Technical Contact: USDL 09-0843
(202) 691-6199 NCSinfo@bls.gov
Media Contact: For Release: 10:00 AM EDT
(202) 691-5902 Friday, July 24, 2009
Internet Address:
http://www.bls.gov/ncs
(This news release was reissued on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, to remove table asterisks that have incorrectly
indicated statistically significant differences between some estimates. News release text references to
statistical significance have also been removed. Pay relative estimates have not changed. For more
information, see http://www.bls.gov/ncs.)
OCCUPATIONAL PAY COMPARISONS AMONG METROPOLITAN AREAS, 2008
Average pay for civilian workers in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA metropolitan area was 19 percent
above the national average in 2008, one of 77 metropolitan areas studied by the National Compensation Survey (NCS),
the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
metropolitan area had a pay relative of 77, meaning workers earned an average of 77 cents for every dollar earned
by workers nationwide. Using data from the NCS, pay relatives--a means of assessing pay differences--are
available for each of the nine major occupational groups within surveyed metropolitan areas, as well as
averaged across all occupations for each area. The average pay relative nationally for all occupations and
for each occupational group equals 100. (See table 1.)
A pay relative is a calculation of pay--wages, salaries, commissions, and production bonuses--for a
given metropolitan area relative to the nation as a whole. The calculation controls for differences among
areas in occupational composition, establishment and occupational characteristics, and the fact that data are
collected for areas at different times during the year. Simple pay comparisons calculating the ratio of the
average pay for an area to the entire United States in percentage terms would not control for interarea
differences in occupational composition and other factors, which may have an effect on pay relatives.
Table A below lists selected metropolitan area pay relatives compared to average pay nationally among
those studied in the NCS. Table B provides selected metropolitan area pay relatives for each of nine major
occupational groups. In addition, area-to-area comparisons have been calculated for all 77 metropolitan
areas and are available on the BLS website at http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/payrel.htm.
Table A. Selected metropolitan area pay relatives (of 77 metropolitan areas surveyed)
Metropolitan Area Pay Relative (Average pay nationally = 100)
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 119
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 114
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH 111
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA 109
Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV 109
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI 108
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD 105
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL 100
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX 98
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 97
Table B. Selected metropolitan area-to-national pay relatives for nine major occupational groups, 2008 (of 77 metropolitan areas surveyed)
Major Occupational Group Metropolitan Area Pay Relative
Management, business, and financial New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 115
Salinas, CA 113
Professional and related Salinas, CA 120
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 119
Service San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 126
Salinas, CA 123
Sales and related Salinas, CA 129
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 122
Office and administrative support San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 120
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 116
Construction and extraction New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 132
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI 131
Installation, maintenance, and repair Salinas, CA 124
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 117
Production Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Truckee, CA-NV 121
Bloomington-Normal, IL 116
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI 116
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 116
Transportation and material moving Springfield, MA 114
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 113
The pay relative for construction and extraction occupations in the New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA area
was 132, meaning the pay in the New York metropolitan area for that occupational group averaged 32 percent more than
the national average pay for that occupational group. By contrast, the pay relative for workers in construction and
extraction in the Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas area was 66, meaning pay for workers in those occupations averaged
34 percent less than the national average. (See table 1.)
Yearly differences in area and occupational group pay relatives do not infer changes in underlying economic
conditions.
Table 1. Pay relatives for major occupational groups in
metropolitan areas, National Compensation Survey, July 2008
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Management,
Metropolitan Area(1) All business,
occupations and
financial
United States......................... 100 100
Amarillo, TX.......................... 89 98
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,
GA-AL................................. 100 102
Austin-Round Rock, TX................. 93 92
Birmingham-Hoover, AL................. 96 103
Bloomington, IN....................... 90 91
Bloomington-Normal, IL................ 101 100
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH.... 111 105
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX............. 77 90
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY....... 99 89
Charleston-North
Charleston-Summerville, SC............ 92 92
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC..... 99 105
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City,
IL-IN-WI.............................. 108 104
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,
OH-KY-IN.............................. 99 95
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH............ 99 100
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH....... 99 96
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 89 85
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 97 99
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH..... 96 100
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO............. 104 100
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI.............. 104 95
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 96 96
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 102 93
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI.............. 99 90
Great Falls, MT....................... 88 86
Greensboro-High Point, NC............. 95 100
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC......... 93 105
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic,
CT.................................... 111 105
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.......... 94 95
Honolulu, HI.......................... 105 105
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX........ 98 103
Huntsville-Decatur, AL................ 96 95
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Metropolitan Area(1) Professional Service
and related
United States......................... 100 100
Amarillo, TX.......................... 83 91
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,
GA-AL................................. 102 96
Austin-Round Rock, TX................. 92 91
Birmingham-Hoover, AL................. 100 96
Bloomington, IN....................... 91 86
Bloomington-Normal, IL................ 102 106
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH.... 108 114
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX............. 87 80
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY....... 92 107
Charleston-North
Charleston-Summerville, SC............ 95 87
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC..... 94 97
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City,
IL-IN-WI.............................. 107 107
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,
OH-KY-IN.............................. 102 101
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH............ 97 100
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH....... 96 102
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 88 85
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 99 92
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH..... 92 95
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO............. 103 106
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI.............. 103 100
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 92 94
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 96 99
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI.............. 95 105
Great Falls, MT....................... 77 96
Greensboro-High Point, NC............. 94 92
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC......... 88 94
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic,
CT.................................... 108 120
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.......... 84 89
Honolulu, HI.......................... 101 116
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX........ 101 85
Huntsville-Decatur, AL................ 96 94
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Office and
Metropolitan Area(1) Sales and administra-
related tive support
United States......................... 100 100
Amarillo, TX.......................... 91 89
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,
GA-AL................................. 96 105
Austin-Round Rock, TX................. 95 94
Birmingham-Hoover, AL................. 93 97
Bloomington, IN....................... 83 92
Bloomington-Normal, IL................ 102 95
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH.... 109 115
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX............. 70 76
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY....... 93 95
Charleston-North
Charleston-Summerville, SC............ 96 95
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC..... 100 99
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City,
IL-IN-WI.............................. 107 110
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,
OH-KY-IN.............................. 94 99
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH............ 94 100
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH....... 100 98
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 89 86
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 105 100
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH..... 95 91
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO............. 104 104
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI.............. 99 103
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 91 93
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 103 104
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI.............. 106 99
Great Falls, MT....................... 87 80
Greensboro-High Point, NC............. 99 98
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC......... 88 97
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic,
CT.................................... 109 113
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.......... 94 93
Honolulu, HI.......................... 109 96
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX........ 102 99
Huntsville-Decatur, AL................ 99 95
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Construction Installation,
Metropolitan Area(1) and maintenance,
extraction and repair
United States......................... 100 100
Amarillo, TX.......................... 86 91
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,
GA-AL................................. 88 101
Austin-Round Rock, TX................. 82 103
Birmingham-Hoover, AL................. 85 102
Bloomington, IN....................... 77 81
Bloomington-Normal, IL................ 103 94
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH.... 120 113
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX............. 66 90
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY....... 113 101
Charleston-North
Charleston-Summerville, SC............ 78 86
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC..... 91 99
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City,
IL-IN-WI.............................. 131 110
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,
OH-KY-IN.............................. 91 100
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH............ 103 105
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH....... 99 99
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 99 101
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 90 97
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH..... 94 93
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO............. 98 116
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI.............. 100 99
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 110 87
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 103 108
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI.............. 108 94
Great Falls, MT....................... 114 98
Greensboro-High Point, NC............. 88 87
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC......... 78 85
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic,
CT.................................... 113 107
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.......... 97 93
Honolulu, HI.......................... 118 112
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX........ 91 96
Huntsville-Decatur, AL................ 89 92
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Transporta-
Metropolitan Area(1) Production tion and
material
moving
United States......................... 100 100
Amarillo, TX.......................... 94 92
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,
GA-AL................................. 103 101
Austin-Round Rock, TX................. 91 92
Birmingham-Hoover, AL................. 91 102
Bloomington, IN....................... 99 104
Bloomington-Normal, IL................ 116 99
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH.... 106 110
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX............. 75 72
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY....... 108 98
Charleston-North
Charleston-Summerville, SC............ 102 99
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC..... 103 98
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City,
IL-IN-WI.............................. 103 105
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,
OH-KY-IN.............................. 100 103
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH............ 102 102
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH....... 101 100
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 92 87
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 91 102
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH..... 105 102
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO............. 104 104
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI.............. 116 108
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 98 102
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 103 113
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI.............. 101 98
Great Falls, MT....................... 93 97
Greensboro-High Point, NC............. 99 103
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC......... 106 93
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic,
CT.................................... 112 109
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.......... 101 101
Honolulu, HI.......................... 109 96
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX........ 100 94
Huntsville-Decatur, AL................ 99 101
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Management,
Metropolitan Area(1) All business,
occupations and
financial
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN.... 95 81
Iowa City, IA......................... 97 98
Johnstown, PA......................... 86 83
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 99 92
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA.......... 102 102
Knoxville, TN......................... 91 105
Lincoln, NE........................... 88 83
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside,
CA.................................... 109 110
Louisville/Jefferson
County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg,
KY-IN................................. 94 89
Memphis, TN-MS-AR..................... 94 93
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach,
FL.................................... 98 105
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI......... 99 97
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud,
MN-WI................................. 108 108
Mobile, AL............................ 92 94
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA....... 97 93
New York-Newark-Bridgeport,
NY-NJ-CT-PA........................... 114 115
Ocala, FL............................. 89 77
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 92 87
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL................. 91 89
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL..... 92 86
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 105 104
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ........... 99 102
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA............. 95 88
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA... 105 98
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River,
RI-MA................................. 108 102
Reading, PA........................... 101 106
Reno-Sparks, NV....................... 99 96
Richmond, VA.......................... 97 97
Rochester, NY......................... 99 91
Rockford, IL.......................... 98 89
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Metropolitan Area(1) Professional Service
and related
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN.... 97 93
Iowa City, IA......................... 93 101
Johnstown, PA......................... 84 91
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 98 98
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA.......... 95 111
Knoxville, TN......................... 99 82
Lincoln, NE........................... 83 91
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside,
CA.................................... 110 112
Louisville/Jefferson
County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg,
KY-IN................................. 91 97
Memphis, TN-MS-AR..................... 92 86
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach,
FL.................................... 96 101
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI......... 95 97
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud,
MN-WI................................. 103 116
Mobile, AL............................ 91 90
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA....... 102 95
New York-Newark-Bridgeport,
NY-NJ-CT-PA........................... 115 114
Ocala, FL............................. 84 93
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 90 91
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL................. 87 90
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL..... 86 96
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 107 104
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ........... 101 99
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA............. 94 95
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA... 100 112
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River,
RI-MA................................. 111 113
Reading, PA........................... 92 99
Reno-Sparks, NV....................... 98 99
Richmond, VA.......................... 96 97
Rochester, NY......................... 98 109
Rockford, IL.......................... 97 101
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Office and
Metropolitan Area(1) Sales and administra-
related tive support
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN.... 84 97
Iowa City, IA......................... 96 99
Johnstown, PA......................... 85 87
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 102 98
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA.......... 103 96
Knoxville, TN......................... 98 90
Lincoln, NE........................... 85 88
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside,
CA.................................... 111 107
Louisville/Jefferson
County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg,
KY-IN................................. 102 97
Memphis, TN-MS-AR..................... 102 97
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach,
FL.................................... 97 100
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI......... 106 101
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud,
MN-WI................................. 107 104
Mobile, AL............................ 93 93
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA....... 97 97
New York-Newark-Bridgeport,
NY-NJ-CT-PA........................... 113 116
Ocala, FL............................. 91 90
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 95 89
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL................. 96 90
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL..... 93 88
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 97 106
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ........... 108 99
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA............. 92 97
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA... 109 107
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River,
RI-MA................................. 102 106
Reading, PA........................... 107 100
Reno-Sparks, NV....................... 106 100
Richmond, VA.......................... 94 101
Rochester, NY......................... 98 99
Rockford, IL.......................... 97 96
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Construction Installation,
Metropolitan Area(1) and maintenance,
extraction and repair
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN.... 92 96
Iowa City, IA......................... 104 100
Johnstown, PA......................... 91 88
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 98 98
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA.......... 107 100
Knoxville, TN......................... 78 82
Lincoln, NE........................... 85 89
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside,
CA.................................... 111 110
Louisville/Jefferson
County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg,
KY-IN................................. 93 91
Memphis, TN-MS-AR..................... 95 99
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach,
FL.................................... 91 96
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI......... 105 98
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud,
MN-WI................................. 114 102
Mobile, AL............................ 93 88
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA....... 94 95
New York-Newark-Bridgeport,
NY-NJ-CT-PA........................... 132 113
Ocala, FL............................. 76 101
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 114 96
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL................. 94 96
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL..... 93 99
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 104 110
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ........... 91 102
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA............. 93 95
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA... 114 116
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River,
RI-MA................................. 110 111
Reading, PA........................... 102 99
Reno-Sparks, NV....................... 88 102
Richmond, VA.......................... 88 99
Rochester, NY......................... 95 88
Rockford, IL.......................... 110 96
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Transporta-
Metropolitan Area(1) Production tion and
material
moving
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN.... 109 100
Iowa City, IA......................... 99 94
Johnstown, PA......................... 85 83
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 102 97
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA.......... 100 105
Knoxville, TN......................... 86 96
Lincoln, NE........................... 88 99
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside,
CA.................................... 99 102
Louisville/Jefferson
County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg,
KY-IN................................. 102 91
Memphis, TN-MS-AR..................... 94 94
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach,
FL.................................... 92 97
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI......... 105 104
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud,
MN-WI................................. 111 107
Mobile, AL............................ 96 98
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA....... 104 101
New York-Newark-Bridgeport,
NY-NJ-CT-PA........................... 107 108
Ocala, FL............................. 94 101
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 85 86
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL................. 99 108
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL..... 107 112
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 99 104
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ........... 96 100
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA............. 97 95
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA... 103 102
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River,
RI-MA................................. 110 108
Reading, PA........................... 102 99
Reno-Sparks, NV....................... 98 101
Richmond, VA.......................... 105 99
Rochester, NY......................... 103 98
Rockford, IL.......................... 100 103
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Management,
Metropolitan Area(1) All business,
occupations and
financial
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Truckee,
CA-NV................................. 109 106
Salinas, CA........................... 113 113
San Antonio, TX....................... 91 95
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA..... 109 106
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.... 119 111
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA............ 110 103
Springfield, MA....................... 110 100
Springfield, MO....................... 89 84
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 104 100
Tallahassee, FL....................... 89 83
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 93 93
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 92 85
Visalia-Porterville, CA............... 100 89
Washington-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV................. 109 105
York-Hanover, PA...................... 95 110
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA..... 93 99
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Metropolitan Area(1) Professional Service
and related
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Truckee,
CA-NV................................. 114 112
Salinas, CA........................... 120 123
San Antonio, TX....................... 93 89
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA..... 107 118
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.... 119 126
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA............ 106 117
Springfield, MA....................... 110 109
Springfield, MO....................... 85 88
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 100 98
Tallahassee, FL....................... 82 95
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 90 94
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 91 95
Visalia-Porterville, CA............... 103 104
Washington-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV................. 110 106
York-Hanover, PA...................... 98 96
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA..... 90 93
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Office and
Metropolitan Area(1) Sales and administra-
related tive support
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Truckee,
CA-NV................................. 108 106
Salinas, CA........................... 129 108
San Antonio, TX....................... 86 90
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA..... 103 105
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.... 122 120
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA............ 113 105
Springfield, MA....................... 111 108
Springfield, MO....................... 93 87
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 98 101
Tallahassee, FL....................... 91 89
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 100 96
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 95 91
Visalia-Porterville, CA............... 102 96
Washington-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV................. 108 112
York-Hanover, PA...................... 90 93
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA..... 87 94
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Construction Installation,
Metropolitan Area(1) and maintenance,
extraction and repair
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Truckee,
CA-NV................................. 113 110
Salinas, CA........................... 126 124
San Antonio, TX....................... 100 99
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA..... 109 109
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.... 123 117
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA............ 110 106
Springfield, MA....................... 109 99
Springfield, MO....................... 79 86
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 116 112
Tallahassee, FL....................... 91 84
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 100 91
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 85 93
Visalia-Porterville, CA............... 87 96
Washington-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV................. 101 114
York-Hanover, PA...................... 98 92
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA..... 90 89
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Transporta-
Metropolitan Area(1) Production tion and
material
moving
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Truckee,
CA-NV................................. 121 109
Salinas, CA........................... 93 104
San Antonio, TX....................... 93 91
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA..... 106 101
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.... 108 109
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA............ 116 110
Springfield, MA....................... 110 114
Springfield, MO....................... 94 98
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 108 110
Tallahassee, FL....................... 92 94
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 91 97
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 89 92
Visalia-Porterville, CA............... 103 107
Washington-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV................. 105 108
York-Hanover, PA...................... 96 98
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA..... 94 110
1 A metropolitan area can be a Metropolitan Statistical Area
(MSA) or Combined Statistical Area (CSA) as defined by the
Office of Management and Budget, December 2003.
Technical Note
Pay relative controls and calculations
Pay relatives control for differences among areas in occupational composition as well as establishment and
occupational characteristics. Metropolitan areas often differ greatly in the composition of establishments and
occupations that are available to the local workforce. For example, in Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas, the ratio
of workers in the high-paying management, business, and financial occupational group to the number of workers
in all occupations is under 6 percent, whereas nationally this ratio is nearly 10 percent.(1) In addition to these
factors, the NCS collects compensation data for metropolitan areas at different times during the year. Payroll
reference dates differ between areas, which makes direct comparisons between areas difficult.
The pay relative approach controls for these differences to isolate the geographic effect on wages. To
illustrate the importance of controlling for these effects, consider the following example. The average pay for
construction and extraction workers in the New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA metropolitan area is $33.14 and
the average pay for construction and extraction workers in the United States is $20.91.(2) A simple pay comparison
can be calculated from the ratio of the two average pay levels, multiplied by 100 to express the comparison as a
percentage. The pay comparison in the example is calculated as:
($33.14 ÷ $20.91) × 100 ≅ 158
This comparison does not control for differences between New York and the nation in the mix of occupations,
industries, and other factors. A more accurate estimate of the geographic effect of wages in New York can be
obtained by taking these differences into account. Controlling for differences in occupational composition,
establishment and occupational characteristics, and the payroll reference date in New York relative to the nation
as a whole, the pay relative for construction and extraction occupations in New York is 132.
Survey methodology
The National Compensation Survey (NCS) collects earnings and other data on employee compensation covering over
800 detailed occupations. Average occupational earnings from the NCS are published annually for 77 metropolitan
areas and for the United States as a whole. This release provides data for the civilian economy, which includes the
total private nonfarm economy excluding private households, and the public sector excluding the federal government.
Beginning in 2006, the NCS implemented a number of significant survey changes including imputing for temporary
non-response situations and benchmarking estimated employment. For more details on these changes, see James E. Smith
and Robert W. Van Giezen, "Change Comes to the National Compensation Survey Locality Wage Bulletins," Compensation
and Working Conditions Online, January 24, 2007 at http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/cm20070122ar01p1.htm.
The NCS program collects data in U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defined geographic areas. With
the collection of the 2008 data, the NCS is in its second year of a six-year transition from the June 1993 OMB area
definitions to the December 2003 OMB area definitions. The area titles have been updated to reflect the new area
definitions. For more information on the area definitions, see Jason Techonica, "New Area Sample Selected for the
National Compensation Survey," Compensation and Working Conditions Online, March, 30 2005 at
http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/cm20050318ar01p1.htm.
Historical pay relatives data are available for the survey years 1992-1996, 1998, 2002, 2004-2007. There are
several differences between the recent pay relatives and the pay relatives for earlier years, including different
industry and occupation classification systems, varying methodology, and different survey designs. These differences
limit comparability. The pay relatives since 2004 were calculated using the same industry and occupation classification
systems, methodology, and survey design. Nonetheless, comparisons between the estimates for these years should be
made only with caution.
Pay relatives were estimated using a multivariate regression technique designed to control for interarea differences.
This technique controls for the following ten characteristics:
- Occupational type
- Industry type
- Work level
- Full-time / part-time status
- Time / incentive status
- Union / nonunion status
- Ownership type
- Profit / non-profit status
- Establishment employment
- Payroll reference date
Even accounting for the characteristics used in the current regression analysis, there is still wage variation
across the areas. The variation is due to differences in wage determinants that were not included in the model.
Examples of these determinants include price levels, environmental amenities such as a pleasant climate, and cultural
amenities.
The pay relatives in this release, as with estimates from any sample survey, are subject to sampling and non-sampling
errors. Sampling errors are differences that occur between the pay relatives estimated from the sample and the true pay
relatives derived from the population. Pay relatives are also subject to a variety of non-sampling errors that can
influence the estimates. The NCS may be unable to obtain information for some establishments; there may be difficulties
with survey definitions; respondents may be unable to provide correct information, or mistakes in recording or coding
the data may occur. Non-sampling errors of these kinds were not specifically measured. However, they are expected to
be minimal due to the extensive training of the field economists who gathered the survey data, computer edits of the
data, and detailed data review.
For more details, see Maury B. Gittleman, "Pay Relatives for Metropolitan Areas in the NCS" Monthly Labor Review,
March 2005, pp. 46-53, and Parastou Karen Shahpoori, "Pay Relatives for Major Metropolitan Areas," Compensation and
Working Conditions Online, April 28, 2003.
Obtaining information
Articles, bulletins, and other information from the National Compensation Survey may be obtained by calling
(202) 691-6199, sending email to NCSinfo@bls.gov, or visiting the Internet site http://www.bls.gov/ncs. Information
in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200;
Federal Relay Service Number: 1-800-877-8339.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Footnotes
(1) Data for this example are based on the May 2008 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates,
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcma.htm.
(2) Average pay for construction and extraction workers in New York and for the United States are based on wage estimates
published in the New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA National Compensation Survey, May 2008 and the forthcoming National
Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the United States, 2008, http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/compub.htm.
United States Department of Labor
