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Market Median Hourly Wage
BLS OEWS median hourly wage by SOC × geography, via multi-tier resolution (observed national > observed subnational > geo-index projected > national projected).
How it’s computed
median(OEWS hourly wage | SOC, geography)
What the evidence shows
Evidence (effect sizes, priors, validity) is syncing from Principia.
What this metric can show you
Market Median Hourly Wage can tell roughly 22 pre-built stories — each a designed scene the data either confirms or it doesn’t. Bring your numbers and the Story Finder runs every one of these shapes against them.
specific to compensation & benefits
A real gradient — now ask if it's pointed at value
compensation · T1
Below the market, across the board
compensation · T1
One group sits apart on a decision that should be neutral
fairness-equity · T1
Pay is drifting from plan
compensation · T1
universal shapes — any single metric can take these
A few large values are doing the talking
any focus · T1
A one-time event, not a trend
any focus · T1
It doesn't track — the premise is false
any focus · T1
It's concentrated — one group stands apart
any focus · T1
Scenes are pre-built; your data is the toggle. Browse the full deck or watch one play end-to-end in The Quiet Exodus.
Run it on your data
This metric is computed in the People Analytics Toolbox on your own numbers. See pricing — posted, no quotes.
sources: toolbox:metrics-catalog
What the literature says
The measurement literature behind this signal — sourced, so you can defend it.
“This can be seen by comparing average wages across the rows of the table, and the ratio of women-to-men wages is shown in the third column. Thus, years on the job is an important determinant of earn- ings, but seniority does not adequately explain the pattern of women earning…”
— The Practice of Social Researchmatch 52%
“Here, the values of percentiles, usually the “standard” percentiles of P10, P25, P50, P75, and P90 are plotted versus the category for which they were calculated. To illustrate this, we go to BPD’s mining division, and suppose you calculated the standard percentiles of the pay…”
— Statistics for Compensationmatch 51%
“(Source: Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics, Highlights of Women’s Earnings in 2010 , Report 1031, July 2011)Industry DifferencesIndustry also plays a role in the gender pay gap. Figures 9-5A through 9-5D shows three pieces of information for each of the thirteen broad…”
— Compensating Employees Fairlymatch 51%
Resources: The Practice of Social Research · Statistics for Compensation · Compensating Employees Fairly