Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

15-2031 Operations Research Analysts

Formulate and apply mathematical modeling and other optimizing methods using a computer to develop and interpret information that assists management with decision making, policy formulation, or other managerial functions. May develop related software, service, or products. Frequently concentrates on collecting and analyzing data and developing decision support software. May develop and supply optimal time, cost, or logistics networks for program evaluation, review, or implementation.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
58,080 3.3 % $29.66 $61,700 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $16.89 $21.41 $28.03 $36.32 $44.65
Annual Wage (2) $35,120 $44,530 $58,300 $75,540 $92,870

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Computer systems design and related services 5,200 $34.07 $70,860 1 10
Federal government (OES designation) 5,090 $34.86 $72,510 2 8
Management and technical consulting services 3,900 $33.31 $69,290 3 14
Insurance carriers 3,850 $25.39 $52,820 4 48
Architectural and engineering services 2,990 $29.38 $61,120 5 30

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing 240 $45.72 $95,090 35 1
Software publishers 750 $39.27 $81,680 17 2
Accounting and bookkeeping services 410 $37.06 $77,080 26 3
Electronic markets and agents and brokers 30 $36.10 $75,080 65 4
Commercial equip. merchant wholesalers 1,070 $35.29 $73,410 13 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Virginia 5,440 $34.21 $71,150 0.160% 61
District of Columbia 870 $34.85 $72,490 0.146% 67
Maryland 2,030 $29.43 $61,220 0.083% 111
Nebraska 600 $24.32 $50,580 0.068% 112
New Mexico 480 $29.10 $60,530 0.065% 63

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
District of Columbia 870 $34.85 $72,490 0.146% 67
Virginia 5,440 $34.21 $71,150 0.160% 61
Arkansas 310 $34.11 $70,950 0.028% 28
New Jersey 1,790 $33.25 $69,150 0.046% 92
Massachusetts 1,530 $32.38 $67,350 0.048% 96

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Huntsville, AL MSA 580 $33.70 $70,090 0.326%
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 5,950 $33.62 $69,940 0.221%
Austin-San Marcos, TX MSA 1,420 $35.31 $73,450 0.218%
Tallahassee, FL MSA 280 $21.07 $43,820 0.178%
Sacramento, CA PMSA 1,280 $27.74 $57,700 0.171%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Provo-Orem, UT MSA (6) $41.41 $86,130 (6)
Bakersfield, CA MSA 100 $39.64 $82,450 0.045%
Monmouth-Ocean, NJ PMSA 110 $38.95 $81,020 0.028%
San Jose, CA PMSA 900 $38.38 $79,820 0.103%
Little Rock-North Little Rock, AR MSA 240 $38.05 $79,140 0.079%

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) 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.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Computer and Mathematical Science Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004