Salinas wages lag behind national average

The average worker in the Salinas area earned $21.89 per hour in May 2015, about six percent lower than the national average of $23.23 per hour according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The highest local pay rates were for management jobs ($50.56/hour), followed by healthcare practitioners and technical occupations ($46.03/hour).

The report looked at the average pay for 22 employment categories. Salinas area wages for arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media, management and sales jobs were all lower than national averages.

Twelve groups had significantly higher wages than their respective national averages, including protective service, healthcare practitioners and technical, and life, physical, and social science.

Protective service occupations in the area averaged $30.48 per hour, 42% above the national average.

Salinas was the nation’s top-paying metropolitan area for psychiatric technicians.

For complete May 2015 Occupational Employment Statistics for Salinas, CA visit: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_41500.htm

The B.L.S news release can be viewed at: http://www.bls.gov/regions/west/news-release/occupationalemploymentandwages_salinas.htm.