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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.