BOSTON — Workers in the Providence metro area earned an hourly wage about 3 percent more than the national average in May 2012 — $22.76 in comparison with the national $22.01 — the New England Information Office of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced in an annual report on occupational employment statistics in Providence.
The bureau found that wages in Providence exceeded the respective nationwide averages of 12 out of 22 major occupational groups, which included food preparation and serving related occupations.
Occupations in this group comprised 54,850 workers in the Providence area; workers received $10.87 hourly, compared with the national average of $10.28 hourly.
Chefs and head cooks were the highest paid employees of the 16 occupations in the food preparation and serving related group for which data were available; they averaged at $23.60 per hour, according to the bureau. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers were the lowest paid at an average of $8.88.
The bureau also reported that in Providence, employment was more highly concentrated in five occupational groups when compared to the national distribution; this included the healthcare practitioners and technical occupations group.
Furthermore, 12 groups “had an employment share significantly below their national representation, such as transportation and material moving,” the New England Office stated in a release.
To view the complete listing of occupational data for Providence, please visit: www.bls.gov.
