Workers in the Huntsville, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $32.27 in May 2023, compared to the nationwide average of $31.48, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that higher paying major occupational groups included management ($65.24), architecture and engineering ($55.58), legal ($54.56), and computer and mathematical ($54.18). Lower paying occupations included food preparation and serving related ($13.56), personal care and service ($15.54), healthcare support ($15.89), and building and grounds and cleaning and maintenance ($16.11). (See table A.)

Occupational groups with the highest employment in the Huntsville area included office and administrative support (9.4 percent), production (8.9 percent), and transportation and material moving (8.6 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included legal (0.5 percent); community and social service (0.7 percent); and life, physical, and social science (0.8 percent). (See table A.)

One occupational group—architecture and engineering—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Huntsville had 19,870 jobs in architecture and engineering, accounting for 7.9 percent of local area employment, compared to the 1.7-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $55.58, compared to the national wage of $47.64.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the architecture and engineering group included aerospace engineers (4,280), mechanical engineers (2,260), and electrical engineers (2,070). Among the higher-paying jobs in this group were computer hardware engineers ($64.67), aerospace engineers ($63.61), and electronics engineers, except computer ($63.15). At the lower end of the wage scale were surveying and mapping technicians and civil engineering technologists and technicians, with mean hourly wages of $21.95 and $24.20, respectively. (Detailed data for the architecture and engineering occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available, go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_26620.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 Huntsville area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the architecture and engineering group. For instance, aerospace engineers were employed at 38.8 times the national rate in Huntsville, and electrical engineers, at 6.7 times the U.S. average. Architectural and civil drafters had a location quotient of 1.2 in Huntsville, 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 Alabama Department of Labor.

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 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. 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 65.8 percent based on establishments and 64.3 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The sample in the Huntsville, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area included 2,001 establishments with a response rate of 59 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 Huntsville, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Limestone County and Madison 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.