Category
How to Use BLS & O*NET Data
Articles in How to Use BLS & O*NET Data.
When Does BLS Release New Wage Data? The 2026 OEWS Schedule
Wages move every year. If your numbers are from last release, your offer may already be behind the market.
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Mean vs Median Wage: Which One Should Drive Your Trade Offer?
Mean and median aren't the same number - and using the wrong one can quietly inflate or deflate your offer.
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What Is an MSA, and Why Metro Wage Data Beats State Averages
Paying the California average to a Bay Area electrician is a fast way to lose them. Metro data is the fix.
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O*NET-SOC vs BLS SOC Codes: How the Two Datasets Connect
47-2111 or 47-2111.00? Here's why both exist and how joining them gives you wages plus the full job profile in one place.
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What's in an O*NET Occupational Profile - and Why It Matters for Hiring Trades
O*NET describes what a trade job actually involves. Pair it with wage data and your job descriptions write themselves.
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O*NET Job Zones Explained: How to Read the Experience Level of Any Trade
O*NET's Job Zones rank how much preparation a job takes. For trades, that maps neatly to apprentice, journeyman, and master.
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Wage Percentiles Explained: 10th to 90th, and What Each Means for Your Offer
Percentiles sound like a math class flashback. Here's what each one tells you about the market - and where to anchor your offer.
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What Is a SOC Code? A Trade Employer's Plain-English Guide
Every trade occupation has a SOC code - and it's the secret handshake for pulling the right BLS wage data. Here's how it works.
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How to Read BLS OES Data for Your Trade Business (Without a Spreadsheet Headache)
BLS data is free and authoritative - but buried in tab-delimited CSVs. Here's exactly how to find the right number for a trade hire.
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The Complete Guide to Benchmarking Skilled Trades Wages (BLS + O*NET) in 2026
A plain-English, end-to-end guide to figuring out what to pay electricians, plumbers, welders, and HVAC techs - using the same free government data the pros rely on.
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