Workers in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $20.45 in May 2015, about 12 percent below the nationwide average of $23.23, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that, after testing for statistical significance, wages in the local area were lower than their respective national averages in 20 of the 22 major groups, including legal; management; and computer and mathematical. Two groups had wages that were not measurably different from the national averages.

When compared to the nationwide distribution, local employment was more highly concentrated in 4 of the 22 occupational groups, including healthcare practitioners and technical; management; and computer and mathematical. Conversely, seven groups had employment shares significantly below their national representation, including production; food preparation and serving related; and architecture and engineering. (See table A and box note at end of release.)

Table A. Occupational employment and wages by major occupational group, United States and the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area, and measures of statistical significance, May 2015

Major occupational group	Percent of total employment			Mean hourly wage
	United States	Little Rock- North Little Rock- Conway		United States	Little Rock- North Little Rock- Conway		Percent difference(1)
Total, all occupations	100.0%	100.0%		$23.23	$20.45	*	-12
Management	5.0	5.9	*	55.30	41.35	*	-25
Business and financial operations	5.1	5.0		35.48	28.01	*	-21
Computer and mathematical	2.9	3.4	*	41.43	31.62	*	-24
Architecture and engineering	1.8	1.3	*	39.89	32.42	*	-19
Life, physical, and social science	0.8	0.7	*	34.24	25.96	*	-24
Community and social service	1.4	1.2	*	22.19	19.88	*	-10
Legal	0.8	1.0	*	49.74	36.93	*	-26
Education, training, and library	6.2	5.2		25.48	24.79		-3
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media	1.3	0.9	*	27.39	20.35	*	-26
Healthcare practitioners and technical	5.8	8.1	*	37.40	34.29	*	-8
Healthcare support	2.9	3.0		14.19	13.06	*	-8
Protective service	2.4	2.3		21.45	17.43	*	-19
Food preparation and serving related	9.1	8.6	*	10.98	9.68	*	-12
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance	3.2	3.4		13.02	10.93	*	-16
Personal care and service	3.1	3.3		12.33	10.37	*	-16
Sales and related	10.5	10.9		18.90	17.19	*	-9
Office and administrative support	15.8	16.3		17.47	15.69	*	-10
Farming, fishing, and forestry	0.3	(2)		12.67	14.08		11
Construction and extraction	4.0	3.8		22.88	17.90	*	-22
Installation, maintenance, and repair	3.9	4.1		22.11	19.12	*	-14
Production	6.6	5.1	*	17.41	16.55	*	-5
Transportation and material moving	6.9	6.4	*	16.90	15.30	*	-9
(1) A positive percent difference measures how much the mean wage in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway is above the national mean wage, while a negative difference reflects a lower wage. (2) Estimate not released.
Note: * The percent share of employment or mean hourly wage for this area is significantly different from the national average of all areas at the 90-percent confidence level.

One occupational group–healthcare practitioners and technical–was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Little Rock had 27,350 jobs in healthcare practitioners and technical, accounting for 8.1 percent of local area employment, significantly higher than the 5.8-percent national share. However, the local average hourly wage for this occupational group, $34.29 per hour, was about 8 percent below the national average of $37.40.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the healthcare practitioners and technical group included registered nurses (8,900), licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses (3,220), and pharmacists (1,340). Among the higher paying jobs were general internists, as well as family and general practitioners, with mean hourly wages of $122.47 and $112.53, respectively. At the lower end of the wage scale were psychiatric technicians ($13.98) and emergency medical technicians and paramedics ($14.18). (Detailed occupational data for the healthcare practitioners and technical group are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_30780.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 Little Rock metropolitan area, above average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the healthcare practitioners and technical group. For instance, local pharmacists, as well as licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, were employed at 1.9 times the national rate. The Little Rock location quotient for pharmacists was among the highest in all metropolitan areas for this particular occupation. On the other hand, surgical technologists had a location quotient of 1.0 in Little Rock, indicating that this 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 Arkansas Department of Workforce Services.

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. The OES program produces employment and wage estimates for over 800 occupations for all industries combined in the nation; the 50 states and the District of Columbia; 432 metropolitan areas and divisions; 167 nonmetropolitan areas; and Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. National estimates are also available by industry for NAICS sectors, 3-, 4-, and selected 5- and 6-digit industries, and by ownership across all industries and for schools and hospitals. OES data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm.

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 2015 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2015, November 2014, May 2014, November 2013, May 2013, and November 2012. The overall national response rate for the six panels is 73.5 percent based on establishments and 69.6 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The unweighted employment of sampled establishments across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 57.9 percent of total national employment. (Response rates are slightly lower for these estimates due to the federal shutdown in October 2013.) The sample in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area included 2,833 establishments with a response rate of 79 percent. For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.

The May 2015 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.

The Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes Faulkner, Grant, Lonoke, Perry, Pulaski, and Saline Counties in Arkansas.

Additional information

OES data are available on our regional web page at www.bls.gov/regions/southwest. Answers to frequently asked questions about the OES data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm. Detailed technical information about the OES survey is available in our Survey Methods and Reliability Statement on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/oes/current/methods_statement.pdf.

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 from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey, by occupation, Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area, May 2015

Occupation(1)	Employment		Mean wages
	Level(2)	Location quotient(3)	Hourly	Annual(4)
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	27,350	1.4	$34.29	$71,330
Chiropractors	110	1.4	(5)	(5)
Dentists, general	150	0.6	88.09	183,230
Dietitians and nutritionists	270	1.8	24.68	51,340
Optometrists	60	0.7	59.49	123,730
Pharmacists	1,340	1.9	51.32	106,750
Anesthesiologists	(5)	(5)	(6)	(6)
Family and general practitioners	460	1.5	112.53	234,060
Internists, general	130	1.1	122.47	254,730
Obstetricians and gynecologists	(5)	(5)	(6)	(6)
Psychiatrists	(5)	(5)	29.07	60,460
Surgeons	230	2.3	110.86	230,590
Physicians and surgeons, all other	1,600	2.0	71.57	148,870
Physician assistants	180	0.8	35.62	74,090
Occupational therapists	410	1.5	39.35	81,850
Physical therapists	780	1.5	37.58	78,170
Radiation therapists	90	2.3	38.19	79,440
Recreational therapists	60	1.5	26.45	55,010
Respiratory therapists	520	1.8	24.83	51,640
Speech-language pathologists	580	1.8	35.99	74,870
Veterinarians	160	1.0	40.83	84,930
Registered nurses	8,900	1.3	29.76	61,900
Nurse anesthetists	310	3.2	70.06	145,720
Nurse practitioners	530	1.6	48.57	101,020
Medical and clinical laboratory technologists	500	1.3	25.76	53,580
Medical and clinical laboratory technicians	660	1.7	16.92	35,190
Dental hygienists	430	0.9	31.85	66,240
Cardiovascular technologists and technicians	140	1.1	29.38	61,120
Diagnostic medical sonographers	130	0.9	26.96	56,070
Nuclear medicine technologists	50	1.0	32.54	67,680
Radiologic technologists	630	1.3	25.04	52,080
Magnetic resonance imaging technologists	120	1.5	25.94	53,960
Emergency medical technicians and paramedics	440	0.8	14.18	29,490
Dietetic technicians	80	1.2	10.89	22,640
Pharmacy technicians	1,150	1.2	15.56	32,370
Psychiatric technicians	450	3.2	13.98	29,080
Respiratory therapy technicians	90	3.7	19.21	39,950
Surgical technologists	240	1.0	20.44	42,520
Veterinary technologists and technicians	40	0.2	14.78	30,740
Ophthalmic medical technicians	(5)	(5)	17.50	36,400
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses	3,220	1.9	18.34	38,150
Medical records and health information technicians	720	1.6	18.24	37,930
Opticians, dispensing	130	0.7	18.52	38,510
Health technologists and technicians, all other	280	1.1	25.18	52,380
Occupational health and safety specialists	210	1.2	28.88	60,080
Occupational health and safety technicians	(5)	(5)	30.64	63,740
Athletic trainers	80	1.4	(7)	32,350
Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other	130	1.3	18.88	39,260
(1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway MSA, see www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_30780.htm. (2) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations 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) Estimates not released. (6) Indicates a wage equal to or greater than $90.00 per hour or $187,200 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.