Workers in the Jackson, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $24.51 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 ($49.30) and legal ($45.32). Lower paying occupations included food preparation and serving related ($12.58), building and grounds cleaning and maintenance ($13.77), and healthcare support ($14.94). (See table A.)

Occupational groups with the highest employment in the Jackson area included office and administrative support (12.5 percent) and transportation and material moving (10.4 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included life, physical, and social science (0.7 percent); arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media (0.9 percent); and legal (1.0 percent). (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. Jackson had 22,970 jobs in healthcare practitioners and technical, accounting for 9.1 percent of local area employment, compared to the 6.1-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $38.85, compared to the national wage of $49.07.

Registered nurses (9,250) was among the larger detailed occupations within the healthcare practitioners and technical group. Among the higher-paying jobs in this group were nurse anesthetists and psychiatrists, with mean hourly wages of $103.91 and $80.54, respectively. At the lower end of the wage scale were emergency medical technicians ($15.04), dispensing opticians ($16.30), veterinary technologists and technicians ($16.43), and psychiatric technicians ($16.90). (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_27140.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 Jackson area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the healthcare practitioners and technical group. For instance, respiratory therapists were employed at 2.3 times the national rate in Jackson, and nurse practitioners, at 2.1 times the U.S. average. Psychiatric technicians had a location quotient of 1.0 in Jackson, 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 Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

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 Jackson, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area included 2,198 establishments with a response rate of 79 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 Jackson, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Copiah County, Hinds County, Madison County, Rankin County, Simpson County, and Yazoo 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, Jackson metropolitan area, May 2023

Occupation (1)	Employment		Mean wages ($)
	Level (2)	Location quotient (3)	Hourly	Annual (4)
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	22,970	1.5	38.85	80,810
Chiropractors	40	0.6	(5)	(5)
Dentists, general	130	0.7	(5)	(5)
Dietitians and nutritionists	170	1.4	29.72	61,810
Optometrists	70	1.0	59.82	124,420
Pharmacists	790	1.4	59.15	123,030
Physician assistants	110	0.4	34.20	71,140
Occupational therapists	370	1.5	43.71	90,920
Physical therapists	510	1.3	47.72	99,250
Radiation therapists	30	1.2	38.66	80,410
Recreational therapists	70	2.8	21.01	43,690
Respiratory therapists	510	2.3	39.44	82,030
Speech-language pathologists	330	1.2	40.27	83,770
Veterinarians	100	0.8	48.17	100,190
Registered nurses	9,250	1.8	38.93	80,970
Nurse anesthetists	40	0.5	103.91	216,140
Nurse practitioners	970	2.1	57.69	120,000
Psychiatrists	30	0.8	80.54	167,530
Physicians, all other	400	0.8	140.17	291,560
Orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric	(5)	(5)	(6)	(6)
Surgeons, all other	50	1.1	(5)	(5)
Dental hygienists	330	0.9	32.18	66,920
Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners, all other	40	0.8	45.69	95,040
Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians	1,070	1.9	25.44	52,920
Cardiovascular technologists and technicians	150	1.6	24.53	51,020
Diagnostic medical sonographers	200	1.5	34.95	72,700
Nuclear medicine technologists	50	2.0	38.56	80,200
Radiologic technologists and technicians	680	1.8	26.76	55,650
Magnetic resonance imaging technologists	100	1.5	33.76	70,210
Emergency medical technicians	290	1.0	15.04	31,290
Paramedics	230	1.4	22.82	47,460
Pharmacy technicians	930	1.2	18.96	39,430
Psychiatric technicians	190	1.0	16.90	35,150
Surgical technologists	370	2.0	24.25	50,440
Veterinary technologists and technicians	180	0.9	16.43	34,170
Ophthalmic medical technicians	160	1.3	20.37	42,360
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses	2,100	2.0	24.19	50,320
Medical records specialists	680	2.2	20.62	42,900
Opticians, dispensing	130	1.0	16.30	33,910
Orthotists and prosthetists	40	3.0	50.45	104,940
Health technologists and technicians, all other	450	1.6	20.26	42,140
Health information technologists and medical registrars	30	0.6	22.53	46,860
Athletic trainers	50	1.0	(7)	53,810
Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other	50	0.9	25.51	53,060
Footnotes: (1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Jackson, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area, see www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_27140.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. (6) This wage is equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year. (7) Wages for some occupations that do not generally work year-round, full time, are reported either as hourly wages or annual salaries depending on how they are typically paid.