August 4, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Pay gap crosses occupational lines

Workers in metropolitan areas earned an average of $15.73 per hour in 1997. Workers in non-metropolitan areas averaged $11.84.

[Chart data—TXT]

White-collar occupations generally recorded higher hourly earnings than blue-collar or service occupations. In metropolitan areas, wages in all three occupations were higher than their counterparts in non-metropolitan areas.

White-collar workers averaged $19.07 in metropolitan areas and $15.15 in non-metropolitan areas. Among blue-collar workers, the corresponding figures were $12.78 and $10.74. Service workers in metropolitan areas received $9.40 per hour while those in non-metropolitan areas received $8.00.

These data are the product of the National Compensation Survey. Read more in "When It Comes To Pay, Does Location Matter?" (PDF 49K), Compensation and Working Conditions, Summer 2000.