THE OCCUPATIONAL EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS

  WAGE SURVEY

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The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, in conjunction with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), conducts the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Wage Survey on a semi-annual basis, mailing OES survey forms to employers throughout the state. 

Employers receiving the survey are strongly encouraged to participate since the quality and the level of detail that can be provided from this survey depends on the cooperation received from the employer community. Wage data are published for specific areas and/or industries only if there are enough responses to ensure both the reliability of the data and the confidentiality of the respondents.

The wage data provided here are possible due to thousands of New Jersey employers who participated in the OES Wage Survey. The wage and employment data collected in the OES Wage Survey provide valuable input for wage comparisons and for identifying trends in emerging or declining occupations -- precisely the kind of information needed by employers. Wage comparisons between areas are useful for new companies in selecting a location or for established companies looking to relocate. In addition, people often consult these data when choosing or changing careers, entering the job market, or relocating to another area. Likewise, career counselors use this information when advising people on occupational choices.

Occupational wage data is estimated from data collected through six surveys over the past three years (see the Footnotes and Technical Notes menu buttons on the main page of this website for a more complete explanation).

The OES Survey uses the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system, which was designed to be used by all Federal statistical agencies reporting occupational data. In past years the OES estimates utilized the 2000 SOC. Estimates published in 2011 and 2012 will be a combination of the 2000 and 2010 SOC. Beginning in 2013, estimates will fully utilize the 2010 version of the SOC.  For more information about the SOC system, see the SOC page of the BLS website.

This current release of the OES survey estimates publishes area estimates using the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) configurations based on the 2000 Census. Many of New Jersey's ten substate MSA configurations are "cross-state" areas comprised of counties from two or more states. In those instances, the data presented here is representative of only the New Jersey portion of the MSA. For example, the entire "Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ MSA" is comprised of Warren County, NJ and three Pennsylvania counties. The data for the "Warren County Area" that is available on this site covers only the New Jersey portion of that MSA. For more information on Metroploitan Statistical Areas visit the BLS website for MSA definitions.

The OES survey is conducted in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands in conjunction with the BLS and the U.S. Employment and Training Administration (ETA).  Prior to 1996, the OES survey collected employment data by occupation but not wage data. This addition has resulted in occupational wage data of greater quality and consistency than ever before available. 

The stringent requirements of the OES survey, in terms of a statistically valid sample and methodology, combined with consistent survey forms and definitions, has resulted in quality wage data for hundreds of occupations that are truly comparable across all states and metropolitan areas. This is in direct contrast to previously available occupational wage data which existed for only a limited number of occupations and originated from a variety of different surveys, each collected over differing time periods using different questionnaires, methodologies, occupational titles and definitions.

The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Wage Survey Form