,130
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders	200	0.8	12.27	25,530
Food Processing Workers, All Other	400	1.2	10.91	22,700
Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators, Metal and Plastic	3,310	3.1	17.93	37,290
Computer Numerically Controlled Machine Tool Programmers, Metal and Plastic	470	2.5	24.04	50,000
Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	1,530	2.9	16.89	35,130
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	400	2.8	21.34	44,390
Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	660	2.8	17.44	36,270
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	3,270	2.3	15.16	31,530
Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	190	1.7	18.63	38,760
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	1,410	2.6	16.51	34,340
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	950	3.2	17.33	36,040
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	260	1.8	19.08	39,690
Machinists	6,910	2.3	19.09	39,700
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders	330	2.2	18.09	37,620
Pourers and Casters, Metal	130	1.8	18.73	38,970
Model Makers, Metal and Plastic	(5)	(5)	31.10	64,700
Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic	90	2.9	19.20	39,930
Foundry Mold and Coremakers	360	3.8	15.11	31,430
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	2,050	2.0	14.70	30,580
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	2,110	2.7	15.65	32,550
Tool and Die Makers	2,380	4.3	24.79	51,560
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	2,380	0.8	18.22	37,900
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	560	1.4	16.79	34,930
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	460	3.0	17.77	36,960
Plating and Coating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	580	2.2	13.80	28,700
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners	(5)	(5)	16.76	34,870
Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other	380	2.3	14.86	30,900
Prepress Technicians and Workers	710	2.7	18.90	39,320
Printing Press Operators	2,040	1.6	17.37	36,120
Print Binding and Finishing Workers	460	1.2	14.67	30,520
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers	1,100	0.7	10.51	21,860
Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials	340	0.9	10.54	21,930
Sewing Machine Operators	820	0.8	11.58	24,090
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers	(5)	(5)	13.59	28,270
Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	(5)	(5)	13.55	28,180
Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers	(5)	(5)	17.69	36,800
Upholsterers	(5)	(5)	13.67	28,430
Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters	600	0.9	17.06	35,490
Furniture Finishers	(5)	(5)	14.60	30,370
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing	480	0.9	15.04	31,280
Woodworkers, All Other	(5)	(5)	18.62	38,720
Power Distributors and Dispatchers	100	1.2	34.83	72,450
Power Plant Operators	60	0.2	(5)	(5)
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators	240	0.9	27.35	56,880
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators	570	0.7	23.85	49,620
Chemical Plant and System Operators	280	1.1	21.28	44,260
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers	(5)	(5)	28.25	58,750
Plant and System Operators, All Other	80	0.9	24.35	50,650
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders	1,530	3.1	20.55	42,750
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	260	0.7	18.06	37,570
Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	220	1.0	18.47	38,420
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand	280	1.4	15.30	31,830
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,280	1.3	17.00	35,350
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand	60	0.5	13.38	27,840
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	630	1.3	14.72	30,620
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,050	2.0	14.69	30,550
Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders	80	0.5	18.92	39,360
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers	6,190	1.7	18.83	39,170
Dental Laboratory Technicians	380	1.4	19.12	39,770
Medical Appliance Technicians	130	1.2	14.47	30,100
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians	130	0.6	13.93	28,970
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders	2,760	1.0	14.48	30,110
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,160	1.8	16.57	34,470
Painters, Transportation Equipment	250	0.6	21.63	44,990
Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators	240	1.4	18.37	38,200
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders	150	1.2	15.70	32,650
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders	270	2.1	13.54	28,150
Etchers and Engravers	(5)	(5)	17.48	36,370
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic	460	1.6	19.16	39,850
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	950	1.4	17.60	36,620
Helpers--Production Workers	2,720	0.8	12.68	26,370
Production Workers, All Other	(5)	(5)	11.86	24,670
Footnotes: (1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Cleveland-Elyria Metropolitan Statistical Area, see www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_17460.htm. (2) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers. (3) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average. (4) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a ‘year-round, full-time’ hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data. (5) Estimates not released.