Among the 19 metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania, East Stroudsburg, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md., and Reading 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 had wages that were significantly below those for the nation in all three occupations. Nationwide, the average (mean) wage for secondary school teachers was $61,420; for middle school teachers, $59,800; and for elementary school teachers, $59,020. (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, Pennsylvania, and metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania, May 2016

Area	Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education	Elementary school teachers, except special education
United States	$61,420	$59,800	$59,020
Pennsylvania	64,320*	62,620*	62,250*
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton	67,020*	63,730	62,760*
Altoona	57,360	-	56,380
Bloomsburg-Berwick	50,020*	43,420*	68,780*
Chambersburg-Waynesboro	61,310	64,350*	62,000*
East Stroudsburg	69,190*	69,390*	70,200*
Erie	52,140*	53,660*	49,370*
Gettysburg	65,200	-	52,150
Harrisburg-Carlisle	52,960*	56,190*	60,000
Johnstown	55,180*	-	52,980*
Lancaster	62,660	58,780	60,670
Lebanon	65,770*	-	64,770*
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington	68,880*	65,270*	66,440*
Pittsburgh	62,560	65,260*	59,030
Reading	66,630*	65,800*	62,310*
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton	64,410*	62,560	58,140
State College	60,070	66,510*	67,030*
Williamsport	65,270*	61,360	59,440
York-Hanover	69,920*	63,660	65,630*
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman	63,090	60,540	56,430
* 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 62,630 secondary, middle, and elementary school teachers, the largest number among the metropolitan areas in the commonwealth. Pittsburgh had a combined employment of 21,870 for the three selected teaching occupations. Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton had a combined employment of 7,570, while employment levels for the selected occupations were less than 6,000 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, Pennsylvania, and metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania, May 2016

Area	Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education	Elementary school teachers, except special education
United States	1,003,250	626,310	1,392,660
Pennsylvania	45,070	24,520	51,990
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton	2,590	1,400	3,580
Altoona	750	--	490
Bloomsburg-Berwick	--	300	410
Chambersburg-Waynesboro	--	530	760
East Stroudsburg	170	--	1,010
Erie	1,300	--	1,090
Gettysburg	370	--	--
Harrisburg-Carlisle	1,910	1,080	2,970
Johnstown	420	--	970
Lancaster	1,460	1,240	1,440
Lebanon	470	--	480
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington	21,920	14,300	26,410
Pittsburgh	7,600	4,800	9,470
Reading	930	820	1,910
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton	1,760	700	2,730
State College	390	160	390
Williamsport	--	570	440
York-Hanover	1,080	550	2,420
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman	2,610	1,270	1,740
-- Estimate not released.

Wages for secondary school teachers in metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania

Eight metropolitan areas in the commonwealth had wages for secondary school teachers that were significantly higher than the national average. York-Hanover ($69,920), East Stroudsburg ($69,190), and Philadelphia ($68,880) were among the higher-paying areas in Pennsylvania for secondary school teachers. The Bloomsburg-Berwick, Erie, Harrisburg-Carlisle, and Johnstown metropolitan areas had wages for secondary school teachers that were significantly below average.

Wages for middle school teachers in metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania

The East Stroudsburg metropolitan area ($69,390) 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, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Chambersburg-Waynesboro. Bloomsburg, Erie, and Harrisburg had wages for middle school teachers that were statistically below the national average.

Wages for elementary school teachers in metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania

The East Stroudsburg metropolitan area ($70,200) had wages for elementary school teachers that were significantly higher than the national average. In addition to East Stroudsburg, eight other areas had above average wages for elementary school teachers, including Bloomsburg ($68,780) and State College ($67,030). Erie and Johnstown, at $49,370 and $52,980, 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. The May 2016 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2016, November 2015, May 2015, November 2014, May 2014, and November 2013. The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 73 percent based on establishments and 69 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The unweighted employment of sampled establishments across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 58 percent of total national employment. For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.

The May 2016 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.