--- title: "OEWS wage percentiles for staffing pay discussions" description: "Read OEWS occupation, geography, wages, and percentiles before a staffing rate discussion. Keep public pay context separate from assignment costs." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/oews-wage-percentiles-staffing-rate-context" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # OEWS wage percentiles: read pay context before preparing a staffing rate discussion A staffing rate discussion needs more than a public wage figure. The account manager must understand the work, the source's wage definition, and the agency's assignment costs. Keep those inputs separate while preparing the conversation. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) provides employment and wage estimates by occupation for national, state, metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan areas. Its estimates describe wages paid in covered jobs. [BLS OEWS overview](https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/oews/home.htm). A percentile can frame a question about pay context. It cannot establish an employer's approved wage, your agency's bill rate, or whether a particular person will accept an assignment. The [staffing office guide](/for/recruiting-and-staffing) covers business records and approval boundaries. The [public employer intelligence overview](/intelligence/recruiting-and-staffing) places pay research within territory planning. Use this article when preparing the wage-evidence portion of an employer discussion. ## Match the occupation to duties before reading dollars Start with the employer's stated work. Write down primary tasks, equipment responsibility, required qualifications, supervision, and the assignment's location. Keep a requested job title beside those details rather than using it as the only classification evidence. An occupation groups work activities and tasks. It differs from an industry, which groups establishments by activity. Workers in one occupation can work across several industries. [BLS occupation and industry definitions](https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm). For this review, compare duties with the source occupation's description. Record the selected occupational code and its classification version. If two occupations remain plausible, show both interpretations to the employer before selecting a wage comparison. Consider a fictional request for a "production coordinator." The duties might concern office scheduling, physical material movement, or supervision. Those descriptions could lead to different research paths. The title alone does not resolve them. Write the uncertainty directly: "Role mapping pending confirmation of primary duties." Ask the employer which activities occupy the assignment. Do not average several occupational wages to conceal an unresolved classification. Keep your confirmed role mapping with its supporting description. If the employer later changes the work, reopen the mapping. An earlier discussion does not establish that a revised role belongs in the same occupational category. ## Identify the geography and reference period Record the precise area name and code from the selected table. A state estimate and a metropolitan estimate answer different geographic questions. Do not label either one a county estimate unless the source explicitly provides that geography. OEWS uses defined metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Its concepts guidance identifies the definitions used for a release. [BLS OEWS area definitions](https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/oews/concepts.htm). For an assignment near an area boundary, explain why the chosen estimate is relevant. Keep neighboring areas separate if you inspect them. A broader comparison may provide context, but it does not become evidence for the exact worksite. Write the estimate's reference period separately from your access date. A page opened today can contain an older reference period. Neither a recent download nor a new spreadsheet title makes its wages today's observed offers. OEWS combines six semiannual survey panels over three years and adjusts earlier wage observations to the reference period. BLS cautions about using the estimates for changes through time. [OEWS FAQ on time comparisons](https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm). Treat a difference between releases as something to investigate. Check occupation definitions, area coverage, and methodological notes before describing it as local wage growth. Do not build a current offer adjustment from an unexplained difference. ## Read mean, median, and percentiles as different measures The mean wage is an arithmetic average across the occupation's employees. The median is the fiftieth percentile. Neither term means an employer's posted starting wage. [BLS mean and median definitions](https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm). A percentile wage is a distribution boundary. At the twenty-fifth percentile, approximately a quarter of workers fall below that wage. The remaining share falls above it. [BLS percentile explanation](https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_perc.htm). Read the percentile as a description of the estimated distribution. It is not a rating of a candidate, a prescribed experience tier, or a recommended negotiating position. A request to "use the seventy-fifth percentile for experienced people" needs more evidence. OEWS percentiles do not label the individuals above that point as a single experience group. Ask what the actual duties and requirements demand. The mean can differ from the median. Present both labels accurately rather than selecting whichever number favors the argument. If the discussion requires a single reference, explain the chosen measure and preserve the others in the working brief. ## Practice with a synthetic occupational table Every value below is invented for instruction. "Example production occupation" is a fictional worksheet label, not a verified occupational classification. "Illustration Metro" is fictional. No cell represents an actual OEWS estimate. Assume one occupation, one area, and hourly wages throughout. The fictional reference period is May 2025, with a worksheet access date of 2026.10.28. The purpose is to practice interpretation before substituting verified source rows. | Measure | Synthetic USD per hour | Reading | | --- | --- | --- | | Tenth percentile | 17.00 | Lower distribution boundary shown here | | Twenty-fifth percentile | 19.00 | About one quarter falls below this boundary | | Median | 23.00 | Distribution midpoint | | Mean | 24.50 | Arithmetic average, distinct from the midpoint | | Seventy-fifth percentile | 28.00 | About three quarters fall below this boundary | | Ninetieth percentile | 34.00 | Upper distribution boundary shown here | In this exercise, a proposed 21 USD hourly base wage falls between the twenty-fifth percentile and median. That statement compares a hypothetical proposal with hypothetical boundaries. It establishes no real employer or worker outcome. Do not assign an exact percentile to 21 USD by drawing a straight line between 19 USD and 23 USD. The table does not show every point in the distribution. Describe the interval and leave the precise position unresolved. Suppose the employer asks whether 21 USD per hour will fill the assignment. The table cannot answer that question. Ask about duties, shift, schedule, workplace conditions, and the firm's recent assignment evidence. Now suppose another fictional area has a median of 25 USD per hour. Keep it as a second comparison with its own geography. Do not average the two medians and call the result the wage for a combined labor market. BLS advises against averaging percentile wages across occupations. Their underlying distributions and employment sizes differ. [BLS guidance on percentile averages](https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_perc.htm). For a combined role or territory, find an appropriate published aggregate or explain that the requested summary is unavailable. A convenient spreadsheet calculation does not create an official estimate. ## Separate wage context from employer benefit costs OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay. Its definition includes specified incentive pay and excludes overtime premium pay, shift differentials, and employer costs of supplementary benefits. [OEWS wage concepts](https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/oews/concepts.htm). The FAQ confirms that OEWS estimates cover wages and salaries, excluding employer costs for nonwage benefits. [OEWS benefits exclusion](https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm). Keep those definitions beside the hypothetical employer proposal. If the proposal includes a shift differential, document that difference before comparing it with the OEWS straight-time gross-pay measure. Ask for clarification rather than silently subtracting an assumed amount. Create three separate sections in the discussion brief: public wage evidence, the employer's stated compensation proposal, and the agency's assignment-specific cost record. Each section needs its own source and date. For the agency's cost record, ask the responsible owner which items apply to the assignment. Possible review categories include employer-paid benefits, insurance, payroll administration, and contractual service obligations. Treat this list as questions, not a complete cost formula. Do not add an assumed universal percentage to the OEWS median. The public table does not document your agency's costs or the agreement's terms. Pricing belongs with the person authorized to approve the quote. ## Prepare a brief the employer can correct Give the account manager a short explanation before the wage table. State the business question and the evidence limitation. For example: "We need to confirm the role and pay components before interpreting the occupational comparison." Use the following proposed structure: | Brief field | Evidence or question | | --- | --- | | Requested role | Employer wording and source date | | Primary duties | Confirmed tasks, with unresolved items marked | | Proposed occupation | Source code, definition, and mapping reason | | Geography | Selected area and relation to the worksite | | Reference period | Estimate period, access date, and release notes | | Wage measure | Hourly or annual, mean or named percentile | | Compensation proposal | Employer's stated components and missing details | | Agency costs | Separate record reviewed by the authorized owner | | Next decision | Named person and evidence needed | Include two or three questions that could change the interpretation. Does the role involve supervision? Is the schedule fixed? Does the stated wage include a differential that the public measure excludes? Give the employer space to correct the duties before discussing numbers. A revised occupation can change the relevant comparison. Preserve the original selection as history rather than quietly overwriting the reason it changed. Do not include candidate rankings or private salary histories in this public-data brief. Keep the discussion about the documented role, published aggregates, and the firm's authorized commercial records. ## Handle missing or weak local evidence A missing estimate should remain missing. Record whether the source omits the occupation, area, or requested measure. Do not replace it with another value under the original label. BLS describes publication limitations and the variables available in its different data products. [OEWS data availability and limitations](https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm). Reopen those notes before deciding that an absent cell means zero employment or zero wages. A state estimate may provide broader context when local evidence is unavailable. Label the substitution as broader context and state the remaining local gap. Ask the employer whether the geographic difference affects the discussion. Your firm's recent accepted assignments can support a separate internal review. Record their dates, role definitions, and pay components before comparing them. A small assignment history remains your own experience, not a replacement public wage distribution. Use the [QCEW county comparison guide](/articles/qcew-staffing-territory-employment-comparisons) when the unresolved question concerns industry employment across territories. QCEW averages cannot reconstruct OEWS occupational percentiles. Keep source selections, employer corrections, and unresolved questions in business records your firm controls. The [business-memory guide](/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) explains how retained context supports later work without relying on an old conversation. ## Source note and written scope BLS OEWS overview, FAQ, concepts, and percentile guidance were reopened on 2026.10.28. The overview displayed a 2026.09.24 modification date. The percentile page displayed a 2026.06.03 modification date. The concepts text identified May 2025 area definitions. This guide publishes no real wage cells. The synthetic table and proposed brief teach source interpretation. They prescribe no wage, markup, or staffing bill rate. The responsible employer and agency owners retain compensation and commercial decisions. For Scale With Search to scope preparation, describe the role discussion, approved records, and the person checking the result. Use [work and engagement terms](/work) for commercial scope. Continue the website review: [AI-native staffing: the first functions to build](/articles/ai-native-staffing-first-functions); [QCEW for staffing firms: compare county employment without counting vacancies](/articles/qcew-staffing-territory-employment-comparisons); [Staffing application forms: help candidates finish](/articles/staffing-agency-application-form-errors); [Confidential job postings on a staffing agency website](/articles/staffing-agency-confidential-job-postings); [Staffing agency employer pages: turn requests into briefs](/articles/staffing-agency-employer-landing-page); [Expired staffing jobs: fix the website closure process](/articles/staffing-agency-expired-job-website-cleanup); [Staffing job alerts: define what candidates subscribe to](/articles/staffing-agency-job-alert-signup-page); [Staffing jobs missing from Google: inspect the detail page](/articles/staffing-agency-job-pages-google-discovery); [Staffing job salary fields: match the employer source](/articles/staffing-agency-job-salary-website-fields); [Local SEO for staffing agencies: match the office](/articles/staffing-agency-local-office-seo); [Recruitment scam warnings on staffing agency websites](/articles/staffing-agency-recruitment-scam-warning-page); [Remote staffing jobs: align locations and Google markup](/articles/staffing-agency-remote-job-location-markup); [Recruitment guarantees: explain the website conditions](/articles/staffing-agency-replacement-guarantee-page); [Recruiting and staffing AI rules: data, approvals, and spend](/articles/staffing-ai-rules-data-approvals-spend). [recruiting and staffing agencies](/for/recruiting-and-staffing): website and search resources. ## Related: recruiting and staffing agencies - [QCEW for staffing firms: compare county employment without counting vacancies](/articles/qcew-staffing-territory-employment-comparisons) - [Staffing application forms: help candidates finish](/articles/staffing-agency-application-form-errors) - [Confidential job postings on a staffing agency website](/articles/staffing-agency-confidential-job-postings) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. 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