Employees who are working in the Deschutes County area had, on average, an hourly wage of about $19.50 during the month of May in 2011, which was actually 10 percent lower than the average nationwide wage, which was at $21.74 during the same time period. This would mean that people living in this county could be earning less while doing the same thing that other people in different areas could be earning higher hourly wages for. This information was first released by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics and was released earlier this week to the general public. The Regional Commissioner, Richard J. Holden, says that while the wages in the area were lower than the national average, they were actually higher than the national averages when it came to specific occupations, which included healthcare and technical occupations. People working in these types of positions were earning more per hour than the nationwide average.

While there were some occupations with higher than average wages, there were still different groups that had much lower wages than the nationwide average, which included those who are working in the computer occupation, legal, and in management as well. When the county was compared to the nation as a whole, it was proven that the local employment was primarily based on certain types of occupations, which included sales, personal care, and services.

Those working in the food preparation occupation tend to receive more money per hour and overall each year than the national average. And, those who received higher hourly wages in the food preparation service were often working as chefs or head cooks, along with supervisors of the food served in the different restaurants. Most of these workers were earning anywhere from $14.71 to $20.01 on average. In the meantime, those who made less than nationwide average while working in the food preparation occupation included cafeteria staff members and bartender assistances, more specifically hostesses of restaurants. Most of these individuals were earning hourly wages of about $9.12 per hour, which is only a little over the minimum wage.

For the entire Bend Metro Statistic Area, the food preparation group had more jobs available, which ultimately means more employment in this particular sector. There are more restaurant cooks in this area than there are for the United States set average. And, with more restaurant cooks, there are also more dishwashers in this area than there is on average.

All of the statistical information came from the Occupational Employment Statistics Survey, which is used to provide an efficient estimate of the type of employment in specific areas, along with the hourly wages and annual wage for the particular positions and for the workers who are employed.