Occupational Employment and Wages in Ocala — May 2023

Workers in the Ocala, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $24.49 in May 2023, compared to the nationwide average of $31.48, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that higher paying major occupational groups included management ($52.20), healthcare practitioners and technical ($42.65), and computer and mathematical ($41.37). Lower paying occupations included food preparation and serving related ($14.91), building and grounds cleaning and maintenance ($16.40), healthcare support ($17.29), and personal care and service ($17.82). (See table A.)

Occupational groups with the highest employment in the Ocala area included office and administrative support (12.2 percent), sales and related (11.6 percent), and transportation and material moving (11.3 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included life, physical, and social science (0.4 percent); legal (0.6 percent); and arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media (0.8 percent). (See table A.)

One occupational group-sales and related-was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Ocala had 13,430 jobs in sales and related, accounting for 11.6 percent of local area employment, compared to the 8.8-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $21.02, compared to the national wage of $25.62.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the sales and related group included retail salespersons (4,410) and cashiers (3,310). Among the higher-paying jobs in this group were wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives, technical and scientific products ($42.53) and real estate sales agents ($42.04). At the lower end of the wage scale were telemarketers ($12.87) and cashiers ($13.31). (Detailed data for the sales and related occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available, go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_36100.htm.)

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 2.0 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it does nationally. In the Ocala area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the sales and related group. For instance, telemarketers were employed at 3.2 times the national rate in Ocala, and parts salespersons, at 2.0 times the U.S. average. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel, had a location quotient of 1.0 in Ocala, 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: in this case, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

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 580 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 65.8 percent based on establishments and 64.3 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The sample in the Ocala, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area included 1,459 establishments with a response rate of 69 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 Ocala, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Marion County.

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
Sales and related occupations	13,430	1.3	21.02	43,720
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	1,230	1.5	26.89	55,930
First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers	180	1.1	39.28	81,700
Cashiers	3,310	1.3	13.31	27,690
Counter and rental clerks	460	1.5	16.66	34,650
Parts salespersons	390	2.0	17.87	37,170
Retail salespersons	4,410	1.6	16.95	35,250
Advertising sales agents	80	1.0	26.60	55,320
Insurance sales agents	290	0.8	34.28	71,300
Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents	320	0.9	33.12	68,880
Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel	830	1.0	29.65	61,670
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products	100	0.4	42.53	88,460
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products	1,040	1.1	31.29	65,090
Demonstrators and product promoters	30	0.8	18.60	38,680
Real estate sales agents	420	2.8	42.04	87,450
Telemarketers	200	3.2	12.87	26,760
Sales and related workers, all other	90	1.1	20.75	43,150

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