News Release Information
12-1041-DAL
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Contacts
Further information:
- (972) 850-4800
- BLSInfoDallas@bls.gov
- www.bls.gov/ro6
Occupational Employment and Wages in
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, May 2011
Workers in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average
(mean) hourly wage of $19.15 in May 2011, about 12 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 20 of the 22 major occupational groups.
When compared to the nationwide distribution, local employment was more highly concentrated in 3 of
the 22 occupational groups: healthcare practitioners and technical; office and administrative support; and
legal. Conversely, nine groups had employment shares significantly below their national representation,
including: production; education, training, and library; and architecture and engineering. (See table A and box note at end of release.)
Major occupational group | Percent of total employment | Mean hourly wage | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | Little Rock- North Little Rock- Conway |
United States | Little Rock- North Little Rock- Conway |
Percent difference(1) |
|||
Total, all occupations |
100.0% | 100.0% | $21.74 | $19.15 | * | -12 | |
Management |
4.8 | 5.0 | 51.64 | 42.29 | * | -18 | |
Business and financial operations |
4.8 | 4.7 | 33.05 | 27.46 | * | -17 | |
Computer and mathematical |
2.7 | 2.8 | 37.85 | 28.68 | * | -24 | |
Architecture and engineering |
1.8 | 1.2 | * | 37.08 | 29.83 | * | -20 |
Life, physical, and social science |
0.8 | 0.7 | * | 32.44 | 25.24 | * | -22 |
Community and social service |
1.5 | 1.4 | 21.07 | 18.95 | * | -10 | |
Legal |
0.8 | 1.0 | * | 47.30 | 34.47 | * | -27 |
Education, training, and library |
6.6 | 5.9 | * | 24.46 | 22.95 | -6 | |
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media |
1.3 | 1.0 | * | 25.89 | 21.43 | * | -17 |
Healthcare practitioners and technical |
5.9 | 7.8 | * | 34.97 | 31.51 | * | -10 |
Healthcare support |
3.1 | 3.3 | 13.16 | 11.36 | * | -14 | |
Protective service |
2.5 | 2.3 | * | 20.54 | 16.49 | * | -20 |
Food preparation and serving related |
8.7 | 8.3 | * | 10.30 | 9.32 | * | -10 |
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance |
3.3 | 3.2 | 12.29 | 10.45 | * | -15 | |
Personal care and service |
2.8 | 2.4 | * | 11.84 | 10.59 | * | -11 |
Sales and related |
10.6 | 10.5 | 18.04 | 16.21 | * | -10 | |
Office and administrative support |
16.7 | 18.1 | * | 16.40 | 14.83 | * | -10 |
Farming, fishing, and forestry |
0.3 | 0.1 | * | 11.68 | 14.57 | * | 25 |
Construction and extraction |
3.9 | 3.8 | 21.46 | 17.41 | * | -19 | |
Installation, maintenance, and repair |
3.9 | 4.2 | 20.86 | 18.02 | * | -14 | |
Production |
6.5 | 5.4 | * | 16.45 | 14.59 | * | -11 |
Transportation and material moving |
6.7 | 6.9 | 15.96 | 15.34 | * | -4 | |
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—healthcare practitioners and technical—was chosen to illustrate the diversity
of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway
had 25,860 jobs in healthcare practitioners and technical, accounting for 7.8 percent of local area
employment, significantly higher than the 5.9-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this
occupational group locally was $31.51, measurably below the national wage of $34.97.
With employment of 9,330, registered nurses was the largest occupation within the healthcare
practitioners and technical group, followed by licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses (3,320).
Among the higher paying jobs were family and general practitioners with mean hourly earnings of
$109.58 and surgeons at $109.00. At the lower end of the wage scale were pharmacy technicians
($12.65) and medical and clinical laboratory technicians ($16.07). (Detailed occupational data for the
healthcare practitioners and technical group are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of all detailed
occupations go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_30780.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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area, above
average concentrations of employment were found in some of the occupations within the healthcare
practitioners and technical group. For instance, respiratory therapy technicians were employed at 3.8
times the national rate in Little Rock, and speech language pathologists, at 2.4 times the U.S. average.
On the other hand, medical records and health information technicians had a location quotient of 1.0 in
Little Rock, 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 Arkansas
Department of Workforce Services. 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 Little Rock-North Little
Rock-Conway 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-
Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area included 2,843 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 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Faulkner, Grant, Lonoke, Perry, Pulaski, and Saline Counties in Arkansas.
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) | |
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
25,860 | 1.3 | $31.51 | $65,530 |
Chiropractors |
40 | 0.6 | 55.14 | 114,680 |
Dentists, general |
280 | 1.2 | 85.45 | 177,730 |
Dietitians and nutritionists |
190 | 1.3 | 25.29 | 52,590 |
Optometrists |
(5) | (5) | 51.18 | 106,460 |
Pharmacists |
940 | 1.3 | 50.57 | 105,200 |
Family and general practitioners |
410 | 1.6 | 109.58 | 227,930 |
Obstetricians and gynecologists |
(5) | (5) | (6) | (6) |
Psychiatrists |
(5) | (5) | 67.87 | 141,170 |
Surgeons |
140 | 1.3 | 109.00 | 226,720 |
Physicians and surgeons, all other |
1,430 | 1.8 | 74.50 | 154,960 |
Physician assistants |
40 | 0.2 | 25.47 | 52,980 |
Registered nurses* |
9,330 | 1.3 | 28.46 | 59,200 |
Occupational therapists |
420 | 1.6 | 36.66 | 76,260 |
Physical therapists |
560 | 1.2 | 38.61 | 80,300 |
Radiation therapists |
60 | 1.3 | 35.85 | 74,570 |
Recreational therapists |
140 | 2.7 | 16.85 | 35,040 |
Respiratory therapists |
310 | 1.1 | 24.72 | 51,420 |
Speech-language pathologists |
720 | 2.4 | 33.34 | 69,340 |
Veterinarians |
90 | 0.6 | 35.49 | 73,810 |
Audiologists |
30 | 1.0 | 29.17 | 60,680 |
Medical and clinical laboratory technologists |
660 | 1.6 | 24.75 | 51,480 |
Medical and clinical laboratory technicians |
680 | 1.7 | 16.07 | 33,420 |
Dental hygienists |
360 | 0.8 | 28.68 | 59,650 |
Cardiovascular technologists and technicians |
110 | 0.8 | 24.81 | 51,600 |
Diagnostic medical sonographers |
140 | 0.9 | 26.95 | 56,050 |
Nuclear medicine technologists |
60 | 1.1 | 30.49 | 63,420 |
Radiologic technologists and technicians* |
880 | 1.5 | 23.10 | 48,060 |
Dietetic technicians |
50 | 0.9 | 12.05 | 25,070 |
Pharmacy technicians |
1,130 | 1.3 | 12.65 | 26,310 |
Psychiatric technicians |
380 | 2.1 | 11.57 | 24,060 |
Respiratory therapy technicians |
140 | 3.8 | 19.31 | 40,160 |
Surgical technologists |
470 | 1.9 | 18.04 | 37,530 |
Veterinary technologists and technicians |
(5) | (5) | 16.14 | 33,570 |
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
3,320 | 1.8 | 18.06 | 37,560 |
Medical records and health information technicians |
480 | 1.0 | 17.55 | 36,510 |
Opticians, dispensing |
90 | 0.6 | 13.40 | 27,870 |
Health technologists and technicians, all other* |
330 | 1.3 | 18.30 | 38,070 |
Occupational health and safety specialists |
240 | 1.6 | 28.85 | 60,010 |
Athletic trainers |
80 | 1.7 | (5) | 39,400 |
Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other* |
60 | 0.4 | 17.21 | 35,790 |
Footnotes: |
||||
* Occupation titles followed by an asterisk (*) have similar titles, but not necessarily the same content as 2010 SOC occupations. |
Last Modified Date: May 24, 2012