Among the 11 metropolitan areas in Virginia, Washington was the only locality with wages significantly above the national average for secondary, middle, and elementary school teachers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the Lynchburg, Kingsport, Roanoke, and Richmond areas had wages that were significantly below those for the nation in all three selected occupations. These four areas spanned the southern portion of the Commonwealth, while the Washington area covered the northeastern corner of Virginia. Nationwide, the average (mean) wage for secondary school teachers was $56,760, middle school teachers averaged $55,780, and elementary school teachers earned $55,270. (See table A. For comprehensive definitions of metropolitan areas in the Commonwealth of Virginia, please see Technical Note.)

Of the 11 metropolitan areas in the Commonwealth, the Washington area had the largest number of teaching jobs, with 53,000 in the three teaching occupations combined. Over three quarters (41,680) of these were located in one of the area’s two divisions, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria. Elsewhere, teaching jobs in the Virginia Beach and Richmond areas totaled 16,810 and 10,930, respectively. Teacher employment levels in each of the remaining areas were less than 4,000. (See table B. The Washington area’s other division, Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, is located entirely in Maryland and its data have not been presented in this release.)

Table B. Employment for secondary, middle, and elementary school teachers in the United States and metropolitan areas in Virginia, May 2011

Area	Secondary School	Middle School	Elementary School
United States	1,004,850	642,820	1,415,590
Virginia	24,330	16,500	36,550
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford	360	--	--
Charlottesville	680	460	960
Danville	--	--	--
Harrisonburg	--	--	--
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol	760	540	1,300
Lynchburg	700	390	900
Richmond	3,070	2,970	4,890
Roanoke	1,000	650	1,380
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News	5,410	3,440	7,960
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria	17,110	11,460	24,430
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria division	13,250	7,790	20,640
Winchester	--	--	540
-- Estimate not released.

Wages for secondary school teachers in metropolitan areas in Virginia

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., was the highest-paying metropolitan area in Virginia for secondary school teachers, at $70,910 per year, significantly above the U.S. average of $56,760. Among the other metropolitan areas, Winchester, Va.-W.Va. secondary school teachers had an average wage of $59,820, and Charlottesville, Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, and Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C., reported wages around $57,000. Wages were significantly below average for this occupation in 4 of the 11 metropolitan areas in Virginia—Lynchburg ($47,030); Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, Tenn.-Va. ($48,030); Roanoke ($49,740); and Richmond ($50,960). All four lower-wage areas were located in the southern half of Virginia, while the only significantly higher-wage area covered the northeastern corner of the Commonwealth. (See chart 1.)

Wages for middle school teachers in metropolitan areas in Virginia

The Washington area posted the top wage in Virginia for middle school teachers, at $68,800. Three other areas in Virginia had wages between $58,000 and $59,000 for middle school teachers—Virginia Beach, Winchester, and Charlottesville. Among the remaining metropolitan areas, four had wages significantly below the national average for middle school teachers—Lynchburg ($42,670); Kingsport ($47,180); Roanoke ($49,640); and Richmond ($52,180). (See chart 2.)

Wages for elementary school teachers in metropolitan areas in Virginia

As with secondary and middle school teachers, the Washington metropolitan area paid the highest wages in Virginia for elementary school teachers at $69,190 per year. Two more areas, Charlottesville and Virginia Beach, had wages above $55,000 for elementary school teachers. However, four areas had wages for elementary school teachers significantly below that for the nation—Kingsport ($44,790), Lynchburg ($46,020), Roanoke ($50,880), and Richmond ($52,210). (See chart 3.)

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 District of Columbia Department of Employment Services; the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation; the North Carolina Employment Security Commission; the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development; the Virginia Employment Commission; and WorkForce West Virginia. The OES survey provides estimates of employment and hourly and annual wages for wage and salary workers in 22 major occupational groups and about 800 detailed occupations for the nation, states, metropolitan statistical areas, metropolitan divisions, and nonmetropolitan areas.

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 are also surveyed, but their data are not included in the national estimates. 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. For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.

The May 2011 OES estimates are 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.

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.

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.

• Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, Va. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes Giles, Montgomery, and Pulaski Counties and Radford city in Virginia.
• Charlottesville, Va. MSA includes Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, and Nelson Counties and Charlottesville city in Virginia.
• Danville, Va. MSA includes Pittsylvania County and Danville city in Virginia.
• Harrisonburg, Va. MSA includes Rockingham County and Harrisonburg city in Virginia.
• Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, Tenn.-Va. MSA includes Hawkins and Sullivan Counties in Tennessee and Scott and Washington Counties and Bristol city in Virginia.
• Lynchburg, Va. MSA includes Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, and Campbell Counties and Bedford and Lynchburg cities in Virginia.
• Richmond, Va. MSA includes Amelia, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, King William, King and Queen, Louisa, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, and Sussex Counties and Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Richmond cities in Virginia.
• Roanoke, Va. MSA includes Botetourt, Craig, Franklin, and Roanoke Counties and Roanoke and Salem cities in Virginia.
• Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C. MSA includes Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Mathews, Surry, and York Counties and Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg cities in Virginia and Currituck County in North Carolina.
• Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. MSA
  • Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md. Metropolitan Division (MD) includes Frederick and Montgomery Counties in Maryland.
  • Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. MD includes the District of Columbia; Arlington, Clarke, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren Counties and Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park cities in Virginia; Calvert, Charles, and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland; and Jefferson County in West Virginia.
• Winchester, Va.-W.Va. MSA includes Frederick County and Winchester city in Virginia and Hampshire County in West Virginia.