Among the 10 metropolitan areas in South Carolina, 5 had annual wages that were significantly below the national average for nurse practitioners. Nine areas had below-average wages for registered nurses, and all 10 had below-average wages for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that none of the areas had annual wages significantly higher than their national counterparts for the three selected nursing occupations. Nationwide, the average (mean) wage for nurse practitioners was $97,990; for registered nurses, $69,790; and for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, $43,420. (See table A. For comprehensive definitions of metropolitan areas in South Carolina, please see Technical Note.)

Table A. Average (mean) annual wages for selected Nursing occupations in the United States, South Carolina, and metropolitan areas in South Carolina, May 2014

Area	Nurse Practitioners	Registered Nurses	Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
United States	$97,990	$69,790	$43,420
South Carolina	88,460*	59,670*	39,070*
Anderson	83,250*	55,900*	36,040*
Augusta-Richmond County	84,410	65,150*	38,910*
Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville	86,190*	66,510	41,360*
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill	98,620	59,260*	41,060*
Columbia	86,960*	56,380*	40,270*
Florence	99,070	60,470*	38,420*
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley	79,330*	59,550*	36,390*
Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway	84,980*	57,140*	38,860*
Spartanburg	100,500	55,710*	39,200*
Sumter	(1)	55,250*	39,540*
Footnotes: (1) Data not available.
Note: An asterisk indicates that the mean annual wage for this area is significantly different from the national average of all areas at the 90-percent confidence level.

The Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill area had a combined employment of 21,310 in the three selected nursing occupations. Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville and Columbia had a combined employment of 10,960 and 10,580, respectively, for the selected occupations. In the remaining seven areas, combined employment in the selected nursing occupations was less than 8,100. (See table B.)

Table B. Employment of selected Nursing occupations in the United States, South Carolina, and metropolitan areas in South Carolina, May 2014

Area	Nurse Practitioners	Registered Nurses	Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
United States	122,050	2,687,310	695,610
South Carolina	1,260	41,270	9,430
Anderson	50	1,710	360
Augusta-Richmond County	350	5,860	1,860
Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville	230	9,440	1,290
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill	490	18,110	2,710
Columbia	230	8,140	2,210
Florence	60	3,000	720
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley	150	5,160	1,070
Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway	60	1,660	370
Spartanburg	110	2,690	590
Sumter	(1)	(1)	190
Footnotes: (1) Data not available.

Wages for nurse practitioners in metropolitan areas in South Carolina

Five metropolitan areas in South Carolina had wages significantly below the national average of $97,990: Greenville-Mauldin-Easley ($79,330), Anderson ($83,250), Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway ($84,980), Charleston ($86,190), and Columbia ($86,960). Nurse practitioners in the remaining four areas in South Carolina for which data were available earned wages that were not measurably different from the national average.

Wages for registered nurses in metropolitan areas in South Carolina

Nine metropolitan areas had wages measurably below the national average of $69,790 for registered nurses. Sumter ($55,250), Spartanburg ($55,710), and Anderson ($55,900) were among the lower-paying areas. One area, Charleston, had wages that were not measurably different from the national average.

Wages for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in metropolitan areas in South Carolina

All 10 metropolitan areas in South Carolina had annual wages for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses that were significantly below the national average of $43,420. Annual wages ranged from $41,360 in Charleston to $36,040 in Anderson.

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 South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.

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. May 2014 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2014, November 2013, May 2013, November 2012, May 2012, and November 2011. The overall national response rate for the six panels is 74.3 percent based on establishments and 70.5 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The unweighted employment of sampled establishments across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 57.1 percent of total national employment. (Response rates are slightly lower for these estimates due to the federal shutdown in October 2013.) 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 2014 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.

• Anderson, S.C. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes Anderson County in South Carolina.
• Augusta-Richmond County, Ga-S.C. MSA includes Aiken and Edgefield Counties in South Carolina and Burke, Columbia, McDuffie, and Richmond Counties in Georgia.
• Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, S.C. MSA includes Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester Counties in South Carolina.
• Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, N.C.-S.C. MSA includes Anson, Cabarrus, Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Union Counties in North Carolina and York County in South Carolina.
• Columbia, S.C. MSA includes Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Richland, and Saluda Counties in South Carolina.
• Florence, S.C. MSA includes Darlington and Florence Counties in South Carolina.
• Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, S.C. MSA includes Greenville, Laurens, and Pickens Counties in South Carolina.
• Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway, S.C. MSA includes Horry County in South Carolina.
• Spartanburg, S.C. MSA includes Spartanburg County in South Carolina.
• Sumter, S.C. MSA includes Sumter County in South Carolina.

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