For Release: Tuesday, May 30, 2017
17-727-PHI
MID-ATLANTIC INFORMATION OFFICE: Philadelphia, Pa.
Technical information: (215) 597-3282 [email protected]
Media contact:
(215) 861-5600 [email protected]
www.bls.gov/regions/mid-atlantic
Occupational Employment and Wages in Baltimore-Towson – May 2016
Workers in the Baltimore-Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of
$26.41 in May 2016, 11 percent above the nationwide average of $23.86, according to the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that, after testing for statistical
significance, wages in the local area were significantly higher than their respective national averages in 11
of the 22 major occupational groups, including education, training, and library; transportation and material
moving; and computer and mathematical. One occupational group—legal—had an average wage that was
measurably lower than its respective national average.
When compared to the nationwide distribution, local employment was significantly higher in 10 of the 22
occupational groups, including computer and mathematical; business and financial operations; and
healthcare practitioners and technical. Conversely, seven groups had employment shares significantly below
their national representation; these groups included production; food preparation and serving related; and
transportation and material moving. (See table A and box note at end of release.)
Table A. Occupational employment and wages by major occupational group, United States and the
Baltimore-Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area, and measures of statistical significance, May 2016
Percent of total employment
Major occupational group
Total, all occupations ...................................
Management ...........................................
Business and financial operations...........
Computer and mathematical ...................
Architecture and engineering ..................
Life, physical, and social science ............
Community and social service.................
Legal........................................................
Education, training, and library................
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and
media.......................................................
Healthcare practitioners and technical ....
Healthcare support ..................................
Protective service ....................................
Food preparation and serving related .....
Building and grounds cleaning and
maintenance............................................
Personal care and service.......................
Sales and related ....................................
Office and administrative support............
Farming, fishing, and forestry..................
Note: See footnotes at end of table.
United
States
Mean hourly wage
United
States
Baltimore
100.0
5.1
5.2
3.0
1.8
0.8
1.4
0.8
6.2
100.0
5.5
6.2
4.6
2.0
1.2
1.7
1.1
6.1
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
$23.86
56.74
36.09
42.25
40.53
35.06
22.69
50.95
26.21
$26.41
59.83
36.79
45.98
42.70
37.18
23.27
39.51
31.62
1.4
1.1
*
28.07
27.07
5.9
2.9
2.4
9.2
6.9
2.9
3.0
7.9
*
38.06
14.65
22.03
11.47
38.83
15.80
22.02
11.67
3.2
3.0
13.47
13.74
3.2
10.4
15.7
0.3
2.9
10.2
15.9
0.1
12.74
19.50
17.91
13.37
13.64
19.98
19.05
17.74
*
*
*
*
Percent
difference (1)
Baltimore
*
*
*
*
*
*
11
5
2
9
5
6
3
-22
21
-4
*
2
8
0
2
2
*
*
*
7
2
6
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Table A. Occupational employment and wages by major occupational group, United States and the
Baltimore-Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area, and measures of statistical significance, May 2016 Continued
Percent of total employment
Major occupational group
Construction and extraction.....................
Installation, maintenance, and repair ......
Production ...............................................
Transportation and material moving ........
United
States
Mean hourly wage
United
States
Baltimore
4.0
3.9
6.5
6.9
4.2
3.5
3.1
6.6
*
*
*
*
23.51
22.45
17.88
17.34
Percent
difference (1)
Baltimore
23.32
23.79
18.59
19.00
*
*
*
-1
6
4
10
Footnotes:
(1) A positive percent difference measures how much the mean wage in the Baltimore-Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area is above the national
mean wage, while a negative difference reflects a lower wage.
* The percent share of employment or mean hourly wage for this area is significantly different from the national average of all areas at the 90percent confidence level.
One occupational group—business and financial operations—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data
available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Baltimore had 83,420 jobs in business and
financial operations, accounting for 6.2 percent of local area employment, significantly above the national
share of 5.2 percent. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $36.79, similar to the
national average of $36.09.
With employment of 14,510, accountants and auditors was the largest detailed occupation within the
business and financial operations group in the Baltimore area. Among the higher paying jobs were personal
financial advisors and management analysts, with mean hourly wages of $51.73 and $45.32, respectively.
At the lower end of the wage scale were credit counselors ($20.26) and tax preparers ($22.35). (Detailed
occupational data for the business and financial operations group are presented in table 1; for a complete
listing of detailed occupations go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_12580.htm.)
Location quotients allow us to explore the occupational make-up of a metropolitan area by comparing the
composition of jobs in an area relative to the national average. (See table 1.) For example, a location
quotient of 2.0 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it
does nationally. In the Baltimore metropolitan area, above-average concentrations of employment were
found in several of the detailed occupations within the business and financial operations group. For
instance, logisticians were employed at 1.6 times the national rate in Baltimore, and budget analysts, at 2.4
times the U.S. average. On the other hand, market research analysts and marketing specialists had a location
quotient of 1.1 in Baltimore, meaning the local employment share in this particular occupation was similar
to the national average.
These statistics are from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey, a federal-state cooperative
program between BLS and State Workforce Agencies, in this case, the Maryland Department of Labor,
Licensing, and Regulation.
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Note on Occupational Employment Statistics Data
A value that is statistically different from another does not necessarily mean that the difference has
economic or practical significance. Statistical significance is concerned with the ability to make
confident statements about a universe based on a sample. It is entirely possible that a large difference
between two values is not significantly different statistically, while a small difference is, since both the
size and heterogeneity of the sample affect the relative error of the data being tested.
Technical Note
The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey is a semiannual mail survey measuring occupational
employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in the United States.
The OES program produces employment and wage estimates for over 800 occupations for all industries
combined in the nation; the 50 states and the District of Columbia; 432 metropolitan areas and divisions;
167 nonmetropolitan areas; and Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. National estimates are also
available by industry for NAICS sectors, 3-, 4-, and selected 5- and 6-digit industries, and by ownership
across all industries and for schools and hospitals. OES data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm.
OES estimates are constructed from a sample of about 1.2 million establishments. Forms are mailed to
approximately 200,000 sampled establishments in May and November each year. The May 2016 estimates
are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2016, November
2015, May 2015, November 2014, May 2014, and November 2013. The overall national response rate for
the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 73 percent based on establishments
and 69 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The unweighted employment of sampled
establishments across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 58 percent of total national
employment. The sample in the Baltimore-Towson, Md. Metropolitan Statistical Area included 6,216
establishments with a response rate of 75 percent. For more information about OES concepts and
methodology, go to www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.
The May 2016 OES estimates are based on the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system
and the 2012 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Information about the 2010 SOC is
available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/soc and information about the 2012 NAICS is available at
www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm.
Metropolitan area definitions
The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the U.S.
Office of Management and Budget.
The Baltimore-Towson, Md. Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll,
Harford, Howard, and Queen Anne’s Counties and Baltimore City in Maryland.
Additional information
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OES data are available on our regional web page at www.bls.gov/regions/mid-atlantic. Answers to
frequently asked questions about the OES data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm. Detailed
technical information about the OES survey is available in our Survey Methods and Reliability Statement
on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/oes/current/methods_statement.pdf.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request – Voice
phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.
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Table 1. Employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey, by occupation,
Baltimore-Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area, May 2016
Occupation (1)
Business and financial operations occupations ...........
Agents and business managers of artists,
performers, and athletes ..........................................
Buyers and purchasing agents, farm products.........
Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products .
Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and
farm products ...........................................................
Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators .......
Insurance appraisers, auto damage.........................
Compliance officers ..................................................
Cost estimators ........................................................
Human resources specialists ...................................
Labor relations specialists ........................................
Logisticians...............................................................
Management analysts ..............................................
Meeting, convention, and event planners.................
Fundraisers ..............................................................
Compensation, benefits, and job analysis
specialists.................................................................
Training and development specialists ......................
Market research analysts and marketing specialists.
Business operations specialists, all other.................
Accountants and auditors.........................................
Appraisers and assessors of real estate ..................
Budget analysts........................................................
Credit analysts..........................................................
Financial analysts.....................................................
Personal financial advisors.......................................
Insurance underwriters.............................................
Financial examiners .................................................
Credit counselors .....................................................
Loan officers .............................................................
Tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents .
Tax preparers ...........................................................
Financial specialists, all other...................................
Employment (2)
Level
Location quotient
Mean wage
(3)
Annual (4)
Hourly
83,420
1.2
$36.79
$76,520
120
0.9
25.02
52,040
110
710
1.0
0.7
22.99
25.28
47,810
52,590
3,120
1.1
35.60
74,050
4,370
280
3,550
2,460
5,660
910
2,220
8,490
1,470
960
1.7
1.9
1.4
1.2
1.1
1.2
1.6
1.4
1.6
1.5
34.36
31.66
34.00
33.05
34.50
29.44
41.78
45.32
24.70
29.99
71,470
65,860
70,720
68,740
71,770
61,240
86,890
94,260
51,370
62,380
1,060
1.4
32.73
68,080
3,960
5,620
7,710
14,510
810
1,260
1.5
1.1
0.8
1.2
1.4
2.4
(5)
(5)
3,160
2,880
900
380
390
2,350
380
230
2,350
1.2
1.5
1.0
0.8
1.2
0.8
0.7
0.4
2.0
30.11
29.65
40.22
38.26
25.27
37.90
30.69
44.69
51.73
38.49
34.50
20.26
36.02
28.75
22.35
32.33
62,630
61,660
83,660
79,580
52,570
78,840
63,820
92,950
107,600
80,060
71,770
42,140
74,910
59,800
46,490
67,250
Footnotes:
(1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Baltimore-Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area, see www.bls.gov/oes/current/
oes_12580.htm
(2) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not
include self-employed workers.
(3) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient
greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the
occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
(4) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those
occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(5) Estimates not released.
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