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HIGHLIGHTS OF ST. LOUIS
NATIONAL COMPENSATION SURVEY, JULY 2008 (PDF)
Workers in the St. Louis metropolitan area earned an average of $21.40 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 Stanley W. Suchman noted that wage data were reported for workers in a wide range of occupational groups, including average hourly earnings of $40.80 for management occupations and $16.40 for office and administrative support. Another occupational group, sales and related, had a mean hourly wage rate of $15.43. The NCS data available for the St. Louis area include earnings for 19 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 $45.40 per hour. Within the office and administrative support occupational group, executive secretaries and administrative assistants averaged $20.68 per hour and bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks, $15.82. Retail salespersons, an occupation within the sales and related group, registered an average hourly rate of $10.50, and cashiers earned $8.83 per hour. (See table 1.)
Broad coverage of selected occupational characteristics is available from the NCS for the local area. Full-time workers averaged $22.58 per hour while their part-time counterparts earned $12.37. Union workers earned $25.50 and non-union workers, $20.27. Workers in establishments with 1-99 workers averaged $19.64 per hour, those in establishments with 100-499 workers earned $21.29, and those in establishments with 500 or more employees earned $25.84.
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 reported here covered 359 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 1,280,600 workers in the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) which is comprised of the city of St. Louis, the portion of the city of Sullivan in Crawford County, Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Louis, Warren, and Washington Counties in Missouri; and Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair Counties in Illinois.
Survey Availability
Complete survey results are contained in the St. Louis, MO-IL 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 data, as well as other Bureau data, contact the Kansas City Information Office by calling (816) 285-7000 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT.
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 |
$21.40 | 2.8 | $22.58 | 2.8 | $12.37 | 8.8 |
Management occupations |
40.8 | 9.3 | 41.35 | 9.5 | -- | -- |
Computer and information systems managers |
45.4 | 5 | 45.4 | 5 | -- | -- |
Financial managers |
47.85 | 17.7 | 47.85 | 17.7 | -- | -- |
Education administrators |
28.14 | 15.1 | 28.14 | 15.1 | -- | -- |
Engineering managers |
59.09 | 4.7 | 59.09 | 4.7 | -- | -- |
Business and financial operations occupations |
31.71 | 8.3 | 31.89 | 8.3 | -- | -- |
Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists |
30.1 | 3.7 | 30.1 | 3.7 | -- | -- |
Accountants and auditors |
29.06 | 4.8 | 29.06 | 4.8 | -- | -- |
Computer and mathematical science occupations |
36.82 | 7.6 | 36.84 | 7.6 | -- | -- |
Computer systems analysts |
35.82 | 10.4 | 35.88 | 10.6 | -- | -- |
Network and computer systems administrators |
33.08 | 5.5 | 33.08 | 5.5 | -- | -- |
Architecture and engineering occupations |
33.91 | 2.4 | 33.41 | 2.7 | -- | -- |
Engineers |
36.24 | 3.5 | 35.63 | 3.3 | -- | -- |
Engineering technicians, except drafters |
28.82 | 5.1 | 28.82 | 5.1 | -- | -- |
Community and social services occupations |
23.33 | 18 | 23.48 | 18 | -- | -- |
Education, training, and library occupations |
29.6 | 8 | 30.47 | 7 | 15.74 | 27.9 |
Postsecondary teachers |
40.94 | 11.4 | 42.07 | 12.4 | -- | -- |
Primary, secondary, and special education school teachers |
33.92 | 3.4 | 34.72 | 1.3 | -- | -- |
Elementary and middle school teachers |
32.8 | 3.7 | 33.5 | 0.9 | -- | -- |
Elementary school teachers, except special education |
33.7 | 9.6 | 35.37 | 4.9 | -- | -- |
Secondary school teachers |
35.65 | 5.5 | 35.65 | 5.5 | -- | -- |
Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
35.65 | 5.5 | 35.65 | 5.5 | -- | -- |
Teacher assistants |
11.44 | 8.3 | 11.72 | 7 | -- | -- |
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
26.56 | 21.6 | 27.02 | 21.2 | -- | -- |
Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations |
26.16 | 2.3 | 26.03 | 5.6 | 26.67 | 17.3 |
Registered nurses |
27.54 | 7.1 | 26.68 | 3.2 | 31.12 | 22.1 |
Therapists |
32.89 | 6.7 | 33.62 | 6.9 | -- | -- |
Healthcare support occupations |
12.81 | 14 | 13.22 | 15.5 | 9.99 | 12.9 |
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides |
10.65 | 5.1 | 10.64 | 6.1 | -- | -- |
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
10.19 | 1.2 | 10.09 | 2.2 | -- | -- |
Miscellaneous healthcare support occupations |
16.63 | 16.5 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Protective service occupations |
15.75 | 20.1 | 16.1 | 21.4 | -- | -- |
Police officers |
24.88 | 2.6 | 24.88 | 2.6 | -- | -- |
Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
24.88 | 2.6 | 24.88 | 2.6 | -- | -- |
Food preparation and serving related occupations |
9.17 | 12.4 | 10.18 | 16.2 | 7.1 | 10.6 |
Cooks |
10.18 | 5.8 | 10.03 | 7.9 | 11.18 | 5.7 |
Cooks, restaurant |
11.04 | 5.9 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Food preparation workers |
10.02 | 7.1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Food service, tipped |
5.77 | 30.4 | 5.68 | 45.5 | 5.84 | 22.6 |
Waiters and waitresses |
5.38 | 37.8 | -- | -- | 5.25 | 28.4 |
Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
7.88 | 10.6 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Fast food and counter workers |
8.55 | 6.6 | -- | -- | 7.61 | 7.8 |
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
8.43 | 7.5 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
10.62 | 6.1 | 11.1 | 5.9 | 8.09 | 4.6 |
Building cleaning workers |
10.42 | 6.5 | 10.9 | 6.4 | 7.86 | 4.2 |
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
11.46 | 5.7 | 11.79 | 5.2 | 8.59 | 4.4 |
Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
8.34 | 2.6 | 8.72 | 2.1 | -- | -- |
Personal care and service occupations |
16.04 | 14.3 | 14.59 | 16.1 | 17.2 | 18.9 |
Sales and related occupations |
15.43 | 7.3 | 19.18 | 10.9 | 8 | 2.7 |
Retail sales workers |
11.07 | 4 | 16.69 | 3.2 | 8.01 | 2.7 |
Cashiers, all workers |
8.83 | 2.2 | -- | -- | 8.34 | 4.1 |
Cashiers |
8.83 | 2.2 | -- | -- | 8.34 | 4.1 |
Counter and rental clerks and parts salespersons |
14.77 | 16.4 | 18.79 | 2 | 8.78 | 2.6 |
Counter and rental clerks |
9.19 | 8.3 | -- | -- | 8.78 | 2.6 |
Retail salespersons |
10.5 | 3.2 | 17.61 | 4.4 | 7.7 | 0.1 |
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing |
31.58 | 21.8 | 31.58 | 21.8 | -- | -- |
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
31.58 | 21.8 | 31.58 | 21.8 | -- | -- |
Office and administrative support occupations |
16.4 | 3 | 16.69 | 3.1 | 11.95 | 4.9 |
First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
22.24 | 10.2 | 22.24 | 10.2 | -- | -- |
Financial clerks |
14.04 | 3.6 | 14.58 | 4.3 | 10.07 | 1.8 |
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
15.82 | 3.6 | 16.06 | 3.4 | -- | -- |
Tellers |
10.96 | 2.6 | 11.19 | 4.6 | -- | -- |
Customer service representatives |
16.28 | 10.1 | 16.63 | 9.8 | -- | -- |
Order clerks |
19.85 | 5.2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Receptionists and information clerks |
15.1 | 4.9 | 15.1 | 4.9 | -- | -- |
Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
13.58 | 14.7 | 13.58 | 14.7 | -- | -- |
Secretaries and administrative assistants |
18.5 | 5.5 | 18.63 | 5.7 | -- | -- |
Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
20.68 | 6.9 | 20.95 | 6.5 | -- | -- |
Medical secretaries |
14.44 | 2.1 | 14.43 | 2.6 | -- | -- |
Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
16.97 | 7 | 16.97 | 7 | -- | -- |
Office clerks, general |
15.49 | 7.6 | 15.69 | 7.8 | -- | -- |
Construction and extraction occupations |
29.27 | 2.8 | 29.6 | 2 | -- | -- |
Carpenters |
26.11 | 17.3 | 26.11 | 17.3 | -- | -- |
Construction laborers |
15.28 | 16.1 | 16.47 | 15.2 | -- | -- |
Electricians |
30.81 | 6.5 | 30.81 | 6.5 | -- | -- |
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
24.65 | 4.6 | 24.65 | 4.7 | -- | -- |
First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
35.67 | 5.7 | 35.67 | 5.7 | -- | -- |
Automotive technicians and repairers |
20.4 | 11.5 | 20.4 | 11.5 | -- | -- |
Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers |
27.8 | 8.4 | 27.8 | 8.4 | -- | -- |
Miscellaneous installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
20.68 | 12.3 | 20.68 | 12.3 | -- | -- |
Production occupations |
19.52 | 0.7 | 19.68 | 0.8 | -- | -- |
Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators |
19.04 | 15.4 | 18.99 | 15.4 | -- | -- |
Welding, soldering, and brazing workers |
16.28 | 5.1 | 16.28 | 5.1 | -- | -- |
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
16.28 | 5.1 | 16.28 | 5.1 | -- | -- |
Miscellaneous production workers |
21.59 | 5 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Transportation and material moving occupations |
18 | 6.8 | 19.37 | 7.5 | 9.82 | 23.4 |
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers |
15 | 11 | 15.94 | 8.9 | -- | -- |
Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
17.75 | 2.1 | 17.09 | 2.9 | -- | -- |
Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
14.8 | 19.8 | 14.8 | 19.8 | -- | -- |
Industrial truck and tractor operators |
19.83 | 23.2 | 19.83 | 23.2 | -- | -- |
Laborers and material movers, hand |
14.95 | 16.8 | 16.6 | 14.9 | 9.26 | 16.2 |
Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
12.66 | 11.7 | 12.91 | 12.2 | -- | -- |
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
17.56 | 17.3 | 19.22 | 15.6 | 11.14 | 13.3 |
Footnotes: |
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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: April 2, 2009