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24-1427-ATL
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Workers in the Chattanooga, TN-GA Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $26.19 in May 2023, compared to the nationwide average of $31.48, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that higher paying major occupational groups included management ($57.60) and legal ($53.67). Lower paying occupations included food preparation and serving related ($14.02), personal care and service ($15.01), and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance ($16.19). (See table A.)
Occupational groups with the highest employment in the Chattanooga area included office and administrative support (13.4 percent), transportation and material moving (10.5 percent), and production (10.1 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included life, physical, and social science (0.4 percent) and legal (0.5 percent). (See table A.)
Major occupational group | Percent of total employment | Mean hourly wage ($) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | Chattanooga | United States | Chattanooga | ||
Total, all occupations |
100.0 | 100.0 | 31.48 | 26.19 | |
Management |
6.9 | 6.3 | 66.23 | 57.60 | |
Business and financial operations |
6.6 | 5.2 | 43.55 | 36.24 | |
Computer and mathematical |
3.4 | 1.9 | 54.39 | 41.31 | |
Architecture and engineering |
1.7 | 1.6 | 47.64 | 41.41 | |
Life, physical, and social science |
0.9 | 0.4 | 42.24 | 36.04 | |
Community and social service |
1.6 | 1.4 | 28.36 | 23.25 | |
Legal |
0.8 | 0.5 | 64.34 | 53.67 | |
Educational instruction and library |
5.8 | 4.4 | 31.92 | 26.16 | |
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media |
1.4 | 1.0 | 36.31 | 25.37 | |
Healthcare practitioners and technical |
6.1 | 7.0 | 49.07 | 44.41 | |
Healthcare support |
4.7 | 3.3 | 18.37 | 17.67 | |
Protective service |
2.3 | 1.8 | 27.74 | 21.90 | |
Food preparation and serving related |
8.7 | 9.5 | 16.58 | 14.02 | |
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance |
2.9 | 2.7 | 18.43 | 16.19 | |
Personal care and service |
2.0 | 1.7 | 18.48 | 15.01 | |
Sales and related |
8.8 | 8.6 | 25.62 | 20.48 | |
Office and administrative support |
12.2 | 13.4 | 23.05 | 20.83 | |
Farming, fishing, and forestry |
0.3 | 0.1 | 19.22 | 18.99 | |
Construction and extraction |
4.1 | 3.8 | 29.57 | 24.63 | |
Installation, maintenance, and repair |
3.9 | 4.8 | 28.13 | 25.03 | |
Production |
5.8 | 10.1 | 22.90 | 21.53 | |
Transportation and material moving |
9.1 | 10.5 | 22.45 | 19.90 |
One occupational group—production—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Chattanooga had 26,510 jobs in production, accounting for 10.1 percent of local area employment, compared to the 5.8-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $21.53, compared to the national wage of $22.90.
Some of the larger detailed occupations within the production group included miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators (5,750); welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers (1,720); first-line supervisors of production and operating workers (1,680); and inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (1,590). Among the higher-paying jobs in this group were nuclear power reactor operators and power plant operators, with mean hourly wages of $57.31 and $42.85, respectively. At the lower end of the wage scale were laundry and dry-cleaning workers ($13.59) and print binding and finishing workers ($14.68). (Detailed data for the production occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available, go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_16860.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 Chattanooga area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the production group. For instance, nuclear power reactor operators were employed at 15.4 times the national rate in Chattanooga, and extruding and forming machine setters, operators, and tenders, synthetic and glass fibers, at 12.7 times the U.S. average. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers had a location quotient of 1.0 in Chattanooga, indicating that this particular occupation’s local and national employment shares were similar.
The statistics in this release are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, a cooperative effort between BLS and the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures and technical support. State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data: in this case, the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development and the Georgia Department of Labor.
The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey is a semiannual survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in the United States. The OEWS data available from BLS include cross-industry occupational employment and wage estimates for the nation; over 580 areas, including states and the District of Columbia, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), nonmetropolitan areas, and territories; national industry-specific estimates at the NAICS sector, 3-digit, most 4-digit, and selected 5- and 6-digit industry levels; and national estimates by ownership across all industries and for schools and hospitals. Full OEWS data tables are available online.
Additional information about the OEWS estimates and methodology are available in the national Technical Notes. The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 65.8 percent based on establishments and 64.3 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The sample in the Chattanooga, TN-GA Metropolitan Statistical Area included 2,700 establishments with a response rate of 64 percent.
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 Chattanooga, TN-GA Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Catoosa County, GA; Dade County, GA; Walker County, GA; Hamilton County, TN; Marion County, TN; and Sequatchie County, TN.
For more information
Answers to frequently asked questions about the OEWS data, as well as general program documentation, are available on the OEWS website.
Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.
Occupation (1) | Employment | Mean wages ($) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Level (2) | Location quotient (3) | Hourly | Annual (4) | |
Production occupations |
26,510 | 1.8 | 21.53 | 44,790 |
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers |
1,680 | 1.5 | 31.77 | 66,080 |
Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers, except coil winders, tapers, and finishers |
150 | 0.3 | 20.76 | 43,180 |
Structural metal fabricators and fitters |
300 | 3.0 | 22.35 | 46,480 |
Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators |
5,750 | 2.2 | 20.07 | 41,740 |
Bakers |
570 | 1.5 | 18.90 | 39,320 |
Butchers and meat cutters |
170 | 0.7 | 17.45 | 36,300 |
Food batchmakers |
300 | 1.0 | 20.33 | 42,280 |
Food processing workers, all other |
(5) | (5) | 22.01 | 45,790 |
Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
410 | 3.8 | 19.16 | 39,840 |
Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
90 | 5.4 | 17.88 | 37,190 |
Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
610 | 2.0 | 18.43 | 38,330 |
Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
170 | 1.3 | 18.99 | 39,500 |
Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
(5) | (5) | 21.62 | 44,980 |
Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
60 | 2.5 | 20.80 | 43,260 |
Machinists |
760 | 1.5 | 23.51 | 48,900 |
Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders |
80 | 2.1 | 20.61 | 42,860 |
Foundry mold and coremakers |
90 | 4.7 | 20.88 | 43,440 |
Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
180 | 0.7 | 20.77 | 43,210 |
Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
160 | 0.7 | 19.54 | 40,640 |
Tool and die makers |
280 | 2.8 | 26.49 | 55,100 |
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
1,720 | 2.4 | 23.40 | 48,670 |
Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders |
230 | 4.1 | 21.37 | 44,450 |
Plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
50 | 1.0 | 16.57 | 34,470 |
Prepress technicians and workers |
80 | 1.9 | 21.36 | 44,420 |
Printing press operators |
360 | 1.4 | 20.48 | 42,610 |
Print binding and finishing workers |
120 | 1.7 | 14.68 | 30,530 |
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
320 | 1.0 | 13.59 | 28,260 |
Sewing machine operators |
190 | 1.0 | 15.76 | 32,780 |
Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders |
140 | 12.0 | 15.49 | 32,210 |
Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders |
40 | 2.6 | 16.67 | 34,670 |
Textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders |
350 | 12.6 | 18.70 | 38,900 |
Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders |
290 | 7.1 | 16.48 | 34,270 |
Extruding and forming machine setters, operators, and tenders, synthetic and glass fibers |
320 | 12.7 | 22.54 | 46,890 |
Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers, all other |
100 | 3.9 | 21.12 | 43,920 |
Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing |
70 | 0.7 | 17.51 | 36,420 |
Nuclear power reactor operators |
150 | 15.4 | 57.31 | 119,200 |
Power plant operators |
90 | 1.6 | 42.85 | 89,130 |
Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators |
210 | 1.0 | 22.90 | 47,640 |
Chemical plant and system operators |
80 | 2.7 | 26.79 | 55,720 |
Chemical equipment operators and tenders |
290 | 1.4 | 23.37 | 48,600 |
Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders |
110 | 1.2 | 19.98 | 41,570 |
Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders |
60 | 1.4 | 19.85 | 41,290 |
Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders |
280 | 1.5 | 19.72 | 41,010 |
Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders |
100 | 1.1 | 19.88 | 41,350 |
Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders |
120 | 1.2 | 20.03 | 41,670 |
Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders |
40 | 1.4 | 20.53 | 42,710 |
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
1,590 | 1.6 | 21.79 | 45,330 |
Dental laboratory technicians |
60 | 1.0 | 21.73 | 45,200 |
Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
440 | 0.7 | 19.92 | 41,440 |
Painting, coating, and decorating workers |
60 | 3.4 | 18.58 | 38,640 |
Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders |
(5) | (5) | 22.79 | 47,410 |
Computer numerically controlled tool operators |
190 | 0.6 | 22.78 | 47,390 |
Computer numerically controlled tool programmers |
30 | 0.6 | 29.88 | 62,150 |
Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic |
130 | 1.9 | 19.15 | 39,820 |
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders |
580 | 3.5 | 22.20 | 46,170 |
Helpers--production workers |
280 | 0.9 | 17.44 | 36,270 |
Production workers, all other |
1,450 | 3.5 | 18.82 | 39,140 |
Footnotes: |
Last Modified Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024