Occupational Employment and Wages in Charlotte Concord Gastonia, NC SC — May 2024

Workers in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $32.55 in May 2024, compared to the nationwide average of $32.66, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that higher paying major occupational groups included management ($70.60), legal ($63.78), and computer and mathematical ($55.88). Lower paying occupational groups included food preparation and serving related ($16.32), personal care and service ($17.50), and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance ($17.81). (See table A.)

Occupational groups with the highest employment in the Charlotte area included office and administrative support (11.1 percent), transportation and material moving (10.8 percent), and sales and related (10.2 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included life, physical, and social science (0.5 percent) and legal (0.7 percent).

One occupational group-business and financial operations-was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Charlotte had 110,350 jobs in business and financial operations, accounting for 8.2 percent of local area employment, compared to the 6.7-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $51.25, compared to the national wage of $45.04.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the business and financial operations group included accountants and auditors (15,770) and project management specialists (10,080). Among the higher paying jobs in this group were financial risk specialists ($65.85), management analysts ($56.20), and financial and investment analysts ($55.17). At the lower end of the wage scale were tax preparers ($26.33), credit counselors ($28.41), and meeting, convention, and event planners ($28.61). (Detailed data for the business and financial operations occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0016740.)

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 2.00 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it does nationally. In the Charlotte area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in some of the occupations within the business and financial operations group. For instance, credit analysts were employed at 3.54 times the national rate in Charlotte, and financial examiners, at 3.03 times the U.S. average. Logisticians had a location quotient of 0.99 in Charlotte, indicating that this particular occupation's local and national employment shares were similar.

The statistics in this release are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, a cooperative effort between BLS and the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures and technical support. State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data: the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.

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 530 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. Full OEWS data tables are available online.

Additional information about the OEWS estimates and methodology are available in the national Technical Notes. The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 65.7 percent based on establishments and 65.9 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The sample in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area included 7,447 establishments with a response rate of 65 percent.

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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Anson County, NC; Cabarrus County, NC; Gaston County, NC; Iredell County, NC; Lincoln County, NC; Mecklenburg County, NC; Rowan County, NC; Union County, NC; Chester County, SC; Lancaster County, SC; and York County, SC.

For more information

Answers to frequently asked questions about the OEWS data, as well as general program documentation, are available on the OEWS website.

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.

Occupation	Employment		Mean wages ($)
	Level	Location quotient	Hourly	Annual
Business and financial operations occupations	110,350	1.23	51.25	106,590
Agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes	180	1.49
Buyers and purchasing agents	4,430	1.05	41.66	86,660
Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators	2,220	0.84	38.09	79,230
Insurance appraisers, auto damage	220	3.26	37.27	77,510
Compliance officers	2,820	0.81	44.28	92,090
Cost estimators	1,950	1.02	36.70	76,330
Human resources specialists	8,840	1.11	38.74	80,580
Labor relations specialists	350	0.63	46.77	97,280
Logisticians	2,030	0.99	39.32	81,790
Project management specialists	10,080	1.15	52.45	109,090
Management analysts	7,960	1.02	56.20	116,890
Meeting, convention, and event planners	1,120	0.96	28.61	59,510
Fundraisers	880	0.95	31.36	65,230
Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists	1,130	1.27	40.02	83,250
Training and development specialists	5,120	1.35	34.37	71,490
Market research analysts and marketing specialists	8,940	1.19	42.46	88,320
Business operations specialists, all other	11,610	1.18	45.91	95,490
Accountants and auditors	15,770	1.25	47.13	98,030
Property appraisers and assessors	710	1.38	34.74	72,250
Budget analysts	180	0.44	40.86	84,980
Credit analysts	2,080	3.54	50.19	104,390
Financial and investment analysts	5,790	1.95	55.17	114,750
Personal financial advisors	5,420	2.31
Insurance underwriters	1,110	1.19	43.01	89,470
Financial risk specialists	1,180	2.41	65.85	136,960
Financial examiners	1,650	3.03	51.49	107,100
Credit counselors	60	0.25	28.41	59,080
Loan officers	4,550	1.80	46.66	97,050
Tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents	220	0.48	34.96	72,710
Tax preparers	730	1.13	26.33	54,770
Financial specialists, all other	1,010	0.91	46.23	96,160