Among the 12 metropolitan areas in New York, 9 had annual wages that were significantly below the national average for registered nurses, and 9 had below-average wages for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. No metropolitan area in New York had significantly below-average wages for nursing assistants. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that New York-Newark-Jersey City was the only metropolitan area in New York to have an average wage significantly above the U.S. average for each of the three selected occupations. Nationwide, the average (mean) annual wage for registered nurses was $71,000; for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, $44,030; and for nursing assistants, $26,820. (See table A. For comprehensive definitions of metropolitan areas in New York, please see Technical Note.).

Table A. Average (mean) annual wages for selected nursing occupations in the United States, New York, and metropolitan areas in New York, May 2015

Area	Registered Nurses	Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses	Nursing Assistants
United States	$71,000	$44,030	$26,820
New York	78,950*	46,500*	33,390*
Albany-Schenectady-Troy	62,080*	41,430*	27,470
Binghamton	61,450*	39,350*	28,090
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls	69,770	41,150*	29,250*
Elmira	58,090*	38,900*	31,100*
Glens Falls	62,560*	48,180	28,770*
Ithaca	58,060*	38,660*	26,250
Kingston	64,180*	42,990	29,110*
New York-Newark-Jersey City	85,260*	52,570*	33,560*
Dutchess County-Putnam County	76,950*	43,440	30,730*
Nassau County-Suffolk County	83,820*	52,640*	36,880*
New York-Jersey City-White Plains	86,410*	52,690*	34,070*
Rochester	61,610*	40,050*	27,280
Syracuse	60,650*	38,540*	27,600
Utica-Rome	60,250*	37,860*	26,520
Watertown-Fort Drum	66,970	37,360*	25,900
Note: An asterisk indicates that the mean annual wage for this area is significantly different from the national average of all areas at the 90-percent confidence level.

Of the 12 metropolitan areas located entirely or partially in the state, the New York-Newark-Jersey City area had the largest numbers of registered nurses, licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, and nursing assistants, with employment of 307,530 in the three occupations combined. Over two-thirds (214,390) of these jobs were located in 1 of the area’s 4 divisions, New York-Jersey City-White Plains. Another division, Nassau County-Suffolk County, had 45,970 jobs in the selected nursing occupations. For each of the remaining metropolitan areas in New York, employment in these three occupations combined was less than 22,000. (See table B. The New York-Newark-Jersey City area’s other division, Newark, contains no counties in New York, and its data have not been presented in this release.)

Table B. Employment of selected nursing occupations in the United States, New York, and metropolitan areas in New York, May 2015

Area	Registered Nurses	Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses	Nursing Assistants
United States	2,745,910	697,250	1,420,570
New York	171,880	47,380	98,500
Albany-Schenectady-Troy	9,620	2,740	5,530
Binghamton	2,470	640	1,220
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls	11,800	4,210	5,380
Elmira	1,070	360	590
Glens Falls	1,100	700	730
Ithaca	680	240	360
Kingston	1,150	550	760
New York-Newark-Jersey City	169,470	35,990	102,070
Dutchess County-Putnam County	3,060	1,210	2,240
Nassau County-Suffolk County	25,340	6,620	14,010
New York-Jersey City-White Plains	119,070	24,530	70,790
Rochester	11,070	3,370	5,720
Syracuse	5,350	2,040	3,060
Utica-Rome	2,860	1,470	2,330
Watertown-Fort Drum	840	550	740

Wages for registered nurses in metropolitan areas in New York

Registered nurses in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area earned an average of $85,260 per year, measurably above the U.S. average of $71,000 for this occupation. Annual mean wages for registered nurses were significantly below the national average in 9 of the 12 areas in New York, including Syracuse ($60,650), Utica-Rome ($60,250), Elmira ($58,090), and Ithaca ($58,060). Average wages for registered nurses in two areas were not measurably different from the national average. (See chart 1.)

Wages for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in metropolitan areas in New York

The New York-Newark-Jersey City area had a mean annual wage of $52,570 for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, significantly above the U.S. average of $44,030. Nine metropolitan areas had below-average wages for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, including Utica-Rome ($37,860) and Watertown-Fort Drum ($37,360). Wages in two areas were not measurably different from the national average for this occupation. (See chart 2.)

Wages for nursing assistants in metropolitan areas in New York

Five metropolitan areas had average wages for nursing assistants that were significantly higher than the $26,820 national average, including New York-Newark-Jersey City ($33,560) and Elmira ($31,100). Nursing assistants in the remaining seven areas in New York earned wages that were not measurably different from the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

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 New York State Department of Labor and the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

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. May 2015 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2015, November 2014, May 2014, November 2013, May 2013, and November 2012. The overall national response rate for the six panels is 73.5 percent based on establishments and 69.6 percent based on weighted sampled employment. (Response rates are slightly lower for these estimates due to the federal shutdown in October 2013.) The unweighted employment of sampled establishments across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 57.9 percent of total national employment. For more information about OES concepts and methodology, go to www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.

The May 2015 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.

• Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, and Schoharie Counties in New York.
• Binghamton, N.Y. MSA includes Broome and Tioga Counties in New York.
• Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, N.Y. MSA includes Erie and Niagara Counties in New York.
• Elmira, N.Y. MSA includes Chemung County in New York.
• Glens Falls, N.Y. MSA includes Warren and Washington Counties in New York.
• Ithaca, N.Y. MSA includes Tompkins County in New York.
• Kingston, N.Y. MSA includes Ulster County in New York.
• New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. MSA includes the following:
• Dutchess County-Putnam County, N.Y. Metropolitan Division (MD) includes Dutchess and Putnam Counties in New York.
• Nassau County-Suffolk County, N.Y. MD includes Nassau and Suffolk Counties in New York.
• New York-Jersey City-White Plains, N.Y.-N.J. MD includes Bergen, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic Counties in New Jersey; and Bronx, Kings, New York, Orange, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, and Westchester Counties in New York.
• Newark, N.J.-Pa. MD includes Essex, Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Union Counties in New Jersey; and Pike County in Pennsylvania.
• Rochester, N.Y. MSA includes Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Wayne, and Yates Counties in New York.
• Syracuse, N.Y. MSA includes Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego Counties in New York.
• Utica-Rome, N.Y. MSA includes Herkimer and Oneida Counties in New York.
• Watertown-Fort Drum, N.Y. MSA includes Jefferson County in New York.

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