1997 Wage Survey for Wyoming by: Deana Hauf

Research & Planning (R & P), a section of the Employment Resources Division within the Department of Employment, conducts an annual Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Wage Survey. Many requests for occupational wage information are received by R & P. Occupational wage information helps employers determine whether or not their wages are competitive. Employment and training organizations, such as community colleges, vocational counselors and individuals also benefit from wage data to assist students in career decision-making.

R & P thanks all of the employers that participated in the wage survey over the last two years. They have made it a big success. For the 1996 and 1997 wage surveys, more than 80 percent of the employers surveyed responded each year.

The OES Wage Survey is an annual mail survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for Unemployment Insurance (UI) covered wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments. Information is collected and presented for each industry. The OES classification system uses seven major occupational divisions. (see Occupational Definition in the Glossary) to categorize workers into one of 750 detailed occupations. On Table 8 you will find a alphabetical list of occupations. Wages for the OES Wage Survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Premium pay includes base rate, cost-of-living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay including commissions and production bonuses and on-call pay. Excluded from the OES Wage Survey are: Back pay, jury duty pay, overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, non-production bonuses and tuition reimbursements.

The Occupational Employment Wage (OES) survey data presented in this release have a fourth-quarter 1997 reference period and are based on information collected during a 1997 survey and a 1996 survey. The two years of sample responses for employment and wage data have been combined to produce this year's results. The 1996 wage data have been adjusted to the 1997 reference period by using the over-the-year wage change in the most applicable Employment Cost Index series. The employment estimates from 1996 and 1997 have been adjusted to the full universe counts for the 1997 survey reference period based on the Covered Employment and Wages program. The estimation methodology has been improved since the 1996 estimates were prepared, so that data from 1997 are not strictly comparable with data from 1996.

Table 1 shows the Statewide cross industry (see industry definitions) wage rate estimates. This table shows the total employment, average hourly mean wage, entry level wage and experienced level wage for the state by occupational code (see "Wage Survey Glossary"). As you can see from this table, the mean wage across all industries statewide is $12.06 per hour.

Occupational Employment Statistics Area Map

Table 2 includes the cross industry wages for Northwest Region Area 01.

Table 3 shows the Southwest Region Area 02 cross industry wage rate estimates.

Table 4 includes wages by occupation for Northeast Region Area 03.

Table 5 shows wages for Central-Southeast Region Area 04.

Table 6 includes wages by occupation for the Casper Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Area 5, the Casper MSA includes all of Natrona County.

Table 7 includes wages by occupation for the Cheyenne Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Area 6, the Cheyenne MSA includes all of Laramie County.

Table 8 Alpabetical List of Occupations.

The wages for Teachers in Tables 1-7 are based on nine and a half months out of the calendar year.