Weekly Economic Trends and Indicators

In recognition of manufacturing month, we will feature data on manufacturing this week and next. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classifies most manufacturing jobs as “production occupations” for the purposes of reporting employment and wage statistics for the nation, states, and local areas. As of BLS data from May 2022, there were 15,540 people working in production occupations in the Quad Cities metro area. That represents nearly 9% of the jobs in the region during the period surveyed.

In other words, about one out of every eleven jobs in the area is a manufacturing occupation. That is about one-and-a-half times the national average. When you consider the additional occupations that are necessary to support the companies in this space, the number of jobs dependent on manufacturing is even larger. The table below gives a breakdown of the manufacturing occupations with the most employees and their median wages.

Interestingly, the largest single group is “miscellaneous,” taking in a wide variety of tasks which could include anything from traditional assembly line work to fabrication tasks requiring specific skills that do not fit neatly into any other category. Supervisory roles with significantly higher wages are the next largest group.

Overall, the hourly median wage for all production occupations in the Quad Cities is $19.41, or about $40,370 for a 2080-hour work-year. The top 25% of all manufacturing workers in the region have annual earnings exceeding $55,850 per year. Additionally, some of the top-paying production occupations such as machinists and metal workers have median earnings above $50,000. The data shows that occupations requiring specialized skills and/or training are rewarded with higher wages.

Next week: Special focus on manufacturing in the Quad Cities, continued.