For release: Thursday, August 18, 2011
NYLS -7500
Technical information: Martin Kohli (646) 264-3620 •
BLSInfoNY@bls.gov •
www.bls.gov/ro2
Media contact:
Michael L. Dolfman (212) 337-2500
OCCUPATIONAL EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES FOR NURSES IN NEW YORK'S METROPOLITAN AREAS: MAY 2010
Among the 12 metropolitan areas in New York, New York-Northern New Jersey and neighboring Poughkeepsie were the only 2 to have wages significantly above the national average for registered nurses and for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Michael L. Dolfman, the Bureau's regional commissioner, noted that 9 other areas across the state had wages for registered nurses that fell measurably below those for the nation and 10 areas reported significantly lower wages for licensed nurses. Nationwide, the average (mean) wage for registered nurses was $67,720, and licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses earned $41,360. (See table A. For comprehensive definitions of metropolitan areas in New York, please see Technical Note.)
Of the 12 metropolitan areas located entirely or partially in the state, the New York-Northern New Jersey area had by far the largest numbers of both registered nurses (160,530) and licensed practical nurses (30,940). The New York-Northern New Jersey area is made up of four metropolitan divisions; 60 percent of the area's registered nurses worked in the New York-White Plains-Wayne metropolitan division, and an additional 16 percent worked in the Nassau-Suffolk division. (See table B. The area's other divisions, Newark-Union and Edison, contain no counties in New York, and their data have not been presented in this release.) Buffalo-Niagara Falls and Rochester were the two other metropolitan areas in New York with at least 10,000 registered nurses, though Albany-Schenectady-Troy was close with 9,500. Buffalo and Rochester were also the only other areas with at least 3,500 licensed nurses.
| Area | Registered nurses | Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
|---|---|---|
United States |
$67,720 | $41,360 |
New York State |
74,000* | 42,730* |
Albany-Schenectady-Troy |
61,390* | 38,780* |
Binghamton |
55,230* | 38,600* |
Buffalo-Niagara Falls |
63,740* | 36,910* |
Elmira |
53,750* | 31,150* |
Glens Falls |
-- | 35,500* |
Ithaca |
57,070* | 38,970* |
Kingston |
60,900* | 38,900* |
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island |
80,070* | 49,840* |
Nassau-Suffolk |
78,250* | 48,970* |
New York-White Plains-Wayne |
82,000* | 49,510* |
Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown |
73,380* | 42,310* |
Rochester |
60,010* | 37,660* |
Syracuse |
58,910* | 36,470* |
Utica-Rome |
58,070* | 34,910* |
|
Footnotes: |
||
|
-- Estimate is not released. |
||
| Area | Registered nurses | Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
|---|---|---|
United States |
2,655,020 | 730,290 |
New York State |
169,710 | 45,100 |
Albany-Schenectady-Troy |
9,500 | 2,400 |
Binghamton |
2,400 | 700 |
Buffalo-Niagara Falls |
11,460 | 4,120 |
Elmira |
770 | 410 |
Glens Falls |
1,010 | 550 |
Ithaca |
680 | 190 |
Kingston |
1,000 | 460 |
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island |
160,530 | 30,940 |
Nassau-Suffolk |
26,180 | 5,860 |
New York-White Plains-Wayne |
96,270 | 17,670 |
Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown |
4,950 | 1,510 |
Rochester |
10,850 | 3,590 |
Syracuse |
6,780 | 2,610 |
Utica-Rome |
3,020 | 1,620 |
Wages for registered nurses in metropolitan areas in New York
New York-Northern New Jersey was the highest-paying metropolitan area in New York for registered nurses at $80,070 per year, more than $12,000 above the U.S. average. In addition to New York-Northern New Jersey, one other metropolitan area had a wage for registered nurses that was measurably higher than that for the nation—Poughkeepsie, at $73,380. Nine of the 12 metropolitan areas in New York had below-average wages for registered nurses. Elmira ($53,750), Binghamton ($55,230), and Ithaca ($57,070) were among the lowest paying areas, which were spread throughout the state. (See chart 1. For the purpose of completeness, the chart also includes nonmetropolitan areas.)
Wages for licensed vocational nurses in metropolitan areas in New York
As with registered nurses, the New York-Northern New Jersey area paid top wages for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in the state at $49,840 per year. Poughkeepsie, averaging $42,310, was the only other metropolitan area with a wage significantly above that for the nation. (See chart 2.) Elmira reported the lowest average wage, $31,150, among the 10 metropolitan areas with measurably lower wages for licensed nurses.
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 New York State Department of Labor and the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. 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 registered nurses and licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in the state and metropolitan areas 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 2010 estimates was 78.2 percent based on establishments and 74.4 percent based on employment. May 2010 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2010, November 2009, May 2009, November 2008, May 2008, and November 2007. For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm
The May 2010 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.
OES data by state and metropolitan/nonmetropolitan area are available from www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcst.htm and www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcma.htm, respectively.
Metropolitan 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.
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, and Schoharie Counties in New York.
Binghamton, N.Y. MSA includes Broome and Tioga Counties in New York
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y. MSA includes Erie and Niagara Counties in New York
Elmira, N.Y. MSA includes Chemung County in New York
Glens Falls, N.Y. MSA includes Warren and Washington Counties in New York
Ithaca, N.Y. MSA includes Tompkins County in New York.
Kingston, N.Y. MSA includes Ulster County in New York.
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. MSA
Edison, N.J. Metropolitan Division (MD) includes Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Somerset Counties in New Jersey
Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y. (MD) includes Nassau and Suffolk Counties in New York
Newark-Union, N.J.-Pa. (MD) includes Essex, Hunterdon, Morris, Sussex, and Union Counties in New Jersey and Pike County in Pennsylvania.
New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J. (MD) includes Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic Counties in New Jersey; and Bronx, Kings, New York, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, and Westchester Counties in New York.
Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, N.Y. (MSA) includes Dutchess and Orange Counties in New York.
Rochester, N.Y. (MSA) includes Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, and Wayne Counties in New York.
Syracuse, N.Y. (MSA) includes Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego Counties in New York.
Utica-Rome, N.Y. (MSA) includes Herkimer and Oneida Counties in New York.
Additional information
OES information is available through our regional web page at www.bls.gov/ro2/home.htm. If you have additional questions, you can contact the New York Information Office at (646) 264-3600. 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
Last Modified Date: August 18, 2011