Internet: www.bls.gov/ro3/ PLS - 4379
FOR RELEASE:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2008
INFORMATION: Gerald Perrins
(215) 597-3282
MEDIA CONTACT: Sheila Watkins
(215) 861-5600

Highlights of Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia
National Compensation Survey April 2007(PDF)

Workers in the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia metropolitan area earned an average of $23.78 per hour in April 2007, according to new survey results from the National Compensation Survey (NCS) released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor.  Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that wage data were reported for workers in a wide range of occupational groups, including average hourly earnings of $43.49 for management occupations and $32.82 for business and financial operations occupations.  Another occupational group, office and administrative support, had a mean hourly wage rate of $16.96.  The NCS data available for the Washington area include earnings for 21 major occupational groups with additional detail for selected occupations within those groups.  (See table 1.)

Computer and information systems managers, part of the management occupational group, earned $54.79 per hour.  Within the business and financial operations group, budget analysts averaged $38.15 an hour, while accountants and auditors earned $31.40.  Secretaries and administrative assistants, an occupation within the office and administrative support group, registered an hourly rate of $20.74, and hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks earned $11.11 per hour.

Broad coverage of selected occupational characteristics is available from NCS for the local area.  Full-time workers averaged $25.47 per hour while their part-time counterparts earned $12.26.  Union workers earned $24.74 and non-union workers, $23.62.  Workers in establishments with 1-99 workers averaged $20.42 per hour, those in establishments with 100-499 workers earned $24.26, and those in establishments with 500 or more employees earned $28.73.

The occupational wage data available from the 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 here covered 991 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 3,731,300 workers in the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia Combined Statistical Area (CSA) which includes:

Baltimore-Towson, MD, Metropolitan Statistical Area: the city of Baltimore and the counties of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, and Queen Anne’s in Maryland.

Lexington Park, MD, Micropolitan Statistical Area: St. Mary’s County in Maryland.

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, Metropolitan Statistical Area: the District of Columbia; the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren in Virginia; the counties of Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s in Maryland; and Jefferson County in West Virginia.

Winchester, VA-WV, Metropolitan Statistical Area: the city of Winchester and the county of Frederick in Virginia and the county of Hampshire in West Virginia.

Survey Availability

Complete survey results are contained in the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV National Compensation Survey April 2007 which is available on the Internet in both text and PDF formats.

For personal assistance or further information on the National Compensation Survey, as well as other Bureau data, contact the Mid-Atlantic Information Office by calling (215) 597-3282 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. 

Table 1. Civilian workers: Mean hourly earnings(1) for full-time and part-time workers(2), Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV CSA, April 2007
Occupation(3) Total Full-time workers Part-time workers
Mean Relative error (4) (percent) Mean Relative error (4) (percent) Mean Relative error (4)(percent)

All workers

 $23.78 3.0 $25.47 3.3 $12.26 4.1

Management occupations

 43.49 3.9 43.44 4.0 – –

General and operations managers

 40.82 15.1 40.82 15.1 – –

Marketing and sales managers

 35.95 5.9 35.95 5.9 – –

Marketing managers

 31.79 4.9 31.79 4.9 – –

Computer and information systems managers

 54.79 6.2 54.97 6.5 – –

Financial managers

 47.91 9.5 47.91 9.5 – –

Construction managers

 43.73 4.3 43.73 4.3 – –

Education administrators

 37.89 9.5 37.89 9.5 – –

Education administrators, elementary and secondary school

 43.44 5.4 43.44 5.4 – –

Education administrators, postsecondary

 38.82 15.8 38.82 15.8 – –

Medical and health services managers

 37.00 3.6 37.00 3.6 – –

Social and community service managers

 37.41 29.4 37.41 29.4 – –

Business and financial operations occupations

 32.82 5.3 32.84 5.5 – –

Buyers and purchasing agents

 29.13 15.1 29.13 15.1 – –

Cost estimators

 35.39 7.4 35.39 7.4 – –

Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists

 35.97 15.7 36.13 16.0 – –

Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists

 37.33 22.7 37.33 22.7 – –

Management analysts

 35.58 8.3 35.58 8.3 – –

Accountants and auditors

 31.40 7.0 31.56 7.4 – –

Budget analysts

 38.15 9.7 38.15 9.7 – –

Financial analysts and advisors

 34.93 24.5 34.93 24.5 – –

Insurance underwriters

 27.33 18.6 27.33 18.6 – –

Loan counselors and officers

 32.05 8.8 30.30 12.0 – –

Loan officers

 32.00 9.1 30.13 12.5 – –

Computer and mathematical science occupations

 40.23 2.6 40.19 2.5 – –

Computer and information scientists, research

 49.71 1.5 – – – –

Computer programmers

 42.40 6.0 41.78 5.8 – –

Computer software engineers

 41.80 3.2 41.80 3.2 – –

Computer software engineers, applications

 40.91 2.1 40.91 2.1 – –

Computer software engineers, systems software

 45.41 4.4 45.41 4.4 – –

Computer support specialists

 30.56 5.1 30.56 5.1 – –

Computer systems analysts

 44.12 8.3 43.98 8.3 – –

Network and computer systems administrators

 33.57 6.1 33.57 6.1 – –

Network systems and data communications analysts

 33.75 14.8 33.75 14.8 – –

Operations research analysts

 32.73 0.0 32.73 0.0 – –

Architecture and engineering occupations

 39.04 4.9 39.60 5.3 – –

Engineers

 43.94 5.7 44.15 6.1 – –

Electrical and electronics engineers

 39.79 3.7 39.79 3.7 – –

Electronics engineers, except computer

 38.72 2.5 38.72 2.5 – –

Engineering technicians, except drafters

 23.53 1.7 23.53 1.7 – –

Life, physical, and social science occupations

 32.20 4.9 32.20 4.9 – –

Life scientists

 30.00 5.6 30.00 5.6 – –

Physical scientists

 39.33 19.4 39.33 19.4 – –

Economists

 26.40 14.4 26.40 14.4 – –

Market and survey researchers

 33.48 12.2 33.48 12.2 – –

Market research analysts

 33.48 12.2 33.48 12.2 – –

Community and social services occupations

 23.89 8.1 25.58 6.0 – –

Counselors

 28.55 9.3 28.55 9.3 – –

Educational, vocational, and school counselors

 33.77 8.0 33.77 8.0 – –

Social workers

 26.53 5.0 27.25 6.0 – –

Child, family, and school social workers

 24.94 10.2 27.01 7.9 – –

Miscellaneous community and social service specialists

 – – 16.24 7.7 – –

Lawyers

 68.50 8.8 66.66 9.0 – –
Legal occupations

Education, training, and library occupations

 30.57 6.8 31.32 7.3 21.76 7.6

Postsecondary teachers

 39.08 13.3 38.93 14.2 40.95 7.5

Business teachers, postsecondary

 48.85 8.3 – – – –

Math and computer teachers, postsecondary

 34.82 23.0 – – – –

Computer science teachers, postsecondary

 35.37 28.1 – – – –

Social sciences teachers, postsecondary

 – – 50.80 0.4 – –

Arts, communications, and humanities teachers, postsecondary

 38.14 7.6 38.79 8.0 – –

English language and literature teachers, postsecondary

 32.24 9.2 – – – –

Miscellaneous postsecondary teachers

 33.21 22.6 32.98 24.0 36.61 10.2

Primary, secondary, and special education school teachers

 35.86 3.6 36.20 3.7 24.44 11.1

Preschool and kindergarten teachers

 26.61 22.8 26.85 22.5 – –

Preschool teachers, except special education

 18.37 28.2 – – – –

Kindergarten teachers, except special education

 38.15 0.6 38.15 0.6 – –

Elementary and middle school teachers

 36.40 2.0 36.79 2.6 – –

Elementary school teachers, except special education

 36.12 1.1 36.62 1.3 – –

Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education

 37.29 8.0 37.29 8.0 – –

Secondary school teachers

 37.35 4.0 37.37 4.1 – –

Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education

 37.37 4.1 37.39 4.1 – –

Special education teachers

 39.91 6.7 41.37 7.2 – –

Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school

 37.58 3.3 38.95 1.7 – –

Other teachers and instructors

 28.21 8.8 – – 21.57 2.1

Librarians

 31.93 6.9 32.61 6.3 – –

Library technicians

 19.05 11.4 – – – –

Teacher assistants

 12.74 8.0 12.78 9.8 12.45 4.9

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

 32.82 8.3 32.76 8.8 – –

Designers

 22.62 14.2 21.67 14.7 – –

Graphic designers

 26.80 15.3 – – – –

Writers and editors

 48.11 16.8 48.11 16.8 – –

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations

 28.63 6.1 28.80 6.6 27.77 6.4

Registered nurses

 32.02 2.1 31.56 2.4 34.01 2.4

Therapists

 29.29 11.2 28.16 11.7 32.27 25.8

Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians

 19.65 5.7 19.63 5.8 – –

Medical and clinical laboratory technologists

 24.84 7.4 25.02 8.5 – –

Medical and clinical laboratory technicians

 15.70 2.3 15.70 2.3 – –

Diagnostic related technologists and technicians

 28.90 5.8 27.41 3.8 – –

Radiologic technologists and technicians

 28.28 7.0 – – – –

Health diagnosing and treating practitioner support technicians

 16.20 6.7 16.60 7.5 – –

Pharmacy technicians

 16.31 7.6 – – – –

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

 22.83 2.7 22.76 2.8 – –

Healthcare support occupations

 12.78 2.6 13.11 3.4 11.09 4.5

Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides

 12.09 3.0 12.18 3.1 11.68 6.7

Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants

 12.25 2.7 12.17 3.1 12.92 5.7

Miscellaneous healthcare support occupations

 13.48 6.3 13.94 6.8 – –

Medical assistants

 13.93 6.9 13.91 7.2 – –

Protective service occupations

 21.40 3.5 22.98 2.5 11.10 12.6

First-line supervisors/managers, law enforcement workers

 38.16 5.4 38.16 5.4 – –

First-line supervisors/managers of police and detectives

 38.86 4.0 38.86 4.0 – –

Fire fighters

 20.74 2.5 20.74 2.5 – –

Bailiffs, correctional officers, and jailers

 21.30 7.1 21.30 7.1 – –

Correctional officers and jailers

 21.30 7.1 21.30 7.1 – –

Police officers

 27.53 7.1 27.57 7.1 – –

Police and sheriff's patrol officers

 27.53 7.1 27.57 7.1 – –

Security guards and gaming surveillance officers

 11.40 6.0 11.26 4.7 11.73 21.6

Security guards

 11.40 6.0 11.26 4.7 11.73 21.6

Miscellaneous protective service workers

 14.45 19.3 – – – –

Food preparation and serving related occupations

 8.98 11.6 10.99 4.6 6.67 6.4

First-line supervisors/managers, food preparation and serving workers

 15.43 19.7 17.03 8.9 – –

First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers

 15.52 19.5 17.19 7.7 – –

Cooks

 11.30 2.2 11.57 2.5 10.26 10.5

Cooks, institution and cafeteria

 11.82 6.1 12.07 6.4 – –

Cooks, restaurant

 11.74 1.7 11.92 0.4 11.14 7.1

Cooks, short order

 11.80 2.8 – – – –

Food preparation workers

 10.66 10.3 – – – –

Food service, tipped

 4.90 13.3 4.91 13.8 4.90 15.4

Waiters and waitresses

 3.54 4.9 3.45 17.1 3.58 2.1

Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers

 7.93 13.3 – – 6.44 6.4

Fast food and counter workers

 8.85 6.6 10.90 10.5 7.50 4.0

Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food

 8.57 6.7 10.89 15.9 7.45 3.5

Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop

 10.67 10.4 – – – –

Dishwashers

 9.82 11.8 – – 8.52 4.0

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

 11.20 4.9 12.44 3.9 9.14 3.2

Building cleaning workers

 10.78 5.5 11.91 4.8 9.14 3.2

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

 10.70 7.9 12.41 6.7 9.06 3.4

Maids and housekeeping cleaners

 11.24 1.7 11.16 2.0 – –

Grounds maintenance workers

 15.25 8.9 15.31 9.1 – –

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers

 15.25 8.9 15.31 9.1 – –

Personal care and service occupations

 15.87 7.0 17.00 9.9 12.29 10.4

Miscellaneous entertainment attendants and related workers

 10.35 14.4 – – 10.35 14.4

Amusement and recreation attendants

 10.35 14.4 – – 10.35 14.4

Barbers and cosmetologists

 18.28 1.4 18.61 5.2 – –

Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists

 18.28 1.4 18.61 5.2 – –

Child care workers

 9.64 5.9 9.67 10.3 9.55 13.5

Recreation and fitness workers

 15.83 15.7 – – 15.35 29.3

Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors

 14.15 7.6 – – 14.96 14.2

Recreation workers

 16.86 21.7 – – – –

Sales and related occupations

 17.63 9.4 21.31 8.9 8.64 1.9

First-line supervisors/managers, sales workers

 18.45 18.6 18.45 18.6 – –

First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers

 17.76 20.0 17.76 20.0 – –

Retail sales workers

 10.88 6.9 12.73 8.4 8.63 2.1

Cashiers, all workers

 9.72 3.6 11.28 3.7 8.44 4.0

Cashiers

 9.72 3.6 11.28 3.7 8.44 4.0

Counter and rental clerks and parts salespersons

 9.92 12.2 11.22 17.3 – –

Retail salespersons

 12.88 14.0 14.49 13.0 9.32 3.8

Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents

 60.07 19.6 60.07 19.6 – –

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing

 31.86 10.6 31.86 10.6 – –

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products

 45.45 32.8 45.45 32.8 – –

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products

 28.82 7.4 28.82 7.4 – –

Miscellaneous sales and related workers

 23.55 8.8 25.39 8.1 – –

Office and administrative support occupations

 16.96 2.0 17.53 1.8 12.74 4.6

First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers

 24.87 5.0 24.87 5.0 – –

Financial clerks

 16.35 3.0 16.73 3.4 14.25 12.8

Bill and account collectors

 14.14 6.1 14.37 5.7 – –

Billing and posting clerks and machine operators

 17.54 5.8 17.54 5.8 – –

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

 18.39 6.5 18.31 7.6 18.86 11.0

Tellers

 12.46 1.2 12.84 0.6 11.34 1.4

Court, municipal, and license clerks

 23.72 20.1 17.65 5.4 – –

Customer service representatives

 15.86 5.5 16.40 5.6 – –

Eligibility interviewers, government programs

 18.40 4.5 18.40 4.5 – –

Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks

 11.11 6.9 – – – –

Interviewers, except eligibility and loan

 11.40 13.0 13.59 5.4 – –

Order clerks

 15.91 1.2 16.02 1.4 – –

Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

 18.90 2.9 18.90 2.9 – –

Receptionists and information clerks

 13.42 5.6 13.90 5.5 10.00 13.2

Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks

 16.69 7.4 – – – –

Dispatchers

 16.79 9.3 16.84 9.5 – –

Production, planning, and expediting clerks

 21.22 5.6 21.22 5.6 – –

Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks

 14.20 15.3 14.31 16.5 – –

Stock clerks and order fillers

 10.22 11.5 10.95 11.0 8.23 4.8

Secretaries and administrative assistants

 20.74 3.0 21.02 2.9 15.71 7.9

Executive secretaries and administrative assistants

 24.18 7.0 24.54 7.5 – –

Medical secretaries

 14.42 6.9 14.93 6.3 – –

Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive

 17.39 5.3 17.45 5.6 – –

Computer operators

 17.78 12.5 18.29 10.8 – –

Data entry and information processing workers

 14.26 8.7 – – – –

Insurance claims and policy processing clerks

 17.76 15.5 19.48 15.3 – –

Office clerks, general

 15.31 5.2 16.22 4.1 – –

Construction and extraction occupations

 19.42 3.6 19.42 3.6 – –

First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers

 26.65 3.7 26.86 4.3 – –

Carpenters

 20.88 3.2 20.88 3.2 – –

Construction laborers

 12.32 8.4 12.32 8.4 – –

Construction equipment operators

 20.25 13.1 20.25 13.1 – –

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

 21.08 20.2 21.08 20.2 – –

Electricians

 26.56 7.3 26.56 7.3 – –

Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

 20.38 9.4 20.38 9.4 – –

Helpers, construction trades

 12.89 9.0 12.89 9.0 – –

Construction and building inspectors

 25.75 8.3 25.75 8.3 – –

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

 24.32 1.9 24.25 1.8 – –

First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers

 30.13 2.7 30.13 2.7 – –

Radio and telecommunications equipment installers and repairers

 30.12 1.6 30.12 1.6 – –

Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers

 30.12 1.6 30.12 1.6 – –

Automotive technicians and repairers

 22.03 9.9 22.03 9.9 – –

Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers

 21.30 6.1 21.30 6.1 – –

Maintenance and repair workers, general

 21.17 9.6 21.17 9.6 – –

Line installers and repairers

 26.71 5.1 26.71 5.1 – –

Telecommunications line installers and repairers

 26.38 7.4 26.38 7.4 – –

Miscellaneous installation, maintenance, and repair workers

 18.63 12.6 18.63 12.6 – –

Production occupations

 14.88 3.9 15.22 3.3 10.66 10.0

First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers

 21.32 8.0 21.32 8.0 – –

Printers

 18.99 16.2 19.62 14.6 – –

Printing machine operators

 17.07 16.6 17.69 15.3 – –

Laundry and dry-cleaning workers

 11.04 6.8 11.04 6.8 – –

Miscellaneous textile, apparel, and furnishings workers

 14.95 4.9 – – – –

Miscellaneous production workers

 – – 13.83 7.7 – –

Transportation and material moving occupations

 20.17 5.4 21.94 6.4 9.22 5.8

First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators

 29.38 10.4 29.38 10.4 – –

Bus drivers

 18.19 10.5 18.81 11.3 – –

Bus drivers, school

 16.75 17.8 17.29 21.4 – –

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers

 17.76 8.8 18.17 8.6 – –

Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer

 18.42 9.0 18.50 9.1 – –

Truck drivers, light or delivery services

 14.69 8.5 14.71 8.5 – –

Industrial truck and tractor operators

 17.90 11.8 17.90 11.8 – –

Laborers and material movers, hand

 11.73 3.7 12.91 6.1 8.99 5.7

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

 12.39 4.8 13.21 6.6 9.20 8.0

Packers and packagers, hand

 9.65 6.6 – – 8.78 4.1

Footnotes:
(1) Earnings are the straight-time hourly wages or salaries paid to employees. They include incentive pay, cost-of-living adjustments, and hazard pay. Excluded are premium pay for overtime, vacations, holidays, nonproduction bonuses, and tips. The mean is computed by totaling the pay of all workers and dividing by the number of workers, weighted by hours. See appendix A for more information.
(2) Employees are classified as working either a full-time or a part-time schedule based on the definition used by each establishment. Therefore, a worker with a 35-hour-per-week schedule might be considered a full-time employee in one establishment, but classified as part-time in another firm, where a 40-hour week is the minimum full-time schedule.
(3) Workers are classified by occupation using the 2000 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. See appendix B for more information.
(4) The relative standard error (RSE) is the standard error expressed as a percent of the estimate. It can be used to calculate a "confidence interval" around a sample estimate. For more information about RSEs, see appendix A.

NOTE: Dashes indicate that no data were reported or that data did not meet publication criteria. Overall occupational groups may include data for categories not shown separately
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey.

 

Last Modified Date: July 7, 2008