General Information:   Cynthia Gillham (617) 565-2327                USDL-09-177

Media Contact:          Tim Consedine (617) 565-2324              For release: Tuesday, June 9, 2009
                              

HIGHLIGHTS OF BOSTON-WORCESTER-MANCHESTER, MA-NH NATIONAL COMPENSATION SURVEY OCTOBER 2008

Workers in the Boston-Worcester-Manchester Combined Statistical Area (CSA) earned an average of $25.84 per hour in October 2008, according to new survey results from the National Compensation Survey (NCS) released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Regional Commissioner Denis M. McSweeney noted that wage data were reported for workers in a wide range of occupational groups, including average hourly earnings of $41.42 for computer and mathematical science occupations and $33.30 for business and financial operations occupations. Another group, healthcare practitioner and technical occupations, had a mean hourly wage rate of $31.00. The NCS data available for the Boston area include earnings for 21 major occupational groups with additional detail for selected occupations within those groups. (See table 1.)

Systems software computer software engineers, part of the computer and mathematical science occupational group, earned $46.05 per hour, while computer programmers earned $30.58 per hour. Within the business and financial operations occupational group, financial analysts averaged $47.16 per hour and compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists, $29.61. Registered nurses, an occupation within the healthcare practitioner and technical occupations group, registered recorded an average hourly wage of $38.80.

Broad coverage of selected occupational characteristics is available from NCS for the local area. Full-time workers averaged $27.72 per hour while their part-time counterparts earned $14.16. Union workers averaged $28.08 and non-union workers, $25.40. Workers in establishments with 1-99 workers averaged $21.12 per hour, those in establishment with 100-499 workers earned $25.54, and those in establishments with 500 or more employees earned $33.63.

The occupational wage data available from NCS may be used by businesses for establishing pay plans, making decisions concerning plant relocation, and in collective bargaining negotiations. Individuals may use such data to help choose potential careers. NCS results also include the work level and respective earnings for occupations determined by a point factor leveling process. The four occupational leveling factors are: knowledge, job controls and complexity, contacts, and physical environment. Details on the NCS are available at www.bls.gov/ncs/home.htm.

The NCS data reported here covered 886 establishments with one or more workers in private industry and State and local governments. Agricultural establishments, private households, the self-employer, and the Federal Government were excluded from the survey. This sample of establishments represented 2,913,900 workers in the Boston-Worcester-Manchester Combined Statistical Area (CSA) which is comprised of Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, and Worcester Counties in Massachusetts and Belknap, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, and Strafford Counties in New Hampshire.

Survey Availability

Complete survey results are obtained in the Boston-Worcester-Lawrence MA-NH National Compensation Survey October 2008 which is available on the Internet in both text and PDF formats at www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/compub.htm.

For personal assistance or further information on the National Compensation Survey data, as well as other Bureau data, contact the New England Information Office by calling (617) 565-2327 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.

Table 1. Civilian workers: Mean hourly earnings1 for full-time and part-time workers2, Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH CSA, October 2008
Occupation3 Total Full-time workers Part-time workers
Mean Relative error4 (percent) Mean Relative error4 (percent) Mean Relative error4 (percent)

All workers ..............................................................................

 $25.84 2.1 $27.72 2.5 $14.16 2.5

Management occupations .................................................

 49.57 3.6 49.60 3.6 - -

General and operations managers ...................................

 60.39 9.0 61.10 9.2 - -

Marketing and sales managers ........................................

 51.06 9.6 51.06 9.6 - -

Marketing managers .....................................................

 52.78 15.0 52.78 15.0 - -

Sales managers ............................................................

 48.49 12.5 48.49 12.5 - -

Computer and information systems managers .................

 54.93 7.3 54.93 7.3 - -

Financial managers ..........................................................

 55.25 6.1 55.25 6.1 - -

Human resources managers ............................................

 49.59 14.1 49.59 14.1 - -

Industrial production managers ........................................

 42.97 2.7 42.97 2.7 - -

Education administrators ..................................................

 44.11 7.4 44.41 7.8 - -

Education administrators, elementary and secondary school

 54.39 11.1 54.39 11.1 - -

Education administrators, postsecondary .....................

 43.02 6.5 43.41 7.2 - -

Engineering managers .....................................................

 55.74 6.2 55.74 6.2 - -

Medical and health services managers ............................

 46.76 13.9 45.62 14.4 - -

Business and financial operations occupations .............

 33.30 3.7 33.36 3.6 - -

Buyers and purchasing agents .........................................

 28.95 13.9 28.95 13.9 - -

Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products ......

 23.16 21.4 23.16 21.4 - -

Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products

 33.06 13.2 33.06 13.2 - -

Claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators

 26.76 6.3 25.97 7.4 - -

Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators ...........

 26.41 7.3 25.51 8.8 - -

Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation

 21.64 12.3 - - - -

Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists

 29.33 7.4 29.33 7.4 - -

Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists ..

 29.61 6.5 29.61 6.5 - -

Training and development specialists ..........................

 31.54 10.8 31.54 10.8 - -

Management analysts ......................................................

 43.39 13.6 43.39 13.6 - -

Accountants and auditors .................................................

 27.51 9.0 27.51 9.0 - -

Budget analysts ................................................................

 38.34 11.9 - - - -

Financial analysts and advisors ........................................

 43.43 4.9 44.23 5.1 - -

Financial analysts .........................................................

 47.16 7.0 47.16 7.0 - -

Computer and mathematical science occupations .........

 41.42 5.1 41.42 5.1 - -

Computer programmers ...................................................

 30.58 6.9 30.58 6.9 - -

Computer software engineers ..........................................

 48.88 5.1 48.88 5.1 - -

Computer software engineers, applications .................

 52.97 11.0 52.97 11.0 - -

Computer software engineers, systems software .........

 46.05 6.4 46.05 6.4 - -

Computer support specialists ...........................................

 33.77 3.0 33.77 3.0 - -

Computer systems analysts .............................................

 41.13 4.4 41.13 4.4 - -

Network and computer systems administrators ................

 41.00 6.3 41.00 6.3 - -

Network systems and data communications analysts ......

 34.76 3.9 34.76 3.9 - -

Architecture and engineering occupations .....................

 37.57 9.0 37.35 8.5 - -

Architects, except naval ....................................................

 36.33 24.7 36.33 24.7 - -

Architects, except landscape and naval .......................

 38.33 24.2 38.33 24.2 - -

Engineers .........................................................................

 43.06 3.5 42.86 3.2 - -

Computer hardware engineers .....................................

 50.17 .4 50.17 .4 - -

Electrical and electronics engineers .............................

 43.38 3.9 43.38 3.9 - -

Electrical engineers ..................................................

 40.95 4.6 40.95 4.6 - -

Electronics engineers, except computer ...................

 44.12 5.3 44.12 5.3 - -

Industrial engineers, including health and safety ..........

 37.81 3.9 37.81 3.9 - -

Industrial engineers ..................................................

 37.81 3.9 37.81 3.9 - -

Mechanical engineers ...................................................

 41.51 5.3 41.51 5.3 - -

Drafters .............................................................................

 28.12 9.7 28.12 9.7 - -

Engineering technicians, except drafters ..........................

 23.21 4.5 23.21 4.5 - -

Electrical and electronic engineering technicians .........

 22.52 13.0 22.52 13.0 - -

Life, physical, and social science occupations ...............

 33.09 8.1 33.14 8.2 - -

Biological scientists ......................................................

 45.06 3.1 45.06 3.1 - -

Biochemists and biophysicists ..................................

 45.06 3.1 45.06 3.1 - -

Physical scientists ............................................................

 31.61 21.6 31.61 21.6 - -

Chemists and materials scientists ................................

 $45.69 15.5 $45.69 15.5 - -

Market and survey researchers ........................................

 49.97 19.1 49.97 19.1 - -

Market research analysts .............................................

 49.97 19.1 49.97 19.1 - -

Psychologists ....................................................................

 27.50 17.3 - - - -

Community and social services occupations ..................

 25.69 9.0 25.73 9.6 $25.22 9.3

Counselors .......................................................................

 27.80 10.4 27.97 10.9 - -

Educational, vocational, and school counselors ...........

 32.41 17.3 33.15 18.0 - -

Social workers ..................................................................

 27.04 11.8 26.98 12.6 - -

Child, family, and school social workers .......................

 26.08 18.8 26.08 18.8 - -

Miscellaneous community and social service specialists

 18.71 13.3 17.73 15.3 - -

Social and human service assistants ...........................

 15.89 10.3 - - - -

Legal occupations ..............................................................

 43.69 10.4 46.05 12.1 - -

Lawyers ............................................................................

 64.99 8.9 64.99 8.9 - -

Paralegals and legal assistants ........................................

 24.99 3.0 - - - -

Education, training, and library occupations ..................

 33.27 9.1 35.77 5.4 18.11 16.4

Postsecondary teachers ...................................................

 50.29 3.3 51.05 3.5 34.48 16.9

Physical sciences teachers, postsecondary .................

 59.48 3.1 59.48 3.1 - -

Social sciences teachers, postsecondary .....................

 47.79 4.1 - - - -

Arts, communications, and humanities teachers, postsecondary

 46.10 13.7 47.15 10.4 - -

Miscellaneous postsecondary teachers ........................

 44.16 3.7 45.11 3.1 30.88 11.3

Primary, secondary, and special education school teachers

 32.08 13.6 35.55 7.1 - -

Preschool and kindergarten teachers ...........................

 - - 16.62 10.0 - -

Preschool teachers, except special education .........

 - - 15.66 9.4 - -

Elementary and middle school teachers .......................

 43.38 1.5 44.11 1.5 24.39 18.7

Elementary school teachers, except special education

 43.54 2.5 44.54 2.1 24.39 18.7

Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education

 42.88 3.7 42.88 3.7 - -

Secondary school teachers ..........................................

 39.98 .5 41.95 1.6 - -

Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education

 39.98 .5 41.95 1.6 - -

Special education teachers ..........................................

 37.60 12.1 37.36 12.9 - -

Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school

 39.80 8.2 39.62 9.0 - -

Other teachers and instructors .........................................

 25.29 11.8 23.78 20.5 29.33 18.6

Self-enrichment education teachers .............................

 25.06 22.8 - - - -

Librarians ..........................................................................

 27.35 17.4 - - - -

Teacher assistants ...........................................................

 14.27 10.4 14.40 11.6 13.51 11.6

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

 28.89 7.1 29.45 7.3 14.24 19.7

Designers .........................................................................

 26.40 11.2 28.41 6.1 - -

Athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers .............

 26.30 7.4 - - - -

Coaches and scouts .....................................................

 26.00 13.7 - - - -

Public relations specialists ................................................

 32.86 10.8 32.86 10.8 - -

Writers and editors ...........................................................

 40.15 5.2 40.80 6.3 - -

Editors ..........................................................................

 37.03 8.8 - - - -

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ........

 31.00 5.2 30.11 7.1 34.89 3.6

Physicians and surgeons ..................................................

 57.41 27.5 55.68 28.0 - -

Registered nurses ............................................................

 38.80 3.1 37.79 4.1 42.20 3.2

Therapists .........................................................................

 30.68 16.7 34.47 2.2 - -

Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians .............

 21.87 9.0 20.93 10.5 27.56 4.4

Medical and clinical laboratory technologists ...............

 23.72 19.1 22.36 21.6 - -

Medical and clinical laboratory technicians ..................

 19.41 9.5 19.04 12.5 - -

Emergency medical technicians and paramedics ............

 17.39 5.4 17.10 7.1 - -

Health diagnosing and treating practitioner support technicians

 17.41 10.3 16.77 10.6 - -

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses ...........

 23.48 2.4 23.90 3.2 - -

Medical records and health information technicians .........

 $14.75 3.4 $14.81 3.5 - -

Healthcare support occupations .......................................

 14.62 3.2 14.48 4.2 $15.05 5.8

Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides ....................

 13.05 4.6 13.06 6.0 12.99 3.1

Home health aides ........................................................

 11.48 5.6 - - - -

Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants ......................

 14.09 5.8 14.44 5.2 12.76 3.1

Miscellaneous healthcare support occupations ................

 17.29 3.4 17.98 2.7 16.11 7.5

Protective service occupations .........................................

 21.76 9.2 22.44 10.4 14.96 20.8

Fire fighters .......................................................................

 23.93 5.5 24.21 4.1 - -

Police officers ...................................................................

 27.74 6.4 27.08 4.1 - -

Police and sheriff’s patrol officers .................................

 27.74 6.4 27.08 4.1 - -

Security guards and gaming surveillance officers ............

 15.85 8.1 17.66 10.4 12.57 9.2

Security guards .............................................................

 15.85 8.1 17.66 10.4 12.57 9.2

Miscellaneous protective service workers ........................

 14.71 14.8 - - - -

Food preparation and serving related occupations ........

 9.63 3.5 11.26 1.6 7.51 5.8

First-line supervisors/managers, food preparation and serving workers

 20.68 4.4 20.68 4.4 - -

First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers

 18.66 3.8 18.66 3.8 - -

Cooks ...............................................................................

 11.97 1.9 12.00 1.9 11.68 3.2

Cooks, institution and cafeteria ....................................

 12.55 5.8 12.53 6.3 - -

Cooks, restaurant .........................................................

 11.88 3.8 11.89 4.1 - -

Food preparation workers .................................................

 11.55 15.9 - - 9.72 2.6

Food service, tipped .........................................................

 5.53 5.9 6.02 15.7 5.25 2.5

Bartenders ....................................................................

 6.48 8.1 - - 6.58 4.3

Waiters and waitresses ................................................

 4.06 6.4 5.09 17.0 3.27 9.2

Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers

 8.44 4.2 - - 7.98 10.2

Fast food and counter workers .........................................

 8.98 3.0 9.37 4.3 8.72 3.6

Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food

 9.32 7.6 - - 8.28 4.3

Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop

 8.86 3.5 8.75 2.9 8.96 5.2

Dishwashers .....................................................................

 9.09 1.6 9.28 1.9 - -

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

 13.90 2.5 14.42 3.0 11.84 3.3

First-line supervisors/managers, building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers

 21.97 11.9 21.97 11.9 - -

Building cleaning workers .................................................

 13.58 2.8 14.09 3.5 11.84 3.3

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

 14.28 2.2 15.03 2.4 11.89 3.7

Maids and housekeeping cleaners ...............................

 9.62 3.6 9.27 2.9 - -

Grounds maintenance workers .........................................

 14.18 10.0 14.17 10.1 - -

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers ..................

 13.04 7.2 13.02 7.2 - -

Personal care and service occupations ...........................

 13.58 5.1 16.24 6.1 10.43 5.6

Transportation attendants .................................................

 33.77 9.3 - - - -

Child care workers ............................................................

 10.83 6.1 - - 9.58 5.2

Personal and home care aides .........................................

 11.01 3.6 - - – –

Recreation and fitness workers ........................................

 12.79 6.6 - - 12.27 11.5

Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors ......................

 12.16 13.2 - - 12.16 13.2

Recreation workers .......................................................

 13.58 5.2 - - - -

Sales and related occupations ..........................................

 21.20 7.0 25.44 7.2 10.46 4.6

First-line supervisors/managers, sales workers ...............

 17.72 3.7 17.87 4.0 - -

First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers

 18.14 3.4 18.33 3.5 - -

Retail sales workers .........................................................

 12.49 10.8 14.94 12.4 9.77 1.6

Cashiers, all workers ....................................................

 9.97 3.9 11.56 14.5 9.50 2.4

Cashiers ...................................................................

 9.94 3.9 11.56 14.5 9.45 2.3

Counter and rental clerks and parts salespersons .......

 12.83 9.4 13.76 19.7 9.40 15.3

Counter and rental clerks .........................................

 10.99 9.5 - - - -

Parts salespersons ...................................................

 $19.82 17.0 - - - -

Retail salespersons ......................................................

 14.32 17.0 $16.55 15.3 $10.35 3.4

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing ......

 30.99 6.8 31.41 6.8 - -

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products

 38.80 15.7 38.80 15.7 - -

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products

 24.21 5.4 24.72 5.0 - -

Miscellaneous sales and related workers .........................

 24.99 18.3 - - - -

Office and administrative support occupations ..............

 18.69 1.6 19.26 1.8 15.00 4.9

First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers

 29.79 4.6 29.79 4.6 - -

Switchboard operators, including answering service ........

 14.22 18.0 - - - -

Financial clerks .................................................................

 18.46 6.5 18.89 7.3 15.91 7.1

Billing and posting clerks and machine operators ........

 15.61 9.1 15.77 9.2 - -

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks .............

 21.17 5.7 22.31 6.1 15.47 6.1

Tellers ...........................................................................

 14.07 3.6 14.14 4.1 - -

Brokerage clerks ...............................................................

 18.84 7.1 18.84 7.1 - -

Customer service representatives ....................................

 19.25 7.4 20.05 7.5 12.47 10.6

Order clerks ......................................................................

 18.74 4.7 - - - -

Receptionists and information clerks ................................

 14.86 3.4 14.81 3.4 - -

Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks

 18.48 5.1 - - - -

Dispatchers .......................................................................

 19.79 12.8 20.49 14.0 - -

Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks ...............................

 18.63 8.9 18.63 8.9 - -

Stock clerks and order fillers ............................................

 11.55 4.0 13.97 5.1 9.33 3.5

Secretaries and administrative assistants ........................

 21.03 2.3 21.27 2.5 18.65 6.2

Executive secretaries and administrative assistants ....

 24.63 2.9 24.63 2.9 - -

Medical secretaries .......................................................

 17.18 1.9 17.14 1.5 - -

Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive ........

 19.22 3.5 19.34 3.7 - -

Data entry and information processing workers ...............

 14.81 12.6 14.91 13.4 - -

Data entry keyers .........................................................

 13.78 7.3 13.83 8.0 - -

Insurance claims and policy processing clerks .................

 17.40 3.6 17.40 3.6 - -

Office clerks, general ........................................................

 20.32 2.9 20.55 2.9 19.33 11.6

Construction and extraction occupations .......................

 27.20 9.8 27.60 9.5 - -

First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers

 32.56 7.8 32.56 7.8 - -

Carpenters ........................................................................

 31.23 10.4 31.23 10.4 - -

Construction laborers .......................................................

 27.39 23.7 - - - -

Electricians .......................................................................

 26.34 1.5 26.34 1.5 - -

Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters ...........

 21.30 15.8 21.30 15.8 - -

Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters .........................

 25.40 6.7 25.40 6.7 - -

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations .........

 24.95 5.8 25.04 5.6 - -

First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers

 33.50 10.8 33.50 10.8 - -

Automotive technicians and repairers ..............................

 30.17 36.2 30.17 36.2 - -

Automotive service technicians and mechanics ...........

 30.21 39.7 30.21 39.7 - -

Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers

 20.49 4.5 20.49 4.5 - -

Industrial machinery mechanics ...................................

 21.36 4.1 21.36 4.1 - -

Maintenance and repair workers, general ....................

 20.33 5.8 20.33 5.8 - -

Line installers and repairers .............................................

 28.74 2.6 28.74 2.6 - -

Production occupations ....................................................

 16.32 5.5 16.52 5.4 11.45 4.4

First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers

 28.29 9.9 28.29 9.9 - -

Electrical, electronics, and electromechanical assemblers

 14.17 7.0 14.26 7.5 - -

Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers ..........

 14.09 8.9 14.22 9.5 - -

Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators .......................

 15.14 9.5 15.14 9.5 - -

Machinists .........................................................................

 23.16 5.6 23.16 5.6 - -

Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

 13.93 11.7 13.98 12.0 - -

Printers .............................................................................

 $16.48 19.6 $16.48 19.6 - -

Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers .......

 17.05 5.1 17.05 5.1 - -

Miscellaneous production workers ...................................

 13.67 4.8 13.76 5.0 - -

Transportation and material moving occupations ..........

 14.90 5.7 16.27 6.8 $10.52 5.4

Bus drivers ........................................................................

 17.00 7.2 - - - -

Bus drivers, school .......................................................

 16.52 3.7 - - - -

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers .............................

 15.74 7.9 17.62 9.4 10.18 11.9

Driver/sales workers .....................................................

 7.66 22.3 - - - -

Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer .........................

 20.53 8.5 20.42 8.8 - -

Truck drivers, light or delivery services ........................

 13.90 21.7 16.63 15.1 9.45 25.5

Industrial truck and tractor operators ................................

 17.64 9.3 17.76 9.0 - -

Laborers and material movers, hand ................................

 12.01 5.9 13.20 9.2 9.67 1.9

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

 12.55 11.9 13.34 15.2 10.68 7.7

Packers and packagers, hand ......................................

 10.12 3.7 11.48 7.3 - -

1 Earnings are the straight-time hourly wages or salaries paid to employees. They include incentive pay, cost-of-living adjustments, and hazard pay. Excluded are premium pay for overtime, vacations, holidays, nonproduction bonuses, and tips. The mean is computed by totaling the pay of all workers and dividing by the number of workers, weighted by hours.

2 Employees are classified as working either a full-time or a part-time schedule based on the definition used by each establishment. Therefore, a worker with a 35-hour-per-week schedule might be considered a fill-time employee in one establishment, but classified as part-time in another firm, where a 40-hour week is the minimum full-time schedule.

3 Workers are classified by occupation using the 2000 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system.

4 The relative standard error (RSE) is the standard error expressed as a percent of the estimate. It can be used to calculate a "confidence interval" around a sample estimate.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey.

NOTE: Dashes indicate that no data were reported or that data did not meet publication criteria. Overall occupational groups may include data for categories not shown separately.



Last Modified Date: June 23, 2009