Workers in the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $19.92 in May 2013, about 11 percent below the nationwide average of $22.33, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that, after testing for statistical significance, wages in the local area were significantly higher than their respective national averages in 2 of the 22 major occupational groups, including production. Eighteen groups had significantly lower wages than their respective national averages, including legal; arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media; and management.

When compared to the nationwide distribution, local employment was more highly concentrated in 5 of the 22 occupational groups, including production; architecture and engineering; and installation, maintenance, and repair. Conversely, nine groups had employment shares significantly below their national representation, including transportation and material moving, business and financial operations, and management. (See table A and box note at end of release.)

Table A. Occupational employment and wages by major occupational group, United States and the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area, and measures of statistical significance, May 2013

Major occupational group	Percent of total employment		Mean hourly wage
	United States	Wichita	United States	Wichita	Percent difference (1)
Total, all occupations	100.0%	100.0%	$22.33	$19.92*	-11
Management	4.9	4.2*	53.15	46.86*	-12
Business and financial operations	5.0	4.2*	34.14	30.90*	-9
Computer and mathematical	2.8	2.1*	39.43	33.90*	-14
Architecture and engineering	1.8	2.9*	38.51	38.55	0
Life, physical, and social science	0.9	0.4*	33.37	28.55*	-14
Community and social services	1.4	1.3*	21.50	18.27*	-15
Legal	0.8	0.5*	47.89	35.72*	-25
Education, training, and library	6.3	6.0	24.76	19.48*	-21
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media	1.3	1.2	26.72	19.38*	-27
Healthcare practitioner and technical	5.8	5.7	35.93	31.08*	-13
Healthcare support	3.0	3.1	13.61	12.49*	-8
Protective service	2.5	2.1*	20.92	18.17*	-13
Food preparation and serving related	9.0	8.9	10.38	9.37*	-10
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance	3.2	2.9	12.51	11.02*	-12
Personal care and service	3.0	3.5*	11.88	11.07*	-7
Sales and related	10.6	10.3	18.37	16.32*	-11
Office and administrative support	16.2	15.9	16.78	15.44*	-8
Farming, fishing, and forestry	0.3	0.1*	11.70	14.50*	24
Construction and extraction	3.8	4.5*	21.94	17.71*	-19
Installation, maintenance, and repair	3.9	4.6*	21.35	21.91	3
Production	6.6	9.7*	16.79	19.89*	18
Transportation and material moving	6.8	5.9*	16.28	15.48*	-5
Footnotes: (1) A positive percent difference measures how much the mean wage in Wichita is above the national mean wage, while a negative difference reflects a lower wage. * The percent share of employment or mean hourly wage for this area is significantly different from the national average of all areas at the 90-percent confidence level.

One occupational group—production—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Wichita had 27,490 jobs in production, accounting for 9.7 percent of local area employment, significantly higher than the 6.6-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $19.89, measurably above the national wage of $16.79.

With employment of 2,170, machinists was one of the largest occupations within the production group, as were first-line supervisors of production and operating workers (2,150). Among the higher paying jobs were petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers ($32.05) and first-line supervisors of production and operating workers ($30.12). Occupations at the lower end of the wage scale included adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders ($11.49) and production worker helpers ($11.69). (Detailed occupational data for production are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_48620.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 Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area, above average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the production group. For instance, machinists were employed at 2.6 times the national rate in Wichita, and inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers at 1.9 times the U.S. 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 Kansas Department of Labor.

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 Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area included 2,608 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 Wichita, Kans. Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Butler, Harvey, Sedgwick, and Sumner Counties.

Additional information

OES data are available on our regional web page at www.bls.gov/regions/mountain-plains/home.htm. 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, Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area, May 2013

Occupation (1)	Employment		Mean wages
	Level (2)	Location quotient (3)	Hourly	Annual(4)
Production Occupations	27,490	1.5	$19.89	$41,370
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	2,150	1.7	30.12	62,650
Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers	1,980	21.6	23.81	49,530
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers	690	1.6	17.96	37,360
Electromechanical Equipment Assemblers	(5)	(5)	16.44	34,190
Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators	40	0.9	20.82	43,310
Team Assemblers	3,970	1.8	(5)	(5)
Assemblers and Fabricators, All Other	310	0.6	14.56	30,280
Bakers	300	0.8	13.75	28,600
Butchers and Meat Cutters	180	0.6	16.23	33,750
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers	60	0.2	12.68	26,380
Food Batchmakers	90	0.4	13.65	28,400
Food Processing Workers, All Other	140	1.5	14.02	29,160
Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators, Metal and Plastic	840	2.8	17.28	35,940
Computer Numerically Controlled Machine Tool Programmers, Metal and Plastic	300	5.8	28.14	58,530
Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	(5)	(5)	14.69	30,550
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	80	1.7	15.60	32,450
Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	30	0.5	19.36	40,270
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	380	1.0	15.90	33,070
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	360	2.3	12.80	26,620
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	110	1.3	21.49	44,700
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	100	2.0	18.49	38,450
Machinists	2,170	2.6	20.73	43,120
Model Makers, Metal and Plastic	50	3.4	23.24	48,330
Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic	40	5.0	27.65	57,510
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	160	0.6	13.65	28,390
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	160	0.8	14.84	30,860
Tool and Die Makers	560	3.3	(5)	(5)
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	1,100	1.5	18.53	38,540
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	170	1.6	20.85	43,380
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	60	1.4	19.69	40,960
Plating and Coating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	(5)	(5)	15.66	32,580
Prepress Technicians and Workers	70	0.8	17.28	35,950
Printing Press Operators	450	1.3	15.15	31,520
Print Binding and Finishing Workers	250	2.3	12.21	25,400
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers	220	0.5	9.14	19,000
Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials	100	0.9	9.36	19,470
Sewing Machine Operators	410	1.3	10.39	21,600
Upholsterers	80	1.3	19.15	39,830
Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters	140	0.8	16.21	33,710
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood	(5)	(5)	12.81	26,650
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing	110	0.8	13.74	28,580
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators	150	0.7	17.63	36,680
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers	290	3.3	32.05	66,670
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	80	0.9	17.55	36,500
Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	70	1.1	13.70	28,490
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand	300	4.5	12.99	27,020
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	150	0.6	17.52	36,450
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand	70	2.3	14.76	30,700
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	180	1.4	18.05	37,550
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	40	0.3	12.93	26,890
Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders	80	1.9	16.59	34,510
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers	1,960	1.9	23.72	49,340
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers	(5)	(5)	18.03	37,490
Dental Laboratory Technicians	80	1.1	17.41	36,210
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders	510	0.6	13.92	28,950
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	370	2.0	14.55	30,260
Painters, Transportation Equipment	260	2.6	21.63	44,990
Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators	40	0.6	13.59	28,260
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders	110	2.7	11.49	23,900
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders	40	1.0	14.74	30,660
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic	(5)	(5)	16.90	35,140
Helpers--Production Workers	770	0.9	11.69	24,310
Production Workers, All Other	230	0.5	17.12	35,600
Footnotes: (1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in Wichita, KS, see www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_48620.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.