A new study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the average Bellingham worker in May 2010 earned $19.92 per hour, about 7 percent less than the national average of $21.35.
The study also includes employment counts and average wages separated by industry. Some of the highlights:
• Three occupational groups each had more than 10 percent of the total employment in the area: office and administrative support (15.7 percent), sales (11.5 percent), and food preparation and serving (10.8 percent).
• Management occupations in the area were the highest paid at $46.42 per hour, followed by architecture and engineering occupations at $38.83 per hour.
• Construction and extraction jobs averaged $24.47 per hour in the area, above the U.S. average of $21.09 per hour.
• Protective service occupations also earned more locally than nationally, $26.31 per hour compared to $20.43 per hour.
