Technical Contact: USDL: 08-1015
(202) 691-6199 NCSinfo@bls.gov
Media Contact:
(202) 691-5902 For Release: 10:00 AM EDT
Internet Address: Friday, July 25, 2008
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, 2007
Average pay in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA metropolitan area was 19 percent above the national
average in 2007, the highest among metropolitan areas studied by the National Compensation Survey (NCS), the
Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. In contrast, pay was lowest in
the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metropolitan area with a pay relative of 76, meaning Brownsville workers earned
an average of 76 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 9 major occupational groups within 77
metropolitan areas, as well as averaged across all occupations for each area. (See table 1.)
Table A below lists higher and lower paying metropolitan areas among those studied in the NCS. Table B
provides higher paying metropolitan area for each of nine major occupational groups. In addition,
area-to-area comparisons have been calculated for all 77 metropolitan areas and will soon be available
on the BLS website at http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/payrel.htm.
Table A. Metropolitan area pay relative rankings (of 77 metropolitan areas surveyed)
Rank Metropolitan Area Pay Relative
1. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 119
2. New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 115
3. Salinas, CA 114
4. Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT 113
5. Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH 112
75. Corpus Christi, TX 87
76. Johnstown, PA 85
77. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 76
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 versus 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. More information on pay
relative controls and calculations is available in the Technical Note.
Table B. Metropolitan area pay relative rankings for nine major occupational groups (of 77 metropolitan areas surveyed)
Major Occupational Group Rank and Metropolitan Area Pay Relative
Management, business, 1. New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 115
and financial 2. Salinas, CA 114
Professional and related 1. Salinas, CA 120
2. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 118
Service 1. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 124
2. Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT 121
Sales and related 1. Salinas, CA 128
2. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 124
Office and administrative 1. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 121
support 2. Boston-Worchester-Manchester, MA-NH 115
2. New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 115
Construction and extraction 1. New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 133
2. Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI 131
Installation, maintenance, 1. Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH 115
and repair 1. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Truckee, CA-NV 115
Production 1. Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI 117
1. Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 117
Transportation and material 1. Springfield, MA 113
moving 2. Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 112
The pay relative for construction and extraction occupations in the New York-Newark-Bridgeport area was 133,
meaning the pay in the New York metropolitan area for that occupational group averaged 33 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.
Yearly differences in area and occupational group differences in 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 2007
(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.......................... 88 88
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,
GA-AL................................. 101 103
Austin-Round Rock, TX................. 96 95
Birmingham-Hoover, AL................. 94 94
Bloomington, IN....................... 90 87
Bloomington-Normal, IL................ 101 103
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH.... 112 108
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX............. 76 77
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY....... 101 90
Charleston-North
Charleston-Summerville, SC............ 91 94
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC..... 102 102
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City,
IL-IN-WI.............................. 108 102
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,
OH-KY-IN.............................. 97 93
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH............ 101 96
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH....... 99 103
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 87 88
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 97 99
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH..... 97 100
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO............. 103 100
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI.............. 105 98
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 95 99
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 101 94
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI.............. 100 89
Great Falls, MT....................... 88 82
Greensboro-High Point, NC............. 94 91
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC......... 93 97
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic,
CT.................................... 113 111
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.......... 95 94
Honolulu, HI.......................... 104 107
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX........ 95 99
Huntsville-Decatur, AL................ 96 92
(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 86
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,
GA-AL................................. 102 96
Austin-Round Rock, TX................. 94 90
Birmingham-Hoover, AL................. 96 99
Bloomington, IN....................... 92 87
Bloomington-Normal, IL................ 102 103
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH.... 109 114
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX............. 88 76
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY....... 94 108
Charleston-North
Charleston-Summerville, SC............ 92 85
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC..... 92 101
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City,
IL-IN-WI.............................. 108 107
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,
OH-KY-IN.............................. 99 102
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH............ 100 101
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH....... 95 101
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 90 83
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 99 93
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH..... 94 96
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO............. 100 106
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI.............. 104 103
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 91 97
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 97 96
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI.............. 94 104
Great Falls, MT....................... 77 96
Greensboro-High Point, NC............. 94 94
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC......... 89 97
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic,
CT.................................... 109 121
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.......... 85 92
Honolulu, HI.......................... 100 113
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX........ 97 86
Huntsville-Decatur, AL................ 95 98
(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 88
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,
GA-AL................................. 96 106
Austin-Round Rock, TX................. 104 96
Birmingham-Hoover, AL................. 95 97
Bloomington, IN....................... 83 91
Bloomington-Normal, IL................ 99 96
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH.... 106 115
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX............. 68 77
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY....... 102 98
Charleston-North
Charleston-Summerville, SC............ 97 93
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC..... 112 102
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City,
IL-IN-WI.............................. 109 110
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,
OH-KY-IN.............................. 92 97
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH............ 98 101
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH....... 105 98
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 87 86
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 101 99
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH..... 97 92
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO............. 105 102
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI.............. 98 105
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 94 92
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 105 102
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI.............. 105 98
Great Falls, MT....................... 90 83
Greensboro-High Point, NC............. 86 96
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC......... 87 93
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic,
CT.................................... 107 112
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.......... 91 95
Honolulu, HI.......................... 108 96
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX........ 95 98
Huntsville-Decatur, AL................ 102 93
(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.......................... 81 85
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,
GA-AL................................. 91 100
Austin-Round Rock, TX................. 87 104
Birmingham-Hoover, AL................. 86 94
Bloomington, IN....................... 76 81
Bloomington-Normal, IL................ 106 93
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH.... 125 115
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX............. 66 86
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY....... 114 105
Charleston-North
Charleston-Summerville, SC............ 78 82
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC..... 89 99
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City,
IL-IN-WI.............................. 131 112
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,
OH-KY-IN.............................. 90 99
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH............ 102 102
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH....... 99 101
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 94 79
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 89 96
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH..... 102 100
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO............. 92 107
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI.............. 101 97
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 114 89
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 104 104
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI.............. 119 99
Great Falls, MT....................... 110 93
Greensboro-High Point, NC............. 88 92
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC......... 79 84
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic,
CT.................................... 115 111
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.......... 102 89
Honolulu, HI.......................... 115 107
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX........ 90 92
Huntsville-Decatur, AL................ 89 90
(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.......................... 91 92
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,
GA-AL................................. 104 106
Austin-Round Rock, TX................. 96 92
Birmingham-Hoover, AL................. 88 95
Bloomington, IN....................... 97 105
Bloomington-Normal, IL................ 109 104
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH.... 108 111
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX............. 76 74
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY....... 107 103
Charleston-North
Charleston-Summerville, SC............ 101 102
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC..... 102 99
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City,
IL-IN-WI.............................. 105 105
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,
OH-KY-IN.............................. 100 99
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH............ 104 105
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH....... 96 98
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 92 86
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 91 97
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH..... 106 102
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO............. 100 103
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI.............. 117 109
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 96 99
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 100 109
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI.............. 101 98
Great Falls, MT....................... 100 96
Greensboro-High Point, NC............. 102 102
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC......... 106 93
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic,
CT.................................... 112 108
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.......... 100 101
Honolulu, HI.......................... 110 100
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX........ 102 94
Huntsville-Decatur, AL................ 101 95
(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.... 96 79
Iowa City, IA......................... 97 102
Johnstown, PA......................... 85 79
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 98 91
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA.......... 103 96
Knoxville, TN......................... 92 103
Lincoln, NE........................... 88 84
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside,
CA.................................... 107 107
Louisville/Jefferson
County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg,
KY-IN................................. 95 90
Memphis, TN-MS-AR..................... 95 96
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach,
FL.................................... 98 104
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI......... 101 99
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud,
MN-WI................................. 109 111
Mobile, AL............................ 89 78
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA....... 98 90
New York-Newark-Bridgeport,
NY-NJ-CT-PA........................... 115 115
Ocala, FL............................. 90 80
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 90 86
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL................. 91 91
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL..... 94 85
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 105 106
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ........... 98 102
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA............. 96 94
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA... 104 100
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River,
RI-MA................................. 109 106
Reading, PA........................... 102 110
Reno-Sparks, NV....................... 97 95
Richmond, VA.......................... 98 98
Rochester, NY......................... 97 89
Rockford, IL.......................... 98 88
(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 94
Iowa City, IA......................... 92 100
Johnstown, PA......................... 85 87
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 98 97
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA.......... 96 114
Knoxville, TN......................... 99 83
Lincoln, NE........................... 85 92
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside,
CA.................................... 107 109
Louisville/Jefferson
County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg,
KY-IN................................. 91 103
Memphis, TN-MS-AR..................... 88 87
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach,
FL.................................... 97 100
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI......... 96 100
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud,
MN-WI................................. 104 116
Mobile, AL............................ 83 86
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA....... 100 94
New York-Newark-Bridgeport,
NY-NJ-CT-PA........................... 116 115
Ocala, FL............................. 83 93
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 88 91
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL................. 85 94
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL..... 87 101
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 108 105
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ........... 101 99
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA............. 95 96
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA... 97 111
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River,
RI-MA................................. 113 116
Reading, PA........................... 92 100
Reno-Sparks, NV....................... 95 98
Richmond, VA.......................... 95 97
Rochester, NY......................... 96 106
Rockford, IL.......................... 97 98
(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.... 94 96
Iowa City, IA......................... 93 98
Johnstown, PA......................... 86 84
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 100 98
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA.......... 102 100
Knoxville, TN......................... 99 95
Lincoln, NE........................... 84 88
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside,
CA.................................... 114 107
Louisville/Jefferson
County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg,
KY-IN................................. 99 96
Memphis, TN-MS-AR..................... 100 98
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach,
FL.................................... 95 97
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI......... 105 103
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud,
MN-WI................................. 110 104
Mobile, AL............................ 95 92
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA....... 102 99
New York-Newark-Bridgeport,
NY-NJ-CT-PA........................... 115 115
Ocala, FL............................. 93 91
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 89 88
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL................. 101 88
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL..... 96 88
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 98 106
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ........... 106 99
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA............. 90 97
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA... 114 106
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River,
RI-MA................................. 102 107
Reading, PA........................... 106 101
Reno-Sparks, NV....................... 104 97
Richmond, VA.......................... 95 101
Rochester, NY......................... 97 98
Rockford, IL.......................... 98 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.... 96 95
Iowa City, IA......................... 104 102
Johnstown, PA......................... 96 89
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 102 99
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA.......... 109 96
Knoxville, TN......................... 82 85
Lincoln, NE........................... 84 94
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside,
CA.................................... 111 110
Louisville/Jefferson
County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg,
KY-IN................................. 106 92
Memphis, TN-MS-AR..................... 93 99
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach,
FL.................................... 93 96
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI......... 109 102
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud,
MN-WI................................. 111 104
Mobile, AL............................ 92 98
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA....... 93 93
New York-Newark-Bridgeport,
NY-NJ-CT-PA........................... 133 114
Ocala, FL............................. 81 106
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 103 107
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL................. 90 91
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL..... 92 103
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 106 112
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ........... 82 103
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA............. 98 97
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA... 115 111
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River,
RI-MA................................. 113 111
Reading, PA........................... 102 108
Reno-Sparks, NV....................... 94 109
Richmond, VA.......................... 92 101
Rochester, NY......................... 98 88
Rockford, IL.......................... 107 99
(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.... 106 97
Iowa City, IA......................... 100 98
Johnstown, PA......................... 84 86
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 106 97
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA.......... 97 104
Knoxville, TN......................... 88 96
Lincoln, NE........................... 89 93
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside,
CA.................................... 100 104
Louisville/Jefferson
County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg,
KY-IN................................. 99 91
Memphis, TN-MS-AR..................... 97 96
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach,
FL.................................... 95 101
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI......... 104 105
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud,
MN-WI................................. 115 108
Mobile, AL............................ 93 101
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA....... 101 104
New York-Newark-Bridgeport,
NY-NJ-CT-PA........................... 106 110
Ocala, FL............................. 92 103
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 85 84
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL................. 85 107
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL..... 107 106
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 99 104
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ........... 97 100
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA............. 98 95
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA... 100 99
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River,
RI-MA................................. 111 106
Reading, PA........................... 101 99
Reno-Sparks, NV....................... 97 98
Richmond, VA.......................... 102 100
Rochester, NY......................... 99 99
Rockford, IL.......................... 102 102
(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................................. 108 103
Salinas, CA........................... 114 114
San Antonio, TX....................... 91 93
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA..... 109 108
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.... 119 112
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA............ 110 103
Springfield, MA....................... 110 101
Springfield, MO....................... 88 84
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 102 96
Tallahassee, FL....................... 92 83
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 94 90
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 91 86
Visalia-Porterville, CA............... 98 106
Washington-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV................. 108 104
York-Hanover, PA...................... 97 105
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA..... 96 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................................. 110 112
Salinas, CA........................... 120 118
San Antonio, TX....................... 92 87
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA..... 110 115
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.... 118 124
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA............ 102 119
Springfield, MA....................... 112 107
Springfield, MO....................... 87 87
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 100 97
Tallahassee, FL....................... 86 96
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 91 94
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 90 94
Visalia-Porterville, CA............... 103 101
Washington-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV................. 111 106
York-Hanover, PA...................... 99 98
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA..... 93 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................................. 104 106
Salinas, CA........................... 128 113
San Antonio, TX....................... 96 91
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA..... 105 106
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.... 124 121
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA............ 113 106
Springfield, MA....................... 110 110
Springfield, MO....................... 92 87
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 96 100
Tallahassee, FL....................... 91 91
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 97 97
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 92 92
Visalia-Porterville, CA............... 98 98
Washington-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV................. 106 112
York-Hanover, PA...................... 90 96
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA..... 86 92
(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................................. 101 115
Salinas, CA........................... 126 107
San Antonio, TX....................... 97 102
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA..... 111 109
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.... 123 114
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA............ 110 107
Springfield, MA....................... 109 103
Springfield, MO....................... 77 87
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 121 110
Tallahassee, FL....................... 81 88
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 98 94
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 84 94
Visalia-Porterville, CA............... 89 90
Washington-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV................. 100 114
York-Hanover, PA...................... 99 98
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA..... 95 94
(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................................. 114 109
Salinas, CA........................... 101 104
San Antonio, TX....................... 98 89
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA..... 105 101
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.... 108 109
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA............ 117 112
Springfield, MA....................... 109 113
Springfield, MO....................... 93 97
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 106 110
Tallahassee, FL....................... 93 93
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 93 102
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 92 90
Visalia-Porterville, CA............... 103 93
Washington-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV................. 107 106
York-Hanover, PA...................... 97 104
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA..... 101 110
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 typically high-paying management, business, and financial occupations group to the number
of workers in all occupations is under 6 percent, whereas nationally this ratio is nearly 9 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 wage determination.
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 area is $30.42 and the average
pay for construction and extraction workers in the entire United States is $20.14.(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:
($30.42 ÷ $20.14) × 100 ≅ 151
This comparison does not control for differences between the New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA
metropolitan area and the nation in the mix of occupations, industries, and other factors. A more accurate estimate
of the geographic effect of wages can be obtained by taking these differences into account. Controlling for
differences in occupational composition, establishment and occupational characteristics, and the payroll reference
date relative to the nation as the whole, the pay relative for construction and extraction occupations in New
York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA is equal to 133.
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. 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 the article 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. The NCS
is in its first 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; however, the private industry
sample is based on the 1993 area definitions. Area titles are subject to annual OMB revision. For more information
on the area definitions, see Jason Tehonica, "New Area Sample Selected for the National Compensation Survey,"
Compensation and Working Conditions Online, April 25, 2005, on the Internet at:
http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/cm20050318ar01p1.htm.
Historical pay relative data are available for 1992-1996, 1998, 2002, and 2004-2006. 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 for 2004 through 2007 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 a high degree of caution.
Pay relatives were estimated using a multivariate regression technique methodology 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 U.S." Monthly Labor
Review, March 2005, pp. 46-53, and Parastou Karen Shahpoori, "Pay Relatives for Major Metropolitan Areas,"
Compensation and Working Conditions, Spring 2003.
Obtaining information
Articles, bulletins, and other information 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 2007 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and
Wage Estimates, http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcma.htm.
(2) Average pay for construction and extraction workers in the New York - Newark - Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA metropolitan
area 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 2007 and the upcoming National Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the United
States, July 2007, http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/ncswage.htm.
United States Department of Labor
