Highlights of Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, National Compensation Survey, August 2008

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:                                                  FOR RELEASE:
Cheryl Abbot, Regional Economist                                          December 17, 2008
(214) 767-6970                                              
http://www.bls.gov/ro6/
		

                              HIGHLIGHTS OF BROWNSVILLE-HARLINGEN, TX
                              NATIONAL COMPENSATION SURVEY AUGUST 2008

     Workers in the Brownsville-Harlingen metropolitan area earned an average of $13.07 per 
hour in August 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 Stanley W. Suchman reported wage data for workers in a wide range of occupational
groups, including average hourly earnings of $27.30 for healthcare practitioner and technical 
occupations and $10.40 for office and administrative support occupations.  Another occupational 
group, transportation and material moving, had an average hourly wage rate of $9.13.  The NCS 
data available for the Brownsville area include earnings for 17 major occupational groups with 
additional detail for selected occupations within those groups.  (See table 1.)
       
     Registered nurses, part of the healthcare practitioner and technical occupational 
group, earned $31.68 per hour.  Customer service representatives, an occupation within the 
office and administrative support group, registered an average hourly rate of $9.63, and 
general office clerks earned $9.11 per hour.  Within the transportation and material moving 
occupational group, industrial truck and tractor operators averaged $8.06 per hour and hand 
laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, $7.88.  (See table 1.)
       
     Broad coverage of selected occupational characteristics is available from NCS for the 
local area.  Full-time workers averaged $14.47 per hour while their part-time counterparts 
earned $7.30.  Union workers earned $17.94 and non-union workers, $13.00.  Workers in 
establishments with 1-99 workers averaged $10.87 per hour, those in establishments with 100-
499 workers earned $12.09, and those in establishments with 500 or more employees earned 
$17.70.

     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 http://www.bls.gov/ncs/home.htm.

     The NCS data provided in the detailed bulletin covered 209 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 119,700 workers in the Brownsville-Harlingen metropolitan 
area which is comprised of Cameron County in Texas.


Survey Availability
     Complete survey results are contained in the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX National 
Compensation Survey August 2008 which is available on the Internet in both text and PDF 
formats at http://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 Southwest Information Office by calling (214) 767-
6970 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT. 



	Table 1. Civilian workers: Mean hourly earnings(1) for full-time and part-time workers(2), Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, August 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
			$13.07
			5.1
			$14.47
			5.9
			$7.30
			1.7
		
		
			Management occupations
			32.69
			11.1
			32.69
			11.1
			-
			-
		
		
			Business and financial operations occupations
			26.32
			10.8
			26.32
			10.8
			-
			-
		
		
			Architecture and engineering occupations
			18.26
			27.1
			18.26
			27.1
			-
			-
		
		
			Community and social services occupations
			20.41
			21.8
			20.41
			21.8
			-
			-
		
		
			Counselors
			29.39
			21.5
			29.39
			21.5
			-
			-
		
		
			Educational, vocational, and school counselors
			29.39
			21.5
			29.39
			21.5
			-
			-
		
		
			Miscellaneous community and social service specialists
			12.26
			5.9
			12.26
			5.9
			-
			-
		
		
			Education, training, and library occupations
			25.28
			10.8
			25.47
			10.4
			15.00
			30.4
		
		
			Primary, secondary, and special education school teachers
			29.67
			0.9
			29.67
			0.9
			-
			-
		
		
			Elementary and middle school teachers
			31.34
			1.2
			31.34
			1.2
			-
			-
		
		
			Elementary school teachers, except special education
			31.77
			0.4
			31.77
			0.4
			-
			-
		
		
			Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education
			30.85
			3.5
			30.85
			3.5
			-
			-
		
		
			Secondary school teachers
			31.27
			1.3
			31.27
			1.3
			-
			-
		
		
			Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education
			31.25
			1.2
			31.25
			1.2
			-
			-
		
		
			Teacher assistants
			10.87
			4.2
			10.96
			4.4
			-
			-
		
		
			Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations
			27.30
			14.9
			27.64
			15.8
			19.55
			11.0
		
		
			Registered nurses
			31.68
			2.5
			31.68
			2.5
			-
			-
		
		
			Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
			13.43
			12.6
			-
			-
			-
			-
		
		
			Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
			17.62
			4.1
			-
			-
			-
			-
		
		
			Healthcare support occupations
			7.58
			7.7
			8.16
			13.5
			6.63
			1.3
		
		
			Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides
			6.89
			1.9
			7.07
			4.8
			6.67
			1.1
		
		
			Home health aides
			6.61
			0.6
			-
			-
			6.63
			1.0
		
		
			Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants
			7.94
			5.8
			-
			-
			-
			-
		
		
			Miscellaneous healthcare support occupations
			9.52
			13.0
			-
			-
			-
			-
		
		
			Medical assistants
			9.52
			13.0
			-
			-
			-
			-
		
		
			Protective service occupations
			15.13
			16.8
			15.13
			16.8
			-
			-
		
		
			Food preparation and serving related occupations
			6.63
			6.8
			6.64
			9.0
			6.63
			5.5
		
		
			Cooks
			7.19
			5.2
			-
			-
			-
			-
		
		
			Cooks, fast food
			7.15
			7.1
			-
			-
			-
			-
		
		
			Food preparation workers
			6.81
			4.1
			-
			-
			-
			-
		
		
			Food service, tipped
			3.94
			6.0
			3.19
			9.6
			-
			-
		
		
			Waiters and waitresses
			2.93
			19.7
			2.98
			18.7
			-
			-
		
		
			Fast food and counter workers
			7.29
			4.0
			8.09
			9.1
			6.77
			1.5
		
		
			Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food
			7.31
			4.2
			8.09
			9.1
			-
			-
		
		
			Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations
			8.95
			5.8
			9.03
			6.2
			8.16
			6.6
		
		
			Building cleaning workers
			8.87
			6.2
			8.96
			6.6
			8.16
			6.6
		
		
			Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
			9.23
			4.5
			9.31
			4.4
			8.33
			11.1
		
		
			Personal care and service occupations
			7.00
			2.4
			8.41
			10.8
			6.80
			0.8
		
		
			Personal and home care aides
			6.78
			0.8
			-
			-
			6.78
			0.8
		
		
			Sales and related occupations
			10.66
			9.1
			11.65
			11.1
			7.85
			2.6
		
		
			First-line supervisors/managers, sales workers
			15.91
			22.7
			15.91
			22.7
			-
			-
		
		
			First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers
			12.47
			18.5
			12.47
			18.5
			-
			-
		
		
			Retail sales workers
			9.07
			1.9
			9.78
			3.8
			7.86
			2.7
		
		
			Cashiers, all workers
			8.20
			5.6
			8.97
			4.2
			7.63
			6.7
		
		
			Cashiers
			8.20
			5.6
			8.97
			4.2
			7.63
			6.7
		
		
			Retail salespersons
			9.79
			13.3
			10.11
			11.4
			8.50
			15.8
		
		
			Office and administrative support occupations
			10.40
			4.2
			10.65
			4.2
			8.05
			6.9
		
		
			Financial clerks
			9.23
			6.7
			9.28
			7.1
			-
			-
		
		
			Customer service representatives
			9.63
			2.7
			-
			-
			-
			-
		
		
			Stock clerks and order fillers
			8.83
			11.1
			-
			-
			-
			-
		
		
			Secretaries and administrative assistants
			11.64
			5.6
			11.81
			5.4
			-
			-
		
		
			Medical secretaries
			9.58
			1.8
			9.71
			1.5
			-
			-
		
		
			Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive
			13.31
			3.6
			13.31
			3.6
			-
			-
		
		
			Office clerks, general
			9.11
			6.1
			9.31
			6.7
			-
			-
		
		
			Construction and extraction occupations
			10.82
			2.0
			10.84
			2.1
			-
			-
		
		
			Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
			16.64
			12.1
			16.62
			12.3
			-
			-
		
		
			Production occupations
			11.73
			5.2
			12.17
			6.3
			-
			-
		
		
			Welding, soldering, and brazing workers
			12.33
			13.2
			12.33
			13.2
			-
			-
		
		
			Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
			12.33
			13.2
			12.33
			13.2
			-
			-
		
		
			Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
			9.52
			16.9
			9.52
			16.9
			-
			-
		
		
			Miscellaneous production workers
			9.95
			5.6
			-
			-
			-
			-
		
		
			Transportation and material moving occupations
			9.13
			8.0
			9.18
			8.3
			-
			-
		
		
			Industrial truck and tractor operators
			8.06
			7.6
			8.06
			7.6
			-
			-
		
		
			Laborers and material movers, hand
			7.55
			3.1
			7.48
			3.6
			-
			-
		
		
			Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
			7.88
			2.7
			7.81
			3.0
			-
			-
		
	

		
			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. For more information see full publication.

				(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. For more information about RSEs see full publication.


SOURCE:  Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey.


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.

Table 1. Civilian workers: Mean hourly earnings(1) for full-time and part-time workers(2), Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, August 2008
Occupation(3)	Total	Full-time workers	Part-time workers
All workers	$13.07	5.1	$14.47	5.9	$7.30	1.7
Management occupations	32.69	11.1	32.69	11.1	-	-
Business and financial operations occupations	26.32	10.8	26.32	10.8	-	-
Architecture and engineering occupations	18.26	27.1	18.26	27.1	-	-
Community and social services occupations	20.41	21.8	20.41	21.8	-	-
Counselors	29.39	21.5	29.39	21.5	-	-
Educational, vocational, and school counselors	29.39	21.5	29.39	21.5	-	-
Miscellaneous community and social service specialists	12.26	5.9	12.26	5.9	-	-
Education, training, and library occupations	25.28	10.8	25.47	10.4	15.00	30.4
Primary, secondary, and special education school teachers	29.67	0.9	29.67	0.9	-	-
Elementary and middle school teachers	31.34	1.2	31.34	1.2	-	-
Elementary school teachers, except special education	31.77	0.4	31.77	0.4	-	-
Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education	30.85	3.5	30.85	3.5	-	-
Secondary school teachers	31.27	1.3	31.27	1.3	-	-
Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education	31.25	1.2	31.25	1.2	-	-
Teacher assistants	10.87	4.2	10.96	4.4	-	-
Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations	27.30	14.9	27.64	15.8	19.55	11.0
Registered nurses	31.68	2.5	31.68	2.5	-	-
Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians	13.43	12.6	-	-	-	-
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses	17.62	4.1	-	-	-	-
Healthcare support occupations	7.58	7.7	8.16	13.5	6.63	1.3
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides	6.89	1.9	7.07	4.8	6.67	1.1
Home health aides	6.61	0.6	-	-	6.63	1.0
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants	7.94	5.8	-	-	-	-
Miscellaneous healthcare support occupations	9.52	13.0	-	-	-	-
Medical assistants	9.52	13.0	-	-	-	-
Protective service occupations	15.13	16.8	15.13	16.8	-	-
Food preparation and serving related occupations	6.63	6.8	6.64	9.0	6.63	5.5
Cooks	7.19	5.2	-	-	-	-
Cooks, fast food	7.15	7.1	-	-	-	-
Food preparation workers	6.81	4.1	-	-	-	-
Food service, tipped	3.94	6.0	3.19	9.6	-	-
Waiters and waitresses	2.93	19.7	2.98	18.7	-	-
Fast food and counter workers	7.29	4.0	8.09	9.1	6.77	1.5
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food	7.31	4.2	8.09	9.1	-	-
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	8.95	5.8	9.03	6.2	8.16	6.6
Building cleaning workers	8.87	6.2	8.96	6.6	8.16	6.6
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners	9.23	4.5	9.31	4.4	8.33	11.1
Personal care and service occupations	7.00	2.4	8.41	10.8	6.80	0.8
Personal and home care aides	6.78	0.8	-	-	6.78	0.8
Sales and related occupations	10.66	9.1	11.65	11.1	7.85	2.6
First-line supervisors/managers, sales workers	15.91	22.7	15.91	22.7	-	-
First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers	12.47	18.5	12.47	18.5	-	-
Retail sales workers	9.07	1.9	9.78	3.8	7.86	2.7
Cashiers, all workers	8.20	5.6	8.97	4.2	7.63	6.7
Cashiers	8.20	5.6	8.97	4.2	7.63	6.7
Retail salespersons	9.79	13.3	10.11	11.4	8.50	15.8
Office and administrative support occupations	10.40	4.2	10.65	4.2	8.05	6.9
Financial clerks	9.23	6.7	9.28	7.1	-	-
Customer service representatives	9.63	2.7	-	-	-	-
Stock clerks and order fillers	8.83	11.1	-	-	-	-
Secretaries and administrative assistants	11.64	5.6	11.81	5.4	-	-
Medical secretaries	9.58	1.8	9.71	1.5	-	-
Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive	13.31	3.6	13.31	3.6	-	-
Office clerks, general	9.11	6.1	9.31	6.7	-	-
Construction and extraction occupations	10.82	2.0	10.84	2.1	-	-
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	16.64	12.1	16.62	12.3	-	-
Production occupations	11.73	5.2	12.17	6.3	-	-
Welding, soldering, and brazing workers	12.33	13.2	12.33	13.2	-	-
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers	12.33	13.2	12.33	13.2	-	-
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers	9.52	16.9	9.52	16.9	-	-
Miscellaneous production workers	9.95	5.6	-	-	-	-
Transportation and material moving occupations	9.13	8.0	9.18	8.3	-	-
Industrial truck and tractor operators	8.06	7.6	8.06	7.6	-	-
Laborers and material movers, hand	7.55	3.1	7.48	3.6	-	-
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	7.88	2.7	7.81	3.0	-	-
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. For more information see full publication. (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. For more information about RSEs see full publication. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey. 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.

Last Modified Date: December 17, 2008

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Occupation(3)	Total		Full-time workers		Part-time workers
Occupation(3)	Mean	Relative error(4) (percent)	Mean	Relative error(4) (percent)	Mean	Relative error(4) (percent)
All workers	$13.07	5.1	$14.47	5.9	$7.30	1.7
Management occupations	32.69	11.1	32.69	11.1	-	-
Business and financial operations occupations	26.32	10.8	26.32	10.8	-	-
Architecture and engineering occupations	18.26	27.1	18.26	27.1	-	-
Community and social services occupations	20.41	21.8	20.41	21.8	-	-
Counselors	29.39	21.5	29.39	21.5	-	-
Educational, vocational, and school counselors	29.39	21.5	29.39	21.5	-	-
Miscellaneous community and social service specialists	12.26	5.9	12.26	5.9	-	-
Education, training, and library occupations	25.28	10.8	25.47	10.4	15.00	30.4
Primary, secondary, and special education school teachers	29.67	0.9	29.67	0.9	-	-
Elementary and middle school teachers	31.34	1.2	31.34	1.2	-	-
Elementary school teachers, except special education	31.77	0.4	31.77	0.4	-	-
Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education	30.85	3.5	30.85	3.5	-	-
Secondary school teachers	31.27	1.3	31.27	1.3	-	-
Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education	31.25	1.2	31.25	1.2	-	-
Teacher assistants	10.87	4.2	10.96	4.4	-	-
Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations	27.30	14.9	27.64	15.8	19.55	11.0
Registered nurses	31.68	2.5	31.68	2.5	-	-
Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians	13.43	12.6	-	-	-	-
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses	17.62	4.1	-	-	-	-
Healthcare support occupations	7.58	7.7	8.16	13.5	6.63	1.3
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides	6.89	1.9	7.07	4.8	6.67	1.1
Home health aides	6.61	0.6	-	-	6.63	1.0
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants	7.94	5.8	-	-	-	-
Miscellaneous healthcare support occupations	9.52	13.0	-	-	-	-
Medical assistants	9.52	13.0	-	-	-	-
Protective service occupations	15.13	16.8	15.13	16.8	-	-
Food preparation and serving related occupations	6.63	6.8	6.64	9.0	6.63	5.5
Cooks	7.19	5.2	-	-	-	-
Cooks, fast food	7.15	7.1	-	-	-	-
Food preparation workers	6.81	4.1	-	-	-	-
Food service, tipped	3.94	6.0	3.19	9.6	-	-
Waiters and waitresses	2.93	19.7	2.98	18.7	-	-
Fast food and counter workers	7.29	4.0	8.09	9.1	6.77	1.5
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food	7.31	4.2	8.09	9.1	-	-
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	8.95	5.8	9.03	6.2	8.16	6.6
Building cleaning workers	8.87	6.2	8.96	6.6	8.16	6.6
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners	9.23	4.5	9.31	4.4	8.33	11.1
Personal care and service occupations	7.00	2.4	8.41	10.8	6.80	0.8
Personal and home care aides	6.78	0.8	-	-	6.78	0.8
Sales and related occupations	10.66	9.1	11.65	11.1	7.85	2.6
First-line supervisors/managers, sales workers	15.91	22.7	15.91	22.7	-	-
First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers	12.47	18.5	12.47	18.5	-	-
Retail sales workers	9.07	1.9	9.78	3.8	7.86	2.7
Cashiers, all workers	8.20	5.6	8.97	4.2	7.63	6.7
Cashiers	8.20	5.6	8.97	4.2	7.63	6.7
Retail salespersons	9.79	13.3	10.11	11.4	8.50	15.8
Office and administrative support occupations	10.40	4.2	10.65	4.2	8.05	6.9
Financial clerks	9.23	6.7	9.28	7.1	-	-
Customer service representatives	9.63	2.7	-	-	-	-
Stock clerks and order fillers	8.83	11.1	-	-	-	-
Secretaries and administrative assistants	11.64	5.6	11.81	5.4	-	-
Medical secretaries	9.58	1.8	9.71	1.5	-	-
Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive	13.31	3.6	13.31	3.6	-	-
Office clerks, general	9.11	6.1	9.31	6.7	-	-
Construction and extraction occupations	10.82	2.0	10.84	2.1	-	-
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	16.64	12.1	16.62	12.3	-	-
Production occupations	11.73	5.2	12.17	6.3	-	-
Welding, soldering, and brazing workers	12.33	13.2	12.33	13.2	-	-
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers	12.33	13.2	12.33	13.2	-	-
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers	9.52	16.9	9.52	16.9	-	-
Miscellaneous production workers	9.95	5.6	-	-	-	-
Transportation and material moving occupations	9.13	8.0	9.18	8.3	-	-
Industrial truck and tractor operators	8.06	7.6	8.06	7.6	-	-
Laborers and material movers, hand	7.55	3.1	7.48	3.6	-	-
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	7.88	2.7	7.81	3.0	-	-
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. For more information see full publication. (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. For more information about RSEs see full publication. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey. 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.