The best-paying jobs in Honolulu last year relative to mainland wages were in construction, transportation, and installation and maintenance, according to a new study.
The average hourly wage for all job categories in Honolulu was $21.68, the 72nd highest out of 403 metropolitan areas surveyed, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. Honolulu wages were 2 percent above the national average of $21.35 an hour. The BLS conducted the survey in May 2010.
The $29.45 an hour paid to construction workers in Honolulu was the third highest in the country, according to the BLS. Within that category the rate of $33.10 an hour for carpenters was the nation’s highest, the BLS reported.
Two other groups in the top 10 were installation, maintenance and repair ($24.23 an hour) and transportation and material moving ($18.82 an hour). The first group covers a wide range of workers, including automobile and aircraft mechanics, computer repair technicians and air-conditioning system installers. The transportation group includes aircraft pilots, air traffic controllers and bus and truck drivers.
Honolulu’s wages were "significantly" higher than the national average in 11 of the 22 occupational groups included in the study, the BLS said. Honolulu wages were "significantly" lower in seven areas and comparable to the mainland in four other areas.
The highest wages in Honolulu were in management ($50.69 an hour), legal ($46.60 an hour), computer and mathematical ($37.13 an hour) and architecture and engineering ($36.32 an hour).
The report noted that the 45,000 workers in food preparation and serving made up a disproportionally large percentage of Honolulu’s work force (10.7 percent) compared with the nation as a whole (8.7 percent).
The average wage for that sector was $11.56 in Honolulu, about 13 percent above the national average of $10.21 an hour.
The highest pay for all job categories was in San Jose, Calif., where workers earned an average of $32.62 an hour. The lowest was Myrtle Beach., S.C., at $14.84 an hour.
