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News Release Information

23-1218-CHI
Friday, August 25, 2023

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Occupational Employment and Wages in Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis — May 2022

Workers in the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $28.52 in May 2022, 4 percent below the nationwide average of $29.76, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that, after testing for statistical significance, wages in the local area were lower than their respective national averages in 12 of the 22 major occupational groups, including arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media; computer and mathematical; and architecture and engineering. Five groups had significantly higher wages than their respective national averages, including healthcare practitioners and technical, construction and extraction, and sales and related.

When compared to the nationwide distribution, Milwaukee area employment was more highly concentrated in 6 of the 22 occupational groups, including production, healthcare support, and healthcare practitioners and technical. Thirteen groups had employment shares significantly below their national representation, including management, food preparation and serving related, and construction and extraction. (See table A.)

Table A. Occupational employment and wages by major occupational group, United States and the Milwaukee metropolitan area, and measures of statistical significance, May 2022
Major occupational group Percent of total employment Mean hourly wage
United States Milwaukee United States Milwaukee Percent difference (1)

Total, all occupations

100.0 100.0 $29.76 $28.52* -4

Management

6.7 4.6* 63.08 63.95 1

Business and financial operations

6.5 7.1* 41.39 38.83* -6

Computer and mathematical

3.4 3.1* 51.99 44.47* -14

Architecture and engineering

1.7 2.2* 45.52 39.59* -13

Life, physical, and social science

0.9 0.6* 40.21 34.93* -13

Community and social service

1.6 1.4* 26.81 25.09* -6

Legal

0.8 0.9* 59.87 58.68 -2

Educational instruction and library

5.7 5.2* 30.41 28.39* -7

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media

1.4 1.1* 36.78 28.64* -22

Healthcare practitioners and technical

6.1 7.2* 46.52 49.66* 7

Healthcare support

4.6 6.2* 17.10 15.94* -7

Protective service

2.3 1.8* 25.97 25.30* -3

Food preparation and serving related

8.5 7.6* 15.45 14.69* -5

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

2.9 2.8 17.26 16.83* -2

Personal care and service

1.9 1.8 17.41 17.54 1

Sales and related

8.9 8.8 24.22 25.28* 4

Office and administrative support

12.6 12.2* 21.90 21.73 -1

Farming, fishing, and forestry

0.3 0.1* 18.21 17.59 -3

Construction and extraction

4.1 3.4* 28.08 30.32* 8

Installation, maintenance, and repair

3.9 3.5* 26.77 27.70* 3

Production

5.9 9.7* 21.81 22.32* 2

Transportation and material moving

9.2 8.8* 21.12 19.88* -6

Footnotes:
(1) A positive percent difference measures how much the mean wage in the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area is above the national mean wage, while a negative difference reflects a lower wage.
* The mean hourly wage or percent share of employment is significantly different from the national average of all areas at the 90-percent confidence level.

One occupational group—production—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Milwaukee had 77,580 jobs in production, accounting for 9.7 percent of local area employment, significantly higher than the 5.9-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $22.32, significantly above the national wage of $21.81.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the production group included miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators (9,710), first-line supervisors of production and operating workers (6,480), and computer numerically controlled tool operators (5,420). Among the higher-paying jobs in this group were power plant operators and gas plant operators, with mean hourly wages of $47.18 and $37.19, respectively. At the lower end of the wage scale were laundry and dry-cleaning workers ($14.48) and tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers ($14.62). (Detailed data for the production occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_33340.htm.)

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 2.0 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it does nationally. In the Milwaukee area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the production group. For instance, print binding and finishing workers were employed at 6.0 times the national rate in Milwaukee, and computer numerically controlled tool operators, at 5.6 times the U.S. average. Bakers had a location quotient of 1.0 in Milwaukee, indicating that this particular occupation’s local and national employment shares were similar.

These statistics are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, a federal-state cooperative program between BLS and State Workforce Agencies, in this case, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

Changes to the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Data

The May 2022 OEWS estimates use the model-based (MB3) estimation method implemented with the May 2021 estimates release. Additional updates were made to the MB3 wage processing methodology for May 2022. For more information, see the May 2022 Survey Methods and Reliability Statement.

The May 2022 estimates are the first OEWS estimates to be produced using the 2022 NAICS, which replaces the 2017 NAICS used for the May 2017-May 2021 estimates. See North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) at BLS for details.


Technical Note

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 580 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. OEWS data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm.

The OEWS survey is a cooperative effort between BLS and the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures and technical support, while the State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data. OEWS estimates are constructed from a sample of about 1.1 million establishments. Each year, two semiannual panels of approximately 179,000 to 187,000 sampled establishments are contacted, one panel in May and the other in November. Responses are obtained by Internet or other electronic means, mail, email, telephone, or personal visit. The May 2022 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2022, November 2021, May 2021, November 2020, May 2020, and November 2019. The unweighted sampled employment of 80 million across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 57 percent of total national employment. The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 65.4 percent based on establishments and 62.5 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The sample in the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area included 4,603 establishments with a response rate of 60 percent. For more information about OEWS concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_tec.htm.

A value that is statistically different from another does not necessarily mean that the difference has economic or practical significance. Statistical significance is concerned with the ability to make confident statements about a universe based on a sample. It is entirely possible that a large difference between two values is not significantly different statistically, while a small difference is, since both the size and heterogeneity of the sample affect the relative error of the data being tested.

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 Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Milwaukee County, Ozaukee County, Washington County, and Waukesha County.

For more information

Answers to frequently asked questions about the OEWS data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm. Detailed information about the OEWS program is available at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_doc.htm.

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.

Table 1. Employment and wage data for production occupations, Milwaukee metropolitan area, May 2022
Occupation (1) Employment Mean wages
Level (2) Location quotient (3) Hourly Annual (4)

Production occupations

77,580 1.6 $22.32 $46,420

First-line supervisors of production and operating workers

6,480 1.8 32.72 68,060

Coil winders, tapers, and finishers

80 1.4 22.28 46,340

Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers, except coil winders, tapers, and finishers

4,170 2.8 20.51 42,660

Engine and other machine assemblers

840 3.1 24.41 50,780

Structural metal fabricators and fitters

660 2.1 24.24 50,430

Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators

9,710 1.2 18.82 39,140

Bakers

1,090 1.0 15.43 32,080

Butchers and meat cutters

790 1.1 18.82 39,140

Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers

110 0.2 17.85 37,140

Slaughterers and meat packers

610 1.4 16.52 34,350

Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders

130 1.2 17.06 35,480

Food batchmakers

2,220 2.5 18.76 39,030

Food cooking machine operators and tenders

350 2.4 17.19 35,760

Food processing workers, all other

150 0.6 20.68 43,000

Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

400 1.2 19.93 41,460

Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

180 1.2 29.70 61,780

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

2,790 2.8 20.64 42,940

Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

50 1.4 21.68 45,100

Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

1,060 2.7 21.29 44,290

Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

140 1.4 25.59 53,230

Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

70 0.9 24.27 50,480

Machinists

2,960 1.7 22.53 46,860

Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders

310 3.0 23.14 48,140

Patternmakers, metal and plastic

40 3.5 25.43 52,900

Foundry mold and coremakers

370 6.0 22.26 46,300

Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

2,180 2.4 19.34 40,230

Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

1,210 1.6 24.06 50,040

Tool and die makers

1,530 4.6 29.57 61,500

Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

4,370 2.0 26.55 55,230

Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders

400 2.4 22.08 45,930

Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

260 3.1 21.82 45,380

Plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

380 2.2 18.60 38,690

Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners

30 1.2 23.91 49,720

Metal workers and plastic workers, all other

100 0.9 20.06 41,720

Prepress technicians and workers

530 3.8 21.32 44,350

Printing press operators

2,590 3.2 22.62 47,050

Print binding and finishing workers

1,260 6.0 17.91 37,260

Laundry and dry-cleaning workers

770 0.8 14.48 30,120

Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials

120 0.8 15.39 32,000

Sewing machine operators

630 1.0 16.87 35,090

Shoe and leather workers and repairers

220 4.6 20.44 42,520

Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers

80 0.9 14.62 30,420

Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders

40 0.7 16.36 34,020

Upholsterers

40 0.3 20.28 42,190

Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters

410 0.8 21.85 45,450

Furniture finishers

30 0.4 21.08 43,850

Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood

80 0.3 17.80 37,010

Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing

300 0.9 16.53 34,370

Power plant operators

180 1.1 47.18 98,130

Stationary engineers and boiler operators

80 0.5 27.37 56,930

Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators

380 0.6 28.83 59,960

Gas plant operators

70 1.0 37.19 77,360

Chemical equipment operators and tenders

640 1.0 21.94 45,640

Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders

370 1.3 22.31 46,400

Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders

90 0.6 22.97 47,770

Grinding and polishing workers, hand

150 1.9 19.11 39,750

Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders

980 1.7 20.09 41,790

Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders

330 1.1 21.44 44,600

Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders

310 1.0 17.66 36,730

Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders

90 1.2 19.90 41,400

Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers

4,040 1.3 22.29 46,370

Dental laboratory technicians

250 1.4 21.35 44,420

Medical appliance technicians

150 1.8 18.69 38,880

Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders

2,910 1.5 18.20 37,850

Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders

1,340 1.6 21.31 44,330

Computer numerically controlled tool operators

5,420 5.6 25.52 53,080

Computer numerically controlled tool programmers

810 5.3 29.72 61,820

Etchers and engravers

170 3.7 28.76 59,820

Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic

200 0.9 20.76 43,170

Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders

830 1.7 22.63 47,070

Helpers--production workers

1,080 1.1 17.72 36,850

Production workers, all other

2,500 1.8 15.79 32,840

Footnotes:
(1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, see www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_33340.htm.
(2) Estimates for detailed occupations may not sum to the totals due to rounding, and because the totals may include occupations that are not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(3) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
(4) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a 'year-round, full-time' hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, August 25, 2023