Workers in the Cincinnati-Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $21.88 in May 2013, about 2 percent below the nationwide average of $22.33, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that, after testing for statistical significance, wages in the local area were significantly higher than their respective national averages in 3 of the 22 major occupational groups. Fifteen groups had significantly lower wages than their respective national averages, including legal; arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media; and computer and mathematical.

When compared to the nationwide distribution, local employment was more highly concentrated in 6 of the 22 occupational groups, including production; food preparation and serving related; and healthcare practitioners and technical. Conversely, 11 groups had employment shares significantly below their national representation, including construction and extraction; education, training, and library; and personal care and service. (See table A and box note at end of release.)

One occupational group—production—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Cincinnati-Middletown had 74,460 jobs in production, accounting for 7.5 percent of local area employment, significantly higher than the 6.6-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $17.22, measurably above the national wage of $16.79.

With employment of 6,500, team assemblers was the largest occupation within the production group, followed by machinists (5,190) and packaging and filling machine operators and tenders (5,140). Among the higher paying jobs were power distributors and dispatchers and gas plant operators, with mean hourly wages of $38.03 and $32.99, respectively. At the lower end of the wage scale were laundry and dry-cleaning workers ($10.30) and pressers, textile, garment, and related materials ($10.46). (Detailed occupational data for production are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to www.bls.gov/oes/2013/may/oes_17140.htm.)

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 2.0 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it does nationally. In the Cincinnati-Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area, above average concentrations of employment were found in some of the occupations within the production group. For instance, rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic were employed at 3.4 times the national rate in Cincinnati, and multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic, at 2.6 times the U.S. average. On the other hand, first-line supervisors of production and operating workers had a location quotient of 1.0 in Cincinnati, indicating that this particular occupation’s local and national employment shares were similar.

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 Ohio Department of Job & Family Services; the Kentucky Department of Workforce Invesment; and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.

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. Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands are also surveyed, but their data are not included in the national estimates. 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 for a 3-year period. May 2013 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected in May 2013, November 2012, May 2012, November 2011, May 2011, and November 2010. The overall national response rate for the six panels is 75.3 percent based on establishments and 71.6 percent based on employment. The sample in the Cincinnati-Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area included 7,461 establishments with a response rate of 76 percent. For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.

The OES survey provides estimates of employment and hourly and annual wages for wage and salary workers in 22 major occupational groups and 821 detailed occupations for the nation, states, metropolitan statistical areas, metropolitan divisions, and nonmetropolitan areas. In addition, employment and wage estimates for 94 minor groups and 458 broad occupations are available in the national data. OES data by state and metropolitan/nonmetropolitan area are available from www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcst.htm and www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcma.htm, respectively.

The May 2013 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.

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 Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Brown, Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren Counties of Ohio; Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton and Pendleton Counties of Kentucky; and Dearborn, Franklin, and Ohio Counties of Indiana.

Additional information

OES data are available on our regional web page at www.bls.gov/regions/midwest. 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/2013/may/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: 1-800-877-8339.

Table 1. Employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey, by occupation, Cincinnati-Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area, May 2013

Occupation (1)	Employment		Mean wages
	Level (2)	Location quotient (3)	Hourly	Annual(4)
Production Occupations	74,460	1.1	$17.22	$35,810
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	4,360	1.0	27.80	57,810
Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers	50	0.2	21.04	43,760
Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers	170	1.6	22.04	45,840
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers	1,210	0.8	14.97	31,130
Electromechanical Equipment Assemblers	550	1.5	15.88	33,020
Engine and Other Machine Assemblers	360	1.2	23.98	49,870
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters	460	0.8	18.19	37,830
Team Assemblers	6,500	0.8	16.34	33,980
Assemblers and Fabricators, All Other	2,930	1.6	12.72	26,470
Bakers	1,190	1.0	13.55	28,170
Butchers and Meat Cutters	1,100	1.1	14.89	30,980
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers	570	0.5	11.32	23,540
Slaughterers and Meat Packers	230	0.4	11.13	23,150
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders	70	0.5	16.09	33,470
Food Batchmakers	880	1.1	14.15	29,430
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders	240	1.0	14.75	30,680
Food Processing Workers, All Other	270	0.8	12.36	25,700
Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators, Metal and Plastic	1,650	1.6	17.41	36,210
Computer Numerically Controlled Machine Tool Programmers, Metal and Plastic	150	0.8	23.87	49,650
Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	490	0.9	17.34	36,060
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	(5)	(5)	17.48	36,360
Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	830	3.4	19.56	40,690
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	1,580	1.1	15.11	31,420
Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	220	1.5	18.83	39,170
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	610	1.2	20.08	41,760
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	430	1.4	19.64	40,840
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	200	1.1	18.76	39,020
Machinists	5,190	1.8	20.36	42,350
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders	(5)	(5)	17.08	35,520
Pourers and Casters, Metal	(5)	(5)	16.62	34,560
Model Makers, Metal and Plastic	180	3.9	23.64	49,170
Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic	60	1.9	20.40	42,430
Foundry Mold and Coremakers	180	1.8	14.99	31,170
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	1,530	1.6	16.13	33,560
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	1,810	2.6	16.44	34,200
Tool and Die Makers	590	1.0	25.10	52,210
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	2,150	0.8	19.64	40,850
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	730	1.9	14.71	30,600
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	140	0.9	22.89	47,620
Plating and Coating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	350	1.3	13.76	28,610
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners	90	1.0	17.22	35,820
Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other	(5)	(5)	18.09	37,630
Prepress Technicians and Workers	490	1.7	18.85	39,210
Printing Press Operators	2,370	1.9	18.49	38,460
Print Binding and Finishing Workers	630	1.6	15.70	32,660
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers	1,240	0.8	10.30	21,430
Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials	480	1.2	10.46	21,750
Sewing Machine Operators	840	0.8	12.79	26,610
Sewers, Hand	(5)	(5)	12.34	25,670
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers	90	0.6	13.45	27,970
Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers	130	0.9	16.68	34,690
Upholsterers	70	0.3	16.78	34,900
Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All Other	50	0.4	14.83	30,840
Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters	560	0.9	18.24	37,940
Furniture Finishers	50	0.5	16.00	33,280
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood	160	0.5	12.34	25,660
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing	290	0.6	12.47	25,950
Woodworkers, All Other	(5)	(5)	13.90	28,920
Power Distributors and Dispatchers	(5)	(5)	38.03	79,110
Power Plant Operators	400	1.3	30.68	63,800
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators	280	1.0	25.30	52,610
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators	500	0.6	20.18	41,970
Chemical Plant and System Operators	260	0.9	21.84	45,420
Gas Plant Operators	(5)	(5)	32.99	68,630
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers	130	0.4	25.20	52,420
Plant and System Operators, All Other	100	1.2	28.24	58,740
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders	510	1.1	22.93	47,690
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	330	1.1	19.17	39,870
Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	90	0.4	15.69	32,640
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand	220	1.0	16.07	33,410
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,380	1.6	18.13	37,720
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand	100	1.0	13.25	27,550
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	410	0.9	16.42	34,150
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	370	0.7	18.02	37,480
Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders	(5)	(5)	16.69	34,710
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers	4,390	1.2	18.49	38,460
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers	120	0.7	17.79	37,000
Dental Laboratory Technicians	220	0.8	19.92	41,430
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians	(5)	(5)	14.33	29,800
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders	5,140	1.8	14.72	30,610
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	890	1.4	15.89	33,060
Painters, Transportation Equipment	210	0.6	18.34	38,150
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers	40	0.3	11.78	24,510
Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators	190	0.7	16.95	35,250
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders	60	0.5	15.12	31,440
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders	210	1.7	14.81	30,800
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders	(5)	(5)	16.29	33,880
Etchers and Engravers	60	0.9	14.17	29,470
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic	230	0.9	14.50	30,170
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,720	2.4	15.27	31,760
Tire Builders	60	0.4	14.77	30,730
Helpers--Production Workers	4,180	1.3	11.79	24,530
Production Workers, All Other	1,710	1.1	15.53	32,300
Footnotes: (1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN, see www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_17140.htm. (2) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers. (3) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average. (4) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a ‘year-round, full-time’ hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data. (5) Estimate not released.