Web site : www.bls.gov/ro3/ PLS - 4491
For Release:
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Information: Gerald Perrins
(215) 597-3282
Media Contact: Sheila Watkins
(215) 861-5600

Highlights of Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia
National Compensation Survey April 2008 (PDF)

Workers in the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia metropolitan area earned an average of $24.80 per hour in April 2008, 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 $46.97 for management occupations and $17.65 for office and administrative support occupations.  Another occupational group, healthcare support, had a mean hourly wage rate of $14.04.  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.)

Marketing managers, part of the management occupational group, earned $41.76 per hour.  Within the office and administrative group, executive secretaries and administrative assistants averaged $24.69 an hour, while tellers earned $13.38.  Medical assistants, an occupation within the healthcare support group, registered an hourly rate of $14.89, and home health aides earned $9.83 per hour.

Broad coverage of selected occupational characteristics is available from NCS for the local area.  Full-time workers averaged $26.52 per hour while their part-time counterparts earned $12.84.  Union workers earned $25.07 and non-union workers, $24.76.  Workers in establishments with 1-99 workers averaged $21.55 per hour, those in establishments with 100-499 workers earned $24.73, and those in establishments with 500 or more employees earned $30.23.

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 1,029 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 3,731,900 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, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., 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.-W.Va., 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, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.Va. National Compensation Survey April 2008 which is available 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 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 2008
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

 $24.80 3.2 $26.52 3.4 $12.84 3.9

Management occupations

 47.0 3.4 47.0 3.5 41.0 21.6

General and operations managers

 45.7 12.0 45.7 12.0 – –

Marketing and sales managers

 42.0 7.6 42.0 7.6 – –

Marketing managers

 41.8 9.5 41.8 9.5 – –

Sales managers

 42.3 10.8 42.3 10.8 – –

Computer and information systems managers

 54.8 5.3 54.8 5.6 – –

Financial managers

 47.8 8.7 47.8 8.7 – –

Construction managers

 49.4 6.8 49.4 6.8 – –

Education administrators

 43.2 10.4 43.2 10.4 – –

Education administrators, elementary and secondary school

 47.2 5.4 47.2 5.4 – –

Education administrators, postsecondary

 52.0 26.3 52.0 26.3 – –

Medical and health services managers

 41.8 11.9 41.8 11.9 – –

Social and community service managers

 31.7 9.8 31.7 9.8 – –

Business and financial operations occupations

 34.5 4.0 34.6 4.1 32.9 5.4

Buyers and purchasing agents

 30.2 8.6 30.5 8.5 – –

Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products

 33.8 2.7 33.8 2.7 – –

Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists

 35.4 14.6 35.4 14.6 – –

Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists

 39.1 24.1 39.1 24.1 – –

Logisticians

 37.7 5.0 37.7 5.0 – –

Management analysts

 41.3 9.4 41.3 9.4 – –

Accountants and auditors

 32.4 4.7 32.5 5.2 – –

Financial analysts and advisors

 36.2 24.6 36.2 24.6 – –

Insurance underwriters

 28.9 14.7 28.9 14.7 – –

Computer and mathematical science occupations

 41.0 2.6 41.0 2.5 – –

Computer programmers

 40.6 2.4 39.9 1.9 – –

Computer software engineers

 44.5 4.3 44.5 4.3 – –

Computer software engineers, applications

 42.6 1.2 42.6 1.2 – –

Computer software engineers, systems software

 52.1 7.9 52.1 7.9 – –

Computer support specialists

 30.7 4.4 30.8 4.5 – –

Computer systems analysts

 44.1 5.9 43.9 5.7 – –

Network and computer systems administrators

 34.6 6.5 34.6 6.5 – –

Network systems and data communications analysts

 35.0 12.5 35.0 12.5 – –

Operations research analysts

 32.9 6.7 32.9 6.7 – –

Architecture and engineering occupations

 38.1 5.4 38.4 5.8 – –

Engineers

 44.5 5.1 44.6 5.0 – –

Electrical and electronics engineers

 40.3 2.3 40.1 2.2 – –

Electronics engineers, except computer

 39.5 1.7 39.3 1.9 – –

Drafters

 24.8 12.6 24.8 12.6 – –

Engineering technicians, except drafters

 24.3 2.6 24.3 2.6 – –

Electrical and electronic engineering technicians

 24.5 1.8 24.5 1.8 – –

Life, physical, and social science occupations

 33.2 3.6 33.3 3.7 – –

Life scientists

 30.8 4.3 30.8 4.3 – –

Medical scientists

 30.1 8.7 30.1 8.7 – –

Physical scientists

 39.4 25.6 39.8 26.3 – –

Environmental scientists and geoscientists

 29.2 12.8 29.5 12.1 – –

Environmental scientists and specialists, including health

 29.2 12.8 29.5 12.1 – –

Economists

 26.4 13.4 26.4 13.4 – –

Market and survey researchers

 31.8 8.9 31.8 8.9 – –

Market research analysts

 31.9 9.5 31.9 9.5 – –

Community and social services occupations

 24.7 7.9 26.4 6.0 – –

Counselors

 31.1 8.7 31.1 8.7 – –

Educational, vocational, and school counselors

 37.5 6.7 37.5 6.7 – –

Social workers

 25.1 8.5 25.9 9.0 – –

Child, family, and school social workers

 26.3 10.4 28.3 8.3 – –

Miscellaneous community and social service specialists

 – – 16.7 9.6 – –

Lawyers

 63.0 8.4 64.1 10.4 – –
Legal occupations

Education, training, and library occupations

 32.3 5.1 33.1 5.3 22.8 7.5

Postsecondary teachers

 41.9 10.8 42.2 11.3 39.5 9.5

Business teachers, postsecondary

 43.7 14.5 – – – –

Math and computer teachers, postsecondary

 46.4 13.8 – – – –

Arts, communications, and humanities teachers, postsecondary

 39.0 7.8 39.6 8.2 – –

English language and literature teachers, postsecondary

 34.2 9.8 – – – –

Miscellaneous postsecondary teachers

 36.3 22.3 36.3 23.7 37.0 8.6

Primary, secondary, and special education school teachers

 37.9 2.9 38.2 2.9 24.3 12.0

Preschool and kindergarten teachers

 29.1 21.3 29.4 20.9 – –

Preschool teachers, except special education

 20.2 29.5 – – – –

Kindergarten teachers, except special education

 39.8 0.3 39.8 0.3 – –

Elementary and middle school teachers

 38.9 1.7 39.2 2.2 – –

Elementary school teachers, except special education

 38.3 1.3 38.8 1.7 – –

Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education

 40.5 5.5 40.5 5.5 – –

Secondary school teachers

 39.0 1.1 39.0 1.1 – –

Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education

 39.7 3.1 39.7 3.1 – –

Special education teachers

 39.5 3.5 41.1 2.3 – –

Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school

 38.7 3.8 40.6 1.5 – –

Other teachers and instructors

 27.7 10.9 – – 21.7 2.1

Librarians

 35.3 10.1 36.1 9.3 – –

Library technicians

 19.9 12.1 – – – –

Instructional coordinators

 32.8 11.6 32.8 11.6 – –

Teacher assistants

 13.6 6.2 13.7 7.3 13.3 13.0

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

 29.5 6.8 29.7 6.4 – –

Designers

 21.7 15.2 21.9 16.2 – –

Graphic designers

 25.9 14.5 – – – –

Public relations specialists

 32.2 22.3 32.2 22.3 – –

Writers and editors

 33.7 3.6 33.7 3.9 – –

Editors

 35.2 11.6 – – – –

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations

 31.0 8.5 30.9 10.2 31.8 3.1

Physicians and surgeons

 78.1 23.8 78.1 23.8 – –

Registered nurses

 33.0 2.0 32.6 2.4 35.1 2.4

Therapists

 31.8 8.6 30.5 7.2 37.1 27.3

Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians

 20.4 4.5 20.1 4.4 – –

Medical and clinical laboratory technologists

 26.1 7.5 25.8 8.4 – –

Medical and clinical laboratory technicians

 16.7 4.0 16.7 4.0 – –

Diagnostic related technologists and technicians

 28.3 9.8 26.5 8.9 – –

Radiologic technologists and technicians

 27.0 11.8 24.9 9.7 – –

Health diagnosing and treating practitioner support technicians

 17.0 6.9 17.3 8.0 – –

Pharmacy technicians

 16.5 7.7 16.8 9.5 – –

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

 22.8 5.0 22.8 6.2 – –

Healthcare support occupations

 14.0 3.6 14.1 2.5 13.8 10.6

Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides

 12.3 2.3 12.5 2.6 11.4 4.9

Home health aides

 9.8 1.7 – – – –

Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants

 12.6 2.3 12.6 2.6 12.7 6.8

Miscellaneous healthcare support occupations

 14.8 3.1 14.9 3.2 14.1 12.0

Medical assistants

 14.9 2.5 15.0 2.7 – –

Protective service occupations

 21.4 4.1 23.2 4.2 11.0 9.8

First-line supervisors/managers, law enforcement workers

 40.6 2.4 40.6 2.4 – –

First-line supervisors/managers of police and detectives

 41.5 1.7 41.5 1.7 – –

Fire fighters

 21.6 1.8 21.6 1.8 – –

Bailiffs, correctional officers, and jailers

 22.2 6.6 22.2 6.6 – –

Correctional officers and jailers

 22.2 6.6 22.2 6.6 – –

Detectives and criminal investigators

 31.1 4.6 31.1 4.6 – –

Police officers

 28.5 6.4 28.6 6.4 – –

Police and sheriff's patrol officers

 28.5 6.4 28.6 6.4 – –

Security guards and gaming surveillance officers

 11.5 4.0 11.7 5.1 11.2 14.5

Security guards

 11.5 4.0 11.7 5.1 11.2 14.5

Miscellaneous protective service workers

 12.2 21.5 – – – –

Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers

 8.4 7.4 – – – –

Food preparation and serving related occupations

 9.2 9.3 11.2 2.8 7.0 5.9

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

 15.6 17.2 17.1 5.3 – –

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

 15.6 17.2 17.1 5.3 – –

Cooks

 11.7 3.4 12.0 1.5 10.5 9.9

Cooks, institution and cafeteria

 11.9 3.8 12.1 4.1 – –

Cooks, restaurant

 12.4 1.0 12.7 2.7 11.6 4.5

Cooks, short order

 11.1 5.6 11.2 5.7 – –

Food preparation workers

 10.1 7.1 – – 8.6 9.8

Food service, tipped

 5.1 10.0 5.2 8.6 5.0 12.5

Bartenders

 8.1 3.8 – – – –

Waiters and waitresses

 3.6 9.3 3.1 24.2 3.8 1.7

Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers

 7.5 7.4 – – 6.1 8.5

Fast food and counter workers

 8.7 5.9 10.3 12.5 7.7 3.0

Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food

 8.7 5.7 10.4 16.2 7.7 2.6

Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop

 9.4 8.2 – – 8.3 9.4

Food servers, nonrestaurant

 11.1 13.1 – – – –

Dishwashers

 9.8 12.7 – – 8.2 9.2

Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop

 8.1 23.3 – – 6.8 20.7

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

 11.6 3.4 12.4 4.3 9.7 4.2

Building cleaning workers

 11.2 3.1 12.0 3.7 9.7 4.2

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

 11.2 3.9 12.6 4.4 9.6 4.0

Maids and housekeeping cleaners

 11.0 5.0 10.9 6.1 – –

Grounds maintenance workers

 12.5 15.9 12.5 16.1 – –

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers

 12.5 15.9 12.5 16.1 – –

Personal care and service occupations

 15.5 5.2 16.8 7.5 12.0 8.6

Barbers and cosmetologists

 18.8 9.9 19.2 7.5 – –

Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists

 18.8 9.9 19.2 7.5 – –

Child care workers

 10.3 3.3 10.5 6.5 9.6 9.2

Recreation and fitness workers

 16.2 17.9 – – 12.8 12.4

Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors

 15.8 17.3 – – – –

Recreation workers

 16.3 21.5 – – – –

Sales and related occupations

 17.5 6.7 21.1 6.5 9.0 2.4

First-line supervisors/managers, sales workers

 19.3 17.3 19.3 17.3 – –

First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers

 19.1 17.9 19.1 17.9 – –

Retail sales workers

 11.1 6.3 12.9 9.5 8.9 3.4

Cashiers, all workers

 9.9 3.3 11.1 3.9 8.8 4.4

Cashiers

 9.9 3.3 11.1 3.9 8.8 4.4

Counter and rental clerks and parts salespersons

 10.1 11.2 11.4 17.2 – –

Retail salespersons

 13.3 12.8 15.6 12.5 9.2 2.5

Insurance sales agents

 30.6 18.4 30.6 18.4 – –

Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents

 57.1 22.4 57.1 22.4 – –

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing

 32.2 24.8 32.2 24.8 – –

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

 28.0 8.9 28.0 8.9 – –

Miscellaneous sales and related workers

 19.9 11.0 22.9 8.9 – –

Office and administrative support occupations

 17.6 1.4 18.1 1.5 13.5 4.8

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

 25.4 4.2 25.4 4.2 – –

Financial clerks

 17.3 2.9 17.6 2.9 15.3 13.3

Bill and account collectors

 14.8 5.4 15.0 5.4 – –

Billing and posting clerks and machine operators

 19.2 4.3 19.3 4.7 – –

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

 18.9 5.4 18.7 5.9 20.2 12.3

Payroll and timekeeping clerks

 24.2 3.7 24.2 3.7 – –

Tellers

 13.4 2.7 13.8 1.9 12.1 3.1

Court, municipal, and license clerks

 24.4 18.6 18.7 3.4 – –

Customer service representatives

 16.8 4.1 17.2 4.3 – –

Eligibility interviewers, government programs

 19.1 5.0 19.1 5.0 – –

File clerks

 13.4 14.0 – – – –

Interviewers, except eligibility and loan

 12.3 13.0 14.8 1.4 – –

Order clerks

 16.2 3.8 16.3 4.1 – –

Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

 17.3 11.4 17.3 11.4 – –

Receptionists and information clerks

 14.2 5.0 14.8 5.4 10.4 8.2

Dispatchers

 16.9 10.2 17.0 10.5 – –

Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers

 16.5 12.3 – – – –

Production, planning, and expediting clerks

 22.0 6.8 22.0 6.8 – –

Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks

 14.4 9.0 14.4 9.7 – –

Stock clerks and order fillers

 10.5 7.3 11.1 3.9 9.4 11.0

Secretaries and administrative assistants

 21.6 2.6 21.8 2.7 17.2 8.8

Executive secretaries and administrative assistants

 24.7 5.0 25.0 4.9 – –

Legal secretaries

 29.2 8.2 – – – –

Medical secretaries

 15.4 3.8 15.4 4.5 – –

Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive

 17.3 5.0 17.3 5.3 – –

Computer operators

 18.5 11.4 19.1 9.8 – –

Data entry and information processing workers

 15.8 6.2 16.0 6.1 – –

Data entry keyers

 15.8 6.4 16.1 6.3 – –

Office clerks, general

 16.0 4.3 16.5 4.2 – –

Construction and extraction occupations

 20.4 2.7 20.4 2.9 – –

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

 27.8 1.7 27.7 1.5 – –

Carpenters

 21.0 4.8 21.0 4.8 – –

Construction laborers

 13.2 2.8 13.2 2.8 – –

Construction equipment operators

 20.8 10.6 20.8 10.6 – –

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

 21.7 18.1 21.7 18.1 – –

Electricians

 27.4 8.6 27.4 8.6 – –

Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

 20.5 14.5 20.5 14.5 – –

Helpers, construction trades

 13.4 7.8 13.4 7.8 – –

Helpers--electricians

 12.7 2.4 12.7 2.4 – –

Construction and building inspectors

 27.9 7.2 27.9 7.2 – –

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

 24.6 2.3 24.6 2.4 – –

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

 31.5 2.7 31.5 2.7 – –

Radio and telecommunications equipment installers and repairers

 30.2 3.2 30.2 3.2 – –

Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers

 30.2 3.2 30.2 3.2 – –

Miscellaneous electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers

 24.7 15.1 24.7 15.1 – –

Automotive technicians and repairers

 24.2 7.7 24.2 7.7 – –

Automotive service technicians and mechanics

 27.1 3.7 27.1 3.7 – –

Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers

 21.2 4.3 21.2 4.4 – –

Maintenance and repair workers, general

 21.4 6.0 21.4 6.2 – –

Line installers and repairers

 26.0 7.0 26.0 7.0 – –

Telecommunications line installers and repairers

 25.6 8.2 25.6 8.2 – –

Miscellaneous installation, maintenance, and repair workers

 19.6 12.7 19.6 12.7 – –

Production occupations

 15.4 4.2 15.7 4.2 12.2 10.2

First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers

 23.8 9.3 23.8 9.3 – –

Printers

 18.3 14.5 19.0 12.7 – –

Printing machine operators

 17.6 15.8 18.3 14.4 – –

Laundry and dry-cleaning workers

 8.4 10.6 8.4 10.6 – –

Crushing, grinding, polishing, mixing, and blending workers

 15.8 14.9 15.8 14.9 – –

Miscellaneous production workers

 – – 13.9 6.6 – –

Transportation and material moving occupations

 19.3 4.1 20.9 4.8 10.2 6.4

Bus drivers

 18.9 10.5 19.5 11.6 – –

Bus drivers, transit and intercity

 21.8 3.2 21.8 3.2 – –

Bus drivers, school

 17.7 17.6 18.2 21.9 – –

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers

 18.7 8.6 18.8 8.6 – –

Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer

 17.5 4.5 17.5 4.5 – –

Truck drivers, light or delivery services

 19.1 14.2 19.2 13.9 – –

Industrial truck and tractor operators

 17.8 11.1 17.8 11.1 – –

Laborers and material movers, hand

 12.3 4.0 13.5 6.2 10.0 7.8

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

 12.9 4.7 13.7 6.5 10.8 8.6

Packers and packagers, hand

 9.7 6.1 – – 8.7 4.3

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.
(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.
(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.

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: January 27, 2009