
An official website of the United States government
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.