For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Wednesday, May 25, 2011 USDL-11-0761 

Technical information: (202) 691-6199 • NCSinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/ncs 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

OCCUPATIONAL PAY COMPARISONS AMONG METROPOLITAN AREAS, 2010 

Average pay for civilian workers in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA metropolitan area was 20 

percent above the national average in 2010, one of 77 metropolitan areas studied by the National 

Compensation Survey (NCS), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The BrownsvilleHarlingen, TX metropolitan area had a pay relative of 80, meaning workers earned an average of 80 

cents for every dollar earned by workers nationwide. Using data from the NCS, pay relatives—a means 

of assessing pay differences—are available for each of the nine major occupational groups within 

surveyed metropolitan areas, as well as averaged across all occupations for each area. The average pay 

relative nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group equals 100. (See table 1.) 

A pay relative is a calculation of pay—wages, salaries, commissions, and production bonuses—for a 

given metropolitan area relative to the nation as a whole. The calculation controls for differences among 

areas in occupational composition, establishment and occupational characteristics, and the fact that data 

are collected for areas at different times during the year. Simple pay comparisons calculating the ratio 

of the average pay for an area to the entire United States in percentage terms would not control for 

interarea differences in occupational composition and other factors, which may impact pay relatives. 

Chart 1 above lists selected metropolitan area pay relatives compared to average pay nationally among 

those studied in the NCS. Table A provides selected metropolitan area pay relatives for each of five 

major occupational groups. In addition, area-to-area comparisons have been calculated for all 77 

metropolitan areas and are available on the BLS website at http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/payrel.htm. 

Pay Relative (United States = 100) 

Chart 1. Pay relatives in selected metropolitan areas, National Compensation Survey, July 2010 

120 

110 

100 

 80 

 70 

San Jose-San 

Francisco, CA 

New York, 

NY-NJ-CT-PA 

Salinas, CA SeattleTacoma, WA  United States Lincoln, NE Ocala, FL Brownsville, TX 

 90 
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Table A. Selected metropolitan area-to-national pay relatives and major occupational groups, July 

2010 (of 77 metropolitan areas surveyed)

 Major Occupational Group Metropolitan Area Pay Relative

Management, business, and financial New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 120 

 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA 108 

 Reno-Sparks, NV 108 

 Salinas, CA 108 

 San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 108 

Office and administrative support San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 120 

 New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 115 

 Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH 114 

 Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT 114 

 Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, 112 

 DC-MD-VA-WV 

 

Service San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 126 

Salinas, CA 123 

Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 123 

 Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT 119 

Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI 115 

San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 115 

Production Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI 117 

Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Truckee, CA-NV 117 

Bloomington-Normal, IL 116 

Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 115 

Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA 113 

Transportation and material moving Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 117 

Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI 114 

Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH 111 

Kansas City, MO-KS 110 

Salinas, CA 109 

San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 109 

The pay relative for production occupations in the Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI and Sacramento-ArdenArcade-Truckee, CA-NV areas was 117, meaning the pay in these two metropolitan areas averaged 17 

percent more than the national average pay for that occupational group. By contrast, the pay relative for 

production workers in the Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas area was 80, meaning pay for workers in those 

occupations averaged 20 percent less than the national average. (See table 1.) 

Statistical significance measures are not available for news release and area-to-area comparison tables. 

TECHNICAL NOTE 

NOTICE OF FINAL NEWS RELEASE

This is the final Occupational Pay Comparisons Among Metropolitan Areas news release. Funding for the 

Locality Pay Survey program is ending. However, the other programs of the National Compensation 

Survey, such as the Employment Cost Index, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, and benefit 

publications will continue to be produced. 
- 3 - 

TECHNICAL NOTE

Pay relative controls and calculations

Pay relatives control for differences among areas in occupational composition as well as establishment 

and occupational characteristics. Metropolitan areas often differ greatly in the composition of 

establishments and occupations that are available to the local workforce. For example, in BrownsvilleHarlingen, Texas, the ratio of workers in the high-paying management, business, and financial 

occupational group to the number of workers in all occupations is under 6 percent, whereas nationally 

this ratio is nearly 10 percent.1 In addition to these factors, the NCS collects compensation data for 

metropolitan areas at different times during the year. Payroll reference dates differ between areas, 

which makes direct comparisons between areas difficult. 

The pay relative approach controls for these differences to isolate the geographic effect on wages. To 

illustrate the importance of controlling for these effects, consider the following example. The average 

pay for construction and extraction workers in the New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 

metropolitan area in 2010 was $32.54 and in the United States, $21.18.2 A simple pay comparison can 

be calculated from the ratio of the two average pay levels, multiplied by 100 to express the comparison 

as a percentage. The pay comparison in the example is calculated as: 

($32.54  $21.18)  100  154 

This comparison does not control for differences between New York and the nation in the mix of 

occupations, industries, and other factors. A more accurate estimate of the geographic effect of wages in 

New York can be obtained by taking these differences into account. Controlling for differences in 

occupational composition, establishment and occupational characteristics, and the payroll reference date 

in New York relative to the nation as a whole, the pay relative for construction and extraction 

occupations in New York is 129. 

Survey methodology

Pay relatives were estimated using a multivariate regression technique designed to control for interarea 

differences. This technique controls for the following ten characteristics: 

 Occupational type 

 Industry type 

 Work level 

 Full-time / part-time status 

 Time / incentive status 

 Union / nonunion status 

 Ownership type 

 Profit / non-profit status 

 Establishment employment 

 Payroll reference date 

Even accounting for the characteristics used in the current regression analysis, there is still wage 

variation across the areas. The variation is due to differences in wage determinants that were not 

included in the model. Examples of these determinants include price levels, environmental amenities 

such as a pleasant climate, and cultural amenities. 
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Historical pay relatives data are available for the survey years 1992-1996, 1998, 2002, 2004-2009. 

There are several differences between the recent pay relatives and the pay relatives for earlier years, 

including different industry and occupation classification systems, varying methodology, and different 

survey designs. These differences limit comparability. The pay relatives since 2004 have been 

calculated using the same industry and occupation classification systems, methodology, and survey 

design. Nonetheless, comparisons between the estimates for these years should be made only with 

caution. 

For more details on survey design, methodology, classification systems, recent changes in the survey, 

and appropriate uses and limitations of the data, see BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 8, “National 

Compensation Measures,” available on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/homch8_a.htm, 

especially the major section “Area-to-Nation and Area-to-Area Pay Comparisons.” 

Obtaining information

Articles, bulletins, and other information from the National Compensation Survey may be obtained by 

calling (202) 691-6199, sending email to NCSinfo@bls.gov, or visiting the Internet site 

http://www.bls.gov/ncs. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired 

individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service Number: 1-800-877-

8339. 

1

Data for this example are based on the May 2010 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and 

Wage Estimates, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcma.htm. 2

 Average pay for construction and extraction workers in New York and for the United States are based on wage estimates 

published in New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA National Compensation Survey, May 2010 and National 

Compensation Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States, 2010, on the Internet at 

http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/compub.htm. 
- 5 - 

Table 1. Pay relatives for major occupational groups in metropolitan areas, National Compensation Survey, July 2010(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)

Metropolitan Area1 All occupations Management, business, and financial Professional and related Service Sales and related Office and administrative support Construction and extraction Installa

mainten

and re

United States .................................................... 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 

Amarillo, TX ...................................................... 88 94 79 90 96 90 88 

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL ...... 98 101 101 94 95 101 86 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX ................ 94 92 92 91 102 95 84 Birmingham-Hoover, AL ................................... 94 93 98 98 89 97 80 

Bloomington, IN ................................................ 91 94 88 86 86 92 83 

Bloomington-Normal, IL .................................... 100 91 103 99 103 97 118 

Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH ........... 111 102 111 112 107 114 115 

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX ................................ 80 84 88 88 71 80 68 

Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY ..................... 97 95 90 101 92 94 107 Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville,

SC ................................................................... 94 91 98 88 105 92 83 

Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC ............... 99 101 97 98 103 101 87 Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI ..... 106 105 107 106 103 107 129 

Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington,

OH-KY-IN ....................................................... 100 103 97 99 110 100 80 

Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH ............................. 100 102 98 99 98 102 109 Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH .................... 100 96 96 102 104 102 108 Corpus Christi, TX ............................................ 90 80 91 88 90 87 96 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ....................................... 98 98 100 93 102 99 89 

Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH ................... 96 99 92 101 95 92 92 Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO ............................. 102 97 101 106 106 104 94 Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI .................................... 102 98 105 95 99 100 103 Elkhart-Goshen, IN ........................................... 93 97 90 100 95 94 103 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO ................................ 101 96 98 102 98 97 100 Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI ............................. 100 90 98 101 114 101 104 Great Falls, MT ................................................. 91 96 77 103 92 83 96 Greensboro-High Point, NC .............................. 95 100 98 92 93 96 87 

Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC ......................... 95 99 93 96 93 95 77 

Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT ............ 111 107 109 119 107 114 112 

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC ......................... 95 93 84 94 91 91 95 

Honolulu, HI ...................................................... 105 104 101 114 104 98 115 

Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX ...................... 99 101 105 91 102 101 90 

Huntsville-Decatur, AL ...................................... 98 104 102 93 99 95 91 

Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN ............... 95 86 96 94 82 97 98 Iowa City, IA ..................................................... 98 98 94 99 98 103 118 Johnstown, PA .................................................. 88 86 85 94 91 90 95 

Kansas City, MO-KS ......................................... 99 93 100 96 101 97 95 Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA ...................... 105 103 99 109 107 104 107 Knoxville, TN .................................................... 90 97 98 78 94 90 86 

Lincoln, NE ....................................................... 87 78 84 91 82 90 82 

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA .......... 108 108 107 111 108 107 108 

Louisville/Jefferson

County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN ....... 96 89 96 99 101 98 100 

See footnotes at end of table.
- 6 - 

Table 1. Pay relatives for major occupational groups in metropolitan areas, National Compensation Survey, July 2010 — Continued(Average pay nationally for all occupations and for each occupational group shown = 100.)

Metropolitan Area1 All occupations Management, business, and financial Professional and related Service Sales and related Office and administrative support Construction and extraction Installat

maintena

and rep

Memphis, TN-MS-AR ....................................... 95 96 95 88 99 97 92 

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL ... 97 104 89 98 99 99 96 

Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI .................... 102 99 96 99 109 100 115 

Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI ........... 107 102 102 115 107 105 111 

Mobile, AL ......................................................... 90 98 91 90 87 92 102 

New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA .................... 98 94 103 90 102 99 90 New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA .. 114 120 114 114 108 115 129 

Ocala, FL .......................................................... 87 84 85 88 89 95 81 

Oklahoma City, OK ........................................... 92 97 90 95 99 87 115 

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL ...................... 91 89 84 93 94 92 95 

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL ................... 92 81 87 94 96 89 97 

Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland,

PA-NJ-DE-MD ................................................ 104 103 104 101 98 109 108 

Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ ............................ 99 105 103 98 101 99 86 

Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA ............................... 95 88 95 93 94 95 95 

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ............ 105 101 103 110 106 106 106 

Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA ..... 104 95 105 105 103 107 114 

Reading, PA ..................................................... 101 104 106 97 102 102 101 

Reno-Sparks, NV .............................................. 101 108 98 99 103 102 98 Richmond, VA ................................................... 98 96 96 94 97 102 90 

Rochester, NY .................................................. 101 103 101 103 105 100 101 

Rockford, IL ...................................................... 98 88 93 101 100 97 116 Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Truckee, CA-NV ... 108 104 110 111 109 103 117 

Salinas, CA ....................................................... 113 108 115 123 124 107 116 

San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX ....................... 92 91 96 92 90 94 97 

San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA .............. 107 105 106 115 108 104 106 

San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA ............. 120 108 120 126 124 120 128 

Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA .......................... 112 105 109 123 109 108 115 

Springfield, MA ................................................. 107 97 110 111 99 106 114 Springfield, MO ................................................. 89 93 85 89 92 88 83 

St. Louis, MO-IL ................................................ 100 96 101 97 99 102 107 Tallahassee, FL ................................................ 88 78 82 92 92 90 97 

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL ............. 93 95 88 96 92 96 93 

Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,

VA-NC ............................................................ 92 88 92 90 93 95 87 

Visalia-Porterville, CA ....................................... 99 87 105 107 102 93 95 

Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia,

DC-MD-VA-WV ............................................... 109 105 111 106 109 112 106 

York-Hanover, PA ............................................. 97 101 100 96 98 95 101 

Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA .......... 91 98 89 90 92 92 90 

1 A metropolitan area can be a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) or Combined Statistical Area (CSA) as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, December 2003.