Among the 19 local areas in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md., and Lebanon, Pa., had wages significantly above the national average for secondary, middle, and elementary school teachers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that only Erie, Pa., had wages that were significantly below those for the nation in all three occupations. Nationwide, the average (mean) wage for secondary school teachers was $60,440; for middle school teachers, $58,760; and for elementary school teachers, $57,730. (See table A. For comprehensive definitions of metropolitan areas in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, please see the Technical Note.)

Table A. Average (mean) annual wages for secondary, middle, and elementary school teachers in the United States and metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania, May 2015

Area	Secondary School	Middle School	Elementary School
United States	$60,440	$58,760	$57,730
Pennsylvania	64,380*	58,950	61,730*
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton	63,700	59,400	61,210*
Altoona	56,040	60,030	55,180
Bloomsburg-Berwick	59,750	42,930*	61,050
Chambersburg-Waynesboro	--	64,000*	60,940*
East Stroudsburg	--	--	--
Erie	56,340	52,800*	50,270*
Gettysburg	59,330	--	--
Harrisburg-Carlisle	56,670	58,160	58,630
Johnstown	58,500	57,940	49,720*
Lancaster	61,540	54,610	61,000*
Lebanon	65,350*	67,820*	63,210*
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington	68,950*	62,330*	66,270*
Pittsburgh	63,660*	61,900*	59,320
Reading	66,330*	64,230*	59,820
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton	62,440	59,820	60,440
State College	57,910	66,870	58,500
Williamsport	62,650	61,550	57,810
York-Hanover	63,110	61,680	63,260
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman	61,320	56,330*	54,860
* The mean annual wage for this area is significantly different from the national average of all areas at the 90-percent confidence level.
-- Estimate not released.

The Philadelphia area had 63,310 secondary, middle, and elementary school teachers, the largest number among the metropolitan areas in the commonwealth. Pittsburgh had a combined employment of 21,460 for the three selected teaching occupations. Allentown had a combined employment of 8,160 while employment levels for the selected occupations were less than 8,000 in each of the remaining areas for which data were available. (See table B.)

Table B. Employment for secondary, middle, and elementary school teachers in the United States and metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania, May 2015

Area	Secondary School	Middle School	Elementary School
United States	962,820	632,760	1,381,430
Pennsylvania	47,270	27,050	53,110
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton	3,130	1,490	3,540
Altoona	740	280	340
Bloomsburg-Berwick	--	630	--
Chambersburg-Waynesboro	--	--	1,180
East Stroudsburg	--	--	1,170
Erie	--	--	1,050
Gettysburg	310	--	--
Harrisburg-Carlisle	1,550	1,060	2,860
Johnstown	490	--	820
Lancaster	1,690	790	1,670
Lebanon	580	--	480
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington	22,110	14,790	26,410
Pittsburgh	6,970	5,110	9,380
Reading	1,580	1,060	2,100
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton	3,150	1,290	3,120
State College	330	--	480
Williamsport	380	300	540
York-Hanover	1,500	570	2,120
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman	2,660	1,540	1,490
-- Estimate not released.

Wages for secondary school teachers in metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania

Four metropolitan areas in the commonwealth had wages for secondary school teachers that were significantly higher than the national average. The Philadelphia area was among the higher paying localities in Pennsylvania for secondary school teachers at $68,950 per year, $8,510 above the national average of $60,440. Reading, Lebanon, and Pittsburgh were also among the higher paying areas in Pennsylvania for secondary school teachers at $66,330, $65,350 and $63,660 per year, respectively. Erie was the only metropolitan area with wages for secondary school teachers that were significantly below-average.

Wages for middle school teachers in metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania

The Lebanon metropolitan ($67,820) had wages for middle school teachers that were significantly higher than the national average. Five other areas had higher than average wages for middle school teachers: State College, Reading, Chambersburg, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Bloomsburg, Erie and Youngstown had wages for middle school teachers that were statistically below the national average.

Wages for elementary school teachers in metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania

The Philadelphia metropolitan area ($66,270) had wages for elementary school teachers that were significantly higher than the national average. In addition to Philadelphia, five other areas had above average wages for elementary school teachers, including York ($63,260) and Lebanon ($63,210). Johnstown and Erie, at $49,720 and $50,270, respectively, were the only metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania that had wages that were significantly below the national average.

These statistics are from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey, a federal-state cooperative program between BLS and State Workforce Agencies, in this case, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry; the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development; the Delaware Department of Labor; and the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation. The OES survey provides estimates of employment and hourly and annual wages for wage and salary workers in 22 major occupational groups and about 800 detailed occupations for the nation, states, metropolitan statistical areas, metropolitan divisions, and nonmetropolitan areas.

Technical Note

The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey is a semiannual mail survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in the United States. The OES program produces employment and wage estimates for over 800 occupations for all industries combined in the nation; the 50 states and the District of Columbia; 432 metropolitan areas and divisions; 167 nonmetropolitan areas; and Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. National estimates are also available by industry for NAICS sectors, 3-, 4-, and selected 5- and 6-digit industries, and by ownership across all industries and for schools and hospitals. OES data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm.

OES estimates are constructed from a sample of about 1.2 million establishments. Forms are mailed to approximately 200,000 sampled establishments in May and November each year. May 2015 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2015, November 2014, May 2014, November 2013, May 2013, and November 2012. The overall national response rate for the six panels is 73.5 percent based on establishments and 69.6 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The unweighted employment of sampled establishments across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 57.9 percent of total national employment. (Response rates are slightly lower for these estimates due to the federal shutdown in October 2013.) For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.

The May 2015 OES estimates are based on the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system and the 2012 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Information about the 2010 SOC is available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/soc and information about the 2012 NAICS is available at www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm.

Metropolitan area definitions

The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Pa.-N.J. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes Carbon, Lehigh, and Northampton Counties in Pennsylvania and Warren County in New Jersey.

Altoona, Pa. MSA includes Blair County in Pennsylvania.

Bloomsburg-Berwick, Pa. MSA includes Columbia and Montour Counties in Pennsylvania.

Chambersburg-Waynesboro, Pa. MSA includes Franklin County in Pennsylvania.

East Stroudsburg, Pa. MSA includes Monroe County in Pennsylvania.

Erie, Pa. MSA includes Erie County in Pennsylvania.

Gettysburg, Pa. MSA includes Adams County in Pennsylvania.

Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pa. MSA includes Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry Counties in Pennsylvania.

Johnstown, Pa. MSA includes Cambria County in Pennsylvania.

Lancaster, Pa. MSA includes Lancaster County in Pennsylvania.

Lebanon, Pa. MSA includes Lebanon County in Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md. MSA includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem Counties in New Jersey; New Castle County in Delaware; and Cecil County in Maryland.

Pittsburgh, Pa. MSA includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties in Pennsylvania.

Reading, Pa. MSA includes Berks County in Pennsylvania.

Scranton—Wilkes-Barre—Hazleton, Pa. MSA includes Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming Counties in Pennsylvania.

State College, Pa. MSA includes Centre County in Pennsylvania.

Williamsport, Pa. MSA includes Lycoming County in Pennsylvania.

York-Hanover, Pa. MSA includes York County in Pennsylvania.

Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pa. MSA includes Mercer County in Pennsylvania and Mahoning and Trumbull Counties in Ohio.

Additional information

OES data are available on our regional web page at https://www.bls.gov/regions/mid-atlantic. Answers to frequently asked questions about the OES data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm. Detailed technical information about the OES survey is available in our Survey Methods and Reliability Statement on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/oes/current/methods_statement.pdf.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.