Southwest Information Office

For release: Wednesday, October 8, 2009

Contact information: (972) 850-4800  *  BLSInfoDallas@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/ro6
		

                                HIGHLIGHTS OF HOUSTON-BAYTOWN-HUNTSVILLE, TX
                                 NATIONAL COMPENSATION SURVEY DECEMBER 2008

Workers in the Houston-Baytown-Huntsville metropolitan area earned an average of $22.88 per hour in December 
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 Stanley W. Suchman noted that 
wage data were reported for workers in a wide range of occupational groups, including average hourly earnings 
of $33.97 for business and financial operations occupations and $29.17 for healthcare practitioner and 
technical occupations.  Another occupational group, office and administrative support, had a mean hourly wage 
rate of $15.77.  The NCS data available for the Houston-Baytown-Huntsville area include earnings for 21 major 
occupational groups with additional detail for selected occupations within those groups.  (See table 1.)

Accountants and auditors, part of the business and financial operations occupational group, earned $33.77 per 
hour.  Within the healthcare practitioner and technical occupational group, registered nurses averaged $32.53 
per hour and licensed practical and vocational nurses, $21.32.  Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks, 
an occupation within the office and administrative support group, registered an average hourly rate of $16.82, 
and general office clerks earned $12.31 per hour.  (See table 1.)

Broad coverage of selected occupational characteristics is available from NCS for the local area.  Full-time 
workers averaged $24.14 per hour while their part-time counterparts earned $9.36.  Union workers earned $22.67 
and non-union workers, $22.89.  Workers in establishments with 1-99 workers averaged $18.91 per hour, those in 
establishments with 100-499 workers earned $22.63, and those in establishments with 500 or more employees 
earned $28.53.

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 http://www.bls.gov/ncs/home.htm.

The NCS data reported here covered 723 establishments with one or more workers in private industry and State 
and local governments.  Agricultural establishments, private households, the self-employed, and the Federal 
Government were excluded from the survey.  This sample of establishments represented 2,486,500 workers in the 
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville Combined Statistical Area (CSA) which is comprised of Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, 
Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Walker, and Waller Counties in 
Texas.

Survey Availability

Complete survey results are contained in the Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX National Compensation Survey 
December 2008 which is available on the Internet in both text and PDF formats at http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/compub.htm.  
       
For personal assistance or further information on the National Compensation Survey, as well as other Bureau 
data, contact the Southwest Information Office by calling (972) 850-4800 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 
p.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT.

Last Modified Date: October 8, 2009