Workers in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $28.39 in May 2021, 1 percent above the nationwide average of $28.01, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that, after testing for statistical significance, wages in the local area were higher than their respective national averages in 6 of the 22 major occupational groups, including life, physical, and social science; construction and extraction; and production. Nine groups had significantly lower wages than their respective national averages, including legal; computer and mathematical; and arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media.

When compared to the nationwide distribution, Detroit area employment was more highly concentrated in 5 of the 22 occupational groups, including production, architecture and engineering, and business and financial operations. Thirteen groups had employment shares significantly below their national representation, including educational instruction and library, food preparation and serving related, and office and administrative support. (See table A.)

One occupational group—production—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Detroit had 175,010 jobs in production, accounting for 9.7 percent of local area employment, significantly higher than the 6.0-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $21.89, significantly above the national wage of $20.71.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the production group included miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators (52,470) and inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (12,690). Among the higher-paying jobs in this group were power distributors and dispatchers with mean hourly wages of $50.57, power plant operators ($42.25), and gas plant operators ($41.75). At the lower end of the wage scale were laundry and dry-cleaning workers ($13.93). (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_19820.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 Detroit area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in some of the occupations within the production group. For instance, model makers, metal and plastic were employed at 19.2 times the national rate in Detroit, and engine and other machine assemblers, at 9.6 times the U.S. average. Butchers and meat cutters had a location quotient of 1.0 in Detroit, indicating that this particular occupation’s local and national employment shares were similar.

These statistics are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, a federal-state cooperative program between BLS and State Workforce Agencies, in this case, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget.

Technical Note

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. OEWS data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm.

The OEWS survey is a cooperative effort between BLS and the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures and technical support, while the State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data. OEWS estimates are constructed from a sample of about 1.1 million establishments. Each year, two semiannual panels of approximately 179,000 to 187,000 sampled establishments are contacted, one panel in May and the other in November. Responses are obtained by Internet or other electronic means, mail, email, telephone, or personal visit. The May 2021 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2021, November 2020, May 2020, November 2019, May 2019, and November 2018. The unweighted sampled employment of 82 million across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 62 percent of total national employment. The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 67.2 percent based on establishments and 64.5 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The sample in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area included 7,022 establishments with a response rate of 69 percent. For more information about OEWS concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_tec.htm.

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.

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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Lapeer County, Livingston County, Macomb County, Oakland County, St. Clair County, and Wayne County.

For more information

Answers to frequently asked questions about the OEWS data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm. Detailed information about the OEWS program is available at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_doc.htm.

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.

Table 1. Employment and wage data for production occupations, Detroit metropolitan area, May 2021

Occupation (1)	Employment		Mean wages
	Level (2)	Location quotient (3)	Hourly	Annual (4)
Production occupations	175,010	1.6	$21.89	$45,540
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers	11,490	1.4	32.97	68,580
Coil winders, tapers, and finishers	100	0.7	23.18	48,210
Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers, except coil winders, tapers, and finishers	2,240	0.6	18.70	38,900
Engine and other machine assemblers	5,650	9.6	24.86	51,710
Structural metal fabricators and fitters	630	0.8	22.61	47,030
Fiberglass laminators and fabricators	90	0.4	21.17	44,030
Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators	52,470	3.1	21.00	43,670
Bakers	2,420	1.0	15.39	32,000
Butchers and meat cutters	1,910	1.0	16.45	34,220
Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers	110	0.1	16.86	35,080
Slaughterers and meat packers	70	0.1	19.64	40,850
Food batchmakers	880	0.4	17.39	36,170
Food cooking machine operators and tenders	80	0.2	15.79	32,850
Food processing workers, all other	220	0.4	16.41	34,130
Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	550	0.7	19.58	40,730
Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	550	3.8	22.58	46,960
Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	890	2.2	22.30	46,380
Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	11,860	5.2	22.30	46,380
Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	190	2.2	25.18	52,380
Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	1,330	1.5	20.95	43,580
Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	880	3.5	20.49	42,610
Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	430	2.2	22.21	46,200
Machinists	8,470	2.0	23.56	49,000
Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders	460	2.3	20.65	42,950
Pourers and casters, metal	230	2.7	22.42	46,630
Model makers, metal and plastic	910	19.2	33.17	69,000
Patternmakers, metal and plastic	130	5.0	25.94	53,950
Foundry mold and coremakers	370	2.2	21.79	45,320
Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	5,760	2.8	16.94	35,240
Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	2,490	1.5	19.70	40,970
Tool and die makers	5,220	6.4	30.07	62,550
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers	5,370	1.1	21.76	45,260
Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders	590	1.5	20.84	43,350
Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	450	2.4	20.17	41,950
Layout workers, metal and plastic	(5)	(5)	20.34	42,310
Plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	1,080	2.6	16.65	34,640
Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners	180	2.3	19.94	41,470
Metal workers and plastic workers, all other	270	1.1	18.26	37,970
Prepress technicians and workers	200	0.6	22.42	46,640
Printing press operators	1,650	0.9	20.13	41,880
Print binding and finishing workers	360	0.7	18.36	38,180
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers	2,150	1.1	13.93	28,980
Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials	130	0.4	14.59	30,350
Sewing machine operators	870	0.6	16.24	33,780
Shoe and leather workers and repairers	90	1.3	16.00	33,280
Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers	(5)	(5)	15.05	31,300
Textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders	50	0.3	14.30	29,740
Fabric and apparel patternmakers	(5)	(5)	22.01	45,770
Upholsterers	510	1.4	18.74	38,990
Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers, all other	60	0.4	15.72	32,690
Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters	350	0.3	20.59	42,830
Model makers, wood	50	11.9	33.16	68,970
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood	200	0.3	15.79	32,830
Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing	580	0.7	17.08	35,520
Power distributors and dispatchers	60	0.5	50.57	105,190
Power plant operators	490	1.3	42.25	87,870
Stationary engineers and boiler operators	280	0.7	33.78	70,260
Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators	1,200	0.8	25.34	52,710
Gas plant operators	230	1.2	41.75	86,830
Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers	150	0.4	38.18	79,410
Plant and system operators, all other	50	0.3	23.94	49,800
Chemical equipment operators and tenders	1,280	0.9	25.04	52,090
Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders	430	0.7	21.58	44,890
Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders	180	0.5	18.61	38,700
Grinding and polishing workers, hand	180	0.9	17.68	36,780
Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders	1,550	1.1	19.97	41,540
Cutters and trimmers, hand	120	1.2	17.81	37,040
Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders	370	0.5	19.98	41,550
Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders	1,170	1.6	17.19	35,760
Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders	240	1.3	26.55	55,220
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers	12,690	1.8	19.81	41,200
Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers	310	1.0	25.88	53,830
Dental laboratory technicians	500	1.2	22.66	47,120
Medical appliance technicians	650	3.3	20.32	42,270
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians	160	0.7	19.57	40,710
Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders	2,770	0.6	16.81	34,960
Painting, coating, and decorating workers	120	0.8	16.40	34,110
Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders	2,140	1.2	19.88	41,360
Photographic process workers and processing machine operators	50	0.7	17.18	35,740
Computer numerically controlled tool operators	4,360	2.2	21.95	45,650
Computer numerically controlled tool programmers	910	2.8	29.30	60,930
Adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders	70	0.4	19.24	40,020
Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders	210	1.2	16.97	35,290
Etchers and engravers	(5)	(5)	21.28	44,260
Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic	880	1.8	18.78	39,060
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders	810	0.7	19.35	40,250
Helpers--production workers	1,960	0.8	18.17	37,790
Production workers, all other	3,090	1.2	16.20	33,700
Footnotes: (1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area, see www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_19820.htm. (2) Estimates for detailed occupations may not sum to the totals due to rounding, and because the totals may include occupations that are 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) Estimate not released.