Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2012

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)
419,840 1.3 % $11.84 $24,620 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.22 $9.12 $10.96 $13.88 $17.28
Annual Wage (2) $17,100 $18,960 $22,810 $28,870 $35,950

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 122,610 3.94 $10.53 $21,900
Animal Slaughtering and Processing 16,630 3.43 $10.78 $22,410
Printing and Related Support Activities 16,190 3.48 $12.15 $25,270
Plastics Product Manufacturing 13,510 2.64 $12.27 $25,520
Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing 13,370 4.68 $11.65 $24,240

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing 4,010 5.81 $11.91 $24,770
Leather and Hide Tanning and Finishing 180 5.35 $10.83 $22,520
Textile Furnishings Mills 2,680 5.11 $12.05 $25,060
Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities 6,450 4.79 $11.91 $24,760
Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills 5,090 4.73 $16.00 $33,280

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Coal Mining 730 0.83 $20.81 $43,280
Elementary and Secondary Schools 80 (7) $17.02 $35,400
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing 500 0.30 $16.95 $35,260
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 1,840 1.66 $16.68 $34,690
State Government (OES Designation) 80 (7) $16.66 $34,650

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 40,740 2.85 0.88 $11.75 $24,430
Texas 35,940 3.40 1.05 $11.10 $23,090
Pennsylvania 24,520 4.38 1.36 $13.04 $27,120
Ohio 22,300 4.41 1.37 $12.28 $25,540
Illinois 19,590 3.47 1.08 $12.16 $25,290




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 10,580 9.16 2.84 $11.35 $23,610
Alabama 14,590 8.00 2.48 $10.73 $22,320
Kentucky 11,640 6.60 2.05 $11.34 $23,590
Indiana 15,300 5.44 1.69 $11.18 $23,260
Mississippi 5,400 5.00 1.55 $10.86 $22,580




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Wyoming 560 2.03 0.63 $16.09 $33,470
Alaska 110 0.35 0.11 $15.16 $31,530
West Virginia 2,170 3.05 0.95 $14.70 $30,570
New Hampshire 1,520 2.48 0.77 $14.11 $29,350
Maryland 4,150 1.65 0.51 $13.86 $28,830





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)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 13,160 3.40 1.05 $11.27 $23,440
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 12,650 3.48 1.08 $12.05 $25,060
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 9,000 3.41 1.06 $11.25 $23,390
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 8,970 5.13 1.59 $10.59 $22,030
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 6,320 3.02 0.94 $10.53 $21,900
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 6,310 2.79 0.87 $11.07 $23,030
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 5,430 1.05 0.33 $10.93 $22,730
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 5,390 3.82 1.18 $11.78 $24,510
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 4,930 2.70 0.84 $12.92 $26,870
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division 4,550 5.18 1.61 $10.58 $22,000