High-Wage Occupations
High-Wage Occupations measures the number of workers who live in the St. Louis region and are employed in the sectors with the highest median salaries in the region, which includes management, finance, computer science, engineering, and related fields. In 2016, workers employed in management had a median annual salary of $56,705, while workers employed in STEM had a median annual salary of $60,212. There were a total of 268,525 workers in the region employed in these industries, which represents 13.7% of the civilian working population.
High-Wage Occupations Indicator Scores
City of
St. Louis
St. Louis
County
St. Charles
County
St. Clair
County
Data Source: American Community Survey 1-year PUMS, 2016
Data Note: Management occupations include “management, business, and financial” occupations while STEM occupations include “computer, engineering, and science” occupations. PUMS data may differ slightly from estimates on American FactFinder due to differences in sampling. See PUMS technical documentation for more information. The number of sample cases is too small to report reliable estimates for additional racial groups.
What does this score mean?
A score of 100 represents racial equity, meaning there are no racial disparities in the outcomes between black and white populations. The lower the Equity Score, the greater the disparity.
For High-Wage Occupations, a score of 100 – a score reflecting racial equity – would mean black and white residents are equally likely to be employed in high-wage occupations. It is important to note that for this indicator, equity is not our only goal; we also want to improve outcomes for all.
WHAT DOES THIS ANALYSIS MEAN?
White workers are three times more likely than black workers to be employed in high-wage occupations. This disparity is most pronounced in St. Clair County, where white workers are over twelve times more likely to have a high-wage occupation (24.4%) when compared to black workers (2%). White workers in the City of St. Louis are nearly four times more likely to have high-wage occupations (19.7%), compared to black workers (5%). In St. Louis County, white workers are about twice as likely to have a high-wage occupation (16.6% of white workers compared to 8.2% of black workers), and in St. Charles County, white workers are only about 6% more likely to have a high-wage occupation (16.4% relative to 15.4% of black workers).
If the employment rate in high-wage occupations were equitable, the number of black management and STEM professionals would increase by:
- 21,163 in the City of St. Louis,
- 156 in St. Charles County
- 36,691 in St. Clair County, and
- 19,850 in St. Louis County.
Why Do High-Wage Occupations Matter?
The racial disparity in employment in high-wage occupations not only matters because of the impact on financial well-being, though that is significant. It also means that black leaders are underrepresented in management and innovation roles across many institutions and industries, and that they are less likely to have influence over the financial decisions of their employers. The underdevelopment of black engineers, scientists, and technologists means that innovation in the city overall suffers from a lack of diverse perspectives.
Which Calls to Action from the Ferguson Commission’s report are linked with this indicator?
The Commission’s calls to action related to high-wage occupations include:
Questions for Further Investigation:
- Why is there a racial disparity in High-Wage Occupations?
- What can St. Louis do to reduce racial disparities in High-Wage Occupations?
- What initiatives are currently underway to reduce racial disparities in High-Wage Occupations?
How can I learn more about this issue?
On an annual basis, St. Louis Community College produces a State of St. Louis Workforce report to track the recovery and growth of our region’s workforce.
The St. Louis Equity in Entrepreneurship Collective is a coalition of regional entrepreneur support organizations, investors, funders, and company founders working to ensure that systems built to support new entrepreneurs operate equitably, especially related to race and gender. In November 2017, they hosted a regional summit on race and gender equity in early-stage, tech-based entrepreneurship.
St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative has compiled a list of professional organizations to support the development and retention of minority management and technology talent.
High-Wage Occupations Data
Workers over 16 employed in high-wage occupations
| All | White | Black | Disparity Ratio | Equity Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Workers Employed in High-Wage Occupations | 33,653 | 24,415 | 6,032 | ||
Working Population | 158,892 | 85,170 | 60,212 | ||
Percent of Workers Employed in High-Wage Occupations | 21.20% | 28.70% | 10.00% | 2.861 to 1 | 35 |
Data Source: American Community Survey 1-year PUMS, 2016
Workers over 16 employed in high-wage occupations
| All | Black | White | Disparity Ratio | Equity Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Workers Employed in High-Wage Occupations | 141,969 | 19,217 | 109,765 | ||
Working Population | 998,783 | 235,675 | 662,166 | ||
Percent of Workers Employed in High-Wage Occupations | 14.21% | 8.15% | 16.58% | 2.033 to 1 | 40 |
Data Source: American Community Survey 1-year PUMS, 2016
Workers over 16 employed in high-wage occupations
| All | Black | White | Disparity Ratio | Equity Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Workers Employed in High-Wage Occupations | 64,576 | 2,436 | 56,183 | ||
Working Population | 391,490 | 15,791 | 342,263 | ||
Percent of Workers Employed in High-Wage Occupations | 16.49% | 15.43% | 16.42% | 1.064 to 1 | 88 |
Data Source: American Community Survey 1-year PUMS, 2016
Workers over 16 employed in high-wage occupations
| All | Black | White | Disparity Ratio | Equity Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Workers Employed in High-Wage Occupations | 23,921 | 3,206 | 19,514 | ||
Working Population | 262,843 | 163,323 | 79,882 | ||
Percent of Workers Employed in High-Wage Occupations | 9.10% | 1.96% | 24.43% | 12.445 to 1 | 1 |
Data Source: American Community Survey 1-year PUMS, 2016