Workers in the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $26.23 in May 2024, compared to the nationwide average of $32.66, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that higher paying major occupational groups included management ($48.28); healthcare practitioners and technical ($45.96); and life, physical, and social science ($44.18). Lower paying occupations included food preparation and serving related ($15.11), building and grounds cleaning and maintenance ($16.76), and healthcare support ($16.77). (See table A.)

Occupational groups with the highest employment in the Cape Girardeau area included office and administrative support (11.8 percent), food preparation and serving related (10.2 percent), and healthcare practitioners and technical (9.7 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included life, physical, and social science (0.3 percent); legal (0.4 percent); and architecture and engineering (0.8 percent).

One occupational group—healthcare practitioners and technical—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Cape Girardeau had 4,360 jobs in healthcare practitioners and technical, accounting for 9.7 percent of local area employment, compared to the 6.2-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $45.96, compared to the national wage of $50.59.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the healthcare practitioners and technical group included registered nurses (1,520), licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses (350), and pharmacy technicians (220). Among the higher paying jobs in this group were general dentists ($104.68) and pharmacists ($66.28). At the lower end of the wage scale were emergency medical technicians ($16.98) and veterinary technologists and technicians ($17.73). (Detailed data for the healthcare practitioners and technical occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0016020.)

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 Cape Girardeau area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the healthcare practitioners and technical group. For instance, nurse anesthetists were employed at 2.92 times the national rate in Cape Girardeau, and dispensing opticians, at 2.44 times the U.S. average. Pharmacists had a location quotient of 1.19 in Cape Girardeau, indicating that this particular occupation’s 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 Missouri Department of Economic Development, and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

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 are 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 Cape Girardeau, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area included 858 establishments with a response rate of 69 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 Cape Girardeau, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Alexander County, IL; Bollinger County, MO; and Cape Girardeau County, MO.

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 healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, Cape Girardeau metropolitan area, May 2024

Occupation (1)	Employment		Mean wages ($)
	Level (2)	Location quotient (3)	Hourly	Annual (4)
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	4,360	1.57	45.96	95,590
Dentists, general	50	1.43	104.68	217,740
Dietitians and nutritionists	40	1.58	24.92	51,840
Pharmacists	110	1.19	66.28	137,850
Physician assistants	40	0.97	64.93	135,060
Occupational therapists	60	1.26	42.13	87,640
Physical therapists	90	1.21	43.92	91,360
Respiratory therapists	90	2.30	31.94	66,430
Speech-language pathologists	60	1.13	42.12	87,610
Veterinarians	40	1.51	57.85	120,320
Registered nurses	1,520	1.60	40.08	83,370
Nurse anesthetists	40	2.92	(5)	(5)
Nurse practitioners	170	1.86	58.93	122,570
Anesthesiologists	30	2.57	(6)	(6)
Emergency medicine physicians	30	3.07	(6)	(6)
Physicians, all other	80	0.87	184.10	382,920
Dental hygienists	70	1.16	39.84	82,870
Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians	190	1.86	26.59	55,310
Diagnostic medical sonographers	40	1.41	36.22	75,340
Radiologic technologists and technicians	100	1.48	29.96	62,310
Emergency medical technicians	60	1.17	16.98	35,320
Paramedics	30	1.12	23.54	48,950
Pharmacy technicians	220	1.56	18.29	38,040
Psychiatric technicians	120	3.02	17.87	37,170
Surgical technologists	70	2.17	24.91	51,810
Veterinary technologists and technicians	40	0.96	17.73	36,880
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses	350	1.88	26.88	55,920
Medical records specialists	70	1.31	24.61	51,190
Opticians, dispensing	60	2.44	18.28	38,020
Health technologists and technicians, all other	110	2.24	21.06	43,800
(1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area, see https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0016020. (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. (6) This wage is equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year.