Occupational Pay Comparisons Among Metropolitan Areas News Release
Technical Contact: USDL 09-0843
(202) 691-6199 NCSinfo@bls.gov
Media Contact:
(202) 691-5902 FOR RELEASE: 10:00 AM EDT
Internet Address: FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2009
http;//www.bls.gov/ncs
OCCUPATIONAL PAY COMPARISONS AMONG METROPOLITAN AREAS, 2008
Average pay for civilian workers in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA metropolitan area was
19 percent above the national average in 2008, one of 77 metropolitan areas studied by the National
Compensation Survey (NCS), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.
The Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metropolitan area had a pay relative of 77, meaning workers earned an
average of 77 cents for every dollar earned by workers nationwide. Using data from the NCS, pay
relatives--a means of assessing pay differences--are available for each of the nine major occupational
groups within surveyed metropolitan areas, as well as averaged across all occupations for each area.
The average pay relative nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group equals 100.
(See table 1.)
A pay relative is a calculation of pay—wages, salaries, commissions, and production bonuses--for a
given metropolitan area relative to the nation as a whole. The calculation controls for differences among
areas in occupational composition, establishment and occupational characteristics, and the fact that data
are collected for areas at different times during the year. Simple pay comparisons calculating the ratio of
the average pay for an area to the entire United States in percentage terms would not control for interarea
differences in occupational composition and other factors, which may have a significant effect on pay relatives.
Pay relatives calculated for all occupations were significantly different from the national average in
65 of the 77 areas. Table A below lists selected metropolitan area pay relatives compared to average
pay nationally among those studied in the NCS. Table B provides selected metropolitan area pay relatives
for each of nine major occupational groups. In addition, area-to-area comparisons have been calculated
for all 77 metropolitan areas and will soon be available on the BLS website at http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/payrel.htm.
Table A. Selected metropolitan area pay relatives (of 77 metropolitan areas surveyed)
Metropolitan Area Pay Relative (Average pay nationally = 100)
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 119
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 114
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH 111
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA 109
Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV 109
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI 108
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD 105
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL 100
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX 98
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 97
Table B. Selected metropolitan area-to-national pay relatives for nine major occupational groups, 2008 (of 77 metropolitan areas surveyed)
Major Occupational Group Metropolitan Area Pay Relative
Management, business, and financial New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 115
Salinas, CA 113
Professional and related Salinas, CA 120
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 119
Service San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 126
Salinas, CA 123
Sales and related Salinas, CA 129
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 122
Office and administrative support San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 120
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 116
Construction and extraction New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 132
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI 131
Installation, maintenance, and repair Salinas, CA 124
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 117
Production Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Truckee, CA-NV 121
Bloomington-Normal, IL 116
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI 116
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 116
Transportation and material moving Springfield, MA 114
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 113
The pay relative for construction and extraction occupations in the New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA
area was 132, meaning the pay in the New York metropolitan area for that occupational group averaged 32 percent
more than the national average pay for that occupational group. By contrast, the pay relative for workers in
construction and extraction in the Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas area was 66, meaning pay for workers in those
occupations averaged 34 percent less than the national average. (See table 1.)
Using pay relative data
To assist data users in analyzing these data, tests have been conducted to determine whether differences between
each pay relative and the pay relative for the nation as a whole are statistically significant (that is, the difference
in pay for occupations in that area from the national average cannot be accounted for by sampling error). Similar
tests are conducted for the area-to-area comparisons. In Table 1, statistically significant pay relatives are denoted
with an asterisk (*). More information on pay relative controls, calculations, and significance testing is available
in the Technical Note.
Yearly differences in area and occupational group pay relatives do not infer changes in underlying economic conditions.
Table 1. Pay relatives for major occupational groups in
metropolitan areas, National Compensation Survey, July 2008
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Management,
Metropolitan Area(1) All business,
occupations and
financial
United States......................... 100 100
Amarillo, TX.......................... 89* 98
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,
GA-AL................................. 100 102
Austin-Round Rock, TX................. 93* 92*
Birmingham-Hoover, AL................. 96* 103
Bloomington, IN....................... 90* 91*
Bloomington-Normal, IL................ 101 100
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH.... 111* 105*
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX............. 77* 90*
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY....... 99* 89*
Charleston-North
Charleston-Summerville, SC............ 92* 92*
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC..... 99 105
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City,
IL-IN-WI.............................. 108* 104
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,
OH-KY-IN.............................. 99 95
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH............ 99 100
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH....... 99 96
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 89* 85*
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 97* 99
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH..... 96* 100
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO............. 104* 100
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI.............. 104* 95*
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 96* 96*
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 102* 93*
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI.............. 99 90*
Great Falls, MT....................... 88* 86*
Greensboro-High Point, NC............. 95* 100
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC......... 93* 105
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic,
CT.................................... 111* 105
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.......... 94* 95*
Honolulu, HI.......................... 105* 105
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX........ 98* 103
Huntsville-Decatur, AL................ 96* 95
See footnotes at end of table.
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Metropolitan Area(1) Professional Service
and related
United States......................... 100 100
Amarillo, TX.......................... 83* 91*
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,
GA-AL................................. 102 96*
Austin-Round Rock, TX................. 92* 91*
Birmingham-Hoover, AL................. 100 96*
Bloomington, IN....................... 91* 86*
Bloomington-Normal, IL................ 102* 106*
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH.... 108* 114*
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX............. 87* 80*
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY....... 92* 107*
Charleston-North
Charleston-Summerville, SC............ 95* 87*
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC..... 94* 97
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City,
IL-IN-WI.............................. 107* 107*
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,
OH-KY-IN.............................. 102 101
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH............ 97 100
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH....... 96* 102
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 88* 85*
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 99 92*
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH..... 92* 95*
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO............. 103 106*
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI.............. 103* 100
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 92* 94*
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 96* 99
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI.............. 95 105*
Great Falls, MT....................... 77* 96*
Greensboro-High Point, NC............. 94* 92*
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC......... 88* 94*
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic,
CT.................................... 108* 120*
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.......... 84* 89*
Honolulu, HI.......................... 101 116*
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX........ 101 85*
Huntsville-Decatur, AL................ 96* 94*
See footnotes at end of table.
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Office and
Metropolitan Area(1) Sales and administra-
related tive support
United States......................... 100 100
Amarillo, TX.......................... 91* 89*
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,
GA-AL................................. 96 105*
Austin-Round Rock, TX................. 95* 94*
Birmingham-Hoover, AL................. 93 97
Bloomington, IN....................... 83* 92*
Bloomington-Normal, IL................ 102 95*
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH.... 109* 115*
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX............. 70* 76*
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY....... 93* 95*
Charleston-North
Charleston-Summerville, SC............ 96* 95*
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC..... 100 99
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City,
IL-IN-WI.............................. 107* 110*
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,
OH-KY-IN.............................. 94 99
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH............ 94* 100
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH....... 100 98
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 89* 86*
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 105 100
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH..... 95* 91*
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO............. 104 104*
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI.............. 99 103*
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 91* 93*
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 103* 104*
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI.............. 106 99
Great Falls, MT....................... 87* 80*
Greensboro-High Point, NC............. 99 98*
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC......... 88* 97
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic,
CT.................................... 109 113*
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.......... 94* 93*
Honolulu, HI.......................... 109* 96*
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX........ 102 99
Huntsville-Decatur, AL................ 99 95*
See footnotes at end of table.
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Construction Installation
Metropolitan Area(1) and maintenance,
extraction and repair
United States......................... 100 100
Amarillo, TX.......................... 86* 91*
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,
GA-AL................................. 88* 101
Austin-Round Rock, TX................. 82* 103
Birmingham-Hoover, AL................. 85* 102
Bloomington, IN....................... 77* 81*
Bloomington-Normal, IL................ 103 94
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH.... 120* 113*
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX............. 66* 90*
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY....... 113* 101
Charleston-North
Charleston-Summerville, SC............ 78* 86*
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC..... 91* 99
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City,
IL-IN-WI.............................. 131* 110*
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,
OH-KY-IN.............................. 91 100
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH............ 103 105
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH....... 99 99
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 99 101
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 90* 97
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH..... 94* 93*
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO............. 98 116*
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI.............. 100 99
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 110* 87*
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 103* 108*
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI.............. 108* 94*
Great Falls, MT....................... 114* 98
Greensboro-High Point, NC............. 88* 87*
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC......... 78* 85*
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic,
CT.................................... 113* 107
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.......... 97 93*
Honolulu, HI.......................... 118* 112*
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX........ 91* 96
Huntsville-Decatur, AL................ 89* 92*
See footnotes at end of table.
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Transporta-
Metropolitan Area(1) Production tion and
material
moving
United States......................... 100 100
Amarillo, TX.......................... 94* 92*
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,
GA-AL................................. 103 101
Austin-Round Rock, TX................. 91 92*
Birmingham-Hoover, AL................. 91* 102
Bloomington, IN....................... 99 104*
Bloomington-Normal, IL................ 116* 99
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH.... 106* 110*
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX............. 75* 72*
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY....... 108* 98*
Charleston-North
Charleston-Summerville, SC............ 102 99
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC..... 103 98
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City,
IL-IN-WI.............................. 103 105*
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,
OH-KY-IN.............................. 100 103
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH............ 102 102
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH....... 101 100
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 92* 87*
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 91* 102
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH..... 105* 102*
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO............. 104 104
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI.............. 116* 108*
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 98 102*
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 103 113*
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI.............. 101 98
Great Falls, MT....................... 93* 97*
Greensboro-High Point, NC............. 99 103
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC......... 106* 93*
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic,
CT.................................... 112* 109*
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.......... 101 101
Honolulu, HI.......................... 109 96
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX........ 100 94*
Huntsville-Decatur, AL................ 99 101
See footnotes at end of table.
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Management,
Metropolitan Area(1) All business,
occupations and
financial
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN.... 95* 81*
Iowa City, IA......................... 97* 98
Johnstown, PA......................... 86* 83*
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 99 92*
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA.......... 102* 102
Knoxville, TN......................... 91* 105
Lincoln, NE........................... 88* 83*
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside,
CA.................................... 109* 110*
Louisville/Jefferson
County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg,
KY-IN................................. 94* 89*
Memphis, TN-MS-AR..................... 94* 93*
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach,
FL.................................... 98* 105
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI......... 99 97
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud,
MN-WI................................. 108* 108
Mobile, AL............................ 92* 94
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA....... 97* 93*
New York-Newark-Bridgeport,
NY-NJ-CT-PA........................... 114* 115*
Ocala, FL............................. 89* 77*
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 92* 87*
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL................. 91* 89*
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL..... 92* 86*
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 105* 104*
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ........... 99 102
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA............. 95* 88*
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA... 105* 98
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River,
RI-MA................................. 108* 102
Reading, PA........................... 101 106*
Reno-Sparks, NV....................... 99* 96*
Richmond, VA.......................... 97* 97
Rochester, NY......................... 99* 91
Rockford, IL.......................... 98* 89*
See footnotes at end of table.
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Metropolitan Area(1) Professional Service
and related
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN.... 97* 93*
Iowa City, IA......................... 93* 101
Johnstown, PA......................... 84* 91*
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 98 98
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA.......... 95* 111*
Knoxville, TN......................... 99 82*
Lincoln, NE........................... 83* 91*
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside,
CA.................................... 110* 112*
Louisville/Jefferson
County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg,
KY-IN................................. 91* 97*
Memphis, TN-MS-AR..................... 92* 86*
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach,
FL.................................... 96* 101
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI......... 95* 97
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud,
MN-WI................................. 103* 116*
Mobile, AL............................ 91* 90*
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA....... 102 95*
New York-Newark-Bridgeport,
NY-NJ-CT-PA........................... 115* 114*
Ocala, FL............................. 84* 93*
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 90* 91*
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL................. 87* 90*
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL..... 86* 96
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 107* 104*
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ........... 101 99
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA............. 94* 95*
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA... 100 112*
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River,
RI-MA................................. 111* 113*
Reading, PA........................... 92* 99
Reno-Sparks, NV....................... 98* 99
Richmond, VA.......................... 96* 97*
Rochester, NY......................... 98* 109*
Rockford, IL.......................... 97 101
See footnotes at end of table.
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Office and
Metropolitan Area(1) Sales and administra-
related tive support
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN.... 84* 97
Iowa City, IA......................... 96* 99
Johnstown, PA......................... 85* 87*
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 102 98
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA.......... 103* 96*
Knoxville, TN......................... 98* 90*
Lincoln, NE........................... 85* 88*
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside,
CA.................................... 111* 107*
Louisville/Jefferson
County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg,
KY-IN................................. 102 97*
Memphis, TN-MS-AR..................... 102 97*
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach,
FL.................................... 97 100
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI......... 106 101
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud,
MN-WI................................. 107* 104*
Mobile, AL............................ 93 93*
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA....... 97 97
New York-Newark-Bridgeport,
NY-NJ-CT-PA........................... 113* 116*
Ocala, FL............................. 91* 90*
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 95* 89*
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL................. 96 90*
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL..... 93* 88*
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 97 106*
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ........... 108* 99
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA............. 92* 97*
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA... 109* 107*
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River,
RI-MA................................. 102 106*
Reading, PA........................... 107* 100
Reno-Sparks, NV....................... 106* 100
Richmond, VA.......................... 94* 101
Rochester, NY......................... 98* 99
Rockford, IL.......................... 97* 96*
See footnotes at end of table.
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Construction Installation
Metropolitan Area(1) and maintenance,
extraction and repair
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN.... 92* 96
Iowa City, IA......................... 104 100
Johnstown, PA......................... 91 88*
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 98 98
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA.......... 107* 100
Knoxville, TN......................... 78* 82*
Lincoln, NE........................... 85* 89*
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside,
CA.................................... 111* 110*
Louisville/Jefferson
County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg,
KY-IN................................. 93 91*
Memphis, TN-MS-AR..................... 95* 99
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach,
FL.................................... 91* 96
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI......... 105 98
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud,
MN-WI................................. 114* 102
Mobile, AL............................ 93* 88*
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA....... 94 95*
New York-Newark-Bridgeport,
NY-NJ-CT-PA........................... 132* 113*
Ocala, FL............................. 76* 101
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 114* 96
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL................. 94* 96
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL..... 93* 99
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 104 110*
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ........... 91* 102
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA............. 93* 95
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA... 114* 116*
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River,
RI-MA................................. 110* 111*
Reading, PA........................... 102 99
Reno-Sparks, NV....................... 88* 102
Richmond, VA.......................... 88* 99
Rochester, NY......................... 95 88*
Rockford, IL.......................... 110* 96*
See footnotes at end of table.
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Transporta-
Metropolitan Area(1) Production tion and
material
moving
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN.... 109* 100
Iowa City, IA......................... 99 94*
Johnstown, PA......................... 85* 83*
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 102 97
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA.......... 100 105*
Knoxville, TN......................... 86* 96*
Lincoln, NE........................... 88* 99
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside,
CA.................................... 99 102
Louisville/Jefferson
County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg,
KY-IN................................. 102 91*
Memphis, TN-MS-AR..................... 94* 94*
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach,
FL.................................... 92* 97
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI......... 105* 104
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud,
MN-WI................................. 111* 107*
Mobile, AL............................ 96* 98
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA....... 104 101
New York-Newark-Bridgeport,
NY-NJ-CT-PA........................... 107* 108*
Ocala, FL............................. 94* 101
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 85* 86*
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL................. 99 108
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL..... 107* 112*
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 99 104
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ........... 96 100
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA............. 97 95
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA... 103 102
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River,
RI-MA................................. 110* 108*
Reading, PA........................... 102* 99
Reno-Sparks, NV....................... 98 101
Richmond, VA.......................... 105* 99
Rochester, NY......................... 103 98*
Rockford, IL.......................... 100 103*
See footnotes at end of table.
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Management,
Metropolitan Area(1) All business,
occupations and
financial
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Truckee,
CA-NV................................. 109* 106*
Salinas, CA........................... 113* 113*
San Antonio, TX....................... 91* 95*
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA..... 109* 106*
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.... 119* 111*
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA............ 110* 103
Springfield, MA....................... 110* 100
Springfield, MO....................... 89* 84*
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 104* 100
Tallahassee, FL....................... 89* 83*
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 93* 93*
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 92* 85*
Visalia-Porterville, CA............... 100 89*
Washington-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV................. 109* 105*
York-Hanover, PA...................... 95* 110*
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA..... 93* 99
See footnotes at end of table.
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Metropolitan Area(1) Professional Service
and related
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Truckee,
CA-NV................................. 114* 112*
Salinas, CA........................... 120* 123*
San Antonio, TX....................... 93* 89*
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA..... 107* 118*
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.... 119* 126*
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA............ 106* 117*
Springfield, MA....................... 110* 109*
Springfield, MO....................... 85* 88*
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 100 98
Tallahassee, FL....................... 82* 95
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 90* 94*
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 91* 95*
Visalia-Porterville, CA............... 103 104*
Washington-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV................. 110* 106*
York-Hanover, PA...................... 98 96
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA..... 90* 93*
See footnotes at end of table.
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Office and
Metropolitan Area(1) Sales and administra-
related tive support
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Truckee,
CA-NV................................. 108 106*
Salinas, CA........................... 129* 108*
San Antonio, TX....................... 86* 90*
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA..... 103 105*
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.... 122* 120*
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA............ 113* 105*
Springfield, MA....................... 111* 108*
Springfield, MO....................... 93* 87*
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 98 101
Tallahassee, FL....................... 91* 89*
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 100 96*
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 95* 91*
Visalia-Porterville, CA............... 102 96
Washington-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV................. 108* 112*
York-Hanover, PA...................... 90* 93*
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA..... 87* 94*
See footnotes at end of table.
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Construction Installation
Metropolitan Area(1) and maintenance,
extraction and repair
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Truckee,
CA-NV................................. 113* 110*
Salinas, CA........................... 126* 124*
San Antonio, TX....................... 100 99
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA..... 109* 109*
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.... 123* 117*
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA............ 110* 106*
Springfield, MA....................... 109* 99
Springfield, MO....................... 79* 86*
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 116* 112*
Tallahassee, FL....................... 91* 84*
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 100 91*
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 85* 93*
Visalia-Porterville, CA............... 87* 96*
Washington-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV................. 101 114*
York-Hanover, PA...................... 98 92*
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA..... 90* 89*
See footnotes at end of table.
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Transporta-
Metropolitan Area(1) Production tion and
material
moving
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Truckee,
CA-NV................................. 121* 109*
Salinas, CA........................... 93* 104*
San Antonio, TX....................... 93* 91*
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA..... 106* 101
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.... 108* 109*
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA............ 116* 110*
Springfield, MA....................... 110* 114*
Springfield, MO....................... 94* 98*
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 108* 110
Tallahassee, FL....................... 92* 94*
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 91* 97
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 89* 92*
Visalia-Porterville, CA............... 103 107*
Washington-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV................. 105* 108*
York-Hanover, PA...................... 96* 98
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA..... 94* 110*
* The pay relative for this area is significantly different
from the national average of all areas at the 10 percent level
of significance. For additional details, see the Technical Note.
1 A metropolitan area can be a Metropolitan Statistical Area
(MSA) or Combined Statistical Area (CSA) as defined by the
Office of Management and Budget, December 2003.
Technical Note
Pay relative controls and calculations
Pay relatives control for differences among areas in occupational composition as well as establishment and
occupational characteristics. Metropolitan areas often differ greatly in the composition of establishments and
occupations that are available to the local workforce. For example, in Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas, the ratio of
workers in the high-paying management, business, and financial occupational group to the number of workers in all
occupations is under 6 percent, whereas nationally this ratio is nearly 10 percent.1 In addition to these factors,
the NCS collects compensation data for metropolitan areas at different times during the year. Payroll reference
dates differ between areas which makes direct comparisons between areas difficult.
The pay relative approach controls for these differences to isolate the geographic effect on wages. To illustrate
the importance of controlling for these effects, consider the following example. The average pay for construction and
extraction workers in the New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA metropolitan area is $33.14 and the average pay for
construction and extraction workers in the United States is $20.91.2 A simple pay comparison can be calculated from
the ratio of the two average pay levels, multiplied by 100 to express the comparison as a percentage. The pay comparison
in the example is calculated as:
($33.14 ÷ $20.91) × 100 ≅ 158
This comparison does not control for differences between New York and the nation in the mix of occupations, industries,
and other factors. A more accurate estimate of the geographic effect of wages in New York can be obtained by taking these
differences into account. Controlling for differences in occupational composition, establishment and occupational
characteristics, and the payroll reference date in New York relative to the nation as a whole, the pay relative for
construction and extraction occupations in New York is 132.
Sampling errors and statistical significance
Because the NCS is a sample survey, data are subject to sampling error. For the data presented here, sampling
error are differences that occur between the pay relatives estimated from the sample and the true pay relatives derived
from the population. It is important to assess whether differences between each pay relative and the national average
is likely to be the result of sampling error or of true differences in pay levels. To perform this assessment, a test
of statistical significance is conducted.
The test constructs a 90-percent confidence interval that assumes the given area’s true pay relative is equal to
the national average. The confidence interval is constructed so that there is a 90-percent probability that the pay
relative calculated from any one sample is contained within the confidence interval. If from a single sample a calculated
pay relative falls within the confidence interval, then the pay relative is not statistically significant and the
hypothesis that the true pay relative is equal to the national average is accepted. However, if the pay relative falls
outside of the constructed confidence interval then the pay relative is statistically significant at the 10-percent level.
The hypothesis that the given area’s pay relative is equal to the pay relative for the nation is rejected and one can
conclude with reasonable confidence that the true pay relative is different from the national average.
In addition to sampling error, pay relatives are subject to a variety of sources that can adversely influence the
estimates. The NCS may be unable to obtain information for some establishments; there may be difficulties with survey
definitions; respondents may be unable to provide correct information, or mistakes in recording or coding the data may
occur. Such non-sampling error was not specifically measured. However, non-sampling error are expected to be minimal
due to the extensive training of the field economists who gathered the survey data, computer edits of the data, and
detailed data review.
Survey methodology
The National Compensation Survey (NCS) collects earnings and other data on employee compensation covering over
800 detailed occupations. Average occupational earnings from the NCS are published annually for 77 metropolitan areas
and for the United States as a whole. This release provides data for the civilian economy, which includes the total
private nonfarm economy excluding private households, and the public sector excluding the federal government. Beginning
in 2006, the NCS implemented a number of significant survey changes including imputing for temporary non-response
situations and benchmarking estimated employment. For more details on these changes, see James E. Smith and
Robert W. Van Giezen, "Change Comes to the National Compensation Survey Locality Wage Bulletins," Compensation and Working
Conditions Online, January 24, 2007 at http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/cm20070122ar01p1.htm.
The NCS program collects data in U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defined geographic areas. With the
collection of the 2008 data, the NCS is in its second year of a six-year transition from the June 1993 OMB area definitions
to the December 2003 OMB area definitions. The area titles have been updated to reflect the new area definitions.
For more information on the area definitions, see Jason Techonica, "New Area Sample Selected for the National Compensation
Survey," Compensation and Working Conditions Online, April 25, 2005 at http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/cm20050318ar01p1.htm.
Historical pay relatives data are available for the survey years 1992-1996, 1998, 2002, 2004-2007. There are several
differences between the recent pay relatives and the pay relatives for earlier years, including different industry and
occupation classification systems, varying methodology, and different survey designs. These differences limit comparability.
The pay relatives since 2004 were calculated using the same industry and occupation classification systems, methodology,
and survey design. Nonetheless, comparisons between the estimates for these years should be made only with caution.
Pay relatives were estimated using a multivariate regression technique designed to control for interarea differences.
This technique controls for the following ten characteristics:
- Occupational type
- Industry type
- Work level
- Full-time / part-time status
- Time / incentive status
- Union / nonunion status
- Ownership type
- Profit / non-profit status
- Establishment employment
- Payroll reference date
Even accounting for the characteristics used in the current regression analysis, there is still significant wage
variation across the areas. The variation is due to differences in wage determinants that were not included in the model.
Examples of these determinants include price levels, environmental amenities such as a pleasant climate, and cultural amenities.
The pay relative regression methodology introduces another type of error. Regression models are subject to specification
error. The significance test does not specifically measure specification error. However, care was taken to minimize this
form of error by an extensive search across specifications for the model that performs best in terms of predictive accuracy.
For more details, see Maury B. Gittleman, "Pay Relatives for Metropolitan Areas in the U.S." Monthly Labor Review,
March 2005, pp. 46-53, and Parastou Karen Shahpoori, "Pay Relatives for Major Metropolitan Areas," Compensation and Working
Conditions, Spring 2003.
Obtaining information
Articles, bulletins, and other information from the National Compensation Survey may be obtained by calling
(202) 691-6199, sending email to NCSinfo@bls.gov, or visiting the Internet site http://www.bls.gov/ncs. Information in
this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal
Relay Service Number: 1-800-877-8339.
1 Data for this example are based on the May 2008 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates,
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcma.htm.
2 Average pay for construction and extraction workers in New York and for the United States are based on wage estimates
published in the New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA National Compensation Survey, May 2008 and the forthcoming National
Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the United States, 2008, http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/compub.htm.
Last Modified Date: July 24, 2009
