Midwest Information office

Workers in the Lincoln metropolitan area earned an average of $16.00 per hour in April 2007, 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 Jay A. Mousa reported wage data for workers in a wide range of occupational groups, including average hourly earnings of $23.64 for healthcare practitioner and technical occupations and $13.59 for office and administrative support occupations. Another occupational group, food preparation and serving related occupations, had a mean hourly wage rate of $7.96. The NCS data available for the Lincoln area include earnings for 20 major occupational groups with additional detail for selected occupations within those groups. (See bulletin table 2, link to the full bulletin is provided at the end of this release.)

Registered nurses, part of the healthcare practitioner and technical occupational group, earned $22.70 per hour. Within the office and administrative support occupational group, medical secretaries averaged $14.74 per hour. Restaurant cooks, an occupation within the food preparation and serving related group, registered an average hourly rate of $9.96, and fast food and combined food preparation and serving workers earned $6.83 per hour. (See bulletin table 2.)

Broad coverage of selected occupational characteristics is available from NCS for the local area. Full-time workers averaged $17.04 per hour while their part-time counterparts earned $10.27. Union workers earned $19.10 and non-union workers, $15.54. Workers in establishments with 1-99 workers averaged $14.06 per hour, those in establishments with 100-499 workers earned $16.05, and those in establishments with 500 or more employees earned $19.32.

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 284 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 147,600 workers in the Lincoln Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) which is comprised of Lancaster and Seward Counties in Nebraska.

Survey Availability

Complete survey results are contained in the Lincoln, NE National Compensation Survey April 2007 (Bulletin 3140-21). While supplies last, single copies of the bulletin are available from the Midwest Information Office by calling (312) 353-1880 from 8:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. CT. 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.

# # #

Bulletin tables - PDF format
                   - text format

Last Modified Date: January 18, 2008