Workers in the Topeka, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $28.10 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 ($55.32), healthcare practitioners and technical ($45.16), and computer and mathematical ($44.81). Lower paying occupations included food preparation and serving related ($15.17), personal care and service ($16.05), and healthcare support ($17.41). (See table A.)

Occupational groups with the highest employment in the Topeka area included office and administrative support (12.8 percent), transportation and material moving (8.6 percent), and food preparation and serving related (7.9 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included life, physical, and social science (1.0 percent); legal (1.0 percent); and architecture and engineering (1.1 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. Topeka had 8,650 jobs in healthcare practitioners and technical, accounting for 7.7 percent of local area employment, compared to the 6.2-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $45.16, compared to the national wage of $50.59.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the healthcare practitioners and technical group included registered nurses (3,170), licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses (800), and nurse practitioners (440). Among the higher paying jobs in this group were general dentists ($80.93) and nurse practitioners ($63.73). At the lower end of the wage scale were emergency medical technicians ($17.37) and dispensing opticians ($18.56). (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/0045820.)

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 Topeka area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the healthcare practitioners and technical group. For instance, recreational therapists were employed at 6.60 times the national rate in Topeka, and nurse practitioners, at 1.98 times the U.S. average. Pharmacy technicians had a location quotient of 1.05 in Topeka, 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 Kansas Department of Labor.

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 Topeka, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area included 1,417 establishments with a response rate of 72 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 Topeka, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Jackson County, Jefferson County, Osage County, Shawnee County, and Wabaunsee 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 healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, Topeka metropolitan area, May 2024

Occupation (1)	Employment		Mean wages ($)
	Level (2)	Location quotient (3)	Hourly	Annual (4)
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	8,650	1.24	45.16	93,930
Dentists, general	100	1.18	80.93	168,330
Dietitians and nutritionists	60	1.13	34.40	71,540
Optometrists	30	1.13	62.64	130,290
Pharmacists	280	1.17	62.64	130,290
Physician assistants	60	0.50	63.36	131,780
Occupational therapists	90	0.85	45.06	93,720
Physical therapists	160	0.86	48.67	101,240
Recreational therapists	70	6.60	22.52	46,850
Respiratory therapists	110	1.06	35.16	73,130
Speech-language pathologists	140	1.06	39.64	82,450
Veterinarians	70	1.22	57.70	120,010
Registered nurses	3,170	1.32	40.75	84,760
Nurse practitioners	440	1.98	63.73	132,560
Physicians, all other	500	2.16	140.20	291,610
Dental hygienists	240	1.53	39.16	81,460
Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians	330	1.32	31.08	64,640
Radiologic technologists and technicians	180	1.08	40.15	83,510
Emergency medical technicians	200	1.54	17.37	36,130
Paramedics	120	1.69	27.15	56,460
Pharmacy technicians	370	1.05	21.72	45,170
Psychiatric technicians	90	0.92	20.12	41,840
Surgical technologists	110	1.31	29.81	61,990
Veterinary technologists and technicians	90	0.98	19.15	39,840
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses	800	1.74	29.47	61,310
Medical records specialists	270	1.95	32.54	67,670
Opticians, dispensing	80	1.36	18.56	38,600
Health technologists and technicians, all other	50	0.40	37.34	77,670
Health information technologists and medical registrars	50	1.64	33.92	70,560
Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other	40	1.52	20.17	41,950
(1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Topeka, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area, see https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0045820. (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.