Short-term substitute teachers and restaurant workers were
among the lowest paid occupations in Georgia according to survey data released in April by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
In Georgia, the median wage for a substitute teacher was
$9.08 per hour, while waiters and waitresses averaged $9.12. Both wage rates
are classified as low wage and were less than 50 percent of the median wage of
$18.59 recorded in the state for all occupations.
In all, nearly 845,000 Georgians worked in low-wage
occupations where the median wage was less than $12.45 per hour. Low-wage
occupations are defined as those that pay 2/3’s or less of the state’s median
wage. Approximately 1.4 million Georgians are in occupations where the median
wage is below $15 per hour.
Substitute teachers
The median wage for substitute teachers in metro areas of Georgia
ranged from $8.61 in the Columbus metro area to $11.74 in the Hinesville metro
area. The Atlanta metro area, which was home to largest percentage of substitute
teachers in the state, paid a median wage of $9.09, close to the state average.
While the median wage was relatively uniform among areas,
some areas reported a much higher average wage. The Valdosta metro area posted
a median wage of $8.98 per hour, but an average wage of $17.54. The Macon area
recorded a median wage of $11.65 but an average wage of $14.71.
The median wage provides the middle number among workers,
the average reflects wages that tend to be outliers both at the lower and
higher ends of the range. In a normal distribution of wages, the median and
average wage would be close, but a higher average wage as compared to the
median reflects higher wages being paid for some substitutes, perhaps
reflecting more years of service to their educational systems or pay for some
additional skills or educational background.
Restaurant workers
Of the lowest paid occupations in the state, those occupations
with a median pay of between $9 to $10 per hour, 80 percent (237,000) were in
occupations normally associated with full-service and limited-service
restaurants.
The largest group were fast food and counter workers with
median wages of $9.29 per hour followed by waiters and waitresses with median
wages of $9.12. The highest paid group were dishwashers with median wages of $
In May 2020, eight food-related occupations employed more
than 247,000 people in Georgia, while in May 2019, these same occupations
employed more than 289,000 workers, a more than 15 percent decline.
Combined, these seven occupations employed more than 237,000
people in the state in 2020 with a median wage of less than $9.30 per hour.
With the coronavirus-related restrictions on restaurants,
the number of people in these food-related positions actually declined 14
percent from 2019, when they totaled 275,660 workers.
About the data
The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
survey is a semiannual survey
measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage
and salary workers in nonfarm
establishments in the United States. The OEWS data
available from BLS include cross-
industry occupational employment and wage estimates for
the nation; over 580 areas,
including states and the District of Columbia,
metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs),
nonmetropolitan areas, and territories; national
industry-specific estimates at the
NAICS sector, 3-digit, most 4-digit, and selected 5- and
6-digit industry levels;
and national estimates by ownership across all industries
and for schools and hospitals.
The OEWS survey is a cooperative effort between BLS and
the State Workforce Agencies
(SWAs). BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures
and technical support, while
the State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data.
OEWS estimates are constructed
from a sample of about 1.1 million establishments. Each
year, two semiannual panels
of approximately 180,000 to 185,000 sampled
establishments are contacted, one panel
in May and the other in November. Responses are obtained
by mail, Internet or other
electronic means, email, telephone, or personal visit.
The May 2020 estimates are based
on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a
3-year period: May 2020,
November 2019, May 2019, November 2018, May 2018, and
November 2017. The unweighted
sampled employment of 83 million across all six
semiannual panels represents
approximately 56 percent of total national employment.
The overall national response
rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the
District of Columbia, is 69
percent based on establishments and 66 percent based on
weighted sampled employment.
