Report: Salem Area Workers Earn Less Than The National Average

Among the higher paying jobs in the Salem area were health educators and mental health counselors.

Workers in Salem area get paid about 8 percent less an hour than the national average according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Photo: Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore. ) - Workers in Salem area get paid about 8 percent less an hour than the national average according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Workers in the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $20.44 in May 2013, while nationwide average was $22.33, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Regional Commissioner Richard J. Holden.

The report found that employment in the Salem area was significantly higher than the national averages in 4 of the 22 major occupational groups which includes healthcare practitioners and technical, and protective service. However, eleven groups had significantly lower wages including management; arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media; and computer and mathematical.

Conversely, six groups had employment that was significantly below their national representation, including production; architecture and engineering; and installation, maintenance, and repair.

One occupational group community and social service was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Salem had 3,580 jobs in community and social service, accounting for 2.5 percent of local area employment, significantly higher than the 1.4 percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $21.47, compared to the national wage of $21.50.

Some of the largest detailed occupations within the community and social service group included social and human service assistants (680), clergy (510), and probation officers and correctional treatment specialists (340).

Among the higher paying jobs were health educators and mental health counselors, with mean hourly wages of $29.50 and $28.59, respectively. At the lower end of the wage scale were social and human service assistants ($16.73) and religious activities and education directors ($17.54).

In the Salem area, above average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the community and social service group. For instance, clergy were employed at 10.4 times the national rate in Salem, and religious activities and education directors, at 10.4 times the U.S. average.

On the other hand, child, family, and school social workers had a location quotient of 1.0 in Salem, indicating that this particular occupation’s local and national employment shares were similar.

The statistics were gathered from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey, a federal-state cooperative program between BLS and State Workforce Agencies, in this case, the Oregon Employment Department.

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