data/data_desc.md

May 2024 OEWS Estimates — Data Dictionary / Description

Dataset: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Survey (May 2024 Estimates)
Publisher: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Department of Labor
Website: https://www.bls.gov/oes/
Contact: oewsinfo@bls.gov

Not all fields are available for every type of estimate.

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Overview

This dataset provides employment and wage estimates for occupations (SOC) by geography (U.S., state, territory, metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas) and, for some releases, by industry (NAICS) and ownership. Estimates include employment counts, measures of sampling error (PRSE), and wage levels (mean and percentiles) on hourly and/or annual bases.

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Field Definitions

Field	Description
area	Geographic identifier: U.S. (99), state FIPS code, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) code, or OEWS-specific nonmetropolitan area code.
area_title	Area name.
area_type	Area type: 1=U.S.; 2=State; 3=U.S. Territory; 4=Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA); 6=Nonmetropolitan Area.
prim_state	Primary state for the given area. "US" is used for national estimates.
naics	North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the given industry.
naics_title	NAICS title for the given industry.
i_group	Industry level indicator: cross-industry or NAICS sector, 3-digit, 4-digit, 5-digit, or 6-digit industry. For industries no longer published at the 4-digit NAICS level, “4-digit” indicates the most detailed breakdown available (either a standard NAICS 3-digit industry or an OEWS-specific combination of 4-digit industries). Some industries aggregated to the 3-digit level (e.g., 327000) may appear twice (once as “3-digit” and once as “4-digit”).
own_code	Ownership type: 1=Federal Government; 2=State Government; 3=Local Government; 123=Federal, State, and Local Government; 235=Private, State, and Local Government; 35=Private and Local Government; 5=Private; 57=Private, Local Government Gambling Establishments (Sector 71), and Local Government Casino Hotels (Sector 72); 58=Private plus State and Local Government Hospitals; 59=Private and Postal Service; 1235=Federal, State, and Local Government and Private Sector.
occ_code	6-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code or OEWS-specific occupation code.
occ_title	SOC title or OEWS-specific occupation title.
o_group	SOC occupation level (major/minor/broad/detailed) and all-occupations totals. For occupations no longer published at the SOC detailed level, “detailed” indicates the most detailed data available (either a standard SOC broad occupation or an OEWS-specific combination of detailed occupations). Some occupations aggregated to the SOC broad level may appear twice (once as “broad” and once as “detailed”).
tot_emp	Estimated total employment, rounded to the nearest 10 (excludes self-employed).
emp_prse	Percent relative standard error (PRSE) for the employment estimate (measure of sampling error as a percent of the estimate). Lower PRSE generally indicates higher precision.
jobs_1000	Jobs per 1,000 in the given area for the occupation. Only available for state and MSA estimates; otherwise blank.
loc_quotient	Location quotient: ratio of an occupation’s share of area employment to its share of U.S. employment. Example: 10% locally vs 2% nationally → LQ = 5. Only available for state, metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan area estimates; otherwise blank.
pct_total	Percent of industry employment in the given occupation. Percents may not sum to 100 due to suppressed/unpublished occupations. Only available for national industry estimates; otherwise blank.
pct_rpt	Percent of establishments reporting the occupation for the cell. Only available for national industry estimates; otherwise blank.
h_mean	Mean hourly wage.
a_mean	Mean annual wage.
mean_prse	Percent relative standard error (PRSE) for the mean wage estimate (sampling error measure). Lower PRSE generally indicates higher precision.
h_pct10	Hourly 10th percentile wage.
h_pct25	Hourly 25th percentile wage.
h_median	Hourly median wage (50th percentile).
h_pct75	Hourly 75th percentile wage.
h_pct90	Hourly 90th percentile wage.
a_pct10	Annual 10th percentile wage.
a_pct25	Annual 25th percentile wage.
a_median	Annual median wage (50th percentile).
a_pct75	Annual 75th percentile wage.
a_pct90	Annual 90th percentile wage.
annual	Contains "TRUE" if only annual wages are released (e.g., occupations typically working fewer than 2,080 hours/year but paid annually such as teachers, pilots, athletes).
hourly	Contains "TRUE" if only hourly wages are released (e.g., occupations typically working fewer than 2,080 hours/year and paid hourly such as actors, dancers, musicians, singers).

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Notes on Missing/Suppressed Values

The dataset uses special symbols in some fields:

• * = a wage estimate is not available
• ** = an employment estimate is not available
• # = wage is ≥ $115.00/hour or ≥ $239,200/year
• ~ = percent of establishments reporting the occupation is < 0.5%

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Practical Interpretation Tips

• Employment (tot_emp) is rounded to the nearest 10; small differences may be rounding artifacts.
• PRSE fields (emp_prse, mean_prse) indicate sampling uncertainty; use them to judge reliability.
• Hourly vs annual fields: Some occupations will only have one wage basis published (see annual and hourly flags).

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Source Citation

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 Estimates.
https://www.bls.gov/oes/