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Bureau of Labor Statistics > National Compensation Survey - Wages > Home

OCSP About Locality Wage Tables

The OCSP wage tables are presented in two file formats: ASCII text (TXT) and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). ASCII text files have two layouts—a table/distribution layout which is 255 characters wide and looks like a replica of the bulletins we publish, and a column layout where survey data is in positional columns. PDF files are available only in table layout.

The table layout contains the OCSP occupation and level (example, Computer Systems Analysts level 1), number of workers, average weekly hours, average weekly (or hourly for blue-collar jobs) mean, median, and middle range earnings, a distribution of workers by earnings intervals, and applicable footnotes. This file is a good electronic record of OCSP data and an easy source to look up wage rates.

The column layout contains all of the wage data mentioned except for worker distributions. It also has the following additional establishment characteristic fields: Industry code, BLS area code (MSA), and BLS occupation code. The data are set up in columns without headings, but we provide a legend. This format has exact spacing, so users can load files directly to another data base.

Both layouts contain the locality's name and average reference period in the first row of data. Files date back to a reference period of 1991. Neither file contains benefit data.

Please view the Locality and Service Contract Act (SCA) list of areas.

Occupational Compensation Survey: National Summary, 1996 currently is available (TXT) (PDF 1285K). The National Summary consists of three parts. Part I: Pay in the United States and Regions, June 1996 contains national averages, medians and middle ranges, and distributions. Part II: Pay Comparisons, 1996 contains data on pay relatives (comparisons of locality pay rates to national averages). Part III: Locality Pay 1996 summarizes, by state, averages in each locality studied. Each part contains two to five tables. For files of individual tables, go to the Search page and type in "national." Tables A through J will be retrieved.

Last Modified Date: October 16, 2001