Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

51-9198 Helpers--Production Workers

Help production workers by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include supplying or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment. Apprentice workers are classified in the appropriate production occupations (51-0000).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
420,910 1.2 % $11.72 $24,370 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.16 $9.02 $10.83 $13.68 $17.16
Annual Wage (2) $16,970 $18,770 $22,520 $28,450 $35,700


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Employment Services 124,700 4.23 $10.45 $21,740
Animal Slaughtering and Processing 17,850 3.64 $10.77 $22,390
Printing and Related Support Activities 17,130 3.58 $11.81 $24,570
Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing 14,070 4.98 $12.25 $25,480
Converted Paper Product Manufacturing 13,080 4.67 $13.01 $27,050

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Leather and Hide Tanning and Finishing 240 6.77 $12.04 $25,050
Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing 3,780 5.60 $12.93 $26,890
Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing 14,070 4.98 $12.25 $25,480
Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities 6,270 4.91 $11.79 $24,510
Sawmills and Wood Preservation 4,070 4.87 $11.35 $23,600

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Coal Mining 520 0.63 $20.69 $43,030
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 370 0.09 $19.97 $41,540
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing 530 0.34 $17.18 $35,730
Elementary and Secondary Schools 80 (7) $16.94 $35,240
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 40 0.01 $16.80 $34,950


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 39,510 2.81 0.86 $11.41 $23,740
Texas 36,070 3.50 1.07 $10.79 $22,440
Pennsylvania 27,150 4.89 1.49 $13.09 $27,220
Illinois 22,760 4.08 1.24 $11.76 $24,470
Ohio 21,690 4.36 1.33 $12.27 $25,530




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Arkansas 11,350 9.96 3.04 $11.09 $23,070
Alabama 16,320 9.02 2.75 $10.64 $22,120
Indiana 15,760 5.72 1.74 $11.07 $23,030
Kentucky 9,890 5.71 1.74 $11.56 $24,040
Pennsylvania 27,150 4.89 1.49 $13.09 $27,220




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Wyoming 400 1.48 0.45 $17.57 $36,550
West Virginia 2,010 2.87 0.88 $14.80 $30,790
New Hampshire 1,410 2.33 0.71 $14.27 $29,680
Alaska 200 0.65 0.20 $14.12 $29,370
Oregon 3,220 2.03 0.62 $13.40 $27,870





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 15,250 4.26 1.30 $11.45 $23,830
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 12,780 3.34 1.02 $11.17 $23,230
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 8,640 3.39 1.03 $11.25 $23,390
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 7,570 3.70 1.13 $10.23 $21,280
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 6,900 1.36 0.42 $11.92 $24,790
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 6,860 3.08 0.94 $10.83 $22,530
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 6,670 3.90 1.19 $11.69 $24,310
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 5,480 3.02 0.92 $13.42 $27,920
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division 5,030 5.89 1.79 $10.55 $21,940
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 4,390 3.17 0.97 $10.86 $22,590




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kokomo, IN 1,140 29.61 9.02 $10.69 $22,230
Dalton, GA 1,590 25.10 7.65 $10.90 $22,660
Elkhart-Goshen, IN 2,180 21.09 6.43 $9.42 $19,600
Reading, PA 3,410 20.98 6.39 $11.06 $23,000
Fort Smith, AR-OK 2,080 18.38 5.60 $10.86 $22,590
Gadsden, AL 600 17.77 5.42 $9.81 $20,410
Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV 720 17.29 5.27 $16.01 $33,300
Tuscaloosa, AL 1,500 17.27 5.26 $10.42 $21,680
Sheboygan, WI 800 14.27 4.35 $9.57 $19,910
St. Joseph, MO-KS 660 12.82 3.91 $13.84 $28,800




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Salisbury, MD 40 0.82 0.25 $31.37 $65,250
Mansfield, OH (8) (8) (8) $18.54 $38,570
Cumberland, MD-WV 150 4.01 1.22 $18.23 $37,920
Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, MD Metropolitan Division 300 0.54 0.16 $16.49 $34,310
Pueblo, CO 90 1.57 0.48 $16.22 $33,740
Longview, WA 110 3.31 1.01 $16.11 $33,520
Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV 720 17.29 5.27 $16.01 $33,300
Battle Creek, MI 660 12.44 3.79 $15.39 $32,010
Bellingham, WA (8) (8) (8) $15.31 $31,840
Texarkana-Texarkana, TX-AR 280 5.16 1.57 $15.23 $31,690

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 3,630 26.84 8.18 $10.63 $22,120
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 3,430 9.02 2.75 $11.51 $23,940
Other North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 3,170 10.85 3.31 $10.76 $22,380
Other Ohio nonmetropolitan area 2,720 10.24 3.12 $11.94 $24,840
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 2,450 12.34 3.76 $11.27 $23,440

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 3,630 26.84 8.18 $10.63 $22,120
South Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 1,920 15.16 4.62 $12.20 $25,370
Northwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area 800 12.91 3.94 $11.48 $23,880
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 2,450 12.34 3.76 $11.27 $23,440
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 1,860 11.26 3.43 $10.49 $21,810

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwestern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 130 2.06 0.63 $26.42 $54,960
Other Nevada nonmetropolitan area 110 2.03 0.62 $21.43 $44,570
Southwestern Washington nonmetropolitan area 320 5.18 1.58 $18.05 $37,550
Eastern Montana nonmetropolitan area 40 1.28 0.39 $17.68 $36,770
Coastal Oregon nonmetropolitan area 100 1.48 0.45 $17.31 $36,000


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) 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.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) 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.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012