Wage Survey Glossary

Mean Wage - A measure of central tendency. The sum of the values of all observations divided by the number of observations. It is also called the arithmetic average. If some values are far removed from the others (outlying), they can substantially influence the mean.

Entry Level Wage - The bottom 25 percent of wages reported (first quartile).

Experienced Level Wage - The top 75 percent of wages reported (last three quartiles).

Code - This OES five-digit code identifies occupations as defined by the Occupational Employment Statistics program.

Occupational Title - A short title describing each occupation included in the OES occupations.

ND - Information is non-disclosable and can not be printed due to confidentiality. To protect the identity of cooperating firms, both of the following criteria must be met: 1. The industry consists of three or more employers. 2. The employment in that region and industry must be more than 1,000.

Occupational Definitions

Managerial and Administrative - Includes all top and middle managers, administrators and executives. Primary duties are policy making, planning, staffing, directing or controlling the activities of industrial, commercial, governmental or other establishments.

Professional, Paraprofessional and Technical - Includes persons concerned with the theoretical or practical aspects of such fields as science, art, education, law and business relations where substantial postsecondary educational preparation or equivalent on-the-job training or experience is required. Occupations in this section are ordered as follows: general management support; engineering and scientific; data processing and mathematical; social sciences, law and related; teaching and related; medicine and health; writing, art and related.

Sales and Related - Includes persons selling goods or services and others directly related to sales.

Clerical and Administrative Support - Includes persons performing office and plant clerical tasks, such as typing, filing, computer operating, records keeping (personnel, stock, production, billing, etc) and mail preparation and distributing.

Service - Includes workers in occupations relating to protective service, food service, health assisting service, cleaning and building service, and personal service.

Agricultural, Forestry, Fishing and Related - Included in this division are workers concerned with agricultural production, forestry, and fishing. Also included in this division are agriculture related workers such as animal caretakers and grounds keepers.

Production, Construction, Operating, Maintenance and Material Handling - Includes all skilled, semiskilled and unskilled workers performing machine and manual tasks involving production, construction, operating, maintenance, repair and material handling operations.

Industry Definitions

Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing - Includes establishments primarily engaged in agricultural production, forestry, commercial fishing, hunting and trapping, and related services.

Mining - Includes establishments engaged in the extraction of minerals occurring naturally: solids, such as coal and ores; liquids such as crude petroleum; and gases, such as natural gas. Quarrying, well operation, milling, and related services are also included.

Construction - Includes establishments engaged in "construction" activities such as new work, additions, alterations, and repairs. Major areas are general contractors, special trade contractors, and operative builders.

Manufacturing - Includes establishments engaged in the mechanical or chemical transformation of materials or substances into new products and in assembling component parts of manufactured products into new products.

Transportation, Communications and Public Utilities (TCPU) - Includes establishments providing to the general public or to other business enterprises, passenger and freight transportation, communication services, electricity, gas, steam, water or sanitary services, and the U.S. Postal Service.

Wholesale Trade - Includes establishments primarily engaged in selling merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, farm, or professional users, or to other wholesalers, sales branches or offices of mining or manufacturing enterprises, agents, commodity brokers, petroleum bulk stations and cooperative marketers of farm products, to contractors with the exception of lumber yards and paint, glass, and wallpaper stores.

Retail Trade - Includes establishments engaged in selling merchandise to the general public for personal or household consumption. They are generally places of business engaged in activities to attract the general public to buy, and render services incidental to the sale of the goods.

Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (FIRE) - Includes establishments operating primarily in the fields of finance (banks, investment companies, credit agencies, etc.), insurance (carriers, agents, brokers, etc.), and real estate (lessors, sellers, agents, developers, etc).

Services - Includes establishments engaged in providing a wide variety of services for individuals, business and government establishments, and other organizations. Included in the category are lodging places, repair services, professional services, educational institutions, etc.

State and Local Government - Includes the legislative, judicial, administrative and regulatory activities of state and local governments.

For more information about the Occupational Wage Survey, please contact Research & Planning directly using the address and/or telephone information below:

Research & Planning
PO Box 2760
Casper, WY 82602
(307) 473-3805

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