Occupational Employment and Wages for Teachers in Virginia – May 2010 (PDF)

Among the 11 metropolitan areas in Virginia, only Washington had wages significantly above the national average for three of the largest groups in the teaching profession—secondary, middle, and elementary school teachers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that only the Lynchburg and Kingsport areas had wages that fell measurably below those for the nation in all three selected occupations. These two areas were located in the southwestern portion of the Commonwealth, while the Washington area covered the northeastern corner of Virginia. Nationwide, the average (mean) wage for secondary school teachers was $55,990, middle school teachers averaged $54,880, and elementary school teachers earned $54,330. (See table A. For comprehensive definitions of metropolitan areas in the Commonwealth of Virginia, please see Technical Note.)

Of the 11 metropolitan areas in the Commonwealth, the Washington area had the largest number of teaching jobs, with employment of 56,870 in the three teaching occupations combined. Over 80 percent, or 45,830, of the Washington area’s teachers were located in one of the area’s two divisions, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria. Elsewhere, teaching jobs in the Virginia Beach and Richmond areas totaled 17,210 and 11,920, respectively. Teacher employment levels in each of the remaining areas were less than 4,000. (See table B. The Washington area’s other division, Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick, is located entirely in Maryland and its data have not been presented in this release.)

Wages for secondary school teachers in metropolitan areas in Virginia

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., was the highest-paying metropolitan area in Virginia for secondary school teachers, at $69,390 per year, more than $13,000 above the U.S. average. No other metropolitan area in the Commonwealth had wages significantly higher than the national average for this occupation. Among the other metropolitan areas, Charlottesville had the second highest wage in the Commonwealth at $58,220, followed closely by Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News at $57,810. Wages were significantly below average for this occupation in 5 of the 11 metropolitan areas in Virginia—Lynchburg ($45,000); Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, Tenn.-Va. ($48,190); Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford ($50,230); Roanoke ($51,820); and Danville ($52,760). All five lower-wage areas were clustered in the southwestern part of Virginia, while the only significantly higher-wage area covered the northeastern corner of the Commonwealth. (See chart 1.)

Wages for middle school teachers in metropolitan areas in Virginia

While the average wage for middle school teachers in Virginia was measurably higher than the national level, wages for this occupation were significantly above average in only one of the Commonwealth’s metropolitan areas—Washington—at $71,320. Charlottesville was the only other area in Virginia with wages above $60,000 for middle school teachers. Among the other metropolitan areas, two had wages significantly below the national average for middle school teachers—Lynchburg ($43,090) and Kingsport ($46,780)—both in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth. (See chart 2.) 

Wages for elementary school teachers in metropolitan areas in Virginia

As with secondary and middle school teachers, the Washington metropolitan area paid the highest wages in Virginia for elementary school teachers at $68,650 per year, and was the only metropolitan area in the Commonwealth with wages significantly above the national average for this occupation. Two more areas, Charlottesville and Virginia Beach, had wages above $55,000 for elementary school teachers. However, two areas had wages for elementary school teachers measurably below that for the nation—Lynchburg ($43,080) and Kingsport ($45,900)—both in the southwestern part of Virginia. (See chart 3.) 

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 District of Columbia Department of Employment Services; the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation; the North Carolina Employment Security Commission; the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development; the Virginia Employment Commission; and WorkForce West Virginia. The OES survey provides estimates of employment and hourly and annual wages for wage and salary workers in 22 major occupational groups and nearly 800 non-military detailed occupations for the nation, states, metropolitan statistical areas, metropolitan divisions, and nonmetropolitan areas.

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. OES estimates are constructed from a sample of about 1.2 million establishments. Forms are mailed to approximately 200,000 establishments in May and November of each year for a 3-year period. The nationwide response rate for the May 2010 survey was 78.2 percent based on establishments and 74.4 percent based on employment. May 2010 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2010, November 2009, May 2009, November 2008, May 2008, and November 2007. For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.
The May 2010 OES estimates mark the first set of estimates based in part on data collected using the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. Nearly all the occupations in this release are 2010 SOC occupations; however, some are not. The May 2012 OES data will reflect the full set of detailed occupations in the 2010 SOC. For a list of all occupations, including 2010 SOC occupations, and how data collected on two structures were combined, see the OES Frequently Asked Questions online at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm#Ques41.

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.

• Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, Va., Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes Giles, Montgomery, and Pulaski Counties and Radford city in Virginia.
• Charlottesville, Va., MSA includes Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, and Nelson Counties and Charlottesville city in Virginia.
• Danville, Va. MSA includes Pittsylvania County and Danville city in Virginia.
• Harrisonburg, Va. MSA includes Rockingham County and Harrisonburg City in Virginia.
• Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, Tenn.-Va. MSA includes Hawkins and Sullivan Counties and Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee, and Scott and Washington Counties and Bristol city in Virginia.
• Lynchburg, Va. MSA includes Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, and Campbell Counties and Bedford and Lynchburg cities in Virginia.
• Richmond, Va. MSA includes Amelia, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, King William, King and Queen, Louisa, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, and Sussex Counties and Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Richmond cities in Virginia.
• Roanoke, Va. MSA includes Botetourt, Craig, Franklin, and Roanoke Counties and Roanoke and Salem cities in Virginia.
• Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C. MSA includes Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Mathews, Surry, and York Counties and Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg cities in Virginia, and Currituck County in North Carolina.
• Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. MSA
  • Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick, Md. Metropolitan Division (MD) includes Frederick and Montgomery Counties in Maryland.
  • Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. MD includes the District of Columbia; Arlington, Clarke, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren Counties and Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park cities in Virginia; Calvert, Charles, and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland; and Jefferson County in West Virginia.
• Winchester, Va.-W.Va. MSA includes Frederick County and Winchester city in Virginia and Hampshire County in West Virginia.

Additional information

OES data are available on our regional web page at www.bls.gov/ro3/. If you have additional questions, you can contact the Mid-Atlantic Information Office at (215) 597-3282 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone:  202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.