CONTACT: Media Interviews (415) 625-2270 (415) 625-2282 Internet address: http://www.bls.gov/ro9/news.htm

BLS 09-34 FOR RELEASE: Monday, May 4, 2009

Workers in the Visalia-Porterville metropolitan area earned an average of $18.40 per hour in July 2008, 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 $36.30 for education, training, and library occupations and $31.41 for healthcare practitioner and technical occupations. In the sales and related occupational groups, workers earned $13.05 per hour. The NCS data available for the Visalia-Porterville area include earnings for 17 major occupational groups with additional detail for selected occupations within those groups. (See table 1.)

Within the education, training, and library occupational group, teacher assistants earned $15.50 per hour. Registered nurses, part of the healthcare practitioner and technical occupational group, earned $39.30 per hour. Cashiers, an occupation within the sales and related occupations, registered an average hourly rate of $10.31 per hour.

Broad coverage of selected occupational characteristics is available from NCS for the local area. Full-time workers averaged $19.73 per hour, while their part-time counterparts earned $10.56. Union workers earned $26.53 and non-union workers earned $16.18 per hour. Workers in establishments with 1-99 workers averaged $14.46 per hour, while those in establishments with 100-499 workers earned $19.28. Workers in establishments with 500 or more employees earned $26.70.

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 171 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 110,900 workers in the Visalia-Porterville Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) which is comprised of Tulare County in California.

Complete survey results are contained in the Visalia-Porterville, CA National Compensation Survey July 2008 which is available on the Internet in both text and PDF formats at www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/compub.htm.

For personal assistance or further information on the National Compensation Survey, as well as other Bureau data, contact 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.

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

 

Last Modified Date: May 4, 2009