Workers in the Greenville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $26.83 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 ($57.11) and legal ($56.95). Lower paying occupations included food preparation and serving related ($13.49), building and grounds cleaning and maintenance ($15.64), and personal care and service ($15.70). (See table A.)

Occupational groups with the highest employment in the Greenville area included office and administrative support (12.7 percent), healthcare practitioners and technical (11.8 percent), and food preparation and serving related (10.6 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included legal (0.5 percent) and the following groups with 1.1 percent each: arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media; life, physical, and social science; and architecture and engineering. (See table A.)

One occupational group—healthcare practitioners and technical—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Greenville had 9,410 jobs in healthcare practitioners and technical, accounting for 11.8 percent of local area employment, compared to the 6.1-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $42.62, compared to the national wage of $49.07.

Registered nurses (3,670) was among the larger detailed occupations within the healthcare practitioners and technical group. Among the higher-paying jobs in this group were general dentists and pharmacists, with mean hourly wages of $98.35 and $70.56, respectively. At the lower end of the wage scale was dietetic technicians ($12.50). (Detailed data for the healthcare practitioners and technical occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available, go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_24780.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 Greenville area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the healthcare practitioners and technical group. For instance, medical records specialists were employed at 3.3 times the national rate in Greenville, and registered nurses, at 2.2 times the U.S. average. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses had a location quotient of 1.2 in Greenville, 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 North Carolina Department of Commerce.

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 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 Greenville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area included 980 establishments with a response rate of 73 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 Greenville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Pitt 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, Greenville metropolitan area, May 2023

Occupation (1)	Employment		Mean wages ($)
	Level (2)	Location quotient (3)	Hourly	Annual (4)
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	9,410	1.9	42.62	88,660
Dentists, general	50	0.8	98.35	204,560
Dietitians and nutritionists	70	1.9	30.85	64,170
Pharmacists	240	1.4	70.56	146,760
Physician assistants	170	2.2	59.87	124,540
Occupational therapists	130	1.7	45.41	94,440
Physical therapists	190	1.5	50.25	104,520
Respiratory therapists	150	2.2	31.13	64,760
Speech-language pathologists	280	3.2	42.06	87,480
Veterinarians	40	0.9	52.82	109,870
Registered nurses	3,670	2.2	39.24	81,620
Nurse practitioners	300	2.0	54.94	114,270
Physicians, all other	580	3.5	58.50	121,690
Dental hygienists	130	1.1	36.86	76,670
Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians	390	2.2	29.96	62,310
Cardiovascular technologists and technicians	80	2.8	34.58	71,930
Diagnostic medical sonographers	160	3.6	35.08	72,970
Radiologic technologists and technicians	180	1.6	30.01	62,420
Magnetic resonance imaging technologists	50	2.1	32.90	68,440
Emergency medical technicians	200	2.3	18.26	37,980
Paramedics	60	1.1	24.38	50,720
Dietetic technicians	30	2.7	12.50	26,000
Pharmacy technicians	340	1.4	19.33	40,210
Psychiatric technicians	140	2.3	19.15	39,840
Surgical technologists	120	2.0	26.28	54,660
Veterinary technologists and technicians	40	0.7	18.37	38,210
Ophthalmic medical technicians	50	1.2	18.51	38,490
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses	400	1.2	26.74	55,620
Medical records specialists	320	3.3	24.80	51,570
Health technologists and technicians, all other	170	1.9	21.88	45,510
Footnotes: (1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Greenville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, see www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_24780.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.