National Compensation Survey:

Occupational Wages in the

United States, 1998

U.S. Department of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics

December 1999

Summary 99-12

Earnings averaged $15.72 per hour in 1998 for all private

industry and State and local government workers. This summary presents aggregated national earnings data from the

National Compensation Survey (NCS) by:

• Sector of the economy (private industry, State and local

government, and total)

• Worker characteristics including occupational detail

• Establishment characteristics

• Geographic areas

NCS provides comprehensive measures of occupational

earnings, compensation cost trends, and details of benefit

provisions.1

 When fully integrated, the NCS will encompass

wages as well as benefit costs and provisions. The focus of

this summary is occupational earnings.

Data in this summary are a subset of the occupational earnings data tabulated for the National Compensation Survey.

Table 1 highlights the major types of data available by sector

of the economy, private industry, State and local government,

and total. Table 2 shows similar data by metropolitan and

nonmetropolitan area. Table 3 provides data for specific occupations for all workers, as well as full- and part-time workers.

Average hourly earnings for private industry workers were

lower than for State and local government workers, averaging $14.95 per hour and $18.59 per hour, respectively. Part

of this difference can be explained by differences in the occupational and industrial composition of the two sectors. For

example, professional specialty and technical occupations are

proportionally more prevalent in State and local government

than in private industry. With the exception of the construc1

 NCS integrates data from three BLS programs – the Occupational Compensation Survey (OCS), the Employment Cost Index (ECI), and the Employee Benefits Survey (EBS). The OCS provides data on occupational

earnings; the ECI measures changes in labor costs as well as the average

hourly employer costs for employee compensation, and the EBS provides

information on detailed benefit provisions.

tion industry, few State and local government workers are in

goods-producing industries.

Worker characteristics. Earnings varied by occupational

group; full- and part-time status; union and nonunion status;

and time and incentive pay. White-collar pay, which averaged $19.39 per hour, was the highest. Blue-collar pay averaged $12.90 per hour, while the average pay of workers in

service occupations was $9.52.

Among occupations, average hourly earnings ranged from

$27.78 for executive, administrative and managerial workers

to $9.52 for service workers. Similarly, there were differences between occupations within occupational groups. Table

3 presents data on hourly earnings for detailed occupations.

Earnings were higher for full-time than part-time workers,

averaging $16.40 per hour and $9.25 per hour, respectively.

This difference reflects, in part, the occupational composition of the two groups. NCS classifies workers as full- and

part-time based on the employer’s classification of the occupation.

Pay was also higher for union workers ($17.76 per hour)

than for nonunion workers ($15.10 per hour). Incentive workers (whose wages are based at least partially on productivity

payments such as piece rates, commissions, and production

bonuses) earned, on average, $17.14 per hour. In contrast,

time workers (whose wages are based solely on an hourly

rate or salary) earned $15.66 per hour.

Establishment characteristics. Earnings generally varied by

size of the establishment and industry.2

 Average hourly earnings ranged from $13.04 in establishments employing between

50 and 99 workers to $20.07 in those with 2,500 or more

workers. In private industry, workers employed in goodsproducing industries earned more than those in service-producing industries, averaging $16.00 and $14.40 per hour, respectively.

2

 Data collection of industry classification for State and local government

does not permit estimates for goods- and service-producing industries.
2

Geographic area. In general, earnings varied by type of area

and geographic region. Workers in metropolitan areas earned

on average $16.40 per hour, while those in nometropolitan

areas earned $12.31. By geographic region, average hourly

earnings ranged from $18.10 in the Middle Atlantic region to

$11.87 in the East South Central region.

Additional occupational earnings data. More detailed information on occupational average hourly earnings will be

published in the national bulletin to be released in early 2000.

It will include data by:

• Major industry division (such as construction and

wholesale trade)

• Occupational detail

• Occupational earnings by work level

• Top 10 metropolitan areas
3

Table 1. Mean hourly earnings1 and weekly hours by selected characteristics, private industry and State and local

government, United States, National Compensation Survey,2 1998

Worker and establishment characteristics

and geographic areas

Total Private industry State and local government

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

Mean hours

Relative

error3

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error3

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error3

(percent)

Total ........................................................... $15.72 0.5 36.5 $14.95 0.6 36.5 $18.59 0.6 36.6

Worker characteristics:4

White-collar occupations5 ....................... 19.39 .5 36.7 18.83 .7 36.8 20.96 .5 36.4

Professional specialty and technical ... 24.10 .6 36.4 23.63 .8 36.7 24.85 .6 35.9

Executive, administrative, and 

managerial ........................................ 27.78 .7 40.0 28.63 .9 40.5 24.99 1.1 38.6

Sales ................................................... 13.28 3.6 33.0 13.29 3.6 33.0 12.10 4.8 32.2

Administrative support ........................ 12.00 .5 37.0 12.00 .6 37.3 12.01 .7 36.3

Blue-collar occupations5 ......................... 12.90 .6 38.5 12.77 .7 38.6 14.44 1.1 37.5

Precision production, craft, and repair 16.58 1.0 39.8 16.60 1.1 39.8 16.39 1.5 39.8

Machine operators, assemblers, and

inspectors ......................................... 11.59 .9 39.6 11.58 .9 39.6 13.50 6.6 38.3

Transportation and material moving ... 13.72 1.1 37.9 13.77 1.2 38.9 13.52 1.7 33.8

Handlers, equipment cleaners,

helpers, and laborers ........................ 9.69 .7 35.9 9.52 .7 35.7 11.84 2.0 38.4

Service occupations5 .............................. 9.52 .7 33.0 7.85 .6 31.8 13.84 1.3 36.7

Full time .................................................. 16.40 .5 39.6 15.69 .6 39.8 18.97 .7 38.9

Part time ................................................. 9.25 1.0 21.1 8.66 1.0 21.4 12.94 2.2 19.3

Union ...................................................... 17.76 .9 36.9 15.81 1.3 37.0 20.44 .7 36.7

Nonunion ................................................ 15.10 .6 36.4 14.77 .7 36.4 17.01 .9 36.4

Time ........................................................ 15.66 .5 36.4 14.84 .6 36.4 18.59 .6 36.6

Incentive ................................................. 17.14 2.7 38.6 17.14 2.7 38.6 – – –

Establishment characteristics:

Goods producing .................................... 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 16.00 .8 39.8 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( )

Service producing ................................... 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 14.40 .7 35.0 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( )

50-99 workers7 ....................................... 13.04 1.1 35.2 12.96 1.2 35.1 14.40 3.6 36.0

100-499 workers ..................................... 14.21 .7 36.3 13.82 .8 36.4 17.59 1.3 35.6

500-999 workers ..................................... 16.45 1.4 37.3 15.82 1.6 37.7 18.83 1.7 35.7

1,000-2,499 workers ............................... 16.51 7.3 36.8 15.81 9.3 37.1 18.65 2.0 35.9

2,500 workers or more ............................ 20.07 .6 37.3 21.05 1.1 37.0 19.27 .7 37.5

Geographic areas:8

Metropolitan ............................................ 16.40 .6 36.4 15.67 .7 36.3 19.23 .6 36.6

Nonmetropolitan ..................................... 12.31 1.2 37.1 11.16 1.3 37.2 15.90 1.8 36.6

New England .......................................... 17.38 1.4 35.1 16.50 1.7 35.0 21.35 1.3 35.5

Middle Atlantic ........................................ 18.10 1.5 35.8 17.14 1.8 35.8 21.72 1.6 35.5

East North Central .................................. 16.08 .8 36.2 15.44 .9 36.3 19.32 1.5 35.7

West North Central ................................. 14.85 1.6 36.5 14.05 1.9 36.3 17.87 1.2 37.0

South Atlantic ......................................... 14.40 1.0 37.1 13.82 1.1 36.9 16.22 1.4 38.0

East South Central ................................. 11.87 2.3 37.7 11.21 2.6 37.9 15.93 2.2 36.8

West South Central ................................ 14.62 1.8 37.2 14.27 2.3 36.9 15.63 1.2 38.0

Mountain ................................................. 14.58 2.7 36.4 13.30 2.9 36.4 18.32 2.9 36.4

Pacific ..................................................... 17.86 1.3 36.2 16.82 1.7 36.4 21.26 1.0 35.5

1 Earnings are the straight-time hourly wages or salaries paid to employees.

They include incentive pay, cost-of-living adjustments, and hazard pay. Excluded

are premium pay for overtime, vacations, and holidays; nonproduction bonuses;

and tips. The mean is computed by totaling the pay of all workers and dividing by

the number of workers, weighted by hours. 2 This survey covers all 50 States. Collection was conducted from July 1997

through April 1999. The average reference month was August 1998. 3 The relative standard error (RSE) is the standard error expressed as a

percent of the estimate. It can be used to calculate a "confidence interval" around a

sample estimate. For more information about RSEs, see Technical Note. 4 Employees are classified as working either a full-time or a part-time schedule

based on the definition used by each establishment. Union workers are those

whose wages are determined through collective bargaining. Wages of time workers

are based solely on hourly rate or salary; incentive workers are those whose wages

are at least partially based on productivity payments such as piece rates,

commissions, and production bonuses. 5 A classification system including about 480 individual occupations is used to

cover all workers in the civilian economy. 6 Classification of establishments into goods-producing and service-producing

industries applies to private industry only. 7 Establishments classified with 50-99 workers may contain establishments

with fewer than 50 due to staff reductions between survey sampling and collection. 8 Data are presented for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area divisions as

well as 9 census area divisions. See Technical Note for a list of survey areas and

States comprising the 9 census area divisions.

NOTE: Dashes indicate that no data were reported or that data did not meet

publication criteria. 
4

Table 2. Mean hourly earnings1 and weekly hours by selected characteristics, metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas,2

United States, National Compensation Survey,3 1998

Worker and establishment characteristics

and geographic areas

Total Metropolitan areas Nonmetropolitan areas

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

Mean hours

Relative

error4

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error4

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error4

(percent)

Total ........................................................... $15.72 0.5 36.5 $16.40 0.6 36.4 $12.31 1.2 37.1

Private industry ....................................... 14.95 .6 36.5 15.67 .7 36.3 11.16 1.3 37.2

State and local government .................... 18.59 .6 36.6 19.23 .6 36.6 15.90 1.8 36.6

Worker characteristics:5

White-collar occupations6 ....................... 19.39 .5 36.7 19.93 .6 36.7 15.65 1.5 36.9

Professional specialty and technical ... 24.10 .6 36.4 24.58 .6 36.4 20.76 1.0 36.3

Executive, administrative, and 

managerial ........................................ 27.78 .7 40.0 28.35 .7 40.1 22.56 2.6 39.7

Sales ................................................... 13.28 3.6 33.0 14.12 1.9 32.6 9.10 5.4 35.3

Administrative support ........................ 12.00 .5 37.0 12.23 .5 37.0 10.41 2.1 37.5

Blue-collar occupations6 ......................... 12.90 .6 38.5 13.31 .6 38.4 11.36 2.2 38.9

Precision production, craft, and repair 16.58 1.0 39.8 17.14 .6 39.8 14.09 3.9 40.0

Machine operators, assemblers, and

inspectors ......................................... 11.59 .9 39.6 11.96 .9 39.5 10.49 2.3 39.7

Transportation and material moving ... 13.72 1.1 37.9 13.85 1.0 38.1 13.01 4.2 37.2

Handlers, equipment cleaners,

helpers, and laborers ........................ 9.69 .7 35.9 9.84 .8 35.5 9.17 2.1 37.2

Service occupations6 .............................. 9.52 .7 33.0 9.90 1.0 32.6 8.20 1.5 34.6

Full time .................................................. 16.40 .5 39.6 17.17 .6 39.6 12.64 1.3 39.7

Part time ................................................. 9.25 1.0 21.1 9.37 1.1 21.1 8.50 1.4 20.9

Union ...................................................... 17.76 .9 36.9 18.14 .7 36.7 15.18 4.6 38.0

Nonunion ................................................ 15.10 .6 36.4 15.84 .7 36.3 11.70 1.3 36.9

Time ........................................................ 15.66 .5 36.4 16.33 .5 36.3 12.34 1.1 37.0

Incentive ................................................. 17.14 2.7 38.6 17.91 2.7 38.4 11.21 7.8 40.0

Establishment characteristics:

Goods producing7 .................................. 16.00 .8 39.8 17.00 .8 39.8 12.37 2.1 40.0

Service producing7 ................................. 14.40 .7 35.0 15.05 .8 34.9 10.12 1.1 35.2

50-99 workers8 ....................................... 13.04 1.1 35.2 13.48 1.3 35.1 11.14 2.0 35.2

100-499 workers ..................................... 14.21 .7 36.3 14.66 .8 36.3 12.19 1.6 36.6

500-999 workers ..................................... 16.45 1.4 37.3 16.94 1.2 37.1 14.55 3.8 38.2

1,000-2,499 workers ............................... 16.51 7.3 36.8 18.25 1.1 36.3 11.30 17.1 38.5

2,500 workers or more ............................ 20.07 .6 37.3 20.09 .6 37.2 18.96 4.6 39.7

Geographic areas:9

New England .......................................... 17.38 1.4 35.1 17.75 1.2 35.2 14.75 3.6 34.2

Middle Atlantic ........................................ 18.10 1.5 35.8 18.39 1.6 35.7 13.58 1.6 36.2

East North Central .................................. 16.08 .8 36.2 16.55 .8 36.2 13.55 1.3 36.5

West North Central ................................. 14.85 1.6 36.5 15.83 2.4 36.5 12.10 2.3 36.4

South Atlantic ......................................... 14.40 1.0 37.1 14.89 .7 37.0 12.00 4.4 37.7

East South Central ................................. 11.87 2.3 37.7 13.88 2.2 36.9 9.97 4.3 38.6

West South Central ................................ 14.62 1.8 37.2 14.86 2.1 37.2 13.08 5.6 37.1

Mountain ................................................. 14.58 2.7 36.4 14.73 3.4 36.5 13.99 3.3 36.0

Pacific ..................................................... 17.86 1.3 36.2 18.04 1.3 36.2 14.96 2.8 35.6

1 Earnings are the straight-time hourly wages or salaries paid to employees.

They include incentive pay, cost-of-living adjustments, and hazard pay. Excluded

are premium pay for overtime, vacations, and holidays; nonproduction bonuses;

and tips. The mean is computed by totaling the pay of all workers and dividing by

the number of workers, weighted by hours. 2 Metropolitan areas can be a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) or

Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) as defined by the Office of

Management and Budget, 1994. Nonmetropolitan areas are counties that do not fit

the definitions above. 3 This survey covers all 50 States. Collection was conducted from July 1997

through April 1999. The average reference month was August 1998. 4 The relative standard error (RSE) is the standard error expressed as a

percent of the estimate. It can be used to calculate a "confidence interval" around a

sample estimate. For more information about RSEs, see Technical Note. 5 Employees are classified as working either a full-time or a part-time schedule

based on the definition used by each establishment. Union workers are those

whose wages are determined through collective bargaining. Wages of time workers

are based solely on hourly rate or salary; incentive workers are those whose wages

are at least partially based on productivity payments such as piece rates,

commissions, and production bonuses. 6 A classification system including about 480 individual occupations is used to

cover all workers in the civilian economy. 7 Classification of establishments into goods-producing and service-producing

industries applies to private industry only. 8 Establishments classified with 50-99 workers may contain establishments

with fewer than 50 workers due to reduction in staff from the time of sampling to

data collection. 9 See Technical Note for a list of survey areas and States comprising the 9

census area divisions.
5

Table 3. Mean hourly earnings1 and weekly hours for selected occupations, full-time and part-time workers,2 United States, National

Compensation Survey,3 1998

Occupation4

Total Full time Part time

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

Mean hours

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

All .......................................................................................... $15.72 0.5 36.5 $16.40 0.5 39.6 $9.25 1.0 21.1

All excluding sales ......................................................... 15.89 .5 36.8 16.47 .5 39.6 9.67 1.1 21.0

White collar ...................................................................... 19.39 .5 36.7 20.09 .5 39.4 11.86 1.3 20.9

White collar excluding sales ...................................... 20.27 .5 37.3 20.65 .5 39.4 14.55 1.4 20.7

Professional specialty and technical ......................... 24.10 .6 36.4 24.43 .6 38.9 19.78 1.4 19.4

Professional specialty ................................................ 25.90 .5 36.3 26.20 .5 38.9 21.69 1.5 18.8

Engineers, architects, and surveyors ..................... 28.97 .7 40.3 28.97 .7 40.4 27.67 8.2 23.2

Architects ........................................................... 25.85 5.7 40.1 25.83 5.8 40.5 – – –

Aerospace engineers ......................................... 30.96 2.5 40.1 30.96 2.5 40.1 – – –

Metallurgical and materials engineers ............... 27.28 5.0 40.2 27.28 5.0 40.2 – – –

Mining engineers ............................................... 32.66 7.6 33.3 30.49 5.7 41.4 – – –

Petroleum engineers .......................................... 43.02 4.4 40.5 43.02 4.4 40.5 – – –

Chemical engineers ........................................... 33.37 2.2 40.0 33.37 2.2 40.0 – – –

Nuclear engineers .............................................. 34.60 2.1 40.6 34.60 2.1 40.6 – – –

Civil engineers ................................................... 27.69 2.3 40.1 27.69 2.3 40.2 – – –

Electrical and electronic engineers .................... 30.35 1.1 40.3 30.37 1.1 40.4 – – –

Industrial engineers ........................................... 25.26 2.4 40.6 25.26 2.4 40.6 – – –

Mechanical engineers ........................................ 26.26 1.2 40.2 26.28 1.3 40.4 – – –

Marine engineers and naval architects .............. 30.54 5.7 41.3 30.54 5.7 41.3 – – –

Engineers, n.e.c. ................................................ 30.11 1.2 40.3 30.10 1.2 40.4 32.46 5.6 24.2

Surveyors and mapping scientists ..................... 21.13 4.9 40.1 21.23 5.0 40.4 – – –

Mathematical and computer scientists ................... 27.95 1.5 40.0 27.86 1.5 40.1 42.33 28.9 28.8

Computer systems analysts and scientists ........ 27.89 1.3 40.1 27.90 1.3 40.1 25.37 7.6 25.7

Operations and systems researchers and

analysts ............................................................ 28.56 6.8 39.6 27.92 6.9 40.0 51.40 27.4 30.7

Actuaries ............................................................ 27.38 9.2 39.4 27.38 9.2 39.4 – – –

Statisticians ........................................................ 23.77 8.4 38.0 23.83 8.5 38.2 – – –

Mathematical scientists, n.e.c. ........................... 24.88 8.2 38.8 24.88 8.2 38.8 – – –

Natural scientists ................................................... 25.48 1.7 39.6 25.45 1.7 40.0 28.39 9.2 20.5

Physicists and astronomers ............................... 37.74 7.7 40.4 37.74 7.7 40.4 – – –

Chemists, except biochemists ........................... 28.62 3.4 40.0 28.69 3.5 40.1 – – –

Atmospheric and space scientists ..................... 22.91 15.0 41.3 22.91 15.0 41.3 – – –

Geologists and geodesists ................................. 30.68 6.3 40.4 30.68 6.3 40.4 – – –

Physical scientists, n.e.c. ................................... 26.56 2.4 39.9 26.56 2.4 39.9 – – –

Agricultural and food scientists .......................... 22.48 8.5 39.6 22.13 8.8 39.9 – – –

Biological and life scientists ............................... 21.66 7.3 39.2 21.55 7.3 39.8 – – –

Forestry and conservation scientists ................. 20.34 3.5 40.1 20.34 3.5 40.1 – – –

Medical scientists ............................................... 23.14 4.8 38.6 22.97 4.9 39.7 29.60 10.6 18.5

Health related ........................................................ 22.56 1.0 34.2 22.49 1.2 39.5 22.84 1.4 21.2

Physicians .......................................................... 38.55 5.4 39.6 37.20 5.8 43.2 55.99 5.2 19.0

Dentists .............................................................. 34.36 8.6 29.4 34.90 11.4 39.6 33.02 8.1 17.8

Optometrists ...................................................... 38.60 6.1 37.7 38.14 7.7 39.9 – – –

Health diagnosing practitioners, n.e.c. ............... 19.82 12.7 33.9 – – – – – –

Registered nurses .............................................. 20.86 .7 33.5 20.71 .7 39.1 21.48 1.3 21.3

Pharmacists ....................................................... 27.35 1.9 34.8 27.87 1.2 40.0 24.97 6.4 21.8

Dietitians ............................................................ 16.70 1.8 36.9 16.54 2.0 39.7 18.36 3.1 20.8

Respiratory therapists ........................................ 17.76 1.6 34.4 17.84 1.6 39.4 17.37 3.4 21.3

Occupational therapists ..................................... 23.08 2.9 34.1 22.68 3.4 39.2 25.48 5.2 19.3

Physical therapists ............................................. 23.92 2.3 34.4 23.48 2.2 39.5 25.66 8.9 22.6

Speech therapists .............................................. 23.46 6.6 33.8 23.26 7.4 38.1 25.05 4.4 18.1

Therapists, n.e.c. ............................................... 16.51 3.1 37.0 16.31 3.0 39.3 18.36 12.3 23.8

Physicians’ assistants ........................................ 26.36 4.1 38.3 26.75 4.1 39.6 – – –

Teachers, college and university ........................... 33.82 1.5 34.1 34.19 1.5 39.3 29.31 5.2 13.3

Earth, environmental, and marine science

teachers ........................................................... 33.84 10.4 36.5 33.78 10.6 37.5 – – –

Biological science teachers ............................... 33.80 8.1 36.5 33.53 8.3 39.8 40.53 20.0 11.8

Chemistry teachers ............................................ 31.61 7.3 40.4 31.67 7.5 41.7 – – –

Physics teachers ................................................ 47.49 7.0 37.1 47.49 7.0 37.2 – – –

Natural science teachers, n.e.c. ........................ 38.48 6.3 38.8 38.54 6.3 38.9 – – –

Psychology teachers .......................................... 32.26 6.4 33.5 32.91 6.9 39.4 20.62 9.5 9.1

Economics teachers .......................................... 46.28 11.2 43.1 46.28 11.2 43.1 – – –

History teachers ................................................. 32.36 5.4 36.6 32.62 5.6 39.8 24.56 14.1 10.6

Political science teachers .................................. 33.60 6.2 37.2 33.44 6.2 39.1 – – –

See footnotes at end of table.
6

Table 3. Mean hourly earnings1 and weekly hours for selected occupations, full-time and part-time workers,2 United States, National

Compensation Survey,3 1998–Continued

Occupation4

Total Full time Part time

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

Mean hours

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

White collar –Continued

Professional specialty and technical –Continued

Professional specialty –Continued

Teachers, college and university –Continued

Sociology teachers ............................................ $36.75 8.3 34.6 $37.33 8.2 38.9 – – –

Social science teachers, n.e.c. .......................... 32.95 7.2 37.3 33.15 7.4 39.2 $20.20 29.1 9.1

Engineering teachers ......................................... 38.51 12.0 37.5 38.55 12.6 40.0 37.80 18.0 17.3

Mathematical science teachers ......................... 33.59 6.2 33.3 34.25 6.6 38.8 25.52 9.1 12.2

Computer science teachers ............................... 25.48 11.3 30.5 30.11 8.4 37.9 20.42 2.2 25.1

Medical science teachers .................................. 44.51 5.8 38.9 42.17 6.5 43.7 68.22 7.3 18.3

Health specialities teachers ............................... 33.96 7.5 36.8 34.29 7.5 38.7 21.69 10.9 12.8

Business, commerce, and marketing teachers .. 35.50 6.5 34.8 35.91 7.0 39.4 24.26 8.5 8.4

Agriculture and forestry teachers ....................... 42.82 26.4 35.5 42.82 26.4 35.5 – – –

Art, drama, and music teachers ......................... 29.29 2.9 31.9 29.76 3.4 39.0 26.05 7.8 14.1

Physical education teachers .............................. 25.28 8.7 33.4 25.29 9.2 39.8 24.99 14.4 8.6

Education teachers ............................................ 31.19 9.1 35.1 31.77 9.3 40.4 19.09 10.4 9.5

English teachers ................................................ 32.60 4.8 33.1 32.90 5.0 38.0 27.32 6.8 10.1

Foreign language teachers ................................ 26.29 13.4 33.2 26.62 15.8 40.9 24.38 15.5 15.9

Law teachers ..................................................... 58.19 8.2 35.9 60.32 8.1 39.0 – – –

Social work teachers .......................................... 25.91 7.4 32.7 26.45 7.2 40.5 – – –

Theology teachers ............................................. 35.46 4.2 39.1 35.11 4.2 39.3 – – –

Trade and industrial teachers ............................ 27.22 3.3 32.4 27.59 3.2 38.0 21.81 8.5 10.2

Home economics teachers ................................ 29.92 14.9 30.4 – – – – – –

Teachers, post secondary, subject not specified 33.48 7.2 32.1 34.30 7.6 39.0 22.41 7.4 9.4

Teachers, post secondary, n.e.c. ....................... 31.26 1.9 31.5 31.72 2.0 38.4 27.26 5.6 12.1

Teachers, except college and university ................ 26.82 .8 34.6 27.27 .8 36.7 16.82 3.3 15.3

Prekindergarten and kindergarten ..................... 21.09 3.9 35.1 21.43 4.0 37.2 15.41 13.3 18.4

Elementary school teachers .............................. 27.72 .9 36.1 27.75 .9 36.5 25.34 7.9 18.8

Secondary school teachers ............................... 27.86 1.2 36.7 27.84 1.2 37.0 29.05 6.0 22.2

Teachers, special education .............................. 28.18 1.9 35.5 28.26 1.9 35.9 23.86 16.6 21.8

Teachers, n.e.c. ................................................. 26.51 2.6 30.8 27.40 2.8 36.3 18.02 7.1 12.5

Substitute teachers ............................................ 10.00 3.5 16.1 10.90 9.6 33.6 9.84 3.8 14.7

Vocational and educational counselors ............. 24.78 3.8 36.5 24.90 3.9 37.7 21.88 11.8 20.5

Librarians, archivists, and curators ........................ 21.39 2.2 36.5 21.69 2.2 38.4 17.25 5.1 21.8

Librarians ........................................................... 21.53 2.3 36.5 21.86 2.3 38.3 17.28 5.3 22.6

Archivists and curators ...................................... 20.33 7.7 37.1 20.43 7.9 39.2 – – –

Social scientists and urban planners ..................... 23.65 3.0 36.7 23.83 3.1 39.0 20.74 8.2 18.5

Economists ........................................................ 25.93 3.8 39.8 25.93 3.8 39.8 – – –

Psychologists ..................................................... 23.81 5.0 34.6 24.19 5.2 38.3 20.77 8.4 19.4

Sociologists ........................................................ 17.54 3.2 39.3 17.54 3.2 39.3 – – –

Social scientists, n.e.c. ...................................... 16.66 10.9 37.7 16.56 11.1 39.3 – – –

Urban planners .................................................. 22.08 3.5 36.8 22.12 3.5 39.5 – – –

Social, recreation, and religious workers ............... 15.87 1.3 37.6 15.92 1.3 39.2 14.88 3.6 19.7

Social workers ................................................... 16.06 1.3 37.8 16.08 1.4 39.1 15.72 3.9 21.0

Recreation workers ............................................ 13.11 3.7 33.4 13.39 3.9 39.2 10.88 9.4 15.3

Clergy ................................................................ 15.21 15.8 42.2 15.25 17.0 46.1 14.71 10.1 19.8

Religious workers, n.e.c. .................................... 20.55 15.8 36.6 20.63 16.1 39.7 17.24 22.5 8.3

Lawyers and judges ............................................... 36.62 2.4 40.0 36.87 2.5 41.7 27.03 10.6 15.8

Lawyers ............................................................. 36.30 2.6 40.3 36.52 2.6 41.8 27.44 11.5 16.7

Judges ............................................................... 42.18 7.0 34.7 43.27 6.4 39.6 23.83 25.6 11.3

Writers, authors, entertainers, athletes, and

professionals, n.e.c. ............................................. 23.92 3.8 36.4 24.48 3.9 39.8 16.16 7.7 16.5

Technical writers ................................................ 21.50 6.8 38.9 21.66 7.0 40.0 17.32 14.0 22.9

Designers ........................................................... 22.27 3.9 39.7 22.49 3.9 40.3 12.78 14.6 24.6

Musicians and composers ................................. 36.96 20.4 15.4 39.48 27.1 30.3 33.69 31.2 9.4

Actors and directors ........................................... 33.29 21.2 34.5 37.17 20.7 40.4 13.53 28.0 19.9

Painters, sculptors, craft artists, and artist

printmakers ...................................................... 25.94 23.5 39.6 26.19 23.7 40.2 – – –

Photographers ................................................... 17.11 7.1 38.9 16.94 7.2 40.0 – – –

Artists, performers, and related workers, n.e.c. 13.30 9.6 27.1 15.59 11.3 38.4 10.91 10.1 20.7

Editors and reporters ......................................... 23.14 4.9 38.7 23.35 4.9 39.4 14.63 13.5 22.7

Public relations specialists ................................. 20.57 4.9 36.6 20.63 5.2 39.3 19.55 12.8 16.6

Announcers ........................................................ 22.52 21.9 25.7 26.98 23.8 40.9 16.04 26.2 16.7

See footnotes at end of table.
7

Table 3. Mean hourly earnings1 and weekly hours for selected occupations, full-time and part-time workers,2 United States, National

Compensation Survey,3 1998–Continued

Occupation4

Total Full time Part time

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

Mean hours

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

White collar –Continued

Professional specialty and technical –Continued

Professional specialty –Continued

Writers, authors, entertainers, athletes, and

professionals, n.e.c. –Continued

Athletes .............................................................. $33.28 40.1 23.9 $40.88 43.9 40.7 $12.11 9.3 11.1

Professional, n.e.c. ............................................ 25.63 3.1 38.9 25.67 3.1 39.8 24.37 16.3 23.9

Technical ................................................................... 17.83 1.2 36.8 18.16 1.3 39.1 13.97 1.7 21.5

Clinical laboratory technologists and

technicians ....................................................... 15.39 1.7 37.2 15.41 1.8 39.6 15.12 3.2 20.3

Dental hygienists ............................................... 19.86 8.2 35.7 19.46 9.5 38.5 – – –

Health record technologists and technicians ..... 12.17 3.6 34.6 12.02 3.9 38.6 13.14 7.4 20.2

Radiological technicians .................................... 16.91 1.7 33.5 16.73 1.6 39.5 17.67 4.4 20.7

Licensed practical nurses .................................. 12.98 .9 34.8 12.92 1.0 39.3 13.32 1.8 22.2

Health technologists and technicians, n.e.c. ...... 13.35 1.2 35.0 13.57 1.3 39.8 11.84 2.8 19.3

Electrical and electronic technicians .................. 18.35 1.8 39.8 18.33 1.8 40.0 19.33 20.5 26.7

Industrial engineering technicians ..................... 18.71 4.6 40.3 18.71 4.6 40.3 – – –

Mechanical engineering technicians .................. 19.24 4.0 40.1 19.29 4.0 40.3 – – –

Engineering technicians, n.e.c. .......................... 18.80 1.6 39.3 18.80 1.6 39.8 18.71 5.6 29.4

Drafters .............................................................. 18.71 3.9 39.6 18.84 4.0 40.1 13.12 17.0 25.5

Surveying and mapping technicians .................. 15.92 5.6 39.6 16.04 5.5 39.6 – – –

Biological technicians ........................................ 15.13 4.4 37.1 15.53 4.4 39.8 9.90 6.0 19.9

Chemical technicians ......................................... 17.11 2.3 39.7 17.15 2.4 39.9 – – –

Science technicians, n.e.c. ................................ 18.18 3.2 38.3 18.06 3.3 39.6 – – –

Airplane pilots and navigators ............................ 79.22 9.4 23.6 79.31 9.4 23.6 – – –

Broadcast equipment operators ......................... 17.82 11.0 35.7 19.37 10.3 39.5 7.58 6.5 21.7

Computer programmers ..................................... 22.06 1.9 39.5 22.12 1.9 39.8 17.34 17.2 25.2

Tool programmers, numerical control ................ 17.32 4.7 40.1 17.32 4.7 40.1 – – –

Legal assistants ................................................. 17.19 2.6 39.3 17.29 2.5 39.4 – – –

Technical and related, n.e.c. .............................. 18.60 1.7 38.4 18.77 1.7 39.7 14.49 4.8 22.3

Executive, administrative, and managerial ............... 27.78 .7 40.0 27.83 .7 40.4 20.62 5.4 17.9

Executives, administrators, and managers ............ 31.73 .9 40.3 31.78 .9 40.7 22.57 8.2 15.5

Legislators ......................................................... 15.09 13.3 13.2 12.98 16.9 33.8 17.90 21.2 7.3

Chief executives and general administrators,

public administration ........................................ 60.36 32.1 39.7 60.36 32.1 39.8 – – –

Administrators and officials, public

administration .................................................. 25.80 1.7 39.1 25.81 1.7 39.7 24.92 18.3 12.7

Financial managers ........................................... 32.82 2.3 40.2 32.85 2.3 40.3 25.37 20.8 21.0

Personnel and labor relations managers ........... 32.18 3.1 41.1 32.20 3.1 41.2 – – –

Purchasing managers ........................................ 28.91 3.4 41.1 28.91 3.4 41.1 – – –

Managers, marketing, advertising, and public

relations ........................................................... 35.26 2.0 40.8 35.29 2.0 40.8 – – –

Administrators, education and related fields ...... 31.96 1.7 39.1 32.08 1.7 39.5 21.79 14.5 19.9

Managers, medicine and health ......................... 29.33 2.3 39.7 29.30 2.3 40.0 31.63 15.2 23.1

Managers, food servicing and lodging

establishments ................................................. 18.24 3.3 42.7 18.29 3.3 43.1 13.47 9.6 23.5

Managers, properties and real estate ................ 23.18 8.9 40.5 23.21 8.9 40.6 – – –

Funeral directors ................................................ 25.26 14.3 40.3 25.26 14.3 40.3 – – –

Managers, service organizations, n.e.c. ............ 23.33 11.6 39.6 23.33 11.8 40.0 23.35 32.7 24.8

Managers and administrators, n.e.c. ................. 34.38 1.4 41.2 34.39 1.4 41.3 21.99 20.1 17.8

Management related .............................................. 21.88 .8 39.6 21.91 .8 39.9 18.30 4.6 22.0

Accountants and auditors .................................. 20.38 1.8 39.6 20.38 1.9 39.8 20.73 3.3 21.1

Underwriters ...................................................... 25.67 5.0 39.3 25.67 5.0 39.3 – – –

Other financial officers ....................................... 24.80 3.4 39.8 24.83 3.4 40.0 18.99 5.0 19.2

Management analysts ........................................ 23.54 2.1 40.0 23.49 2.1 40.1 34.42 15.8 23.6

Personnel, training, and labor relations

specialists ........................................................ 21.11 2.3 39.7 21.16 2.3 40.0 17.55 9.7 26.0

Purchasing agents and buyers, farm products .. 18.92 9.5 39.9 18.92 9.5 39.9 – – –

Buyers, wholesale and retail trade, except farm

products ........................................................... 23.20 5.8 40.6 23.23 5.8 41.0 – – –

Purchasing agents and buyers, n.e.c. ............... 21.84 2.2 39.9 21.85 2.2 39.9 – – –

Business and promotional agents ...................... 17.79 5.7 39.7 17.79 5.7 39.7 – – –

See footnotes at end of table.
8

Table 3. Mean hourly earnings1 and weekly hours for selected occupations, full-time and part-time workers,2 United States, National

Compensation Survey,3 1998–Continued

Occupation4

Total Full time Part time

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

Mean hours

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

White collar –Continued

Executive, administrative, and managerial

–Continued

Management related –Continued

Construction inspectors ..................................... $19.97 3.4 39.5 $19.94 3.4 40.0 – – –

Inspectors and compliance officers, except

construction ..................................................... 19.23 3.5 38.9 19.25 3.5 39.3 – – –

Management related, n.e.c. ............................... 22.31 1.2 39.4 22.37 1.2 39.8 $16.67 8.5 21.8

Sales ............................................................................. 13.28 3.6 33.0 15.26 5.3 40.2 7.12 .9 21.2

Supervisors, sales ............................................. 20.02 4.0 40.6 20.17 4.1 41.2 10.87 18.7 21.3

Insurance sales .................................................. 21.59 14.1 36.0 22.57 14.0 39.0 – – –

Real estate sales ............................................... 35.63 18.1 40.3 36.41 17.8 41.2 – – –

Securities and financial services sales .............. 37.13 9.6 39.9 37.43 9.5 40.1 – – –

Advertising and related sales ............................. 19.62 6.4 38.3 20.05 6.7 39.7 8.72 8.0 20.3

Sales, other business services .......................... 19.42 5.6 36.7 20.19 5.5 39.5 8.92 8.3 18.7

Sales engineers ................................................. 27.46 4.4 42.3 27.46 4.4 42.3 – – –

Sales representatives, mining, manufacturing,

and wholesale .................................................. 24.77 3.1 40.9 24.92 3.1 41.1 9.06 23.3 27.0

Sales workers, motor vehicles and boats .......... 18.96 3.1 45.0 18.98 3.1 45.0 – – –

Sales workers, apparel ...................................... 8.28 4.0 27.1 9.16 4.3 37.9 7.37 4.8 20.8

Sales workers, shoes ......................................... 9.65 6.6 27.9 11.53 7.0 38.5 7.39 4.1 21.0

Sales workers, furniture and home furnishings .. 11.02 11.3 29.7 14.02 8.2 39.6 7.00 7.6 22.2

Sales workers, radio, tv, hi-fi, and appliances ... 10.18 6.3 35.4 10.51 6.7 39.2 7.47 4.6 19.6

Sales workers, hardware and building supplies 10.95 5.3 36.9 11.51 6.2 40.0 8.25 2.5 26.7

Sales workers, parts .......................................... 14.38 4.6 38.8 14.85 4.7 40.8 7.66 5.0 22.8

Sales workers, other commodities ..................... 9.69 2.1 29.9 10.99 2.7 39.4 7.26 1.1 20.6

Sales counter clerks .......................................... 8.15 3.1 28.5 9.26 3.5 39.2 6.78 3.2 21.3

Cashiers ............................................................. 7.80 1.3 30.1 8.43 1.6 39.5 6.76 .9 21.6

Street and door-to-door sales workers .............. 12.96 11.6 30.0 16.28 10.2 38.3 8.04 10.8 22.8

News vendors .................................................... 7.78 11.7 20.9 – – – 6.71 3.9 17.9

Demonstrators, promoters, and models, sales .. 9.69 7.7 22.1 12.37 8.2 39.2 7.34 3.5 15.9

Sales support, n.e.c. .......................................... 12.69 3.1 36.3 13.35 3.1 40.0 8.45 4.8 22.9

Administrative support, including clerical ................ 12.00 .5 37.0 12.24 .5 39.3 9.30 1.2 22.4

Supervisors, general office ................................ 16.78 1.4 39.6 16.78 1.4 39.6 15.90 8.2 22.6

Supervisors, computer equipment operators ..... 20.72 3.5 39.9 20.72 3.5 39.9 – – –

Supervisors, financial records processing ......... 17.81 1.8 39.5 17.81 1.8 39.6 – – –

Chief communications operators ....................... 16.89 6.5 40.3 16.89 6.5 40.3 – – –

Supervisors, distribution, scheduling, and

adjusting clerks ................................................ 17.67 3.0 40.1 17.69 3.0 40.3 – – –

Computer operators ........................................... 14.08 1.8 39.2 14.14 1.7 39.6 9.49 10.8 22.1

Peripheral equipment operators ........................ 10.27 3.5 38.3 10.25 3.5 39.4 – – –

Secretaries ......................................................... 13.39 .7 38.2 13.49 .7 39.2 11.18 2.6 24.2

Stenographers ................................................... 14.15 2.6 36.0 14.27 2.7 39.0 12.90 8.8 20.4

Typists ............................................................... 11.91 1.4 37.1 12.01 1.5 38.7 10.31 3.2 22.7

Interviewers ....................................................... 9.86 1.8 33.9 10.10 2.0 39.2 8.88 4.0 22.0

Hotel clerks ........................................................ 8.58 3.5 36.8 8.73 3.6 39.5 6.99 2.8 22.0

Transportation ticket and reservation agents ..... 11.69 9.9 36.0 11.93 9.7 39.9 10.38 10.9 23.7

Receptionists ..................................................... 9.22 1.1 35.3 9.43 1.3 39.5 8.08 2.1 22.2

Information clerks, n.e.c. .................................... 11.77 3.2 36.4 11.76 2.1 39.6 11.84 17.1 25.4

Classified ad clerks ............................................ 10.38 12.9 35.2 10.58 14.9 38.4 – – –

Correspondence clerks ...................................... 11.94 3.3 38.0 12.02 3.2 39.6 10.14 12.5 20.6

Order clerks ....................................................... 11.94 2.2 37.6 12.30 2.4 39.7 8.43 3.0 24.9

Personnel clerks, except payroll and

timekeeping ..................................................... 12.71 1.8 38.0 12.85 1.8 39.6 9.88 3.4 21.2

Library clerks ..................................................... 10.48 1.9 30.0 10.99 2.5 38.1 9.05 2.9 18.8

File clerks ........................................................... 9.08 1.6 35.5 9.21 1.8 39.2 8.16 4.4 21.3

Records clerks, n.e.c. ........................................ 11.07 1.2 37.8 11.16 1.3 39.4 9.75 4.0 22.9

Bookkeepers, accounting and auditing clerks ... 11.74 .8 38.4 11.86 .7 39.4 9.03 4.2 24.1

Payroll and timekeeping clerks .......................... 12.62 1.8 38.2 12.79 1.7 39.7 8.60 10.0 20.4

Billing clerks ....................................................... 11.00 1.5 38.5 11.06 1.5 39.7 9.62 3.4 22.3

Cost and rate clerks ........................................... 11.76 6.8 39.7 11.76 6.8 39.7 – – –

See footnotes at end of table.
9

Table 3. Mean hourly earnings1 and weekly hours for selected occupations, full-time and part-time workers,2 United States, National

Compensation Survey,3 1998–Continued

Occupation4

Total Full time Part time

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

Mean hours

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

White collar –Continued

Administrative support, including clerical

–Continued

Billing, posting, and calculating machine

operators .......................................................... $10.15 5.1 33.2 $10.81 5.9 39.6 $8.32 3.9 22.9

Duplicating machine operators .......................... 9.52 2.4 36.1 9.79 2.7 39.4 8.23 2.4 25.7

Mail preparing and paper handling machine

operators .......................................................... 9.36 5.0 35.6 9.59 5.1 39.4 7.63 6.5 20.5

Office machine operators, n.e.c. ........................ 8.71 4.6 36.5 8.87 5.3 39.4 7.67 3.3 24.8

Telephone operators .......................................... 11.48 3.5 36.2 11.82 3.6 39.1 8.37 3.1 21.8

Communications equipment operators, n.e.c. ... 10.41 3.9 33.6 10.67 2.9 39.4 8.83 9.5 17.7

Mail clerks, except postal service ...................... 9.10 3.0 36.1 9.46 3.6 39.3 7.50 3.7 26.3

Messengers ....................................................... 8.92 6.8 36.3 9.05 7.8 39.1 7.96 6.3 24.4

Dispatchers ........................................................ 12.92 3.7 38.3 13.08 3.5 40.2 9.80 9.5 20.1

Production coordinators ..................................... 14.69 1.8 38.9 14.81 1.8 40.0 7.90 8.6 15.1

Traffic, shipping and receiving clerks ................. 11.50 3.0 37.8 11.63 3.2 39.8 – – –

Stock and inventory clerks ................................. 11.27 1.5 36.2 11.65 1.4 39.8 7.99 3.0 20.4

Meter readers .................................................... 15.08 3.9 39.5 15.16 4.0 40.0 – – –

Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers 12.73 5.7 36.3 12.94 5.9 40.0 10.10 13.1 16.5

Expeditors .......................................................... 13.12 3.0 38.0 13.42 3.5 39.8 11.76 7.8 31.7

Material recording, scheduling, and distribution

clerks, n.e.c. ..................................................... 11.79 3.3 37.5 12.17 3.3 39.9 7.50 5.1 22.7

Insurance adjusters, examiners, and

investigators ..................................................... 14.96 2.9 39.0 14.98 2.9 39.1 10.44 5.3 25.7

Investigators and adjusters, except insurance ... 12.61 2.6 38.3 12.75 2.7 39.8 10.10 4.6 22.8

Eligibility clerks, social welfare ........................... 13.02 2.1 38.4 13.08 2.1 38.9 10.35 5.0 24.5

Bill and account collectors ................................. 11.65 2.7 38.5 11.77 2.7 39.8 8.73 4.3 21.4

General office clerks .......................................... 11.25 .8 36.7 11.50 .8 39.4 8.67 2.2 21.7

Bank tellers ........................................................ 8.97 1.4 32.2 9.14 1.6 39.5 8.43 1.6 20.4

Proofreaders ...................................................... 12.53 13.2 38.1 12.75 13.1 39.8 – – –

Data entry keyers ............................................... 10.04 1.4 37.6 10.19 1.5 39.5 8.50 3.0 25.6

Statistical clerks ................................................. 11.56 3.9 37.2 11.67 4.0 39.2 9.32 5.1 17.9

Teachers’ aides ................................................. 9.52 1.8 30.6 9.21 1.6 35.5 10.40 4.0 21.7

Administrative support, n.e.c. ............................ 12.06 1.7 36.6 12.37 1.8 39.4 9.15 3.2 22.0

Blue collar ........................................................................ 12.90 .6 38.5 13.17 .7 40.1 8.00 1.3 22.1

Precision production, craft, and repair ...................... 16.58 1.0 39.8 16.61 1.0 40.0 11.84 9.9 23.4

Supervisors, mechanics and repairers .............. 21.96 1.7 40.7 21.97 1.7 40.7 – – –

Automobile mechanics ....................................... 17.25 2.7 40.5 17.25 2.7 40.5 – – –

Automobile mechanic apprentices ..................... 10.43 6.0 39.8 10.47 6.1 40.2 – – –

Bus, truck, and stationary engine mechanics .... 15.45 1.9 40.2 15.44 1.9 40.2 – – –

Aircraft engine mechanics ................................. 21.79 3.2 40.0 21.80 3.2 40.0 – – –

Small engine repairs .......................................... 12.25 6.1 35.9 12.66 5.9 39.9 – – –

Automobile body and related repairers .............. 16.55 5.1 40.8 16.55 5.1 40.8 – – –

Aircraft mechanics, except engine ..................... 19.28 2.4 40.0 19.28 2.4 40.0 – – –

Heavy equipment mechanics ............................. 17.28 3.1 40.0 17.30 3.1 40.1 – – –

Farm equipment mechanics .............................. 14.58 10.6 40.0 14.58 10.6 40.0 – – –

Industrial machinery repairers ........................... 16.58 1.9 39.9 16.57 1.9 39.9 – – –

Machinery maintenance ..................................... 13.51 2.6 39.8 13.52 2.6 39.9 9.47 6.2 21.9

Electronic repairers, communications and

industrial equipment ......................................... 17.57 3.6 39.4 17.70 3.6 40.0 11.72 19.8 23.7

Data processing equipment repairers ................ 16.57 3.3 37.8 16.26 1.9 40.0 – – –

Household appliance and power tool repairers 16.77 6.1 38.3 16.97 6.1 40.0 – – –

Telephone line installers and repairers .............. 19.28 3.0 39.6 19.28 3.0 39.9 – – –

Telephone installers and repairers .................... 18.00 1.8 39.9 18.00 1.8 39.9 – – –

Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration

mechanics ........................................................ 16.16 2.3 39.7 15.90 1.9 40.0 – – –

Camera, watch, and musical instrument

repairers ........................................................... 16.47 14.1 40.0 16.47 14.1 40.0 – – –

Locksmiths and safe repairers ........................... 17.30 4.8 40.0 17.30 4.8 40.0 – – –

Office machine repairers .................................... 16.09 5.0 40.0 16.09 5.0 40.0 – – –

Mechanical controls and valve repairers ........... 18.11 4.0 39.5 18.22 4.0 40.0 – – –

See footnotes at end of table.
10

Table 3. Mean hourly earnings1 and weekly hours for selected occupations, full-time and part-time workers,2 United States, National

Compensation Survey,3 1998–Continued

Occupation4

Total Full time Part time

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

Mean hours

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

Blue collar –Continued

Precision production, craft, and repair –Continued

Elevator installers and repairers ........................ $19.27 23.4 40.0 $19.27 23.4 40.0 – – –

Millwrights .......................................................... 19.06 5.5 40.1 19.06 5.5 40.1 – – –

Mechanics and repairers, n.e.c. ......................... 15.62 1.4 39.7 15.67 1.4 39.9 $10.32 10.8 23.4

Supervisors, brickmasons, stonemasons, and

tilesetters ......................................................... 18.44 5.3 40.0 18.44 5.3 40.0 – – –

Supervisors, carpenters and related workers .... 21.04 5.8 40.3 21.04 5.8 40.3 – – –

Supervisors, electricians and power

transmission installers ..................................... 22.78 4.8 40.0 22.78 4.8 40.0 – – –

Supervisors, painters, paperhangers, and

plasterers ......................................................... 18.30 2.3 40.4 18.30 2.3 40.4 – – –

Supervisors, plumbers, pipefitters, and

steamfitters ...................................................... 23.27 6.6 40.1 23.27 6.6 40.1 – – –

Supervisors, construction trades, n.e.c. ............. 18.58 3.1 40.3 18.57 3.1 40.4 – – –

Brickmasons and stonemasons ......................... 16.56 5.5 40.0 16.56 5.5 40.0 – – –

Brickmason and stonemason apprentices ......... 12.73 9.6 40.0 12.73 9.6 40.0 – – –

Carpet installers ................................................. 24.12 4.9 39.0 24.12 4.9 39.0 – – –

Carpenters ......................................................... 17.04 2.1 39.6 17.08 2.1 39.8 12.55 13.2 24.8

Carpenter apprentices ....................................... 12.47 3.6 40.0 12.47 3.6 40.0 – – –

Drywall installers ................................................ 15.46 2.3 39.8 15.46 2.3 40.0 – – –

Electricians ........................................................ 18.91 1.9 39.9 18.90 1.9 40.0 – – –

Electrician apprentices ....................................... 13.27 6.3 40.0 13.27 6.3 40.0 – – –

Electrical power installers and repairers ............ 21.47 2.7 40.0 21.47 2.7 40.0 – – –

Painters, construction and maintenance ............ 15.60 5.7 39.4 15.62 5.7 39.5 – – –

Plasterers ........................................................... 18.61 16.4 40.0 18.61 16.4 40.0 – – –

Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters ............... 20.08 2.0 39.9 20.08 2.0 39.9 – – –

Plumber, pipefitter, and steamfitter apprentices 14.33 4.4 39.9 14.33 4.4 39.9 – – –

Concrete and terrazzo finishers ......................... 14.23 8.3 39.7 14.24 8.6 40.6 – – –

Glaziers .............................................................. 17.30 6.6 38.9 17.30 6.6 38.9 – – –

Insulation workers .............................................. 11.88 6.0 35.2 12.13 6.6 39.9 – – –

Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment

operators .......................................................... 11.48 12.0 40.0 11.48 12.0 40.0 – – –

Roofers .............................................................. 13.64 6.2 34.5 13.64 6.2 34.5 – – –

Sheetmetal duct installers .................................. 19.43 8.1 38.8 19.43 8.1 38.8 – – –

Structural metal workers .................................... 16.57 4.6 39.6 16.60 4.8 40.2 – – –

Drillers, earth ..................................................... 11.49 10.6 40.0 11.49 10.6 40.0 – – –

Construction trades, n.e.c. ................................. 14.76 2.8 39.3 14.76 2.8 39.7 – – –

Supervisors, extractive ...................................... 22.05 14.5 41.2 22.96 11.7 42.3 – – –

Drillers, oil well ................................................... 17.37 2.6 41.3 17.37 2.6 41.3 – – –

Explosives workers ............................................ 15.91 16.0 39.6 15.91 16.0 39.6 – – –

Mining machine operators ................................. 18.63 6.4 40.0 18.63 6.4 40.0 – – –

Mining, n.e.c. ..................................................... 19.72 3.6 40.1 19.72 3.6 40.1 – – –

Supervisors, production ..................................... 19.00 2.6 40.7 19.00 2.6 40.7 – – –

Tool and die makers .......................................... 19.72 1.8 40.0 19.72 1.8 40.0 – – –

Tool and die maker apprentices ........................ 14.33 4.9 40.0 14.33 4.9 40.0 – – –

Precision assemblers, metal .............................. 16.19 3.0 40.0 16.19 3.0 40.0 – – –

Machinists .......................................................... 17.12 1.1 40.0 17.12 1.1 40.0 – – –

Machinist apprentices ........................................ 12.63 4.9 40.0 12.63 4.9 40.0 – – –

Boilermakers ...................................................... 18.28 5.2 39.9 18.28 5.2 39.9 – – –

Precision grinders, filers, and tool sharpeners ... 14.90 4.7 40.1 14.90 4.7 40.1 – – –

Patternmakers and modelmakers, metal ........... 18.21 5.7 40.0 18.21 5.7 40.0 – – –

Layout workers .................................................. 14.87 4.9 40.0 14.87 4.9 40.0 – – –

Precious stones and metals workers ................. 8.98 8.8 39.3 8.98 8.8 39.3 – – –

Engravers, metal ................................................ 15.41 22.7 39.2 15.26 23.3 39.8 – – –

Sheet metal workers .......................................... 16.76 5.1 40.0 16.76 5.1 40.0 – – –

Sheet metal worker apprentices ........................ 13.39 7.0 37.1 13.39 7.0 37.1 – – –

Cabinet makers and bench carpenters .............. 11.20 4.7 39.7 11.20 4.7 39.7 – – –

Furniture and wood finishers ............................. 11.68 2.5 40.0 11.68 2.5 40.0 – – –

Tailors ................................................................ 11.86 3.4 39.5 11.86 3.4 39.5 – – –

Upholsterers ...................................................... 12.57 9.3 39.6 12.57 9.3 39.6 – – –

Hand molders and shapers, except jewelers ..... 16.34 3.1 40.2 16.34 3.1 40.2 – – –

Patternmakers, layout workers, and cutters ...... 19.77 7.8 39.9 20.05 7.7 39.9 – – –

See footnotes at end of table.
11

Table 3. Mean hourly earnings1 and weekly hours for selected occupations, full-time and part-time workers,2 United States, National

Compensation Survey,3 1998–Continued

Occupation4

Total Full time Part time

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

Mean hours

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

Blue collar –Continued

Precision production, craft, and repair –Continued

Optical goods workers ....................................... $11.00 12.8 39.7 $11.00 12.8 39.7 – – –

Dental laboratory and medical appliance

technicians ....................................................... 14.47 10.8 39.5 14.47 10.8 39.5 – – –

Bookbinders ....................................................... 13.57 6.1 39.4 13.57 6.1 39.4 – – –

Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers 9.78 3.0 39.8 9.81 3.0 40.0 $6.97 6.7 25.3

Miscellaneous precision workers, n.e.c. ............ 15.51 5.4 39.8 15.53 5.4 39.9 – – –

Precision food production .................................. 10.90 7.3 40.0 10.90 7.3 40.0 – – –

Butchers and meat cutters ................................. 10.20 3.5 38.5 10.30 3.7 39.6 – – –

Bakers ................................................................ 9.82 4.9 36.7 10.00 5.3 39.6 8.26 9.5 22.9

Food batchmakers ............................................. 10.48 5.2 38.7 10.46 5.1 39.8 – – –

Inspectors, testers, and graders ........................ 16.37 2.2 40.2 16.40 2.2 40.3 – – –

Precision inspectors, testers, and related

workers, n.e.c. ................................................. 19.04 6.6 40.0 19.04 6.6 40.0 – – –

Adjusters and calibrators ................................... 13.36 14.1 39.6 13.34 14.2 40.0 – – –

Water and sewer treatment plant operators ...... 15.53 2.8 39.4 15.69 2.7 40.0 – – –

Power plant operators ........................................ 22.02 1.9 39.7 22.02 1.9 39.7 – – –

Stationary engineers .......................................... 19.02 3.1 39.5 19.01 3.1 39.8 – – –

Miscellaneous plant and system operators,

n.e.c. ................................................................ 21.34 2.2 40.1 21.34 2.2 40.1 – – –

Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors ..... 11.59 .9 39.6 11.65 .9 39.9 7.47 2.0 23.0

Lathe and turning machine set-up operators ..... 14.03 2.6 40.0 14.03 2.6 40.0 – – –

Lathe and turning machine operators ................ 12.83 6.3 39.9 12.83 6.3 39.9 – – –

Milling and planing machine operators .............. 13.38 6.9 40.0 13.38 6.9 40.0 – – –

Punching and stamping press operators ........... 12.08 3.0 39.8 12.10 3.0 40.0 – – –

Rolling machine operators ................................. 13.46 6.1 40.3 13.46 6.1 40.3 – – –

Drilling and boring machine operators ............... 11.39 12.2 40.0 11.39 12.2 40.0 – – –

Grinding, abrading, buffing, and polishing

machine operators ........................................... 11.58 2.9 39.9 11.59 2.9 40.0 – – –

Forging machine operators ................................ 12.86 4.5 39.9 12.86 4.5 39.9 – – –

Numerical control machine operators ................ 13.57 2.1 40.0 13.57 2.1 40.0 – – –

Fabricating machine operators, n.e.c. ............... 13.29 2.3 40.0 13.29 2.3 40.0 – – –

Molding and casting machine operators ............ 10.36 2.9 39.8 10.41 2.9 39.9 6.65 8.9 32.9

Metal plating machine operators ........................ 11.98 3.3 40.0 12.03 3.1 40.3 – – –

Heat treating equipment operators .................... 13.78 2.4 40.0 13.78 2.4 40.0 – – –

Wood lathe, routing, and planing machine

operators .......................................................... 10.60 11.3 37.1 10.63 11.7 39.7 – – –

Sawing machine operators ................................ 9.14 5.2 39.7 9.14 5.2 40.0 – – –

Shaping and jointing machine operators ........... 9.73 6.8 39.9 9.73 6.8 39.9 – – –

Nailing and tacking machine operators .............. 9.91 2.3 40.0 9.91 2.3 40.0 – – –

Printing press operators ..................................... 14.64 3.2 39.2 14.69 3.2 39.5 10.03 20.0 22.3

Photoengravers and lithographers ..................... 15.22 3.0 38.6 15.31 2.9 39.0 – – –

Typesetters and compositors ............................. 13.22 4.7 37.7 13.27 4.9 39.3 12.19 9.1 19.4

Winding and twisting machine operators ........... 11.01 7.3 39.9 11.02 7.3 39.9 – – –

Knitting, looping, taping, and weaving machine

operators .......................................................... 10.10 1.9 40.0 10.10 1.9 40.0 – – –

Textile cutting machine operators ...................... 8.94 5.4 40.0 8.94 5.4 40.0 – – –

Textile sewing machine operators ..................... 7.98 2.7 39.7 7.99 2.7 39.9 6.72 7.6 20.3

Shoe machine operators .................................... 9.11 8.6 39.9 9.11 8.6 39.9 – – –

Pressing machine operators .............................. 7.97 6.3 39.2 7.98 6.4 39.8 – – –

Laundering and dry cleaning machine operators 7.44 1.7 36.5 7.50 1.8 39.5 6.93 3.8 21.3

Cementing and gluing machine operators ......... 9.58 9.5 40.0 9.58 9.5 40.0 – – –

Packaging and filling machine operators ........... 10.55 4.3 39.4 10.56 4.4 40.0 9.67 5.8 21.2

Extruding and forming machine operators ......... 11.28 2.7 39.8 11.28 2.7 39.8 – – –

Mixing and blending machine operators ............ 13.28 2.8 39.9 13.27 2.8 40.0 – – –

Separating, filtering, and clarifying machine

operators .......................................................... 15.83 3.7 39.8 15.85 3.7 39.9 – – –

Compressing and compacting machine

operators .......................................................... 10.40 2.1 39.5 10.45 2.3 40.0 – – –

Painting and paint spraying machine operators 12.11 2.9 40.2 12.11 2.9 40.2 – – –

Roasting and baking machine operators, food .. 11.61 5.5 39.4 11.61 5.6 40.0 – – –

See footnotes at end of table.
12

Table 3. Mean hourly earnings1 and weekly hours for selected occupations, full-time and part-time workers,2 United States, National

Compensation Survey,3 1998–Continued

Occupation4

Total Full time Part time

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

Mean hours

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

Blue collar –Continued

Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors

–Continued

Washing, cleaning, and pickling machine

operators .......................................................... $10.91 9.4 36.5 $10.98 9.5 40.2 – – –

Folding machine operators ................................ 11.34 4.0 39.7 11.38 3.9 39.8 – – –

Furnace, kiln, and oven operators, except food 13.68 4.4 39.9 13.68 4.4 40.0 – – –

Crushing and grinding machine operators ......... 11.89 5.7 39.9 11.89 5.7 39.9 – – –

Slicing and cutting machine operators ............... 12.65 3.6 39.9 12.72 3.6 40.0 – – –

Motion picture projectionists .............................. 13.07 9.6 25.9 – – – – – –

Photographic process machine operators ......... 10.42 2.9 38.0 10.64 2.8 39.9 $7.51 7.3 23.2

Miscellaneous machine operators, n.e.c. .......... 11.97 2.6 39.7 12.00 2.6 39.9 7.62 8.0 26.7

Welders and cutters ........................................... 14.19 1.9 40.0 14.20 1.9 40.0 – – –

Solders and braziers .......................................... 9.04 8.3 40.0 9.06 8.4 40.0 – – –

Assemblers ........................................................ 11.63 2.6 39.3 11.73 2.6 39.9 6.79 2.1 23.1

Hand cutting and trimming ................................. 9.51 8.9 39.4 9.55 8.9 39.9 – – –

Hand molding, casting, and forming .................. 12.13 9.9 40.0 12.13 9.9 40.0 – – –

Hand painting, coating, and decorating ............. 10.21 5.6 38.6 10.22 5.7 40.0 – – –

Hand engraving and printing .............................. 8.91 3.5 40.0 8.91 3.5 40.0 – – –

Miscellaneous hand working, n.e.c. ................... 9.85 3.3 38.8 9.99 3.5 39.9 5.70 3.4 20.7

Production inspectors, checkers and examiners 11.11 2.6 39.8 11.12 2.6 40.0 8.54 7.4 27.3

Production testers .............................................. 11.73 3.4 39.8 11.75 3.4 40.0 – – –

Production samplers and weighers .................... 13.64 4.5 39.6 13.64 4.5 39.6 – – –

Graders and sorters, except agricultural ............ 9.19 6.4 39.9 9.21 6.4 40.0 – – –

Hand inspectors, n.e.c. ...................................... 9.27 7.5 39.9 9.27 7.5 39.9 – – –

Transportation and material moving ......................... 13.72 1.1 37.9 14.08 1.1 40.9 9.94 2.1 21.3

Supervisors, motor vehicle operators ................ 16.46 5.2 41.1 16.57 5.2 41.2 – – –

Truck drivers ...................................................... 13.93 1.2 41.4 14.04 1.2 42.7 11.11 4.3 22.1

Driver-sales workers .......................................... 14.23 4.2 37.6 15.07 3.5 41.4 6.58 8.9 20.5

Bus drivers ......................................................... 12.61 1.6 29.2 13.49 2.1 36.7 11.12 2.0 21.7

Taxicab drivers and chauffeurs .......................... 8.32 4.5 30.0 8.81 4.9 38.8 7.26 8.5 20.2

Parking lot attendants ........................................ 7.04 4.3 28.2 7.73 5.0 39.9 6.22 4.6 20.9

Motor transportation, n.e.c. ................................ 8.99 4.6 32.2 9.70 5.6 39.2 6.24 2.1 19.0

Railroad conductors and yardmasters ............... 26.78 4.4 40.2 26.78 4.4 40.2 – – –

Locomotive operating ........................................ 27.74 8.4 40.7 27.75 8.4 40.7 – – –

Railroad brake, signal and switch operators ...... 23.30 10.2 40.0 23.30 10.2 40.0 – – –

Rail vehicle operators, n.e.c. ............................. 21.02 4.4 40.0 21.02 4.4 40.0 – – –

Ship captains and mates, except fishing boats .. 16.30 3.8 47.6 16.40 3.9 48.6 – – –

Sailors and deckhands ...................................... 11.39 8.0 43.3 11.24 7.5 45.6 – – –

Bridge, lock and lighthouse tenders ................... 11.16 2.1 40.0 – – – – – –

Supervisors, material moving equipment ........... 18.74 6.2 40.4 18.74 6.2 40.4 – – –

Operating engineers .......................................... 17.33 8.1 40.0 17.33 8.1 40.0 – – –

Longshore equipment operators ........................ 26.96 7.6 37.5 – – – – – –

Hoist and winch operators ................................. 12.94 5.5 40.9 12.94 5.5 40.9 – – –

Crane and tower operators ................................ 15.61 3.3 40.1 15.61 3.3 40.1 – – –

Excavating and loading machine operators ....... 14.17 4.3 40.0 14.17 4.3 40.0 – – –

Grader, dozer, and scrapper operators ............. 13.46 6.4 40.0 13.46 6.4 40.0 – – –

Industrial truck and tractor equipment operators 12.10 1.8 39.8 12.12 1.8 40.0 10.17 8.2 25.5

Miscellaneous material moving equipment

operators, n.e.c. ............................................... 14.33 3.0 37.8 14.59 3.1 39.9 10.14 1.8 20.5

Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and

laborers ....................................................................... 9.69 .7 35.9 10.11 .8 39.8 7.12 1.0 22.2

Nursery workers ................................................. 7.31 3.4 37.9 7.40 3.7 40.1 6.07 3.9 21.7

Supervisors, agriculture-related workers ........... 17.49 4.7 39.9 17.55 4.7 40.1 – – –

Groundskeepers and gardeners, except farm ... 9.31 5.2 38.4 9.41 5.8 39.8 7.57 3.6 23.8

Animal caretakers, except farm ......................... 10.22 5.8 38.2 10.39 5.6 39.6 – – –

Inspectors, agricultural products ........................ 7.84 6.1 37.4 8.09 8.8 40.0 – – –

Supervisors, handlers, equipment cleaners, and

laborers, n.e.c. ................................................. 14.57 2.6 39.8 14.61 2.6 40.2 – – –

Helpers, mechanics and repairers ..................... 11.69 4.4 39.1 11.78 4.4 40.0 8.04 6.6 21.0

Helpers, construction trades .............................. 10.46 3.8 39.3 10.50 3.8 39.8 8.13 16.1 24.2

See footnotes at end of table.
13

Table 3. Mean hourly earnings1 and weekly hours for selected occupations, full-time and part-time workers,2 United States, National

Compensation Survey,3 1998–Continued

Occupation4

Total Full time Part time

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

Mean hours

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

Blue collar –Continued

Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and

laborers –Continued

Helpers, extractive ............................................. $15.17 11.8 38.7 – – – – – –

Construction laborers ......................................... 11.34 2.8 39.4 $11.46 2.9 39.9 $7.32 6.5 28.5

Production helpers ............................................. 9.75 3.5 39.0 9.82 3.5 39.8 6.89 3.9 21.6

Garbage collectors ............................................. 12.63 11.7 39.6 12.82 11.6 40.0 – – –

Stevedores ......................................................... 18.83 3.7 39.2 18.82 3.7 39.3 – – –

Stock handlers and baggers .............................. 8.64 1.4 29.9 9.97 1.7 39.6 6.49 1.2 21.4

Machine feeders and offbearers ........................ 9.37 2.6 39.3 9.38 2.6 39.8 8.48 10.2 21.7

Freight, stock, and material handlers, n.e.c. ...... 10.50 2.0 35.5 10.70 2.4 39.8 9.37 2.1 22.1

Garage and service station related .................... 8.25 7.1 34.2 8.57 5.7 38.9 6.93 12.3 22.9

Vehicle washers and equipment cleaners ......... 8.86 3.2 37.4 9.01 3.4 40.0 6.93 4.7 20.6

Hand packers and packagers ............................ 8.49 1.7 37.9 8.63 1.8 39.8 6.96 1.8 24.8

Laborers, except construction, n.e.c. ................. 9.57 1.3 37.8 9.81 1.3 39.8 6.90 3.3 24.3

Service .............................................................................. 9.52 .7 33.0 10.30 .8 39.1 6.61 .7 20.8

Protective service .................................................. 14.36 1.6 38.0 14.89 1.6 40.7 8.16 1.9 21.0

Supervisors, firefighters and fire prevention ...... 20.00 2.9 49.2 20.00 2.9 49.3 – – –

Supervisors, police and detectives .................... 24.14 2.7 40.1 24.14 2.7 40.2 – – –

Supervisors, guards ........................................... 15.49 7.1 38.4 15.81 7.1 39.4 8.95 6.2 24.9

Fire inspection and fire prevention ..................... 18.31 4.8 37.6 18.48 4.8 40.8 – – –

Firefighting ......................................................... 15.32 2.5 44.5 15.54 2.2 48.7 7.07 9.0 10.6

Police and detectives, public service ................. 19.49 1.4 39.5 19.57 1.3 40.0 10.97 13.8 18.1

Sheriffs, bailiffs, and other law enforcement

officers ............................................................. 15.91 2.6 38.7 16.02 2.7 39.8 12.54 7.5 21.0

Correctional institution officers ........................... 14.17 4.3 39.8 14.19 4.3 39.9 10.84 14.9 25.3

Crossing guards ................................................. 8.73 4.5 17.3 – – – 8.35 4.6 16.8

Guards and police, except public service .......... 8.63 1.7 35.1 8.78 1.9 39.4 7.88 1.7 23.2

Protective service, n.e.c. .................................... 11.51 4.7 29.1 13.02 5.3 39.6 8.05 7.8 18.1

Food service .......................................................... 6.76 .7 30.1 7.34 .9 38.5 5.66 .8 21.2

Supervisors, food preparation and service ........ 11.45 1.6 38.5 11.82 1.6 40.8 7.55 3.5 24.2

Bartenders ......................................................... 6.31 2.6 29.5 6.71 3.4 37.5 5.76 3.1 22.6

Waiters and waitresses ...................................... 4.17 3.4 28.8 4.39 3.3 38.1 3.83 2.6 20.8

Cooks ................................................................. 8.67 1.1 34.2 8.97 1.2 38.4 7.39 1.7 23.0

Food counter, fountain, and related ................... 6.12 1.3 25.8 6.42 2.4 37.2 5.90 1.3 21.1

Kitchen workers, food preparation ..................... 7.57 1.2 30.1 8.00 1.6 38.7 6.88 1.3 22.1

Waiters’/Waitresses’ assistants ......................... 5.68 2.2 27.7 6.14 3.2 38.0 5.01 2.4 20.1

Food preparation, n.e.c. ..................................... 6.85 1.3 29.8 7.13 2.8 38.6 6.29 1.1 20.6

Health service ........................................................ 8.77 .8 33.7 8.89 .9 38.8 8.19 1.2 20.7

Dental assistants ............................................... 10.26 3.7 36.3 10.19 3.9 40.0 – – –

Health aides, except nursing ............................. 9.79 1.4 33.5 10.03 1.6 38.9 8.44 2.7 19.0

Nursing aides, orderlies and attendants ............ 8.49 .8 33.7 8.58 1.0 38.8 8.13 1.4 21.2

Cleaning and building service ................................ 9.03 .9 35.1 9.40 1.0 39.4 6.84 1.1 21.3

Supervisors, cleaning and building service

workers ............................................................ 11.15 10.4 39.6 11.23 10.8 40.0 7.84 5.3 28.8

Maids and housemen ........................................ 7.52 1.9 34.9 7.59 2.1 38.6 7.07 2.4 21.0

Janitors and cleaners ......................................... 9.09 1.1 34.5 9.55 1.1 39.5 6.77 1.2 21.3

Pest control ........................................................ 12.36 8.5 40.0 12.36 8.5 40.0 – – –

See footnotes at end of table.
14

Table 3. Mean hourly earnings1 and weekly hours for selected occupations, full-time and part-time workers,2 United States, National

Compensation Survey,3 1998–Continued

Occupation4

Total Full time Part time

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

hours

Hourly earnings

Mean

weekly

Mean hours

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

Mean

Relative

error5

(percent)

Service –Continued

Personal service .................................................... $9.27 1.8 29.6 $10.10 2.1 37.0 $7.10 3.7 19.5

Supervisors, personal service ............................ 16.56 1.3 38.7 – – – 9.42 6.0 22.0

Hairdressers and cosmetologists ....................... – – – – – – 8.28 5.4 20.6

Attendants, amusement, and recreation

facilities ............................................................ 6.20 5.1 30.1 6.38 4.8 39.5 5.84 6.0 20.4

Guides ............................................................... 9.40 3.5 30.5 10.05 3.8 38.1 7.58 7.1 19.5

Ushers ............................................................... 6.55 5.1 19.3 – – – 6.21 3.9 16.2

Public transportation attendants ........................ 25.24 6.1 21.1 26.29 5.6 21.4 14.31 17.2 19.2

Baggage porters and bellhops ........................... 7.19 6.4 35.6 7.04 7.0 39.4 8.03 7.2 23.3

Welfare service aides ........................................ 7.55 4.9 28.1 8.46 4.0 39.1 6.30 5.9 20.3

Early childhood teachers’ assistants .................. 8.12 1.8 29.1 8.44 2.2 36.8 7.44 2.9 20.1

Child care workers, n.e.c. .................................. 8.51 2.3 26.2 8.98 3.8 38.6 7.88 2.9 18.4

Service, n.e.c. .................................................... 7.54 11.2 31.5 7.49 14.0 39.0 7.74 5.4 18.4

1 Earnings are the straight-time hourly wages or salaries paid to employees. They

include incentive pay, cost-of-living adjustments, and hazard pay. Excluded are premium

pay for overtime, vacations, and holidays; nonproduction bonuses; and tips. The mean is

computed by totaling the pay of all workers and dividing by the number of workers,

weighted by hours. 2 All workers include full-time and part-time workers. Employees are classified as

working either a full-time or a part-time schedule based on the definition used by each

establishment. Therefore, a worker with a 35-hour-per-week schedule might be considered

a full-time employee in one establishment, but classified as part-time in another firm, where

a 40-hour week is the minimum full-time schedule. 3 This survey covers all 50 States. Collection was conducted between July 1997 and

April 1999. The average reference period was August 1998. 4 A classification system including about 480 individual occupations is used to cover all

workers in the civilian economy. 5 The relative standard error (RSE) is the standard error expressed as a percent of the

estimate. It can be used to calculate a "confidence interval" around a sample estimate. For

more information about RSEs, see Technical Note.

NOTE: Dashes indicate that no data were reported or that data did not meet publication

criteria, and n.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." Overall occupational groups may

include data for categories not shown separately. 
15

Number of workers1 represented by the survey, by occupational group,2 United States, National

Compensation Survey,3 1998

Occupational group All industries Private industry State and local

government

All ............................................................................................. 63,368,100 48,783,200 14,584,900

All excluding sales ................................................................ 58,871,800 44,345,500 14,526,300

White collar ......................................................................... 33,474,800 23,595,100 9,879,700

White collar excluding sales ............................................. 28,978,400 19,157,300 9,821,100

Professional specialty and technical ................................. 13,157,900 7,384,600 5,773,300

Professional specialty occupations ............................... 10,508,500 5,225,600 5,282,900

Technical occupations .................................................. 2,649,400 2,159,000 490,400

Executive, administrative, and managerial ....................... 5,115,400 3,854,500 1,261,000

Sales ................................................................................. 4,496,300 4,437,700 58,600

Administrative support, including clerical .......................... 10,705,100 7,918,200 2,786,900

Blue collar ........................................................................... 17,739,100 16,249,100 1,490,000

Precision production, craft, and repair .............................. 5,010,400 4,409,800 600,700

Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors .............. 5,699,200 5,664,600 34,600

Transportation and material moving ................................. 2,514,100 1,987,400 526,700

Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ...... 4,515,400 4,187,400 328,000

Service ................................................................................. 12,154,200 8,939,100 3,215,100

1 Estimates of the number of workers provide a description of

size and composition of the labor force included in the survey.

Estimates are not intended, however, for comparison with other

statistical series to measure employment trends or levels. Both

full-time and part-time workers were included in the survey.

2 A classification system including about 480 individual

occupations is used to cover all workers in the civilian economy. 3 This survey covers all 50 States. Collection was conducted

between July 1997 and April 1999. The average reference period

was August 1998.

Technical Note

The data in this report are based on the National Compensation Survey (NCS) conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The National Compensation Surveys are locality-based

and cover establishments in private industry and State and

local governments. Agriculture, private households, and the

Federal Government are excluded from the scope of the survey.

Survey scope. The NCS studied 18,576 establishments with

50 or more workers1 representing over 63 million workers

within the scope of the survey. (See table below.) For purposes of this survey an establishment is an economic unit that

produces goods or services, a central administrative office,

or an auxiliary unit providing support services to a company.

For private industries in this survey, the establishment is usually at a single physical location. For State and local governments, an establishment is defined as all locations of a government entity.

Sampling frame. The list of establishments from which the

survey sample was selected (sampling frame) was developed

from the State unemployment insurance reports. The reference month for the public sector is June 1994. Due to the

volatility of industries within the private sector, sampling

frames were developed using the most recent month of reference available at the time the sample was selected. The reference month for the private sector is March 1996.

Sample design and data collection. The sample for this survey was selected using a three-stage design. The first stage

consisted of the selection of areas. The NCS sample consists

of 154 metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas that represent the Nation’s 326 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (as defined by the Office of Management and Budget) and the remaining portions of the 50 States. Metropolitan areas are

defined as Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA), or Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas (CMSA) as defined by

the Office of Management and Budget, 1994. Nonmetropolitan

areas are counties that do not fit the metropolitan area definition.

In the second stage, the sample of establishments was

drawn by first stratifying the sampling frame by industry and

ownership. The number of sample establishments allocated

to each stratum is approximately proportional to the stratum

employment. Each sampled establishment is selected within

a stratum with a probability proportional to its employment.

Use of this technique means that the larger an establishment’s

employment, the greater its chance of selection. Weights were

applied to each establishment when the data were tabulated

so that each establishment represents similar units (by industry and employment size) in the economy which were not

selected for collection.

The third stage of sample selection was a probability

sample of occupations within a sampled establishment. Collection was conducted between July 1997 and April 1999 with

an average reference period of August 1998.

1

 Establishments classified as employing between 50 and 99 workers may

include establishments with fewer than 50 workers because staff reductions

may have taken place between the time of sampling and the time of data

collection.
16

Occupational selection and classification. Identification of

the occupations for which wage data were collected was a

four-step process:

1. Probability-proportional-to-size selection of establishment jobs

2. Classification of jobs into occupations based on the Census of Population system

3. Characterization of jobs as full- v. part-time, union v.

nonunion, and time v. incentive

4. Determination of the level of work of each job

For each occupation, wage data were collected for those workers who met all the criteria identified in the last three steps.

Special procedures were developed for jobs for which a correct classification or level could not be determined.

In step one, the jobs to be sampled were selected at each

establishment by a BLS field economist during a personal

visit. A complete list of employees was used for sampling,

with each selected worker representing a job within the establishment. As with the selection of establishments, the selection of a job was based on probability proportional to its

size in the establishment. The greater the number of people

working in a job in the establishment, the greater its chance

of selection.

The second step of the process entailed classifying the

selected jobs into occupations based on their duties. The

National Compensation Survey occupational classification

system is based on the 1990 Census of Population. A selected job may fall into any one of about 480 occupational

classifications, from accountant to wood lathe operator. In

cases where a job’s duties overlapped two or more census

classification codes, the duties used to set the wage level were

used to classify the job. Classification by primary duties was

the fallback.

In step three, certain other job characteristics of the chosen workers were identified. First, the worker was identified

as holding either a full- or part-time job, based on the

establishment’s definition of those terms. Then the worker

was classified as having a time versus incentive job, depending on whether any part of pay was directly based on the actual production of the workers, rather than solely on hours

worked. Finally, the worker was identified as being in a union

job or a nonunion job.

Data reliability. The data in this summary are estimates from

a scientifically selected probability sample. There are two

types of errors possible in an estimate based on a sample survey, sampling and nonsampling.

Sampling errors occur because observations come only

from a sample and not from an entire population. The sample

used for this survey is one of a number of possible samples of

the same size that could have been selected using the sample

design. Estimates derived from the different samples would

differ from each other.

A measure of the variation among these differing estimates

is called the standard error or sampling error. It indicates the

precision with which an estimate from a particular sample

approximates the average result of all possible samples. The

relative standard error (RSE) is the standard error divided by

the estimate. Tables 1, 2, and 3 contain RSE data for indicated series in this report.

The standard error can be used to calculate a “confidence

interval” around a sample estimate. As an example, table 1

shows that mean hourly earnings for all workers was $15.72

per hour and a relative standard error of 0.5 percent for this

estimate. At the 90-percent level, the confidence interval for

this estimate is $15.85 to $15.59 ($15.72 x 1.645 x 0.005 =

$0.129, round to $0.13); ($15.72 + .13 = $15.85; $15.72 -

.13 = $15.59). If all possible samples were selected to estimate the population value, the interval from each sample

would include the true population value approximately 90

percent of the time.

Nonsampling errors also affect survey results. They can

stem from many sources, such as inability to obtain information for some establishments, difficulties with survey definitions, inability of the respondents to provide correct information, or mistakes in recording or coding the data obtained. A

Technical Reinterview Program done in all survey areas will

be used in the development of a formal quality assessment

process to help compute nonsampling error. Although they

also were not specifically measured, efforts were made to

minimize nonsampling errors by the extensive training of field

economists who gathered survey data, computer editing of

the data, and detailed data review.

Census area divisions. Data are tabulated by census divisions defined as follows: New England - Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and Rhode Island; Middle Atlantic - New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania;2 East North Central - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,

Ohio, and Wisconsin;3 West North Central - Iowa, Kansas,

Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska;4 South Atlantic - Delaware, District of Columbia,

Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina,

Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central - Alabama,

Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central

- Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; Mountain -

Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona,

Utah, and Nevada; and Pacific - Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, and Alaska.

2

 The Middle Atlantic census area division also includes the New York, NY

CMSA (which is comprised of parts of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania) and the Philadelphia, PA CMSA (which is comprised of parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland).

3

 The East North Central census area division also includes the Cincinnati,

OH CMSA (which is comprised of parts of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana).

4

 The West North Central census area division also includes the St. Louis,

MO CMSA (which is comprised of parts of Missouri and Illinois).
17

Additional information about the National Compensation

Survey, including a list of occupational classifications and

the factors determining work levels, is available by calling

(202) 691-6199. You may also write to the Bureau of Labor

Statistics at: Division of Compensation Data Analysis and

Planning, 2 Massachusetts Ave., NE, Room 4175, Washington, DC 20212-0001, or send E-mail to OCLTINFO@bls.

gov.

The data contained in this summary are available on the

Bureau’s Internet site at: https://www.bls.gov/ocs/#data .

Data are in three formats: an ASCII file containing the published table formats; an ASCII file containing positional columns of data for manipulation as a data base or spreadsheet;

and a Portable Document Format (PDF) containing the entire

summary.

Material in this summary is in the public domain and, with

appropriate credit, may be reproduced without permission.

This information will be made available to sensory impaired

individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 1 800 326-2577.