Workers in the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $23.78 in May 2016, similar to the nationwide average of $23.86, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Stanley W. Suchman noted that, after testing for statistical significance, wages in the local area were lower than their respective national averages in 8 of the 22 major occupational groups, including legal; arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media; and education, training, and library. Two groups had significantly higher wages than their respective national averages.

When compared to the nationwide distribution, local employment was more highly concentrated in 9 of the 22 occupational groups, including computer and mathematical; sales and related; and business and financial operations. Conversely, eight groups had employment shares significantly below their national representation, including production; transportation and material moving; and management. (See table A and box note at end of release.)

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. The OES data available from BLS include cross-industry occupational employment and wage estimates for the nation; over 650 areas, including states and the District of Columbia, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), metropolitan divisions, nonmetropolitan areas, and territories; national industry-specific estimates at the NAICS sector, 3-, 4-, 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.

OES estimates are constructed from a sample of about 1.2 million establishments. Each year, two semiannual panels of approximately 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 2016 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2016, November 2015, May 2015, November 2014, May 2014, and November 2013. The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 73 percent based on establishments and 69 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The unweighted employment of sampled establishments across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 58 percent of total national employment. The sample in the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area included 2,542 establishments with a response rate of 74 percent. For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_tec.htm.

The May 2016 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.

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 Colorado Springs, Colo. Metropolitan Statistical Area includes El Paso and Teller Counties.

Additional information

OES data are available on our regional web page at www.bls.gov/regions/mountain-plains. 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/current/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: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey, by occupation, Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area, May 2016

Occupation (1)	Employment		Mean wages
	Level (2)	Location quotient (3)	Hourly	Annual (4)
Sales and related occupations	31,790	1.1	$20.39	$42,420
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	2,290	1.0	23.84	49,580
First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers	470	1.0	40.44	84,110
Cashiers	7,190	1.1	11.29	23,480
Counter and rental clerks	1,250	1.5	16.91	35,170
Parts salespersons	530	1.1	15.44	32,120
Retail salespersons	8,690	1.0	13.80	28,710
Advertising sales agents	150	0.6	32.65	67,910
Insurance sales agents	(5)	(5)	35.50	73,850
Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents	780	1.2	35.10	73,010
Travel agents	120	0.9	19.22	39,970
Sales representatives, services, all other	2,580	1.4	32.68	67,970
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products	430	0.7	40.91	85,090
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products	1,960	0.7	32.06	66,690
Demonstrators and product promoters	(5)	(5)	16.20	33,690
Real estate brokers	180	2.4	40.33	83,890
Real estate sales agents	530	1.8	19.89	41,370
Sales engineers	130	0.9	47.68	99,180
Telemarketers	1,200	2.9	13.84	28,790
Sales and related workers, all other	560	3.6	15.58	32,400
Footnotes: (1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area see www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_17820.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.