Full text of 2006 : Text File, USDL: 07-1455
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Technical Contact: USDL: 07-1455
(202) 691-6199 NCSinfo@bls.gov
Media Contact: FOR RELEASE: 10:00 A.M. EDT
(202) 691-5902 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2007
Internet address:
http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/home.htm
(This news release was reissued on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, to remove table asterisks that have incorrectly
indicated statistically significant differences between some estimates. News release text references to statistical
significance have also been removed. Pay relative estimates have not changed. For more information, see
http://www.bls.gov/ncs.)
OCCUPATIONAL PAY COMPARISONS AMONG METROPOLITAN AREAS, 2006
Average pay in the San Francisco metropolitan area was 19 percent above the national average in 2006, the
highest among the 78 metropolitan areas studied by the National Compensation Survey (NCS), the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. In contrast, pay was lowest in the Brownsville, Texas
metropolitan area with a pay relative of 78, meaning Brownsville workers earned an average of 78 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 9 major occupational groups within 78 metropolitan areas, as well as averaged across all
occupations for each area. (See table 1.) Table A below lists the five highest and five lowest paying metropolitan
areas among those studied in the NCS. In addition, similar area-to-area comparisons have been calculated for all
78 areas and will soon be available on the BLS website at http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/payrel.htm.
Table A. Highest and lowest metropolitan area pay relative rankings (of 78 metropolitan areas surveyed)
Rank Metropolitan Area Pay Relative
1. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA 119
2. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA 114
3. Salinas, CA 113
4. Boston-Worcester-Lawrence, MA-NH-ME-CT 112
Hartford, CT 112
74. Corpus Christi, TX 87
Great Falls, MT 87
Johnstown, PA 87
Springfield, MO 87
78. Brownsville-Harlingen-San Benito, TX 78
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 versus the entire United States in
percentage terms would not control for interarea differences in occupational composition and other factors, which may
have an effect on pay relatives. More information on pay relative controls and calculations are available in the
Technical Note.
The pay relative in 2006 for workers in construction and extraction occupations in the San Francisco area was 122,
meaning the pay in San Francisco for that occupational group averaged 22 percent more than the national average pay for
that occupational group. By contrast, the pay relative for workers in construction and extraction occupations in the
Brownsville, Texas area was 67, meaning pay for workers in those occupations averaged 33 percent less than the national
average.
The National Compensation Survey (NCS), introduced in 1997, collects earnings and other data on employee
compensation covering over 800 detailed occupations in 152 metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Average occupational
earnings from the NCS are published annually for 78 metropolitan areas and for the United States as a whole. 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 the article at
http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/cm20070122ar01p1.htm.
Data users are cautioned not to use yearly differences in area and occupational pay group differences in pay
relatives to infer changes in underlying economic conditions.
Table 1. Pay relatives for major occupational groups in
metropolitan areas, National Compensation Survey, June 2006
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each
occupational group shown = 100.)
Management,
Metropolitan Area1 All business,
occupations and
financial
United States......................... 100 100
Amarillo, TX.......................... 88 93
Anchorage, AK......................... 109 104
Atlanta, GA........................... 102 102
Augusta-Aiken, GA-SC.................. 94 89
Austin-San Marcos, TX................. 95 91
Birmingham, AL........................ 94 92
Bloomington, IN....................... 90 89
Boston-Worcester-Lawrence,
MA-NH-ME-CT........................... 112 110
Brownsville-Harlingen-San Benito,
TX.................................... 78 73
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY............. 100 91
Charleston-North Charleston, SC....... 93 98
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC... 101 99
Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI........ 108 104
Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH-KY-IN......... 98 93
Cleveland-Akron, OH................... 100 96
Columbus, OH.......................... 100 100
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 87 92
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 98 100
Dayton-Springfield, OH................ 98 99
Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO............ 102 99
Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI........... 106 97
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 96 96
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 100 94
Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, MI..... 101 93
Great Falls, MT....................... 87 85
Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point,
NC.................................... 95 91
Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC... 94 95
Hartford, CT.......................... 112 108
Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC.......... 95 89
Honolulu, HI.......................... 105 105
Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX........ 96 100
Huntsville, AL........................ 96 94
Indianapolis, IN...................... 97 82
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Metropolitan Area1 Professional Service
and related
United States......................... 100 100
Amarillo, TX.......................... 85 87
Anchorage, AK......................... 100 121
Atlanta, GA........................... 102 97
Augusta-Aiken, GA-SC.................. 100 89
Austin-San Marcos, TX................. 95 93
Birmingham, AL........................ 95 101
Bloomington, IN....................... 97 90
Boston-Worcester-Lawrence,
MA-NH-ME-CT........................... 108 113
Brownsville-Harlingen-San Benito,
TX.................................... 95 76
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY............. 91 106
Charleston-North Charleston, SC....... 94 86
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC... 93 98
Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI........ 107 107
Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH-KY-IN......... 99 103
Cleveland-Akron, OH................... 101 98
Columbus, OH.......................... 92 100
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 94 83
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 101 96
Dayton-Springfield, OH................ 92 96
Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO............ 102 99
Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI........... 104 101
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 94 96
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 95 94
Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, MI..... 97 104
Great Falls, MT....................... 76 94
Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point,
NC.................................... 94 95
Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC... 90 97
Hartford, CT.......................... 108 119
Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC.......... 89 90
Honolulu, HI.......................... 104 110
Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX........ 98 87
Huntsville, AL........................ 96 95
Indianapolis, IN...................... 97 97
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Office and
Metropolitan Area1 Sales and administra-
related tive support
United States......................... 100 100
Amarillo, TX.......................... 90 87
Anchorage, AK......................... 108 106
Atlanta, GA........................... 97 104
Augusta-Aiken, GA-SC.................. 83 96
Austin-San Marcos, TX................. 100 97
Birmingham, AL........................ 94 96
Bloomington, IN....................... 78 88
Boston-Worcester-Lawrence,
MA-NH-ME-CT........................... 106 113
Brownsville-Harlingen-San Benito,
TX.................................... 75 77
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY............. 105 99
Charleston-North Charleston, SC....... 101 93
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC... 109 102
Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI........ 106 109
Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH-KY-IN......... 94 98
Cleveland-Akron, OH................... 95 101
Columbus, OH.......................... 105 99
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 88 84
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 103 99
Dayton-Springfield, OH................ 97 92
Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO............ 104 102
Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI........... 101 105
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 95 92
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 106 101
Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, MI..... 109 100
Great Falls, MT....................... 88 80
Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point,
NC.................................... 86 97
Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC... 91 93
Hartford, CT.......................... 108 112
Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC.......... 91 95
Honolulu, HI.......................... 105 99
Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX........ 95 98
Huntsville, AL........................ 100 96
Indianapolis, IN...................... 95 98
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Construction Installation,
Metropolitan Area1 and maintenance,
extraction and repair
United States......................... 100 100
Amarillo, TX.......................... 83 81
Anchorage, AK......................... 125 111
Atlanta, GA........................... 93 102
Augusta-Aiken, GA-SC.................. 95 97
Austin-San Marcos, TX................. 88 100
Birmingham, AL........................ 84 99
Bloomington, IN....................... 78 85
Boston-Worcester-Lawrence,
MA-NH-ME-CT........................... 124 115
Brownsville-Harlingen-San Benito,
TX.................................... 67 78
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY............. 111 100
Charleston-North Charleston, SC....... 80 82
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC... 92 98
Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI........ 125 114
Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH-KY-IN......... 90 98
Cleveland-Akron, OH................... 101 102
Columbus, OH.......................... 98 100
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 92 81
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 90 95
Dayton-Springfield, OH................ 100 106
Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO............ 91 105
Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI........... 110 97
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 109 92
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 99 104
Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, MI..... 106 96
Great Falls, MT....................... 118 100
Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point,
NC.................................... 91 98
Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC... 82 84
Hartford, CT.......................... 114 108
Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC.......... 98 91
Honolulu, HI.......................... 113 115
Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX........ 91 95
Huntsville, AL........................ 91 90
Indianapolis, IN...................... 93 95
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Transporta-
Metropolitan Area1 Production tion and
material
moving
United States......................... 100 100
Amarillo, TX.......................... 89 92
Anchorage, AK......................... 115 110
Atlanta, GA........................... 103 107
Augusta-Aiken, GA-SC.................. 98 96
Austin-San Marcos, TX................. 94 91
Birmingham, AL........................ 87 98
Bloomington, IN....................... 97 104
Boston-Worcester-Lawrence,
MA-NH-ME-CT........................... 108 111
Brownsville-Harlingen-San Benito,
TX.................................... 76 76
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY............. 111 101
Charleston-North Charleston, SC....... 101 104
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC... 104 99
Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI........ 104 106
Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH-KY-IN......... 100 99
Cleveland-Akron, OH................... 105 106
Columbus, OH.......................... 96 101
Corpus Christi, TX.................... 89 86
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX................. 91 99
Dayton-Springfield, OH................ 107 105
Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO............ 103 98
Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI........... 118 108
Elkhart-Goshen, IN.................... 98 101
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO............. 95 111
Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, MI..... 102 101
Great Falls, MT....................... 96 92
Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point,
NC.................................... 101 104
Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC... 105 95
Hartford, CT.......................... 111 107
Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC.......... 100 102
Honolulu, HI.......................... 106 104
Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX........ 100 95
Huntsville, AL........................ 100 93
Indianapolis, IN...................... 108 99
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Management,
Metropolitan Area1 All business,
occupations and
financial
Iowa City, IA......................... 98 95
Johnstown, PA......................... 87 86
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 99 93
Knoxville, TN......................... 92 103
Lincoln, NE........................... 89 85
Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County,
CA.................................... 107 106
Louisville, KY-IN..................... 96 91
Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay, FL..... 93 85
Memphis, TN-AR-MS..................... 95 96
Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL............. 96 107
Milwaukee-Racine, WI.................. 102 100
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI........... 108 101
Mobile, AL............................ 88 81
New Orleans, LA....................... 95 90
New York-Northern New Jersey- Long
Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA................... 114 114
Norfolk-VA Beach-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 91 87
Ocala, FL............................. 90 88
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 91 87
Orlando, FL........................... 93 94
Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 105 106
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ...................... 97 99
Pittsburgh, PA........................ 96 91
Portland-Salem, OR-WA................. 104 104
Providence-Fall River-Warwick,
RI-MA................................. 108 109
Reading, PA........................... 102 105
Reno, NV.............................. 98 97
Richland-Kennewick-Pasco, WA.......... 103 96
Richmond-Petersburg, VA............... 98 98
Rochester, NY......................... 97 89
Rockford, IL.......................... 100 90
Sacramento-Yolo, CA................... 106 102
Salinas, CA........................... 113 115
San Antonio, TX....................... 89 93
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Metropolitan Area1 Professional Service
and related
Iowa City, IA......................... 95 102
Johnstown, PA......................... 91 89
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 95 95
Knoxville, TN......................... 98 84
Lincoln, NE........................... 88 91
Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County,
CA.................................... 109 109
Louisville, KY-IN..................... 96 103
Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay, FL..... 81 101
Memphis, TN-AR-MS..................... 92 91
Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL............. 95 96
Milwaukee-Racine, WI.................. 97 100
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI........... 104 118
Mobile, AL............................ 85 84
New Orleans, LA....................... 96 91
New York-Northern New Jersey- Long
Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA................... 116 114
Norfolk-VA Beach-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 90 95
Ocala, FL............................. 88 92
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 85 91
Orlando, FL........................... 88 94
Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 107 105
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ...................... 101 96
Pittsburgh, PA........................ 97 98
Portland-Salem, OR-WA................. 95 112
Providence-Fall River-Warwick,
RI-MA................................. 111 112
Reading, PA........................... 94 101
Reno, NV.............................. 95 99
Richland-Kennewick-Pasco, WA.......... 95 113
Richmond-Petersburg, VA............... 95 98
Rochester, NY......................... 97 104
Rockford, IL.......................... 97 99
Sacramento-Yolo, CA................... 107 111
Salinas, CA........................... 121 115
San Antonio, TX....................... 91 87
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Office and
Metropolitan Area1 Sales and administra-
related tive support
Iowa City, IA......................... 92 101
Johnstown, PA......................... 86 84
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 96 100
Knoxville, TN......................... 98 95
Lincoln, NE........................... 85 87
Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County,
CA.................................... 115 106
Louisville, KY-IN..................... 99 98
Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay, FL..... 96 89
Memphis, TN-AR-MS..................... 104 98
Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL............. 95 96
Milwaukee-Racine, WI.................. 102 104
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI........... 109 103
Mobile, AL............................ 95 90
New Orleans, LA....................... 101 96
New York-Northern New Jersey- Long
Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA................... 112 114
Norfolk-VA Beach-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 94 91
Ocala, FL............................. 93 88
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 93 89
Orlando, FL........................... 101 90
Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 100 106
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ...................... 107 101
Pittsburgh, PA........................ 89 97
Portland-Salem, OR-WA................. 110 105
Providence-Fall River-Warwick,
RI-MA................................. 103 106
Reading, PA........................... 106 102
Reno, NV.............................. 101 99
Richland-Kennewick-Pasco, WA.......... 105 100
Richmond-Petersburg, VA............... 99 99
Rochester, NY......................... 96 98
Rockford, IL.......................... 100 97
Sacramento-Yolo, CA................... 102 104
Salinas, CA........................... 129 111
San Antonio, TX....................... 84 91
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Construction Installation,
Metropolitan Area1 and maintenance,
extraction and repair
Iowa City, IA......................... 101 102
Johnstown, PA......................... 96 88
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 108 104
Knoxville, TN......................... 85 87
Lincoln, NE........................... 85 93
Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County,
CA.................................... 110 106
Louisville, KY-IN..................... 110 94
Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay, FL..... 92 101
Memphis, TN-AR-MS..................... 94 98
Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL............. 91 93
Milwaukee-Racine, WI.................. 110 101
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI........... 113 107
Mobile, AL............................ 94 98
New Orleans, LA....................... 90 91
New York-Northern New Jersey- Long
Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA................... 128 114
Norfolk-VA Beach-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 87 94
Ocala, FL............................. 83 106
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 101 108
Orlando, FL........................... 91 93
Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 106 112
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ...................... 82 100
Pittsburgh, PA........................ 96 96
Portland-Salem, OR-WA................. 114 110
Providence-Fall River-Warwick,
RI-MA................................. 104 108
Reading, PA........................... 102 100
Reno, NV.............................. 96 111
Richland-Kennewick-Pasco, WA.......... 111 93
Richmond-Petersburg, VA............... 92 99
Rochester, NY......................... 94 89
Rockford, IL.......................... 111 104
Sacramento-Yolo, CA................... 103 118
Salinas, CA........................... 132 110
San Antonio, TX....................... 97 97
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Transporta-
Metropolitan Area1 Production tion and
material
moving
Iowa City, IA......................... 101 96
Johnstown, PA......................... 84 82
Kansas City, MO-KS.................... 104 97
Knoxville, TN......................... 89 96
Lincoln, NE........................... 91 91
Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County,
CA.................................... 99 102
Louisville, KY-IN..................... 99 94
Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay, FL..... 105 103
Memphis, TN-AR-MS..................... 97 96
Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL............. 97 98
Milwaukee-Racine, WI.................. 106 107
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI........... 117 107
Mobile, AL............................ 96 91
New Orleans, LA....................... 95 100
New York-Northern New Jersey- Long
Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA................... 105 110
Norfolk-VA Beach-Newport News,
VA-NC................................. 93 89
Ocala, FL............................. 95 103
Oklahoma City, OK..................... 89 87
Orlando, FL........................... 85 106
Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,
PA-NJ-DE-MD........................... 100 108
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ...................... 96 100
Pittsburgh, PA........................ 99 96
Portland-Salem, OR-WA................. 101 100
Providence-Fall River-Warwick,
RI-MA................................. 112 105
Reading, PA........................... 99 102
Reno, NV.............................. 98 101
Richland-Kennewick-Pasco, WA.......... 98 100
Richmond-Petersburg, VA............... 102 100
Rochester, NY......................... 100 100
Rockford, IL.......................... 103 104
Sacramento-Yolo, CA................... 111 108
Salinas, CA........................... 95 104
San Antonio, TX....................... 96 86
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Management,
Metropolitan Area1 All business,
occupations and
financial
San Diego, CA......................... 108 106
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA.... 119 114
Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA.......... 109 103
Springfield, MA....................... 109 104
Springfield, MO....................... 87 82
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 101 97
Tallahassee, FL....................... 91 81
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 95 89
Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, CA........ 99 101
Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV..... 107 103
York, PA.............................. 97 102
Youngstown-Warren, OH................. 96 96
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Metropolitan Area1 Professional Service
and related
San Diego, CA......................... 110 112
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA.... 117 123
Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA.......... 99 119
Springfield, MA....................... 109 105
Springfield, MO....................... 88 84
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 99 94
Tallahassee, FL....................... 90 96
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 91 95
Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, CA........ 98 101
Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV..... 107 106
York, PA.............................. 98 98
Youngstown-Warren, OH................. 93 91
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Office and
Metropolitan Area1 Sales and administra-
related tive support
San Diego, CA......................... 106 105
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA.... 124 122
Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA.......... 111 108
Springfield, MA....................... 113 110
Springfield, MO....................... 91 86
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 100 99
Tallahassee, FL....................... 92 91
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 98 100
Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, CA........ 102 97
Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV..... 106 111
York, PA.............................. 91 95
Youngstown-Warren, OH................. 92 92
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Construction Installation,
Metropolitan Area1 and maintenance,
extraction and repair
San Diego, CA......................... 107 107
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA.... 122 117
Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA.......... 111 106
Springfield, MA....................... 105 110
Springfield, MO....................... 77 91
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 117 107
Tallahassee, FL....................... 88 87
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 97 94
Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, CA........ 92 93
Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV..... 100 116
York, PA.............................. 102 99
Youngstown-Warren, OH................. 99 95
(Continued)
(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)
Transporta-
Metropolitan Area1 Production tion and
material
moving
San Diego, CA......................... 104 101
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA.... 108 108
Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA.......... 117 113
Springfield, MA....................... 108 115
Springfield, MO....................... 94 89
St. Louis, MO-IL...................... 104 108
Tallahassee, FL....................... 95 93
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL... 93 103
Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, CA........ 105 97
Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV..... 108 106
York, PA.............................. 96 103
Youngstown-Warren, OH................. 102 110
1 A metropolitan area can be a Metropolitan Statistical Area
(MSA) or Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) as
defined by the Office of Management and Budget, 1994.
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, 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 over 8 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 wage determination.
To illustrate the importance of controlling for these effects, consider the following example. The average pay for
professional and related workers in San Francisco is $37.57 and the average pay for professional and related workers in
the entire United States is $29.76.(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:
($37.57 / $29.76) X 100 = 126
This comparison does not control for differences between San Francisco and the nation in the mix of occupations,
industries, and other factors. A more accurate estimate of the geographic effect of wages in San Francisco 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 San Francisco relative to the nation as the whole,
the pay relative for professional and related occupations in San Francisco is equal to 117.
Historical data
Historical pay relative data are available for 1992-1996, 1998, 2002, 2004, and 2005. 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 for 2004, 2005, and 2006 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
a high degree of caution.
Survey methodology
Pay relatives were estimated using a multivariate regression technique methodology 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 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 relatives in this release, as with estimates from any sample survey, are subject to sampling and non-sampling
errors. Sampling errors are differences that occur between the pay relatives estimated from the sample and the true pay
relatives derived from the population. Pay relatives are also subject to a variety of non-sampling errors that can 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. Non-sampling errors of these kinds were not specifically measured. However, they 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.
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.
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Footnotes
(1) Data for this example are based on the May 2006 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates,
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcma.htm.
(2) Average pay for professional workers in San Francisco and for the United States are based on wage estimates published
in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA National Compensation Survey, March 2006 and the National Compensation Survey:
Occupational Wages in the United States, June 2006, http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/compub.htm.