Workers in the Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $25.03 in May 2019, about 3 percent below the nationwide average of $25.72, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that, after testing for statistical significance, wages in the local area were higher than their respective national averages in 1 of the 22 major occupational groups: construction and extraction. Thirteen groups had significantly lower wages than their respective national averages, including computer and mathematical; legal; and life, physical and social science.

When compared to the nationwide distribution, Cleveland area employment was more highly concentrated in 6 of the 22 occupational groups, including production, healthcare practitioners and technical, and office and administrative support. Conversely, eight groups had employment shares significantly below their national representation, including construction and extraction, transportation and material moving, and educational instruction and library. (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 had 91,260 jobs in production, accounting for 8.7 percent of local area employment, significantly higher than the 6.2-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $19.20, compared to the national wage of $19.30.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the production group included miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators (13,660); machinists (6,060); and inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (6,040). Among the higher-paying jobs in this group were power plant operators at $40.02, and power distributors and dispatchers with mean hourly wages of $36.15. At the lower end of the wage scale were laundry and dry-cleaning workers ($11.78) and cutters and trimmers, hand ($12.10). (Detailed data for the production occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/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 area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the production group. For instance, foundry mold and coremakers were employed at 8.6 times the national rate in Cleveland, and rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic, at 5.8 times the U.S. average. Paper goods machine setters, 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 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 580 areas, including states and the District of Columbia, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), nonmetropolitan areas, and territories; national industry-specific estimates at the NAICS sector, 3-digit, most 4-digit, 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.

The OES survey is a cooperative effort between BLS and the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures and technical support, while the State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data. OES estimates are constructed from a sample of about 1.1 million establishments. Each year, two semiannual panels of approximately 180,000 to 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 2019 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2019, November 2018, May 2018, November 2017, May 2017, and November 2016. The unweighted sample employment of 83 million across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 57 percent of total national employment. The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 71 percent based on establishments and 68 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The sample in the Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area included 5,126 establishments with a response rate of 74 percent. For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_tec.htm.

A value that is statistically different from another does not necessarily mean that the difference has economic or practical significance. Statistical significance is concerned with the ability to make confident statements about a universe based on a sample. It is entirely possible that a large difference between two values is not significantly different statistically, while a small difference is, since both the size and heterogeneity of the sample affect the relative error of the data being tested.

The May 2019 OES estimates are the first set of OES estimates to be based in part on survey data collected using the 2018 SOC. These estimates use a hybrid of the 2010 and 2018 SOC systems. More information on the hybrid classification system is available at www.bls.gov/oes/soc_2018.htm.

The May 2019 OES estimates are based on the 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). More information about the 2017 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, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina Counties of Ohio.

For more information

Answers to frequently asked questions about the OES data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm. Detailed information about the OES program is available at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_doc.htm.

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 for production occupations, Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, May 2019

Occupation (1)	Employment		Mean wages
	Level (2)	Location quotient (3)	Hourly	Annual (4)
Production occupations	91,260	1.4	$19.20	$39,940
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers	6,020	1.3	31.11	64,700
Coil winders, tapers, and finishers	190	2.1	21.17	44,040
Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers, except coil winders, tapers, and finishers	1,770	0.9	16.21	33,710
Engine and other machine assemblers	1,480	4.5	(5)	(5)
Structural metal fabricators and fitters	660	1.2	18.69	38,870
Fiberglass laminators and fabricators	(5)	(5)	14.27	29,690
Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators	13,660	1.4	16.85	35,040
Bakers	1,480	1.1	13.75	28,600
Butchers and meat cutters	640	0.7	17.11	35,590
Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers	220	0.2	14.98	31,150
Slaughterers and meat packers	(5)	(5)	13.89	28,880
Food batchmakers	690	0.6	15.29	31,800
Food cooking machine operators and tenders	120	0.6	13.81	28,720
Food processing workers, all other	70	0.2	12.41	25,810
Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	1,220	2.2	16.92	35,190
Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	650	5.6	21.67	45,070
Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	1,330	5.8	22.29	46,360
Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	3,890	2.8	19.63	40,830
Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	100	1.3	21.32	44,340
Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	1,680	3.1	18.87	39,250
Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	890	4.4	20.36	42,350
Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	370	2.8	21.16	44,010
Machinists	6,060	2.2	20.33	42,290
Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders	400	3.3	16.25	33,800
Pourers and casters, metal	60	1.0	20.26	42,130
Foundry mold and coremakers	1,080	8.6	14.81	30,800
Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	2,750	2.2	16.20	33,700
Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	3,130	3.0	16.92	35,190
Tool and die makers	1,390	2.8	26.74	55,610
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers	2,300	0.8	19.87	41,330
Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders	400	1.6	18.18	37,820
Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	400	2.9	15.54	32,320
Plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	1,140	3.8	15.21	31,650
Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners	90	2.0	21.20	44,090
Metal workers and plastic workers, all other	140	0.8	16.68	34,690
Prepress technicians and workers	410	1.9	20.54	42,730
Printing press operators	1,690	1.4	18.12	37,690
Print binding and finishing workers	340	1.0	15.46	32,160
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers	1,480	1.0	11.78	24,510
Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials	180	0.7	12.22	25,410
Sewing machine operators	870	0.9	12.58	26,170
Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers	(5)	(5)	18.73	38,950
Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders	60	0.6	14.42	29,990
Upholsterers	90	0.4	19.21	39,950
Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters	650	0.9	21.28	44,270
Furniture finishers	(5)	(5)	15.53	32,300
Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing	500	0.9	17.71	36,830
Power distributors and dispatchers	160	2.0	36.15	75,190
Power plant operators	(5)	(5)	40.02	83,240
Stationary engineers and boiler operators	240	1.0	29.15	60,620
Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators	650	0.7	25.42	52,880
Chemical plant and system operators	160	0.8	27.54	57,290
Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers	40	0.1	34.30	71,350
Plant and system operators, all other	(5)	(5)	22.88	47,580
Chemical equipment operators and tenders	1,820	2.9	22.81	47,440
Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders	140	0.4	23.27	48,400
Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders	270	1.1	17.13	35,640
Grinding and polishing workers, hand	410	2.0	16.77	34,870
Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders	1,420	1.6	18.75	38,990
Cutters and trimmers, hand	30	0.5	12.10	25,180
Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders	450	1.1	17.76	36,950
Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders	800	1.6	14.05	29,230
Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders	190	1.4	20.47	42,570
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers	6,040	1.5	20.61	42,880
Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers	(5)	(5)	16.41	34,130
Dental laboratory technicians	400	1.6	21.55	44,830
Medical appliance technicians	110	1.1	23.54	48,960
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians	(5)	(5)	21.76	45,270
Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders	2,540	0.9	14.40	29,950
Painting, coating, and decorating workers	40	0.5	14.74	30,650
Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders	1,510	1.5	18.95	39,410
Photographic process workers and processing machine operators	(5)	(5)	20.63	42,910
Computer numerically controlled tool operators	2,530	2.3	19.36	40,260
Computer numerically controlled tool programmers	530	2.9	26.78	55,710
Adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders	180	1.8	15.82	32,910
Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders	260	2.2	15.30	31,830
Etchers and engravers	(5)	(5)	17.06	35,490
Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic	280	0.9	17.61	36,620
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders	710	1.0	19.53	40,610
Helpers--production workers	2,940	1.4	14.65	30,480
Production workers, all other	1,570	1.0	15.30	31,820
Footnotes: (1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, see www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_17460.htm. (2) Estimates for detailed occupations may not sum to the totals due to rounding, and because the totals may include occupations that are 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.