Workers in the Cleveland-Elyria Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $23.20 in May 2016, about 3 percent below the nationwide average of $23.86, 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 average in 11 of the 22 major groups, including legal; computer and mathematical; and arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media. Nine occupational groups had wages that were not significantly different from their respective national averages, including production; life, physical and social science; and community and social service. Two occupational groups, construction and extraction and sales and related, had wages significantly higher than their respective national averages.

When compared to the nationwide distribution, local employment was more highly concentrated in 4 of the 22 occupational groups, including production, healthcare practitioners and technical, and healthcare support. Conversely, 10 groups had employment shares significantly below their national representation, including construction and extraction, sales and related, and personal care and service. (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 89,180 jobs in production, accounting for 8.7 percent of local area employment, significantly higher than the 6.5-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $18.19, compared to the national wage of $17.88.

Some of the largest detailed occupations within the production group included team assemblers (6,710); inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (6,580); and machinists (5,890). Among the higher paying jobs were power distributors and dispatchers with mean hourly wages of $36.02 and model makers, metal and plastic, $32.54. At the lower end of the wage scale were pressers, textile, garment, and related materials ($10.83) and laundry and dry-cleaning workers ($10.96). (Detailed occupational data for production are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to www.bls.gov/oes/2016/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, foundry mold and coremakers in Cleveland were employed at 5.2 times the national rate, and engine and other machine assemblers, at 4.4 times the U.S. average. On the other hand, butchers and meat cutters in Cleveland had a location quotient of 1.0, 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 data available from BLS include cross-industry occupational employment and wage estimates for the nation; over 650 areas, including states and the District of Columbia, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), metropolitan divisions, nonmetropolitan areas, and territories; national industry-specific estimates at the NAICS sector, 3-, 4-, and selected 5- and 6-digit industry levels, and national estimates 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. Each year, two semiannual panels of approximately 200,000 sampled establishments are contacted, one panel in May and the other in November. Responses are obtained by mail, Internet or other electronic means, email, telephone, or personal visit. The May 2016 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2016, November 2015, May 2015, November 2014, May 2014, and November 2013. The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 73 percent based on establishments and 69 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The unweighted employment of sampled establishments across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 58 percent of total national employment. The sample in the Cleveland-Elyria Metropolitan Statistical Area included 5,564 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 2016 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 of Ohio.

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/current/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 2016

Occupation (1)	Employment		Mean wages
	Level (2)	Location quotient (3)	Hourly	Annual (4)
Production occupations	89,180	1.3	$18.19	$37,830
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers	5,780	1.3	30.02	62,440
Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers	150	0.5	23.76	49,410
Coil winders, tapers, and finishers	90	0.9	16.93	35,220
Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers	1,950	1.2	15.20	31,610
Electromechanical equipment assemblers	470	1.4	16.18	33,650
Engine and other machine assemblers	1,230	4.4	24.48	50,930
Structural metal fabricators and fitters	310	0.6	18.48	38,430
Fiberglass laminators and fabricators	(5)	(5)	13.00	27,030
Team assemblers	6,710	0.8	15.98	33,230
Assemblers and fabricators, all other	4,160	2.5	13.90	28,910
Bakers	1,410	1.1	12.23	25,450
Butchers and meat cutters	970	1.0	17.91	37,250
Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers	140	0.1	15.34	31,900
Slaughterers and meat packers	140	0.2	11.78	24,490
Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders	70	0.5	14.46	30,080
Food batchmakers	490	0.5	13.72	28,540
Food cooking machine operators and tenders	180	0.7	13.12	27,280
Food processing workers, all other	420	1.3	11.42	23,760
Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic	4,120	3.9	19.25	40,040
Computer numerically controlled machine tool programmers, metal and plastic	740	4.0	22.71	47,240
Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	1,420	2.7	15.91	33,090
Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	380	2.7	21.54	44,800
Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	550	2.6	19.34	40,220
Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	3,330	2.4	15.58	32,410
Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	290	3.2	20.44	42,510
Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	1,640	3.0	17.02	35,400
Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	540	2.2	19.09	39,710
Machinists	5,890	2.1	19.41	40,370
Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders	280	2.1	18.33	38,120
Pourers and casters, metal	(5)	(5)	20.11	41,830
Model makers, metal and plastic	(5)	(5)	32.54	67,690
Foundry mold and coremakers	480	5.2	15.43	32,100
Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	1,950	1.8	15.24	31,700
Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	1,820	2.1	16.28	33,860
Tool and die makers	2,260	4.3	25.70	53,460
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers	2,520	0.9	19.08	39,680
Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders	430	1.3	16.30	33,910
Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	380	2.6	18.82	39,150
Plating and coating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	350	1.4	15.26	31,750
Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners	210	3.1	17.25	35,880
Metal workers and plastic workers, all other	320	1.9	14.60	30,380
Prepress technicians and workers	510	2.1	18.73	38,950
Printing press operators	1,660	1.3	17.55	36,500
Print binding and finishing workers	510	1.3	14.47	30,090
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers	1,100	0.7	10.96	22,800
Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials	370	1.1	10.83	22,530
Sewing machine operators	710	0.7	11.88	24,720
Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers	100	0.6	15.46	32,150
Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters	650	0.9	17.40	36,190
Furniture finishers	(5)	(5)	15.60	32,450
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood	30	0.1	17.97	37,370
Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing	460	0.8	16.39	34,100
Woodworkers, all other	(5)	(5)	17.44	36,270
Power distributors and dispatchers	200	2.4	36.02	74,920
Stationary engineers and boiler operators	250	1.0	28.11	58,460
Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators	690	0.8	25.13	52,270
Chemical plant and system operators	150	0.6	21.47	44,660
Plant and system operators, all other	80	1.0	27.19	56,550
Chemical equipment operators and tenders	1,710	3.2	21.21	44,110
Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders	220	0.7	19.88	41,340
Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders	210	1.0	17.25	35,870
Grinding and polishing workers, hand	(5)	(5)	15.34	31,900
Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders	1,530	1.6	17.85	37,130
Cutters and trimmers, hand	80	0.7	13.87	28,850
Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders	640	1.4	15.69	32,630
Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders	910	1.8	14.23	29,600
Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders	(5)	(5)	15.33	31,890
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers	6,580	1.7	19.98	41,550
Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers	90	0.5	(5)	(5)
Dental laboratory technicians	370	1.4	19.60	40,760
Medical appliance technicians	220	2.0	15.33	31,880
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians	220	1.0	14.27	29,690
Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders	1,730	0.6	14.29	29,720
Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders	1,300	2.1	17.64	36,690
Painters, transportation equipment	220	0.6	22.00	45,760
Semiconductor processors	70	0.4	17.65	36,710
Photographic process workers and processing machine operators	130	0.7	(5)	(5)
Adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders	160	1.3	14.66	30,490
Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders	230	1.8	12.87	26,780
Etchers and engravers	(5)	(5)	20.65	42,950
Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic	280	1.0	17.93	37,290
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders	770	1.1	19.03	39,590
Helpers--production workers	2,660	0.8	13.71	28,520
Production workers, all other	4,340	2.4	13.59	28,260
Footnotes: (1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Cleveland-Elyria, OH, 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) Estimate not released.