Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

51-9198 Helpers--Production Workers

Help production workers by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include supplying or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment. Apprentice workers are classified in the appropriate production occupations (51-0000).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
420,910 1.2 % $11.72 $24,370 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.16 $9.02 $10.83 $13.68 $17.16
Annual Wage (2) $16,970 $18,770 $22,520 $28,450 $35,700

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Employment Services 124,700 4.23 $10.45 $21,740
Animal Slaughtering and Processing 17,850 3.64 $10.77 $22,390
Printing and Related Support Activities 17,130 3.58 $11.81 $24,570
Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing 14,070 4.98 $12.25 $25,480
Converted Paper Product Manufacturing 13,080 4.67 $13.01 $27,050

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Leather and Hide Tanning and Finishing 240 6.77 $12.04 $25,050
Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing 3,780 5.60 $12.93 $26,890
Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing 14,070 4.98 $12.25 $25,480
Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities 6,270 4.91 $11.79 $24,510
Sawmills and Wood Preservation 4,070 4.87 $11.35 $23,600

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Coal Mining 520 0.63 $20.69 $43,030
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 370 0.09 $19.97 $41,540
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing 530 0.34 $17.18 $35,730
Elementary and Secondary Schools 80 (7) $16.94 $35,240
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 40 0.01 $16.80 $34,950

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 39,510 2.81 0.86 $11.41 $23,740
Texas 36,070 3.50 1.07 $10.79 $22,440
Pennsylvania 27,150 4.89 1.49 $13.09 $27,220
Illinois 22,760 4.08 1.24 $11.76 $24,470
Ohio 21,690 4.36 1.33 $12.27 $25,530




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Arkansas 11,350 9.96 3.04 $11.09 $23,070
Alabama 16,320 9.02 2.75 $10.64 $22,120
Indiana 15,760 5.72 1.74 $11.07 $23,030
Kentucky 9,890 5.71 1.74 $11.56 $24,040
Pennsylvania 27,150 4.89 1.49 $13.09 $27,220




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Wyoming 400 1.48 0.45 $17.57 $36,550
West Virginia 2,010 2.87 0.88 $14.80 $30,790
New Hampshire 1,410 2.33 0.71 $14.27 $29,680
Alaska 200 0.65 0.20 $14.12 $29,370
Oregon 3,220 2.03 0.62 $13.40 $27,870





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 15,250 4.26 1.30 $11.45 $23,830
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 12,780 3.34 1.02 $11.17 $23,230
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 8,640 3.39 1.03 $11.25 $23,390
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 7,570 3.70 1.13 $10.23 $21,280
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 6,900 1.36 0.42 $11.92 $24,790
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 6,860 3.08 0.94 $10.83 $22,530
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 6,670 3.90 1.19 $11.69 $24,310
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 5,480 3.02 0.92 $13.42 $27,920
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division 5,030 5.89 1.79 $10.55 $21,940
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 4,390 3.17 0.97 $10.86 $22,590