Workers in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $32.29 in May 2024, compared to the nationwide average of $32.66, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Julie Wilson noted that higher paying major occupational groups included management ($65.97) and legal ($55.15). Lower paying occupations included food preparation and serving related ($17.27) and personal care and service ($17.87). (See table A.)

Office and administrative support occupations accounted for 11.5 percent of Detroit area employment, followed by production occupations (9.6 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included life, physical, and social science (0.6 percent); legal (0.8 percent); and arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media (1.1 percent).

One occupational group—production—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Detroit had 183,640 jobs in production, accounting for 9.6 percent of local area employment, compared to the 5.7-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $25.49, compared to the national wage of $24.08.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the production group included miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators (62,530); inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (11,620); and cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic (11,320). Among the higher paying jobs in this group were power distributors and dispatchers ($51.00) and power plant operators ($48.97). At the lower end of the wage scale were pressers, textile, garment, and related materials ($16.30), and laundry and dry-cleaning workers ($16.56). (Detailed data for the production occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0019820.)

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 Detroit area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in some of the occupations within the production group. For instance, tool and die makers were employed at 6.65 times the national rate in Detroit, and engine and other machine assemblers, at 6.40 times the U.S. average. Both laundry and dry-cleaning workers and welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers had a location quotient of 1.00 in Detroit, indicating that these particular occupations’ 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 Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget.

Technical Note

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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area included 7,004 establishments with a response rate of 66 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Lapeer County, Livingston County, Macomb County, Oakland County, St. Clair County, and Wayne County.

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.

Table 1. Employment and wage data for production occupations, Detroit metropolitan area, May 2024

Occupation (1)	Employment		Mean wages ($)
	Level (2)	Location quotient (3)	Hourly	Annual (4)
Production occupations	183,640	1.70	25.49	53,030
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers	10,800	1.27	35.75	74,360
Coil winders, tapers, and finishers	100	0.64	24.90	51,790
Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers, except coil winders, tapers, and finishers	5,720	1.77	25.61	53,260
Engine and other machine assemblers	3,040	6.40	25.41	52,850
Structural metal fabricators and fitters	430	0.65	27.40	57,000
Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators	62,530	3.46	25.58	53,210
Bakers	2,650	0.92	18.79	39,080
Butchers and meat cutters	1,660	0.96	19.59	40,750
Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers	150	0.09	18.97	39,450
Slaughterers and meat packers	300	0.36	18.81	39,120
Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders	240	1.01	19.48	40,510
Food batchmakers	920	0.43	18.11	37,660
Food cooking machine operators and tenders	90	0.26	21.58	44,890
Food processing workers, all other	190	0.26	18.35	38,180
Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	800	0.98	23.97	49,860
Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	330	3.03	25.91	53,890
Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	630	2.29	24.71	51,400
Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	11,320	5.24	27.15	56,480
Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	70	1.14	23.57	49,020
Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	1,590	1.83	22.57	46,950
Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	870	3.71	24.42	50,790
Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	450	2.64	24.19	50,320
Machinists	9,560	2.58	27.33	56,850
Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders	190	0.74	23.22	48,290
Model makers, metal and plastic	780	19.60	35.17	73,150
Patternmakers, metal and plastic	(5)	(5)	25.93	53,940
Foundry mold and coremakers	380	2.40	24.01	49,940
Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	4,450	2.32	20.39	42,410
Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	3,840	2.39	25.56	53,160
Tool and die makers	4,540	6.65	33.72	70,150
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers	5,240	1.00	26.18	54,460
Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders	1,800	4.01	21.25	44,200
Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	630	3.49	24.37	50,700
Layout workers, metal and plastic	120	1.80	29.89	62,180
Plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	1,870	4.80	18.91	39,340
Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners	60	0.91	26.05	54,190
Metal workers and plastic workers, all other	530	2.13	21.19	44,070
Prepress technicians and workers	220	0.75	24.50	50,970
Printing press operators	1,650	0.92	23.65	49,190
Print binding and finishing workers	390	0.85	21.05	43,790
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers	2,420	1.00	16.56	34,430
Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials	210	0.62	16.30	33,900
Sewing machine operators	1,160	0.86	18.88	39,270
Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers	(5)	(5)	17.69	36,790
Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders	50	0.41	17.99	37,410
Textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders	70	0.39	20.06	41,720
Upholsterers	140	0.56	21.59	44,900
Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers, all other	510	2.85	16.30	33,910
Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters	430	0.43	24.06	50,040
Furniture finishers	80	0.45	23.75	49,390
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood	190	0.36	20.08	41,760
Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing	360	0.46	21.37	44,460
Woodworkers, all other	60	0.79	19.72	41,020
Power distributors and dispatchers	270	2.33	51.00	106,070
Power plant operators	360	0.96	48.97	101,860
Stationary engineers and boiler operators	200	0.53	37.58	78,160
Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators	760	0.48	29.35	61,040
Gas plant operators	210	1.05	46.77	97,270
Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers	60	0.13	44.40	92,340
Plant and system operators, all other	170	0.88	34.00	70,730
Chemical equipment operators and tenders	1,300	0.82	28.31	58,890
Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders	620	0.92	23.92	49,750
Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders	160	0.46	25.86	53,790
Grinding and polishing workers, hand	240	1.61	20.24	42,090
Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders	1,170	0.94	21.72	45,180
Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders	200	0.35	21.22	44,140
Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders	800	1.12	21.90	45,560
Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders	150	0.77	24.23	50,400
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers	11,620	1.59	23.17	48,180
Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers	150	0.52	28.38	59,030
Dental laboratory technicians	540	1.29	27.51	57,220
Medical appliance technicians	130	0.90	27.81	57,850
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians	180	0.78	21.39	44,490
Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders	3,780	0.80	19.15	39,830
Painting, coating, and decorating workers	110	1.09	18.45	38,380
Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders	2,190	1.11	23.00	47,830
Photographic process workers and processing machine operators	70	1.07	23.69	49,270
Computer numerically controlled tool operators	2,890	1.32	24.26	50,450
Computer numerically controlled tool programmers	1,250	3.57	32.93	68,480
Adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders	70	0.49	22.35	46,490
Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders	190	1.11	20.63	42,910
Etchers and engravers	(5)	(5)	24.00	49,920
Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic	710	1.65	21.98	45,730
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders	810	0.68	23.77	49,450
Tire builders	30	0.12	20.01	41,620
Helpers--production workers	1,240	0.60	20.18	41,970
Production workers, all other	3,210	0.94	19.93	41,460
Footnotes: (1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area, see https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0019820. (2) Estimates for detailed occupations may not sum to the totals due to rounding, and because the totals may include occupations that are 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.