News Release Information
12-1094-ATL
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Contacts
- Technical Information: (404) 893-4222
- Media Contact: (404) 893-4220, option 1
- BLSInfoAtlanta@bls.gov
- www.bls.gov/ro4
Occupational Employment and Wages in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, May 2011
Workers in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $22.39 in May 2011, about 3 percent above the nationwide average of $21.74, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that, after testing for statistical significance, wages in the local area were significantly higher than their respective national averages in 5 of the 22 major occupational groups, including business and financial operations, management, and sales and related. Nine groups had significantly lower wages than their respective national averages, including construction and extraction, production, and architecture and engineering.
When compared to the nationwide distribution, local employment was more highly concentrated in 7 of the 22 occupational groups, including office and administrative support, management, and transportation and material moving. Conversely, 13 groups had employment shares significantly below their national representation, including production, healthcare practitioners and technical, and personal care and service. (See table A and box note at end of release.)
One occupational group—office and administrative support—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta had 406,910 jobs in office and administrative support, accounting for 18.3 percent of local area employment, significantly higher than the 16.7-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $16.59, measurably above the national wage of $16.40.
With employment of 63,250, customer service representatives was the largest occupation within the office and administrative support group, followed by general office clerks (50,540) and stock clerks and order fillers (33,370). Among the higher paying jobs were first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers, and executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants, with mean hourly wages of $25.49 and $22.54, respectively. At the lower end of the wage scale were hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks ($9.28) and stock clerks and order filers ($11.95). (Detailed occupational data for office and administrative support are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to www.bls.gov/oes/2011/may/oes_12060.htm.)
Major occupational group | Percent of total employment | Mean hourly wage | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | Atlanta | United States | Atlanta | Percent difference (1) | |
Total, all occupations |
100.0% | 100.0% | $21.74 | $22.39* | 3 |
Management |
4.8 | 6.3* | 51.64 | 54.05* | 5 |
Business and financial operations |
4.8 | 6.2* | 33.05 | 35.23* | 7 |
Computer and mathematical |
2.7 | 3.6* | 37.85 | 36.73* | -3 |
Architecture and engineering |
1.8 | 1.5* | 37.08 | 35.64* | -4 |
Life, physical, and social science |
0.8 | 0.5* | 32.44 | 30.57 | -6 |
Community and social services |
1.5 | 1.0* | 21.07 | 21.46 | 2 |
Legal |
0.8 | 0.9* | 47.30 | 49.46 | 5 |
Education, training, and library |
6.6 | 6.5 | 24.46 | 21.90* | -10 |
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media |
1.3 | 1.2* | 25.89 | 25.12 | -3 |
Healthcare practitioner and technical |
5.9 | 4.6* | 34.97 | 34.97 | 0 |
Healthcare support |
3.1 | 1.9* | 13.16 | 13.35 | 1 |
Protective service |
2.5 | 2.4* | 20.54 | 16.97* | -17 |
Food preparation and serving related |
8.7 | 8.4* | 10.30 | 9.98* | -3 |
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance |
3.3 | 2.7* | 12.29 | 11.90* | -3 |
Personal care and service |
2.8 | 2.1* | 11.84 | 11.21* | -5 |
Sales and related |
10.6 | 11.7* | 18.04 | 18.67* | 3 |
Office and administrative support |
16.7 | 18.3* | 16.40 | 16.59* | 1 |
Farming, fishing, and forestry |
0.3 | 0.1* | 11.68 | 14.11* | 21 |
Construction and extraction |
3.9 | 3.0* | 21.46 | 18.96* | -12 |
Installation, maintenance, and repair |
3.9 | 4.1 | 20.86 | 20.86 | 0 |
Production |
6.5 | 5.1* | 16.45 | 15.24* | -7 |
Transportation and material moving |
6.7 | 7.8* | 15.96 | 16.58 | 4 |
Footnotes: |
Location quotients allow us to explore the occupational make-up of a metropolitan area by comparing the composition of jobs in an area relative to the national average. (See table 1.) For example, a location quotient of 2.0 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it does nationally. In the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area, above average concentrations of employment were found in some of the occupations within the office and administrative support group. For instance, customer service representatives were employed at 1.7 times the national rate in Atlanta, and bill and account collectors, at 1.5 times the U.S. average. On the other hand, bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks had a location quotient of 1.0 in Atlanta, indicating that this particular occupation’s local and national employment shares were similar.
These statistics are from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey, a federal-state cooperative program between BLS and State Workforce Agencies, in this case, the Georgia Department of Labor. The OES survey provides estimates of employment and hourly and annual wages for wage and salary workers in 22 major occupational groups and nearly 800 non-military detailed occupations for the nation, states, metropolitan statistical areas, metropolitan divisions, and nonmetropolitan areas.
OES wage and employment data for the 22 major occupational groups in the Atlanta metropolitan statistical area were compared to their respective national averages based on statistical significance testing. Only those occupations with wages or employment shares above or below the national wage or share after testing for significance at the 90-percent confidence level meet the criteria. NOTE: A value that is statistically different from another does not necessarily mean that the difference has economic or practical significance. Statistical significance is concerned with the ability to make confident statements about a universe based on a sample. It is entirely possible that a large difference between two values is not significantly different statistically, while a small difference is, since both the size and heterogeneity of the sample affect the relative error of the data being tested. |
Technical Note
The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey is a semiannual mail survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in the United States. Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands also are surveyed, but their data are not included in this release. OES estimates are constructed from a sample of about 1.2 million establishments. Forms are mailed to approximately 200,000 establishments in May and November of each year for a 3-year period. The nationwide response rate for the May 2011 survey was 77.3 percent based on establishments and 73.3 percent based on employment. May 2011 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2011, November 2010, May 2010, November 2009, May 2009, and November 2008. The sample in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area included 8,672 establishments with a response rate of 80 percent. For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.
The May 2011 OES estimates mark the first set of estimates based in part on data collected using the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. Nearly all the occupations in this release are 2010 SOC occupations; however, some are not. The May 2012 OES data will reflect the full set of detailed occupations in the 2010 SOC. For a list of all occupations, including 2010 SOC occupations, and how data collected on two structures were combined, see the OES Frequently Asked Questions online at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm#Ques41.
Area definitions
The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga. Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Haralson, Heard, Henry, Jasper, Lamar, Meriwether, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Pike, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton Counties.
Additional information
OES data are available on our regional web page at www.bls.gov/ro4/home.htm. If you have additional questions, contact the Southeast Economic Analysis and Information Unit at (404) 893-4222. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.
OOH Earnings Table Extraction Wizard - output frame
Table 1. Employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey, by occupation, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area, May 2011
Occupation (1)
Employment
Mean wages
Level (2)
Location quotient (3)
Hourly Annual (4)
Office and Administrative Support Occupations
406,910 1.1 $16.59 $34,500 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
28,090 1.2 25.49 53,020 Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
2,390 1.0 12.97 26,980 Telephone Operators
(5)
(5)
14.77 30,710 Bill and Account Collectors
10,110 1.5 15.73 32,720 Billing and Posting Clerks
8,850 1.1 16.42 34,160 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
27,890 1.0 17.81 37,050 Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks
3,000 1.0 19.18 39,890 Procurement Clerks
1,380 1.1 17.37 36,120 Tellers
7,040 0.7 13.56 28,200 Brokerage Clerks
980 0.9 18.85 39,200 Correspondence Clerks
200 1.3 17.93 37,300 Court, Municipal, and License Clerks
1,690 0.8 16.28 33,860 Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks
1,060 1.2 16.64 34,600 Customer Service Representatives
63,250 1.7 17.00 35,360 Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs
1,250 0.6 21.61 44,960 File Clerks
1,730 0.6 13.90 28,920 Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks
3,790 1.0 9.28 19,300 Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan
2,610 0.8 14.24 29,630 Library Assistants, Clerical
1,380 0.7 11.13 23,150 Loan Interviewers and Clerks
3,620 1.1 15.51 32,250 New Accounts Clerks
500 0.5 18.82 39,150 Order Clerks
3,440 0.9 14.86 30,910 Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping
2,560 1.0 18.29 38,030 Receptionists and Information Clerks
12,340 0.7 12.76 26,550 Information and Record Clerks, All Other
3,990 1.2 17.48 36,350 Cargo and Freight Agents
1,640 1.2 17.62 36,650 Police, Fire, and Ambulance Dispatchers
1,340 0.8 16.43 34,170 Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance
3,300 1.0 17.75 36,930 Meter Readers, Utilities
1,220 1.7 15.66 32,580 Postal Service Clerks
1,130 1.0 25.75 53,570 Postal Service Mail Carriers
5,060 0.9 24.66 51,300 Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
2,630 1.1 24.29 50,520 Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks
5,540 1.2 19.54 40,640 Shipping, Receiving, and Traffic Clerks
13,550 1.1 14.54 30,240 Stock Clerks and Order Fillers
33,370 1.1 11.95 24,860 Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping
1,160 1.0 14.64 30,450 Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
22,380 1.4 22.54 46,880 Legal Secretaries
3,360 0.9 23.86 49,640 Medical Secretaries
10,390 1.2 16.00 33,280 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
25,480 0.8 15.54 32,330 Computer Operators
2,640 2.0 17.64 36,690 Data Entry Keyers
4,540 1.2 14.19 29,510 Word Processors and Typists
710 0.4 15.44 32,120 Desktop Publishers
330 1.0 21.50 44,720 Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks
4,690 1.2 18.16 37,780 Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
2,680 1.3 12.56 26,120 Office Clerks, General
50,540 1.0 12.78 26,580 Office Machine Operators, Except Computer
1,350 1.2 14.36 29,860 Proofreaders and Copy Markers
150 0.8 15.34 31,910 Statistical Assistants
1,160 4.5 12.54 26,090 Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other
2,560 0.6 18.94 39,390
Footnotes:
(1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, see www.bls.gov/oes/2011/may/oes_12060.htm.
(2) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum tot he totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(3) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
(4) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a 'year-round, full-time' hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published,the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(5) Estimate not released.
Technical Note
The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey is a semiannual mail survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in the United States. Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands also are surveyed, but their data are not included in this release. OES estimates are constructed from a sample of about 1.2 million establishments. Forms are mailed to approximately 200,000 establishments in May and November of each year for a 3-year period. The nationwide response rate for the May 2011 survey was 77.3 percent based on establishments and 73.3 percent based on employment. May 2011 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2011, November 2010, May 2010, November 2009, May 2009, and November 2008. The sample in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area included 8,672 establishments with a response rate of 80 percent. For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.
The May 2011 OES estimates mark the first set of estimates based in part on data collected using the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. Nearly all the occupations in this release are 2010 SOC occupations; however, some are not. The May 2012 OES data will reflect the full set of detailed occupations in the 2010 SOC. For a list of all occupations, including 2010 SOC occupations, and how data collected on two structures were combined, see the OES Frequently Asked Questions online at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm#Ques41.
Area definitions
The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga. Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Haralson, Heard, Henry, Jasper, Lamar, Meriwether, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Pike, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton Counties.
Additional information
OES data are available on our regional web page at www.bls.gov/ro4/home.htm. If you have additional questions, contact the Southeast Economic Analysis and Information Unit at (404) 893-4222. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.
Occupation (1) | Employment | Mean wages | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Level (2) | Location quotient (3) | Hourly | Annual (4) | |
Office and Administrative Support Occupations | 406,910 | 1.1 | $16.59 | $34,500 |
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 28,090 | 1.2 | 25.49 | 53,020 |
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service | 2,390 | 1.0 | 12.97 | 26,980 |
Telephone Operators |
(5) | (5) | 14.77 | 30,710 |
Bill and Account Collectors | 10,110 | 1.5 | 15.73 | 32,720 |
Billing and Posting Clerks | 8,850 | 1.1 | 16.42 | 34,160 |
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 27,890 | 1.0 | 17.81 | 37,050 |
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 3,000 | 1.0 | 19.18 | 39,890 |
Procurement Clerks | 1,380 | 1.1 | 17.37 | 36,120 |
Tellers | 7,040 | 0.7 | 13.56 | 28,200 |
Brokerage Clerks | 980 | 0.9 | 18.85 | 39,200 |
Correspondence Clerks | 200 | 1.3 | 17.93 | 37,300 |
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks | 1,690 | 0.8 | 16.28 | 33,860 |
Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks | 1,060 | 1.2 | 16.64 | 34,600 |
Customer Service Representatives | 63,250 | 1.7 | 17.00 | 35,360 |
Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | 1,250 | 0.6 | 21.61 | 44,960 |
File Clerks | 1,730 | 0.6 | 13.90 | 28,920 |
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks | 3,790 | 1.0 | 9.28 | 19,300 |
Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan | 2,610 | 0.8 | 14.24 | 29,630 |
Library Assistants, Clerical | 1,380 | 0.7 | 11.13 | 23,150 |
Loan Interviewers and Clerks | 3,620 | 1.1 | 15.51 | 32,250 |
New Accounts Clerks | 500 | 0.5 | 18.82 | 39,150 |
Order Clerks | 3,440 | 0.9 | 14.86 | 30,910 |
Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping | 2,560 | 1.0 | 18.29 | 38,030 |
Receptionists and Information Clerks | 12,340 | 0.7 | 12.76 | 26,550 |
Information and Record Clerks, All Other | 3,990 | 1.2 | 17.48 | 36,350 |
Cargo and Freight Agents | 1,640 | 1.2 | 17.62 | 36,650 |
Police, Fire, and Ambulance Dispatchers | 1,340 | 0.8 | 16.43 | 34,170 |
Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance | 3,300 | 1.0 | 17.75 | 36,930 |
Meter Readers, Utilities | 1,220 | 1.7 | 15.66 | 32,580 |
Postal Service Clerks | 1,130 | 1.0 | 25.75 | 53,570 |
Postal Service Mail Carriers | 5,060 | 0.9 | 24.66 | 51,300 |
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators | 2,630 | 1.1 | 24.29 | 50,520 |
Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks | 5,540 | 1.2 | 19.54 | 40,640 |
Shipping, Receiving, and Traffic Clerks | 13,550 | 1.1 | 14.54 | 30,240 |
Stock Clerks and Order Fillers | 33,370 | 1.1 | 11.95 | 24,860 |
Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping | 1,160 | 1.0 | 14.64 | 30,450 |
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants | 22,380 | 1.4 | 22.54 | 46,880 |
Legal Secretaries | 3,360 | 0.9 | 23.86 | 49,640 |
Medical Secretaries | 10,390 | 1.2 | 16.00 | 33,280 |
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 25,480 | 0.8 | 15.54 | 32,330 |
Computer Operators | 2,640 | 2.0 | 17.64 | 36,690 |
Data Entry Keyers | 4,540 | 1.2 | 14.19 | 29,510 |
Word Processors and Typists | 710 | 0.4 | 15.44 | 32,120 |
Desktop Publishers | 330 | 1.0 | 21.50 | 44,720 |
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks | 4,690 | 1.2 | 18.16 | 37,780 |
Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service | 2,680 | 1.3 | 12.56 | 26,120 |
Office Clerks, General | 50,540 | 1.0 | 12.78 | 26,580 |
Office Machine Operators, Except Computer | 1,350 | 1.2 | 14.36 | 29,860 |
Proofreaders and Copy Markers | 150 | 0.8 | 15.34 | 31,910 |
Statistical Assistants | 1,160 | 4.5 | 12.54 | 26,090 |
Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other | 2,560 | 0.6 | 18.94 | 39,390 |
Footnotes: |
Last Modified Date: May 31, 2012