For release: Thursday, September 16, 2010 PLS - 4706
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Highlights of Pittsburgh-New Castle National Compensation Survey – March 2010 (PDF)

Workers in the Pittsburgh-New Castle metropolitan area earned an average of $20.23 per hour in March 2010, according to new survey results from the National Compensation Survey (NCS), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that wage data were reported for workers in a wide range of occupational groups, including average hourly earnings of $26.53 for healthcare practitioner and technical occupations and $19.17 for installation, maintenance, and repair occupations. Another occupational group, office and administrative support occupations, had a mean hourly wage of $15.30. The NCS data available for the Pittsburgh area include earnings for 21 major occupational groups with additional detail for selected occupations within those groups. (See table 1.)

Registered nurses, part of the healthcare practitioner and technical group, earned $28.84 per hour, and licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses averaged $17.82. Automotive service technicians and mechanics, an occupation within the installation, maintenance, and repair group, earned $20.47 per hour and industrial machinery mechanics, $19.33 per hour. Executive secretaries and administrative assistants, part of the office and administrative support group, earned $19.77 per hour and receptionists and information clerks, $13.00.

Broad coverage of selected occupational characteristics is available from NCS for the local area. Full-time workers averaged $22.23 per hour while their part-time counterparts earned $10.60.  Union workers earned $22.33 and non-union workers, $19.67. Workers in establishments with 1-99 workers averaged $16.43 per hour, those in establishments with 100-499 workers earned $19.03, and those in establishments with 500 or more employees earned $26.86.

The occupational wage data available from NCS may be used by businesses for establishing pay plans, making decisions concerning plant relocation, and in collective bargaining negotiations.  Individuals may use such data to help choose potential careers. NCS results also include the work level and respective earnings for occupations determined by a point factor leveling process. The four occupational leveling factors are:  knowledge, job controls and complexity, contacts, and physical environment. Details on the NCS are available at www.bls.gov/ncs/. 

The NCS data reported here covered 415 establishments with one or more workers in private industry and State and local governments. Agricultural establishments, private households, the self-employed, and the Federal Government were excluded from the survey. This sample of establishments represented 1,062,800 workers in the Pittsburgh-New Castle Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which is comprised of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties in Pennsylvania. 

 

Survey Availability

Complete survey results are contained in the Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA National Compensation Survey March 2010 which is available on the Internet in both text and PDF formats at www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/compub.htm. 

For personal assistance or further information on the National Compensation Survey data, as well as other Bureau data, contact the Mid-Atlantic Information Office by calling (215) 597-3282 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. 

Table 1. Civilian workers: Mean hourly earnings(1) for full-time and part-time workers(2), Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA, CSA, March 2010
Occupation(3) Total Full-time workers Part-time workers
Mean Relative error(4) (percent) Mean Relative error(4) (percent) Mean Relative error(4) (percent)

All workers

 $20.23 3.9 $22.23 3.7 $10.60 6.4

Management occupations

 37.79 5.6 37.73 5.6 – –

General and operations managers

 28.80 5.4 28.80 5.4 – –

Financial managers

 34.80 9.0 34.80 9.0 – –

Education administrators

 35.18 13.0 35.18 13.0 – –

Business and financial operations occupations

 26.26 3.2 26.23 3.2 – –

Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists

 23.40 9.7 23.40 9.7 – –

Accountants and auditors

 23.41 5.6 23.22 6.3 – –

Loan counselors and officers

 23.93 5.0 23.93 5.0 – –

Computer and mathematical science occupations

 33.45 5.9 33.45 6.0 – –

Computer programmers

 34.89 19.0 34.89 19.0 – –

Computer software engineers

 37.23 3.6 37.43 3.7 – –

Computer software engineers, applications

 37.23 3.6 37.43 3.7 – –

Computer support specialists

 24.80 18.8 24.80 18.8 – –

Computer systems analysts

 32.13 3.8 32.13 3.8 – –

Architecture and engineering occupations

 34.24 4.9 34.24 4.9 – –

Engineers

 37.20 1.8 37.20 1.8 – –

Electrical and electronics engineers

 38.38 1.1 38.38 1.1 – –

Electrical engineers

 38.38 1.1 38.38 1.1 – –

Life, physical, and social science occupations

 23.01 9.9 23.01 9.9 – –

Community and social services occupations

 16.78 6.9 16.78 6.9 – –

Social workers

 16.81 11.1 16.81 11.1 – –

Legal occupations

 55.96 9.4 55.96 9.4 – –

Education, training, and library occupations

 38.04 6.0 40.56 6.6 $12.94 7.4

Postsecondary teachers

 – – 61.18 12.1 – –

Arts, communications, and humanities teachers, postsecondary

 55.41 4.6 – – – –

Primary, secondary, and special education school teachers

 39.04 2.5 40.98 3.8 $11.12 8.1

Elementary and middle school teachers

 41.28 0.7 43.42 1.1 – –

Elementary school teachers, except special education

 41.17 1.0 44.11 1.0 – –

Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education

 41.61 2.7 41.61 2.7 – –

Secondary school teachers

 38.35 4.7 38.76 5.7 – –

Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education

 38.35 4.7 38.76 5.7 – –

Teacher assistants

 12.40 9.2 12.68 9.5 – –

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

 21.37 12.0 26.00 4.3 $13.26 23.0

Athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers

 24.21 8.5 – – – –

Coaches and scouts

 24.21 8.5 – – – –

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations

 26.53 2.9 26.87 4.3 $25.06 3.2

Pharmacists

 47.84 4.4 – – – –

Registered nurses

 28.84 3.0 29.45 2.8 $26.70 3.6

Therapists

 26.87 11.5 27.41 4.6 – –

Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians

 24.97 4.9 24.97 4.9 – –

Medical and clinical laboratory technologists

 24.97 4.9 24.97 4.9 – –

Diagnostic related technologists and technicians

 19.60 9.7 19.60 9.7 – –

Radiologic technologists and technicians

 24.15 7.0 24.15 7.0 – –

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

 17.82 3.0 17.66 3.4 – –

Healthcare support occupations

 11.96 2.2 12.27 1.7 $10.29 3.8

Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides

 11.60 2.6 11.85 2.1 $10.15 3.1

Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants

 12.18 1.6 12.23 1.2 – –

Miscellaneous healthcare support occupations

 12.85 9.2 13.45 10.9 – –

Protective service occupations

 17.60 21.5 18.22 21.7 – –

Food preparation and serving related occupations

 7.83 10.6 8.80 6.6 $6.70 19.2

First-line supervisors/managers, food preparation and serving workers

 15.59 8.2 14.74 6.0 – –

First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers

 15.59 8.2 14.74 6.0 – –

Cooks

 10.33 5.8 10.47 6.5 $10.07 12.9

Cooks, institution and cafeteria

 10.79 6.8 11.36 8.3 – –

Cooks, restaurant

 10.07 10.2 – – – –

Food preparation workers

 9.11 7.4 – – – –

Food service, tipped

 3.91 16.5 4.39 14.1 $3.51 11.9

Waiters and waitresses

 3.11 2.0 3.23 0.3 $3.03 1.7

Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers

 8.32 3.7 – – – –

Fast food and counter workers

 8.25 4.0 8.95 10.2 $7.68 1.6

Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food

 8.25 4.1 8.95 10.2 $7.65 1.6

Dishwashers

 8.97 4.8 – – – –

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

 13.49 11.8 14.29 13.3 $10.15 4.2

Building cleaning workers

 11.45 4.0 11.87 4.5 $9.92 4.0

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

 12.60 8.9 13.01 11.0 $10.19 13.4

Maids and housekeeping cleaners

 10.49 5.5 – – – –

Personal care and service occupations

 9.31 8.1 10.76 11.4 – –

Child care workers

 9.56 11.8 – – – –

Sales and related occupations

 13.98 5.9 16.84 4.9 $8.61 3.4

First-line supervisors/managers, sales workers

 16.54 24.3 16.54 24.3 – –

First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers

 13.37 17.4 13.37 17.4 – –

Retail sales workers

 11.26 6.6 14.85 11.4 $8.42 0.7

Cashiers, all workers

 9.27 0.4 11.19 4.4 $8.53 0.3

Cashiers

 9.27 0.4 11.19 4.4 $8.53 0.3

Counter and rental clerks and parts salespersons

 15.26 18.0 16.53 15.0 – –

Parts salespersons

 17.81 12.0 17.81 12.0 – –

Retail salespersons

 11.84 12.6 15.88 19.4 $8.32 1.2

Office and administrative support occupations

 15.30 4.7 16.06 5.1 $10.87 5.8

First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers

 18.02 6.4 18.02 6.4 – –

Financial clerks

 16.31 10.6 16.38 10.5 – –

Billing and posting clerks and machine operators

 13.45 5.4 13.37 5.7 – –

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

 17.75 15.3 17.75 15.3 – –

Customer service representatives

 14.25 8.5 14.55 8.2 – –

Interviewers, except eligibility and loan

 14.30 1.2 – – – –

Library assistants, clerical

 9.24 16.1 – – – –

Order clerks

 16.48 9.5 16.48 9.5 – –

Receptionists and information clerks

 13.00 4.3 14.08 3.5 $11.26 7.0

Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks

 12.47 17.2 12.70 17.1 – –

Stock clerks and order fillers

 11.60 10.1 – – $9.60 6.1

Secretaries and administrative assistants

 17.15 4.6 17.33 4.9 $15.19 6.3

Executive secretaries and administrative assistants

 19.77 8.3 19.97 8.4 – –

Medical secretaries

 16.62 9.0 17.29 8.2 – –

Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive

 14.86 6.6 14.63 7.1 – –

Data entry and information processing workers

 14.36 1.5 14.37 1.4 – –

Insurance claims and policy processing clerks

 14.63 8.1 14.63 8.1 – –

Office clerks, general

 13.48 7.5 15.12 6.3 $10.21 3.5

Construction and extraction occupations

 16.65 3.7 16.85 3.6 – –

Construction laborers

 13.26 15.5 – – – –

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

 19.17 8.3 19.27 8.4 – –

Automotive technicians and repairers

 19.75 8.1 19.55 8.5 – –

Automotive service technicians and mechanics

 20.47 5.2 20.15 4.9 – –

Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers

 19.96 5.9 19.98 5.9 – –

Industrial machinery mechanics

 19.33 4.3 19.33 4.3 – –

Maintenance and repair workers, general

 18.47 9.5 18.51 9.5 – –

Miscellaneous installation, maintenance, and repair workers

 10.68 6.2 – – – –

Production occupations

 17.48 3.4 18.26 2.7 $9.96 16.2

Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators

 12.23 17.5 14.96 20.2 – –

Machine tool cutting setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

 17.49 9.1 17.49 9.1 – –

Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

 15.60 0.9 15.60 0.9 – –

Machinists

 23.07 11.2 23.07 11.2 – –

Welding, soldering, and brazing workers

 24.33 12.1 24.33 12.1 – –

Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

 24.33 12.1 24.33 12.1 – –

Transportation and material moving occupations

 18.56 10.0 21.04 9.3 $10.88 11.6

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers

 16.59 7.9 18.08 8.0 – –

Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer

 18.21 7.7 18.33 7.8 – –

Truck drivers, light or delivery services

 15.51 13.6 17.55 13.5 – –

Industrial truck and tractor operators

 14.79 8.5 – – – –

Laborers and material movers, hand

 13.09 7.9 14.25 15.2 $10.84 12.8

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

 12.38 7.9 13.39 18.3 $11.04 13.3

Footnotes:
(1) Earnings are the straight-time hourly wages or salaries paid to employees. They include incentive pay, cost-of-living adjustments, and hazard pay. Excluded are premium pay for overtime, vacations, holidays, nonproduction bonuses, and tips. The mean is computed by totaling the pay of all workers and dividing by the number of workers, weighted by hours.
(2) Employees are classified as working either a full-time or a part-time schedule based on the definition used by each establishment. Therefore, a worker with a 35-hour-per-week schedule might be considered a full-time employee in one establishment, but classified as part-time in another firm, where a 40-hour week is the minimum full-time schedule.
(3) Workers are classified by occupation using the 2000 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system.
(4) The relative standard error (RSE) is the standard error expressed as a percent of the estimate. It can be used to calculate a "confidence interval" around a sample estimate.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey.
NOTE: Dashes indicate that no data were reported or that data did not meet publication criteria. Overall occupational groups may include data for categories not shown separately.

Last Modified Date: September 16, 2010