Workers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $43.47 in May 2024, compared to the nationwide average of $32.66, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that higher paying major occupational groups included legal ($89.44) and management ($81.49). Lower paying occupations included building and grounds cleaning and maintenance ($19.80), food preparation and serving related ($20.29), and personal care and service ($20.85). (See table A.)

Occupational groups with the highest employment in the Washington area included business and financial operations (12.2 percent), management (10.1 percent), and office and administrative support (9.2 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included production (1.4 percent), community and social service (1.5 percent), and architecture and engineering (1.7 percent).

One occupational group—business and financial operations—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Washington had 381,240 jobs in business and financial operations, accounting for 12.2 percent of local area employment, compared to the 6.7-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $54.68, compared to the national wage of $45.04.

  

View Chart Data

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Chart 1. Hourly mean wages for selected higher paying business and financial operations occupations in the Washington metropolitan area, May 2024

Occupation	Wage
All occupations	$43.47
Business and financial operations occupations	54.68
Personal financial advisors	82.15
Financial examiners	72.85
Management analysts	63.01
Financial risk specialists	62.28
Project management specialists	60.91

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the business and financial operations group included management analysts (68,900), project management specialists (42,740), and accountants and auditors (42,320). Among the higher paying jobs in this group were personal financial advisors ($82.15) and financial examiners ($72.85). (See chart 1.) At the lower end of the wage scale were tax preparers ($32.31) and credit counselors ($33.33). (Detailed data for the business and financial operations occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0047900.)

Location quotients allow us to explore the occupational make-up of a metropolitan area by comparing the composition of jobs in an area relative to the national average. (See table 1.) For example, a location quotient of 2.00 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it does nationally. In the Washington area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in some of the occupations within the business and financial operations group. For instance, budget analysts were employed at 5.06 times the national rate in Washington, and management analysts, at 3.81 times the U.S. average. Loan officers had a location quotient of 0.89 in Washington, indicating that this particular occupation’s local and national employment shares were similar.

The statistics in this release are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, a cooperative effort between BLS and the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures and technical support. State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data: in this case, the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services, Virginia Works, the Maryland Department of Labor, and WorkForce West Virginia.

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey is a semiannual survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in the United States. The OEWS data available from BLS include cross-industry occupational employment and wage estimates for the nation; over 530 areas, including states and the District of Columbia, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), nonmetropolitan areas, and territories; national industry-specific estimates at the NAICS sector, 3-digit, most 4-digit, and selected 5- and 6-digit industry levels; and national estimates by ownership across all industries and for schools and hospitals. Full OEWS data tables are available online.

Additional information about the OEWS estimates and methodology is available in the national Technical Notes. The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 65.7 percent based on establishments and 65.9 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The sample in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area included 14,518 establishments with a response rate of 57 percent.

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.

The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area includes District of Columbia, DC; Charles County, MD; Frederick County, MD; Montgomery County, MD; Prince George's County, MD; Arlington County, VA; Clarke County, VA; Culpeper County, VA; Fairfax County, VA; Fauquier County, VA; Loudoun County, VA; Prince William County, VA; Rappahannock County, VA; Spotsylvania County, VA; Stafford County, VA; Warren County, VA; Alexandria city, VA; Fairfax city, VA; Falls Church city, VA; Fredericksburg city, VA; Manassas city, VA; Manassas Park city, VA; and Jefferson County, WV.

For more information

Answers to frequently asked questions about the OEWS data, as well as general program documentation, are available on the OEWS website.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.