News Release Information
12-1126-DAL
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Contacts
Further information:
- (972) 850-4800
- BLSInfoDallas@bls.gov
- www.bls.gov/ro6
Occupational Employment and Wages in Oklahoma City, May 2011
Workers in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of
$19.42 in May 2011, about 11 percent below the nationwide average of $21.74, according to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that, after testing for
statistical significance, wages in the local area were significantly lower than their respective national
averages in 18 of the 22 major occupational groups, including computer and mathematical, legal, and
management.
When compared to the nationwide distribution, local employment was more highly concentrated in 7 of
the 22 occupational groups, including construction and extraction, office and administrative support, and
management. Conversely, nine groups had employment shares significantly below their national
representation, including production, computer and mathematical, and personal care and service. (See table A and box note at end of release.)
Major occupational group | Percent of total employment | Mean hourly wage | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | Oklahoma City | United States | Oklahoma City | Percent difference(1) |
|||
Total, all occupations |
100.0% | 100.0% | $21.74 | $19.42 | * | -11 | |
Management |
4.8 | 5.6 | * | 51.64 | 41.67 | * | -19 |
Business and financial operations |
4.8 | 4.5 | * | 33.05 | 28.04 | * | -15 |
Computer and mathematical |
2.7 | 1.8 | * | 37.85 | 29.41 | * | -22 |
Architecture and engineering |
1.8 | 2.2 | * | 37.08 | 38.95 | 5 | |
Life, physical, and social science |
0.8 | 0.8 | 32.44 | 32.03 | -1 | ||
Community and social service |
1.5 | 1.2 | * | 21.07 | 18.11 | * | -14 |
Legal |
0.8 | 0.9 | * | 47.30 | 36.89 | * | -22 |
Education, training, and library |
6.6 | 6.1 | 24.46 | 21.37 | * | -13 | |
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media |
1.3 | 1.1 | * | 25.89 | 19.29 | * | -25 |
Healthcare practitioners and technical |
5.9 | 6.5 | 34.97 | 30.66 | * | -12 | |
Healthcare support |
3.1 | 2.9 | 13.16 | 12.06 | * | -8 | |
Protective service |
2.5 | 2.0 | * | 20.54 | 17.57 | * | -14 |
Food preparation and serving related |
8.7 | 9.1 | * | 10.30 | 9.34 | * | -9 |
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance |
3.3 | 2.8 | * | 12.29 | 10.51 | * | -14 |
Personal care and service |
2.8 | 2.2 | * | 11.84 | 10.01 | * | -15 |
Sales and related |
10.6 | 10.6 | 18.04 | 15.88 | * | -12 | |
Office and administrative support |
16.7 | 17.8 | * | 16.40 | 14.91 | * | -9 |
Farming, fishing, and forestry |
0.3 | 0.1 | * | 11.68 | 12.89 | * | 10 |
Construction and extraction |
3.9 | 5.6 | * | 21.46 | 18.55 | * | -14 |
Installation, maintenance, and repair |
3.9 | 4.3 | * | 20.86 | 19.36 | * | -7 |
Production |
6.5 | 5.6 | * | 16.45 | 15.21 | * | -8 |
Transportation and material moving |
6.7 | 6.3 | 15.96 | 15.59 | -2 | ||
Footnotes: |
|||||||
* The percent share of employment or mean hourly wage for this area is significantly different from the national average of all areas at the 90-percent confidence level. |
One occupational group—construction and extraction—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data
available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Oklahoma City had 31,830 jobs in construction
and extraction, accounting for 5.6 percent of local area employment, significantly higher than the 3.9-percent
share nationally. However, the average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was
$18.55, measurably below the national wage of $21.46.
With employment of 3,100, first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers was the
largest occupation within the construction and extraction group, followed by construction laborers
(3,030) and carpenters (3,010). First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers was
among the higher paying jobs with a mean hourly wage of $28.47. Other high paying jobs included oil
and gas rotary drill operators and sheet metal workers, at $23.89 and $23.38 per hour, respectively. At
the lower end of the wage scale were electricians’ helpers ($12.32) and construction laborers ($13.27).
(Detailed occupational data for construction and extraction workers are presented in table 1;
for a complete listing of all detailed occupations go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_36420.htm.)
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 Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area, above average concentrations of
employment were found in many of the occupations within the construction and extraction group. For
instance, oil and gas rotary drill operators were employed at 14.3 times the national rate in Oklahoma
City, and oil and gas roustabouts, at 7.6 times the U.S. average. On the other hand, construction laborers
had a location quotient of 0.9 in Oklahoma City, 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 Oklahoma
Employment Security Commission. 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 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 Oklahoma City
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 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. The sample in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan
Statistical Area included 3,956 establishments with a response rate of 78 percent.
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.
The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. The Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes Canadian, Cleveland, Grady, Lincoln, Logan, McClain, and Oklahoma Counties in Oklahoma.
Additional informationOES data are available on our regional web page at www.bls.gov/ro6. If you have additional questions, contact the Southwest Information Office at 972-850-4800. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request – Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339.
Occupation(1) | Employment | Mean wages | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Level(2) | Location quotient(3) |
Hourly | Annual(4) | |
Construction and extraction occupations |
31,830 | 1.4 | $18.55 | $38,580 |
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers |
3,100 | 1.5 | 28.47 | 59,230 |
Brickmasons and blockmasons |
360 | 1.3 | 17.19 | 35,750 |
Stonemasons |
120 | 2.3 | 17.76 | 36,940 |
Carpenters |
3,010 | 1.2 | 16.65 | 34,630 |
Carpet installers |
110 | 1.0 | 12.36 | 25,710 |
Floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles |
(5) | (5) | 14.47 | 30,100 |
Tile and marble setters |
150 | 1.2 | 13.62 | 28,330 |
Cement masons and concrete finishers |
1,060 | 1.8 | 15.08 | 31,370 |
Construction laborers |
3,030 | 0.9 | 13.27 | 27,600 |
Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators |
730 | 3.0 | 14.27 | 29,690 |
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
970 | 0.7 | 17.59 | 36,590 |
Drywall and ceiling tile installers |
230 | 0.7 | 15.17 | 31,560 |
Electricians |
2,820 | 1.2 | 18.96 | 39,430 |
Glaziers |
(5) | (5) | 16.04 | 33,360 |
Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall |
(5) | (5) | 17.85 | 37,130 |
Insulation workers, mechanical |
(5) | (5) | 16.36 | 34,030 |
Painters, construction and maintenance |
1,310 | 1.6 | 18.30 | 38,070 |
Pipelayers |
390 | 2.0 | 15.36 | 31,950 |
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
1,940 | 1.3 | 19.77 | 41,120 |
Plasterers and stucco masons |
(5) | (5) | 19.99 | 41,570 |
Reinforcing iron and rebar workers |
70 | 1.1 | 15.85 | 32,970 |
Roofers |
580 | 1.4 | 15.67 | 32,590 |
Sheet metal workers |
2,220 | 3.9 | 23.38 | 48,630 |
Structural iron and steel workers |
(5) | (5) | 14.48 | 30,110 |
Brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters' helpers |
180 | 1.5 | 12.07 | 25,100 |
Carpenters' helpers |
(5) | (5) | 12.24 | 25,450 |
Electricians' helpers |
610 | 2.1 | 12.32 | 25,620 |
Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters' helpers |
180 | 0.8 | 13.68 | 28,460 |
Helpers, construction trades, all other |
90 | 1.1 | 11.73 | 24,390 |
Construction and building inspectors |
180 | 0.5 | 24.66 | 51,300 |
Fence erectors |
(5) | (5) | 11.44 | 23,800 |
Hazardous materials removal workers |
250 | 1.6 | 15.78 | 32,820 |
Highway maintenance workers |
720 | 1.1 | 16.01 | 33,300 |
Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners |
50 | 0.4 | 14.95 | 31,090 |
Construction and related workers, all other* |
(5) | (5) | 11.47 | 23,870 |
Derrick operators, oil and gas |
(5) | (5) | 20.77 | 43,190 |
Rotary drill operators, oil and gas |
1,370 | 14.3 | 23.89 | 49,700 |
Service unit operators, oil, gas, and mining |
780 | 3.8 | 18.57 | 38,620 |
Roustabouts, oil and gas |
1,730 | 7.6 | 16.63 | 34,590 |
Extraction workers' helpers |
560 | 5.3 | 15.83 | 32,930 |
Footnotes: |
||||
* Occupation titles followed by an asterisk (*) have similar titles, but not necessarily the same content as 2010 SOC occupations. |
Last Modified Date: June 5, 2012