Western Information Office

CONTACT: Media Interviews (415) 625-2245 (415) 625-2270 Internet address: http://www.bls.gov/ro9/news.htm

BLS 08-08 FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Workers in the San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos metropolitan area earned an average of $21.65 per hour in December 2006, according to new survey results from the National Compensation Survey (NCS) released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Regional Commissioner Richard J. Holden reported wage data for workers in a wide range of occupational groups, including average hourly earnings of $31.09 for healthcare practitioner and technical occupations and $28.79 for business and financial operations. Another occupational group, production, had a mean hourly wage rate of $16.75. The NCS data available for the San Diego area include earnings for 20 major occupational groups with additional detail for selected occupations within those groups. (See table 1.)

Registered nurses, part of the healthcare practitioner and technical occupational group, earned $39.02 per hour. In the same group, diagnostic related technologists and technicians earned $28.23. Within the business and financial operations occupational group, accountants and auditors earned $26.24 per hour. Machinists, an occupation within the production group, registered an average hourly rate of $23.06, and welding, soldering, and brazing workers earned $21.65 per hour.

Broad coverage of selected occupational characteristics is available from NCS for the local area. Full-time workers averaged $23.55 per hour while their part-time counterparts earned $11.47. Union workers earned $24.53 and non-union workers, $20.95. Workers in establishments with 1-99 workers averaged $19.99 per hour, those in establishments with 100-499 workers earned $20.74, and those in establishments with 500 or more employees earned $25.57.

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 provided in the detailed bulletin covered 525 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 1,266,000 workers in the San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos metropolitan area which is comprised of San Diego County in California.

Complete survey results are contained in the San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA National Compensation Survey December 2006 (Bulletin 3140-16). While supplies last, single copies of the bulletin are available from the Western Information Office by calling 415-625-2270 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. PT. In addition, data contained in the bulletin are available on the Internet in both text and PDF formats at www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/compub.htm.

Please click here for a text formatted copy of the table issued with this release.

 

Last Modified Date: January 23, 2008