Workers in the Greensboro-High Point, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $21.99 in May 2019, about 15 percent below the nationwide average of $25.72, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that, after testing for statistical significance, 1 of the 22 major occupational groups had an average wage in the local area that was significantly higher than its respective national average. Nineteen groups had significantly lower wages than their respective national averages, including legal, construction and extraction, and computer and mathematical.

When compared to the nationwide distribution, Greensboro area employment was more highly concentrated in 4 of the 22 occupational groups, including production, and transportation and material moving. Sixteen groups had employment shares significantly below their national representation, including management, computer and mathematical, and healthcare practitioners and technical. (See table A and box note at end of release.)

One occupational group—production—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Greensboro had 38,000 jobs in production occupations, accounting for 10.4 percent of local area employment, significantly higher than the 6.2-percent share nationally. The local average hourly wage for this occupational group was $16.82, significantly lower than the national wage of $19.30.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the production group included miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators (6,680); first-line supervisors of production and operating workers (2,430); and inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (2,390). Among the higher-paying jobs in this group were first-line supervisors of production and operating workers, and tool and die makers, with mean hourly wages of $28.31 and $25.31, respectively. At the lower end of the wage scale were tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers ($11.16) and laundry and dry-cleaning workers ($11.18). (Detailed data for the production occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_24660.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 Greensboro area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the production group. For instance, upholsters were employed at 21.8 times the national rate in Greensboro, and textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators and tenders, at 12.1 times the U.S. average. Machinists had a location quotient of 1.1 in Greensboro, indicating that this particular occupation’s local and national employment shares were similar.

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 North Carolina Department of Commerce.

Technical Note

The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey is a semiannual 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 580 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. OES data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm.

The OES survey is a cooperative effort between BLS and the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures and technical support, while the State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data. OES estimates are constructed from a sample of about 1.1 million establishments. Each year, two semiannual panels of approximately 180,000 to 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 2019 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2019, November 2018, May 2018, November 2017, May 2017, and November 2016. The unweighted sample employment of 83 million across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 57 percent of total national employment. The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 71 percent based on establishments and 68 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The sample in the Greensboro-High Point, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area included 2,822 establishments with a response rate of 78 percent. For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_tec.htm.

A value that is statistically different from another does not necessarily mean that the difference has economic or practical significance. Statistical significance is concerned with the ability to make confident statements about a universe based on a sample. It is entirely possible that a large difference between two values is not significantly different statistically, while a small difference is, since both the size and heterogeneity of the sample affect the relative error of the data being tested.

The May 2019 OES estimates are the first set of OES estimates to be based in part on survey data collected using the 2018 SOC. These estimates use a hybrid of the 2010 and 2018 SOC systems. More information on the hybrid classification system is available at www.bls.gov/oes/soc_2018.htm.

The May 2019 OES estimates are based on the 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). More information about the 2017 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 Greensboro-High Point, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Guilford, Randolph, and Rockingham Counties.

For more information

Answers to frequently asked questions about the OES data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm. Detailed information about the OES program is available at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_doc.htm.

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 for production occupations, Greensboro-High Point, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, May 2019

Occupation (1)	Employment		Mean wages
	Level (2)	Location quotient (3)	Hourly	Annual (4)
Production occupations	38,000	1.7	$16.82	$34,980
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers	2,430	1.6	28.31	58,880
Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers	80	0.7	16.30	33,900
Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers, except coil winders, tapers, and finishers	790	1.1	16.34	33,990
Structural metal fabricators and fitters	310	1.6	22.88	47,580
Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators	6,680	2.0	13.96	29,040
Bakers	180	0.4	14.22	29,580
Butchers and meat cutters	200	0.6	14.71	30,600
Food batchmakers	80	0.2	15.67	32,590
Food processing workers, all other	(5)	(5)	11.75	24,440
Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	200	1.0	14.72	30,620
Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	(5)	(5)	14.40	29,940
Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	800	1.7	14.88	30,960
Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	330	1.7	19.99	41,580
Machinists	1,010	1.1	21.87	45,490
Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	1,270	3.0	14.50	30,160
Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	200	0.5	15.25	31,720
Tool and die makers	120	0.7	25.31	52,640
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers	1,130	1.1	19.24	40,010
Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders	(5)	(5)	18.69	38,880
Plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	200	2.0	14.81	30,800
Prepress technicians and workers	130	1.7	20.73	43,110
Printing press operators	890	2.1	17.97	37,380
Print binding and finishing workers	260	2.3	15.55	32,340
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers	280	0.6	11.18	23,260
Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials	(5)	(5)	9.22	19,170
Sewing machine operators	1,670	5.0	12.94	26,920
Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers	(5)	(5)	11.16	23,200
Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders	300	14.0	15.06	31,320
Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders	300	9.1	13.99	29,100
Textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders	920	17.5	13.95	29,010
Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders	940	12.1	14.22	29,570
Extruding and forming machine setters, operators, and tenders, synthetic and glass fibers	80	1.7	(5)	(5)
Fabric and apparel patternmakers	50	3.4	21.00	43,670
Upholsterers	1,590	21.8	17.30	35,990
Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers, all other	200	4.4	12.95	26,940
Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters	540	2.2	13.72	28,540
Furniture finishers	280	7.0	15.31	31,840
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood	350	2.8	13.79	28,690
Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing	600	3.1	14.25	29,640
Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators	260	0.9	19.70	40,970
Chemical plant and system operators	(5)	(5)	22.28	46,340
Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers	(5)	(5)	34.92	72,630
Chemical equipment operators and tenders	890	4.1	22.01	45,780
Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders	70	0.6	27.84	57,910
Grinding and polishing workers, hand	110	1.6	14.72	30,620
Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders	610	2.0	18.20	37,850
Cutters and trimmers, hand	160	6.5	15.63	32,520
Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders	380	2.6	16.97	35,300
Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders	300	1.7	19.68	40,930
Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders	50	1.1	14.51	30,170
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers	2,390	1.7	16.98	35,310
Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers	50	0.9	20.64	42,920
Dental laboratory technicians	100	1.2	19.33	40,210
Medical appliance technicians	(5)	(5)	20.49	42,610
Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders	1,250	1.3	15.20	31,620
Painting, coating, and decorating workers	40	1.2	15.85	32,970
Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders	580	1.6	17.33	36,050
Photographic process workers and processing machine operators	40	1.4	21.26	44,230
Computer numerically controlled tool operators	210	0.6	18.77	39,040
Computer numerically controlled tool programmers	50	0.8	23.84	49,590
Adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders	170	5.0	15.07	31,350
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders	740	3.0	16.94	35,240
Helpers--production workers	1,650	2.2	12.76	26,550
Production workers, all other	430	0.8	15.44	32,120
Footnotes: (1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Greensboro-High Point, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, see www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_24660.htm. (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.