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Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Workers in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $26.41 in May 2019, about 3 percent above the nationwide average of $25.72, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that, after testing for statistical significance, wages in the local area were higher than their respective national averages in 5 of the 22 major occupational groups, including construction and extraction, production, and management. Eight groups had significantly lower wages than their respective national averages, including legal; life, physical, and social science; and computer and mathematical.
When compared to the nationwide distribution, Detroit area employment was more highly concentrated in 5 of the 22 occupational groups, including production, architecture and engineering, and business and financial operations. Conversely, fourteen groups had employment shares significantly below their national representation, including educational instruction and library, construction and extraction, and office and administrative support. (See table A and box note at end of release.)
Major occupational group | Percent of total employment | Mean hourly wage | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | Detroit | United States | Detroit | Percent difference (1) | |
Total, all occupations | 100.0 | 100.0 | $25.72 | $26.41* | 3 |
Management | 5.5 | 5.2* | 58.88 | 60.03* | 2 |
Business and financial operations | 5.6 | 6.1* | 37.56 | 37.36 | -1 |
Computer and mathematical | 3.1 | 3.5* | 45.08 | 40.81* | -9 |
Architecture and engineering | 1.8 | 4.6* | 42.69 | 43.27 | 1 |
Life, physical, and social science | 0.9 | 0.5* | 37.28 | 32.90* | -12 |
Community and social service | 1.5 | 1.2* | 24.27 | 23.67 | -2 |
Legal | 0.8 | 0.8 | 52.71 | 45.66* | -13 |
Educational instruction and library | 6.1 | 4.1* | 27.75 | 28.53 | 3 |
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media | 1.4 | 1.2* | 29.79 | 28.01* | -6 |
Healthcare practitioners and technical | 5.9 | 6.3* | 40.21 | 39.65 | -1 |
Healthcare support | 4.4 | 4.1* | 14.91 | 14.81 | -1 |
Protective service | 2.4 | 1.8* | 23.98 | 22.04* | -8 |
Food preparation and serving related | 9.2 | 8.7* | 12.82 | 12.42* | -3 |
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance | 3.0 | 2.7* | 15.03 | 14.22* | -5 |
Personal care and service | 2.2 | 2.2 | 15.03 | 14.24* | -5 |
Sales and related | 9.8 | 9.6 | 20.70 | 21.77* | 5 |
Office and administrative support | 13.3 | 12.4* | 19.73 | 19.80 | 0 |
Farming, fishing, and forestry | 0.3 | (2) | 15.07 | 16.55* | 10 |
Construction and extraction | 4.2 | 3.2* | 25.28 | 27.74* | 10 |
Installation, maintenance, and repair | 3.9 | 3.7* | 24.10 | 24.38 | 1 |
Production | 6.2 | 10.1* | 19.30 | 20.75* | 8 |
Transportation and material moving | 8.5 | 8.0* | 18.23 | 19.44 | 7 |
Footnotes: |
One occupational group—production—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Detroit had 200,890 jobs in production, accounting for 10.1 percent of local area employment, significantly higher than the 6.2-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $20.75, significantly above the national wage of $19.30.
Some of the larger detailed occupations within the production group included miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators (54,630); inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (15,740); and first-line supervisors of production and operating workers (13,450). Among the higher-paying jobs in this group were power distributors and dispatchers and power plant operators, with mean hourly wages of $49.11 and $42.11, respectively. At the lower end of the wage scale were sewers, hand ($11.51) and pressers, textile, garment, and related materials ($11.57). (Detailed data for the production occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_19820.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 Detroit area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in some of the occupations within the production group. For instance, engine and other machine assemblers were employed at 12.3 times the national rate in Detroit, and tool and die makers, at 6.3 times the U.S. average. Chemical equipment operators and tenders had a location quotient of 1.0 in Detroit, 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 Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget.
With the May 2019 estimates, the OES program has begun implementing the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. Each set of OES estimates is calculated from six panels of survey data collected over three years. Because the May 2019 estimates are based on a combination of survey data collected using the 2010 SOC and survey data collected using the 2018 SOC, these estimates use a hybrid of the two classification systems that contains some combinations of occupations that are not found in either the 2010 or 2018 SOC. These combinations may include occupations from more than one 2018 SOC minor group or broad occupation. Therefore, OES will not publish data for some 2018 SOC minor groups and broad occupations in the May 2019 estimates. The May 2021 estimates, to be published in Spring 2022, will be the first OES estimates based entirely on survey data collected using the 2018 SOC.
In addition, the OES program has replaced some 2018 SOC detailed occupations with SOC broad occupations or OES-specific aggregations. These include home health aides and personal care aides, for which OES will publish only the 2018 SOC broad occupation 31-1120 Home Health and Personal Care Aides.
For more information on the occupational classification system used in the May 2019 OES estimates, please see www.bls.gov/oes/soc_2018.htm and www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm#qf10.
The May 2019 OES estimates use the metropolitan area definitions delineated in Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Bulletin 17-01, which add a new Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) for Twin Falls, Idaho. For more information on the area definitions used in the May 2019 estimates, please see www.bls.gov/oes/current/msa_def.htm.
The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey is a semiannual survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in the United States. The OES data available from BLS include cross-industry occupational employment and wage estimates for the nation; over 580 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. OES data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm.
The OES survey is a cooperative effort between BLS and the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures and technical support, while the State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data. OES estimates are constructed from a sample of about 1.1 million establishments. Each year, two semiannual panels of approximately 180,000 to 200,000 sampled establishments are contacted, one panel in May and the other in November. Responses are obtained by mail, Internet or other electronic means, email, telephone, or personal visit. The May 2019 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2019, November 2018, May 2018, November 2017, May 2017, and November 2016. The unweighted sample employment of 83 million across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 57 percent of total national employment. The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 71 percent based on establishments and 68 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The sample in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area included 7,968 establishments with a response rate of 72 percent. For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_tec.htm.
A value that is statistically different from another does not necessarily mean that the difference has economic or practical significance. Statistical significance is concerned with the ability to make confident statements about a universe based on a sample. It is entirely possible that a large difference between two values is not significantly different statistically, while a small difference is, since both the size and heterogeneity of the sample affect the relative error of the data being tested.
The May 2019 OES estimates are the first set of OES estimates to be based in part on survey data collected using the 2018 SOC. These estimates use a hybrid of the 2010 and 2018 SOC systems. More information on the hybrid classification system is available at www.bls.gov/oes/soc_2018.htm.
The May 2019 OES estimates are based on the 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). More information about the 2017 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.
The Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne Counties.
For more information
Answers to frequently asked questions about the OES data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm. Detailed information about the OES program is available at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_doc.htm.
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.
Occupation (1) | Employment | Mean wages | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Level (2) | Location quotient (3) | Hourly | Annual (4) | |
Production occupations | 200,890 | 1.6 | $20.75 | $43,160 |
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers | 13,450 | 1.6 | 34.10 | 70,930 |
Coil winders, tapers, and finishers | (5) | (5) | 18.88 | 39,280 |
Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers, except coil winders, tapers, and finishers | 3,720 | 1.0 | 16.55 | 34,420 |
Engine and other machine assemblers | 7,600 | 12.3 | 25.31 | 52,640 |
Structural metal fabricators and fitters | 980 | 1.0 | 19.76 | 41,100 |
Fiberglass laminators and fabricators | 140 | 0.5 | 16.09 | 33,470 |
Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators | 54,630 | 3.0 | 20.00 | 41,600 |
Bakers | 2,400 | 1.0 | 13.83 | 28,770 |
Butchers and meat cutters | 1,870 | 1.0 | 15.87 | 33,020 |
Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers | 490 | 0.2 | 14.24 | 29,620 |
Slaughterers and meat packers | 320 | 0.3 | 14.51 | 30,180 |
Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders | 40 | 0.2 | 16.36 | 34,020 |
Food batchmakers | 1,410 | 0.7 | 14.69 | 30,540 |
Food cooking machine operators and tenders | 90 | 0.2 | 14.65 | 30,470 |
Food processing workers, all other | 220 | 0.4 | 14.45 | 30,050 |
Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 950 | 0.9 | 15.16 | 31,540 |
Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 660 | 3.0 | 20.65 | 42,960 |
Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 620 | 1.4 | 22.19 | 46,160 |
Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 10,500 | 4.0 | 21.45 | 44,620 |
Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 310 | 2.1 | 20.03 | 41,670 |
Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | (5) | (5) | 20.09 | 41,780 |
Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 1,130 | 3.0 | 19.92 | 41,420 |
Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | (5) | (5) | 24.58 | 51,120 |
Machinists | 11,400 | 2.2 | 21.84 | 45,430 |
Model makers, metal and plastic | 700 | 12.1 | 30.88 | 64,220 |
Patternmakers, metal and plastic | 140 | 3.5 | 24.88 | 51,760 |
Foundry mold and coremakers | 310 | 1.3 | 18.43 | 38,330 |
Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 9,100 | 3.9 | 14.60 | 30,360 |
Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 4,030 | 2.0 | 19.59 | 40,750 |
Tool and die makers | 5,980 | 6.3 | 27.32 | 56,820 |
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers | 4,890 | 0.9 | 20.89 | 43,450 |
Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders | 1,320 | 2.8 | 21.23 | 44,150 |
Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 860 | 3.3 | 17.90 | 37,240 |
Plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 1,480 | 2.6 | 17.40 | 36,190 |
Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners | 50 | 0.5 | 28.94 | 60,200 |
Metal workers and plastic workers, all other | 320 | 1.0 | 17.68 | 36,770 |
Prepress technicians and workers | 220 | 0.5 | 21.98 | 45,720 |
Printing press operators | 2,420 | 1.0 | 18.43 | 38,330 |
Print binding and finishing workers | 650 | 1.1 | 17.22 | 35,810 |
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers | 2,880 | 1.0 | 12.42 | 25,830 |
Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials | 270 | 0.5 | 11.57 | 24,070 |
Sewing machine operators | 1,170 | 0.7 | 14.01 | 29,140 |
Shoe and leather workers and repairers | 110 | 0.9 | 14.64 | 30,450 |
Sewers, hand | (5) | (5) | 11.51 | 23,930 |
Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers | (5) | (5) | 18.89 | 39,280 |
Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders | 300 | 1.7 | 16.32 | 33,950 |
Extruding and forming machine setters, operators, and tenders, synthetic and glass fibers | 460 | 1.9 | 17.54 | 36,490 |
Upholsterers | (5) | (5) | 13.13 | 27,300 |
Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers, all other | 70 | 0.3 | 13.87 | 28,850 |
Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters | 510 | 0.4 | 22.66 | 47,140 |
Furniture finishers | (5) | (5) | 17.89 | 37,210 |
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood | 90 | 0.1 | 18.31 | 38,090 |
Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing | 420 | 0.4 | 15.92 | 33,100 |
Power distributors and dispatchers | 130 | 0.9 | 49.11 | 102,150 |
Power plant operators | 810 | 1.8 | 42.11 | 87,580 |
Stationary engineers and boiler operators | 250 | 0.6 | 31.09 | 64,670 |
Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators | 1,020 | 0.6 | 23.76 | 49,420 |
Gas plant operators | 310 | 1.6 | 36.70 | 76,340 |
Chemical equipment operators and tenders | 1,180 | 1.0 | 26.25 | 54,600 |
Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders | 420 | 0.6 | 18.69 | 38,870 |
Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders | 140 | 0.3 | 19.51 | 40,580 |
Grinding and polishing workers, hand | 210 | 0.5 | 14.94 | 31,070 |
Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders | 1,510 | 0.9 | 18.63 | 38,750 |
Cutters and trimmers, hand | 150 | 1.1 | 15.64 | 32,540 |
Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders | 310 | 0.4 | 17.17 | 35,710 |
Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders | 910 | 0.9 | 16.41 | 34,120 |
Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders | (5) | (5) | 23.30 | 48,460 |
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers | 15,740 | 2.0 | 18.36 | 38,200 |
Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers | 380 | 1.2 | 25.48 | 53,000 |
Dental laboratory technicians | 910 | 2.0 | 22.61 | 47,020 |
Medical appliance technicians | 470 | 2.5 | 24.81 | 51,590 |
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians | 510 | 1.3 | 17.47 | 36,330 |
Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders | 3,390 | 0.6 | 15.49 | 32,210 |
Painting, coating, and decorating workers | 30 | 0.2 | (5) | (5) |
Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders | 2,460 | 1.3 | 17.97 | 37,370 |
Photographic process workers and processing machine operators | (5) | (5) | 14.73 | 30,650 |
Computer numerically controlled tool operators | 3,470 | 1.7 | 20.45 | 42,530 |
Computer numerically controlled tool programmers | 1,150 | 3.3 | 26.52 | 55,160 |
Adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders | (5) | (5) | 18.75 | 39,010 |
Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders | 230 | 1.0 | 15.50 | 32,240 |
Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic | 730 | 1.2 | 18.14 | 37,730 |
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders | 810 | 0.6 | 17.45 | 36,290 |
Helpers--production workers | 3,000 | 0.7 | 14.69 | 30,560 |
Production workers, all other | 2,370 | 0.8 | 15.68 | 32,600 |
Footnotes: |
Last Modified Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2020