| Internet: www.bls.gov/ro5/ | |
| GENERAL INFORMATION: (312) 353-1880 | FOR RELEASE: |
| MEDIA CONTACT: Paul LaPorte | Wednesday, January 21, 2009 |
| (312) 353-1138 |
Workers in the Detroit-Warren-Flint Combined Statistical Area earned an average of $23.59 per hour in May 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 Jay A. Mousa noted that wage data were reported for workers in a wide range of occupational groups, including average hourly earnings of $31.34 for business and financial operations occupations and $16.00 for office and administrative support occupations. Another occupational group, food preparation and serving related, had a mean hourly wage rate of $8.15. The NCS data available for the Detroit area include earnings for 21 major occupational groups with additional detail for selected occupations within those groups. (See table 1.)
Management analysts, part of the business and financial operations occupational group, were paid $38.04 per hour. Within the office and administrative support occupational group, bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks earned $17.91 per hour. Combined food preparation and serving workers (including fast food), an occupation within the food preparation and serving related occupational group, averaged $8.00 per hour.
Broad coverage of selected occupational characteristics is available from NCS for the local area. Full-time workers averaged $25.00 per hour while their part-time counterparts earned $14.21. Union workers earned $26.65 and non-union workers, $22.47. Workers in establishments with 1-99 workers averaged $19.78 per hour, those in establishments with 100-499 workers earned $19.91, and those in establishments with 500 or more employees earned $30.47.
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 here covered 709 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 2,078,200 workers in the Detroit-Warren-Flint Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which is comprised of Genesee, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties in Michigan.
Survey Availability
Complete survey results are contained in Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI National Compensation Survey May 2008. The bulletin is available on the Internet in both text and PDF formats at www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/compub.htm.
For additional information, please contact the Bureau of Labor Statistics Midwest Information Office in Chicago at (312) 353-1880 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
# # #
Bulletin tables - PDF format
- Text format
| 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 |
23.59 | 3.5 | 25.00 | 3.4 | 14.21 | 7.2 |
Management occupations |
43.50 | 4.2 | 42.90 | 4.1 | – | – |
General and operations managers |
39.55 | 18.0 | 39.55 | 18.0 | – | – |
Marketing and sales managers |
46.47 | 12.7 | 46.47 | 12.7 | – | – |
Marketing managers |
42.57 | 8.1 | 42.57 | 8.1 | – | – |
Computer and information systems managers |
56.06 | 6.6 | 56.06 | 6.6 | – | – |
Financial managers |
35.24 | 7.8 | 35.24 | 7.8 | – | – |
Industrial production managers |
44.77 | 5.7 | 44.77 | 5.7 | – | – |
Construction managers |
29.63 | 12.0 | 29.63 | 12.0 | – | – |
Education administrators |
54.21 | 5.8 | 46.62 | 8.3 | – | – |
Education administrators, postsecondary |
52.88 | 8.4 | – | – | – | – |
Engineering managers |
58.35 | 7.3 | 58.35 | 7.3 | – | – |
Business and financial operations occupations |
31.34 | 4.4 | 31.54 | 4.9 | 23.75 | 11.0 |
Buyers and purchasing agents |
28.42 | 8.0 | 28.42 | 8.0 | – | – |
Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
28.68 | 9.3 | 28.68 | 9.3 | – | – |
Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists |
34.22 | 11.9 | 34.24 | 12.1 | – | – |
Management analysts |
38.04 | 5.0 | 38.04 | 5.0 | – | – |
Accountants and auditors |
30.57 | 8.7 | 30.52 | 8.8 | – | – |
Computer and mathematical science occupations |
35.85 | 3.4 | 35.93 | 3.3 | – | – |
Computer programmers |
30.63 | 9.0 | 30.63 | 9.0 | – | – |
Computer software engineers |
45.05 | 2.4 | 45.05 | 2.4 | – | – |
Computer software engineers, systems software |
46.19 | 3.5 | 46.19 | 3.5 | – | – |
Computer support specialists |
20.60 | 4.2 | 20.60 | 4.2 | – | – |
Computer systems analysts |
38.06 | 3.9 | 38.06 | 3.9 | – | – |
Network and computer systems administrators |
33.95 | 6.8 | 33.95 | 6.8 | – | – |
Architecture and engineering occupations |
36.05 | 3.1 | 36.30 | 3.1 | – | – |
Engineers |
39.66 | 4.3 | 39.70 | 4.4 | – | – |
Industrial engineers, including health and safety |
39.58 | 2.0 | 39.95 | 1.9 | – | – |
Industrial engineers |
40.24 | 1.3 | 40.68 | 0.9 | – | – |
Mechanical engineers |
36.01 | 0.4 | 36.01 | 0.4 | – | – |
Drafters |
26.40 | 9.3 | 24.81 | 10.1 | – | – |
Engineering technicians, except drafters |
25.32 | 3.3 | 25.55 | 3.2 | – | – |
Mechanical engineering technicians |
24.39 | 3.2 | 24.49 | 3.3 | – | – |
Life, physical, and social science occupations |
24.84 | 17.4 | 26.27 | 19.0 | – | – |
Life scientists |
26.08 | 28.1 | – | – | – | – |
Community and social services occupations |
24.58 | 9.8 | 25.41 | 11.8 | 20.98 | 14.3 |
Counselors |
31.76 | 29.5 | 32.62 | 33.2 | – | – |
Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
32.62 | 33.2 | 32.62 | 33.2 | – | – |
Social workers |
24.81 | 6.8 | 25.70 | 8.1 | – | – |
Child, family, and school social workers |
31.46 | 22.9 | 31.46 | 22.9 | – | – |
Miscellaneous community and social service specialists |
16.59 | 15.0 | – | – | – | – |
Legal occupations |
53.82 | 7.3 | 53.82 | 7.3 | – | – |
Lawyers |
57.48 | 5.9 | 57.48 | 5.9 | – | – |
Education, training, and library occupations |
39.38 | 7.1 | 40.81 | 8.0 | 18.16 | 13.8 |
Postsecondary teachers |
58.21 | 14.7 | 60.27 | 14.9 | 32.56 | 19.2 |
Math and computer teachers, postsecondary |
56.26 | 28.7 | – | – | – | – |
Arts, communications, and humanities teachers, postsecondary |
65.60 | 9.8 | – | – | – | – |
Primary, secondary, and special education school teachers |
47.44 | 2.1 | 47.68 | 2.1 | – | – |
Preschool and kindergarten teachers |
24.83 | 40.0 | 24.83 | 40.0 | – | – |
Elementary and middle school teachers |
50.42 | 4.4 | 50.77 | 4.2 | – | – |
Elementary school teachers, except special education |
49.63 | 5.3 | 50.05 | 5.3 | – | – |
Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
53.40 | 3.6 | 53.40 | 3.6 | – | – |
Secondary school teachers |
48.95 | 6.8 | 49.27 | 6.3 | – | – |
Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
48.97 | 7.0 | 49.30 | 6.6 | – | – |
Special education teachers |
44.33 | 1.8 | 44.33 | 1.8 | – | – |
Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school |
42.34 | 5.3 | 42.34 | 5.3 | – | – |
Other teachers and instructors |
20.89 | 18.7 | – | – | 13.78 | 17.4 |
Librarians |
25.88 | 8.4 | 25.88 | 8.4 | – | – |
Teacher assistants |
13.31 | 5.0 | 13.46 | 7.4 | 12.47 | 11.8 |
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
30.96 | 6.1 | 31.06 | 6.7 | 30.14 | 19.1 |
Writers and editors |
34.00 | 3.7 | 33.44 | 3.5 | – | – |
Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations |
38.78 | 20.6 | 37.84 | 19.1 | 42.24 | 27.4 |
Physicians and surgeons |
101.14 | 13.0 | 92.15 | 11.9 | – | – |
Registered nurses |
30.31 | 0.4 | 30.19 | 2.0 | 30.53 | 3.0 |
Therapists |
34.21 | 8.7 | 33.85 | 2.8 | 34.83 | 22.9 |
Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians |
22.75 | 2.0 | 23.03 | 2.8 | – | – |
Medical and clinical laboratory technologists |
25.88 | 6.2 | 26.06 | 5.9 | – | – |
Diagnostic related technologists and technicians |
29.72 | 11.3 | 26.46 | 1.5 | – | – |
Radiologic technologists and technicians |
26.11 | 0.2 | 26.34 | 0.7 | – | – |
Health diagnosing and treating practitioner support technicians |
15.90 | 3.0 | 15.90 | 3.0 | – | – |
Pharmacy technicians |
13.72 | 1.8 | 13.72 | 1.8 | – | – |
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
21.33 | 2.8 | 21.17 | 2.3 | – | – |
Healthcare support occupations |
12.29 | 2.5 | 12.38 | 3.8 | 11.87 | 6.7 |
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides |
11.34 | 1.7 | 11.39 | 2.2 | 11.06 | 7.1 |
Home health aides |
10.25 | 4.6 | – | – | – | – |
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
12.44 | 1.5 | 12.59 | 1.4 | 11.85 | 3.8 |
Miscellaneous healthcare support occupations |
14.10 | 2.9 | 14.45 | 2.4 | 12.64 | 10.3 |
Medical assistants |
12.80 | 10.3 | – | – | – | – |
Protective service occupations |
19.86 | 7.8 | 20.88 | 8.7 | 10.67 | 6.3 |
Fire fighters |
20.59 | 0.1 | 21.44 | 4.9 | – | – |
Bailiffs, correctional officers, and jailers |
22.78 | 1.3 | 22.78 | 1.3 | – | – |
Correctional officers and jailers |
22.93 | 0.7 | 22.93 | 0.7 | – | – |
Police officers |
27.65 | 5.5 | 27.65 | 5.5 | – | – |
Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
27.65 | 5.5 | 27.65 | 5.5 | – | – |
Security guards and gaming surveillance officers |
12.39 | 5.2 | 12.97 | 7.7 | 9.97 | 5.3 |
Security guards |
12.39 | 5.2 | 12.97 | 7.7 | 9.97 | 5.3 |
Miscellaneous protective service workers |
12.67 | 11.9 | – | – | 10.16 | 9.7 |
Food preparation and serving related occupations |
8.15 | 6.7 | 9.44 | 11.3 | 7.16 | 2.1 |
First-line supervisors/managers, food preparation and serving workers |
14.46 | 4.6 | 14.51 | 4.5 | – | – |
First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
13.99 | 2.9 | 14.03 | 2.8 | – | – |
Cooks |
10.89 | 6.6 | 11.11 | 10.7 | 9.97 | 6.8 |
Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
13.59 | 8.6 | 13.47 | 9.0 | – | – |
Cooks, restaurant |
10.33 | 7.8 | – | – | – | – |
Food preparation workers |
8.61 | 2.4 | – | – | 8.60 | 2.8 |
Food service, tipped |
4.20 | 8.1 | 4.56 | 12.4 | 3.82 | 5.9 |
Bartenders |
5.05 | 14.8 | 4.96 | 16.0 | – | – |
Waiters and waitresses |
3.49 | 3.2 | – | – | 3.38 | 4.7 |
Fast food and counter workers |
8.02 | 2.0 | 9.39 | 4.8 | 7.68 | 0.7 |
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
8.00 | 1.2 | 9.22 | 4.3 | 7.69 | 1.0 |
Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
8.10 | 9.7 | – | – | 7.68 | 6.1 |
Food servers, nonrestaurant |
10.74 | 8.5 | – | – | – | – |
Dishwashers |
7.98 | 1.7 | – | – | – | – |
Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
8.80 | 3.2 | – | – | 8.05 | 5.3 |
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
12.24 | 5.3 | 12.86 | 4.8 | 9.79 | 10.0 |
Building cleaning workers |
12.27 | 5.8 | 12.93 | 5.1 | 9.80 | 10.5 |
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
12.59 | 7.6 | 13.58 | 5.9 | 8.89 | 3.2 |
Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
10.90 | 9.1 | 10.14 | 9.9 | – | – |
Grounds maintenance workers |
11.44 | 10.9 | – | – | – | – |
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
11.44 | 10.9 | – | – | – | – |
Personal care and service occupations |
11.24 | 3.6 | 11.59 | 5.0 | 10.45 | 8.4 |
Miscellaneous entertainment attendants and related workers |
8.27 | 4.4 | – | – | 8.27 | 4.4 |
Child care workers |
10.88 | 5.5 | 11.74 | 10.9 | 9.53 | 3.4 |
Recreation and fitness workers |
15.07 | 10.9 | – | – | 15.08 | 12.8 |
Sales and related occupations |
18.73 | 9.7 | 22.07 | 7.9 | 8.82 | 3.9 |
First-line supervisors/managers, sales workers |
24.33 | 17.4 | 24.80 | 17.4 | – | – |
First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
17.54 | 14.3 | 18.09 | 16.1 | – | – |
Retail sales workers |
13.87 | 6.2 | 17.64 | 5.4 | 8.56 | 3.7 |
Cashiers, all workers |
10.08 | 3.9 | 12.11 | 3.7 | 8.72 | 2.1 |
Cashiers |
10.08 | 3.9 | 12.11 | 3.7 | 8.72 | 2.1 |
Retail salespersons |
14.36 | 1.9 | 17.90 | 5.9 | 8.39 | 4.2 |
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing |
27.86 | 9.3 | 27.86 | 9.3 | – | – |
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products |
25.94 | 8.5 | 25.94 | 8.5 | – | – |
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
29.59 | 15.3 | 29.59 | 15.3 | – | – |
Miscellaneous sales and related workers |
20.78 | 37.8 | 23.93 | 33.1 | – | – |
Office and administrative support occupations |
16.00 | 2.3 | 16.51 | 2.3 | 11.57 | 7.0 |
First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
21.22 | 5.9 | 21.22 | 5.9 | – | – |
Financial clerks |
16.12 | 2.3 | 16.28 | 2.8 | 15.27 | 9.3 |
Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
16.28 | 4.9 | 15.53 | 4.0 | – | – |
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
17.91 | 3.9 | 18.16 | 4.1 | – | – |
Tellers |
13.37 | 0.1 | 13.76 | 1.2 | 12.32 | 3.4 |
Customer service representatives |
16.91 | 8.3 | 17.04 | 8.6 | – | – |
Interviewers, except eligibility and loan |
10.73 | 14.8 | – | – | – | – |
Receptionists and information clerks |
11.67 | 6.5 | 11.97 | 7.5 | – | – |
Dispatchers |
20.19 | 11.3 | 20.19 | 11.3 | – | – |
Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
17.61 | 10.5 | 17.61 | 10.5 | – | – |
Stock clerks and order fillers |
10.36 | 1.2 | 11.88 | 2.6 | 8.90 | 0.3 |
Secretaries and administrative assistants |
18.64 | 7.1 | 18.72 | 6.2 | – | – |
Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
23.25 | 7.1 | 22.86 | 7.1 | – | – |
Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
15.46 | 7.4 | 15.69 | 5.8 | – | – |
Insurance claims and policy processing clerks |
19.14 | 1.3 | 19.14 | 1.3 | – | – |
Office clerks, general |
14.33 | 4.3 | 14.43 | 4.8 | – | – |
Construction and extraction occupations |
24.12 | 4.9 | 24.12 | 4.9 | – | – |
First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
26.03 | 10.9 | 26.03 | 10.9 | – | – |
Construction laborers |
18.36 | 4.6 | 18.36 | 4.6 | – | – |
Electricians |
32.65 | 1.7 | 32.65 | 1.7 | – | – |
Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
23.11 | 13.4 | 23.11 | 13.4 | – | – |
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
23.11 | 13.4 | 23.11 | 13.4 | – | – |
Miscellaneous construction and related workers |
18.32 | 17.3 | 18.32 | 17.3 | – | – |
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
21.98 | 4.6 | 22.17 | 4.6 | – | – |
First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
30.82 | 8.8 | 30.82 | 8.8 | – | – |
Automotive technicians and repairers |
16.96 | 14.8 | 16.96 | 14.8 | – | – |
Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
19.42 | 8.1 | 19.42 | 8.1 | – | – |
Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
20.18 | 5.0 | 20.18 | 5.0 | – | – |
Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers |
25.77 | 4.8 | 25.94 | 4.5 | – | – |
Industrial machinery mechanics |
29.85 | 3.3 | 29.85 | 3.3 | – | – |
Maintenance and repair workers, general |
19.62 | 9.0 | 19.82 | 8.8 | – | – |
Miscellaneous installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
15.84 | 19.0 | 15.84 | 19.0 | – | – |
Production occupations |
21.77 | 2.7 | 21.91 | 2.8 | 13.21 | 10.8 |
First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating work workers |
28.91 | 6.5 | 28.91 | 6.5 | – | – |
Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators |
25.85 | 1.3 | 25.85 | 1.3 | – | – |
Team assemblers |
26.04 | 6.9 | 26.04 | 6.9 | – | – |
Computer control programmers and operators |
25.73 | 6.0 | 25.73 | 6.0 | – | – |
Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic |
23.27 | 1.9 | 23.27 | 1.9 | – | – |
Machine tool cutting setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics |
20.98 | 7.5 | 20.93 | 7.6 | – | – |
Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
20.68 | 11.0 | 20.60 | 11.3 | – | – |
Machinists |
19.51 | 10.3 | 19.61 | 10.5 | – | – |
Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
24.39 | 11.0 | 24.39 | 11.0 | – | – |
Tool and die makers |
29.03 | 2.4 | 29.03 | 2.4 | – | – |
Welding, soldering, and brazing workers |
26.46 | 5.9 | 26.46 | 5.9 | – | – |
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
9.98 | 5.3 | – | – | – | – |
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
20.56 | 6.1 | 21.00 | 6.1 | – | – |
Miscellaneous production workers |
17.55 | 16.1 | 17.55 | 16.1 | – | – |
Transportation and material moving occupations |
20.43 | 4.8 | 21.90 | 6.8 | 9.97 | 5.7 |
Bus drivers |
16.92 | 4.2 | 17.42 | 5.2 | 16.03 | 9.6 |
Bus drivers, school |
17.76 | 3.4 | 17.42 | 5.2 | – | – |
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers |
20.19 | 8.5 | 20.47 | 7.5 | – | – |
Driver/sales workers |
13.36 | 24.1 | – | – | – | – |
Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
21.82 | 8.1 | 21.82 | 8.1 | – | – |
Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
22.17 | 15.2 | 22.17 | 15.2 | – | – |
Industrial truck and tractor operators |
19.67 | 6.3 | 19.67 | 6.3 | – | – |
Laborers and material movers, hand |
13.56 | 11.7 | 14.98 | 12.2 | 9.00 | 5.4 |
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
14.26 | 14.7 | 16.53 | 14.3 | 9.04 | 5.4 |
Packers and packagers, hand |
10.31 | 9.0 | 10.64 | 8.6 | – | – |
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 21, 2009
