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News Release Information

16-1638-NEW
Thursday, August 04, 2016

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (646) 264-3623

Occupational Employment and Wages in Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls — May 2015

Workers in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $21.66 in May 2015, about 7 percent below the nationwide average of $23.23, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that, after testing for statistical significance, wages in the local area were lower than their respective national averages in 13 of the 22 major occupational groups, including computer and mathematical; legal; and architecture and engineering. Four groups had significantly higher wages than their respective national averages, including production; construction and extraction; and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance.

When compared to the nationwide distribution, local employment was more highly concentrated in 7 of the 22 occupational groups, including office and administrative support; education, training, and library; and healthcare practitioners and technical. Conversely, 10 groups had employment shares significantly below their national representation, including transportation and material moving; computer and mathematical; and management. (See table A and box note at end of release.)

Table A. Occupational employment and wages by major occupational group, United States and the Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and measures of statistical significance, May 2015
Major occupational groupPercent of total employmentMean hourly wage
United StatesBuffaloUnited StatesBuffaloPercent difference (1)

Total, all occupations

100.0%100.0%$23.23$21.66*-7

Management

5.04.3*55.3051.34*-7

Business and Financial Operations

5.14.5*35.4832.23*-9

Computer and Mathematical

2.92.1*41.4332.59*-21

Architecture and Engineering

1.81.4*39.8934.47*-14

Life, Physical, and Social Science

0.80.6*34.2431.22*-9

Community and Social Service

1.41.8*22.1921.00*-5

Legal

0.80.849.7441.13*-17

Education, Training, and Library

6.27.4*25.4824.14*-5

Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media

1.31.0*27.3922.19*-19

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

5.86.3*37.4035.60*-5

Healthcare Support

2.92.914.1914.361

Protective Service

2.42.7*21.4521.400

Food Preparation and Serving Related

9.19.510.9811.051

Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance

3.23.5*13.0213.43*3

Personal Care and Service

3.13.4*12.3312.330

Sales and Related

10.510.918.9018.02*-5

Office and Administrative Support

15.817.4*17.4717.29-1

Farming, Fishing, and Forestry

0.3(2)*12.6716.85*33

Construction and Extraction

4.03.5*22.8823.79*4

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

3.93.6*22.1121.35*-3

Production

6.66.617.4118.89*9

Transportation and Material Moving

6.95.7*16.9016.02*-5

Footnotes:
(1) A positive percent difference measures how much the mean wage in Buffalo is above the national mean wage, while a negative difference reflects a lower wage.
(2) Indicates a value of less than 0.05 percent
* The percent share of employment or mean hourly wage for this area is significantly different from the national average of all areas at the 90-percent confidence level.
 

One occupational group—education, training, and library—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls had 40,210 jobs in education, training, and library, accounting for 7.4 percent of local area employment, significantly higher than the 6.2-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $24.14, significantly below the national wage of $25.48.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the education, training, and library group included teacher assistants (7,290), elementary school teachers, except special education (4,880), and secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education (4,370). Among the higher paying jobs were postsecondary engineering teachers and postsecondary law teachers, with mean annual wages of $96,370 and $95,700, respectively. At the lower end of the wage scale were library technicians ($21,570) and preschool teachers, except special education ($27,590). (Detailed occupational data for education, training, and library are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to www.bls.gov/oes/2015/may/oes_15380.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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the education, training, and library group. For instance, postsecondary education teachers were employed at 3.8 times the national rate in Buffalo, and preschool special education teachers, at 3.0 times the U.S. average. On the other hand, kindergarten teachers, except special education had a location quotient of 1.0 in Buffalo, indicating that this particular occupation’s local and national employment shares were similar.

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.

Notes on Occupational Employment Statistics Data

With the issuance of data for May 2015, the OES program has incorporated redefined metropolitan area definitions as designated by the Office of Management and Budget. OES data are available for 394 metropolitan areas, 38 metropolitan divisions, and 167 OES-defined nonmetropolitan areas. A listing of the areas and their definitions can be found at www.bls.gov/oes/current/msa_def.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.


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. The unweighted employment of sampled establishments across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 57.9 percent of total national employment. (Response rates are slightly lower for these estimates due to the federal shutdown in October 2013.) The sample in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area included 3,919 establishments with a response rate of 77 percent. 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.

The Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, N.Y. Metropolitan Statistical Area  includes Erie and Niagara Counties.

Additional information

OES data are available on our regional web page at www.bls.gov/regions/northeast. 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/2015/may/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.

Table 1. Employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey, by occupation, Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, May 2015
Occupation (1)EmploymentMean wages
Level (2)Location quotient (3)HourlyAnnual (4)

Education, Training, and Library Occupations

40,2101.2$24.14$50,200

Business Teachers, Postsecondary

4501.3(5)85,100

Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary

1301.0(5)88,300

Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary

2601.2(5)69,050

Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary

2501.7(5)96,370

Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary

2201.1(5)75,050

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

300.8(5)76,050

Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary

1201.4(5)89,340

Physics Teachers, Postsecondary

801.4(5)80,420

Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary

401.8(5)82,710

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

901.7(5)83,750

Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary

600.9(5)68,400

Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary

1400.9(5)74,580

Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary

1001.6(5)62,600

Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other

1002.3(5)65,690

Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary

1,2801.8(5)85,500

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary

2801.2(5)68,210

Education Teachers, Postsecondary

8903.8(5)58,290

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary

1202.0(5)66,990

Law Teachers, Postsecondary

1302.1(5)95,700

Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary

4901.3(5)60,430

Communications Teachers, Postsecondary

1601.4(5)56,010

English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

4601.5(5)65,620

Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

1601.4(5)69,160

History Teachers, Postsecondary

1501.6(5)68,090

Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary

2202.3(5)78,710

Graduate Teaching Assistants

5101.0(5)22,780

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

801.2(5)68,140

Vocational Education Teachers, Postsecondary

5201.135.2973,400

Postsecondary Teachers, All Other

1200.2(5)62,650

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

1,9701.413.2727,590

Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education

6101.0(5)59,240

Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education

4,8800.9(5)60,960

Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

2,2500.9(5)57,210

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School

1202.4(5)61,420

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

4,3701.2(5)64,650

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School

5101.7(5)60,690

Special Education Teachers, Preschool

3503.0(5)55,960

Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School

1,0401.4(5)60,240

Special Education Teachers, Middle School

5301.5(5)64,710

Special Education Teachers, Secondary School

9001.8(5)59,150

Special Education Teachers, All Other

1300.8(5)59,720

Adult Basic and Secondary Education and Literacy Teachers and Instructors

2300.931.8366,210

Self-Enrichment Education Teachers

1,4001.618.0837,610

Teachers and Instructors, All Other, Except Substitute Teachers

4300.4(5)37,250

Substitute Teachers

3,3301.414.7630,690

Curators

501.218.5838,650

Librarians

7001.425.8453,740

Library Technicians

4801.310.3721,570

Audio-Visual and Multimedia Collections Specialists

400.923.9149,730

Instructional Coordinators

4900.927.4357,060

Teacher Assistants

7,2901.5(5)23,900

Education, Training, and Library Workers, All Other

900.211.3123,530

Footnotes:
(1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY, area, see www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_15380.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) Estimate not released.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 04, 2016