Workers in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $31.87 in May 2024, compared to the nationwide average of $32.66, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that higher paying major occupational groups included management ($67.03), legal ($63.17), and architecture and engineering ($52.59). Lower paying occupations included food preparation and serving related ($14.91), building and grounds cleaning and maintenance ($16.33), and healthcare support ($16.39). (See table A.)

Occupational groups with the highest employment in the Houston area included office and administrative support (11.7 percent), transportation and material moving (9.5 percent), and food preparation and serving related (9.4 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included legal (0.8 percent); arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media (0.9 percent); and community and social service (1.0 percent).

One occupational group—construction and extraction—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Houston had 175,890 jobs in construction and extraction occupations, accounting for 5.4 percent of local area employment, compared to the 4.1-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $26.62, compared to the national wage of $30.73.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the construction and extraction group included construction laborers (33,070), first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers (24,650), and electricians (17,860). Among the higher paying jobs in this group were oil and gas rotary drill operators ($41.35) and first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers ($37.69). At the lower end of the wage scale were construction laborers ($20.13) and tile and stone setters ($20.60). (Detailed data for the construction and extraction occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0026420.)

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 2.00 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it does nationally. In the Houston area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the construction and extraction group. For instance, oil and gas derrick operators were employed at 6.69 times the national rate in Houston, and oil and gas service unit operators at 6.18 times the U.S. average. Sheet metal workers had a location quotient of 1.14 in Houston, 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 Texas Workforce Commission.

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 530 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 65.7 percent based on establishments and 65.9 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The sample in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area included 9,816 establishments with a response rate of 43 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Austin County, Brazoria County, Chambers County, Fort Bend County, Galveston County, Harris County, Liberty County, Montgomery County, San Jacinto County, and Waller 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.