Saturday, October 30, 2021

Massage Therapist Pay in New England

Data released this past summer by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put May 2020 employment numbers for massage therapists at more than 85,000.  Just under 3,700 massage therapy jobs were in the six-state New England region.  A review of BLS data reveals New England to be one of the nation's best for massage therapist pay, with four states in the region recording massage therapist annual mean wages above the national average.  This included three states, home to more than 63% of the region's massage therapists, that ranked among the ten best in the nation for massage therapist annual mean wages.  An exception to the favorable pay environment for massage therapists was Rhode Island, which ranked among the ten states with the lowest annual mean wage levels for MTs.  A closer look at BLS data from May 2020 shows us the following about massage therapist pay in New England:

Massage Therapist Pay in New England

Massage Therapist Pay in New England

State # Employed Annual Mean Wages Wage Rank*
CT 940 $49,090 17th
MA 1,670 $69,790 2nd
ME 300 $56,560 6th
NH 350 $53,260 9th
RI 160 $33,990 45th
VT 240 $45,400 29th
U.S. 85,040 $47,350 -------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on June 5, 2021

Friday, October 29, 2021

Speech Language Pathologist Pay in the Rocky Mountain Region

Released earlier this year, May 2020 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicated that there were nearly 148,500 speech language pathologists (SLPs) employed in the United States.  More than 6,600 of those employed as SLPs in the U.S. lived in the five-state Rocky Mountain region.  The Rocky Mountain region is one of much contrast for speech language pathologist pay.  Colorado, home to almost 60% of the region's SLPs, ranked among the ten best states in the country for speech language pathologist annual mean wage levels.  On the other hand, all other states in the region fell below the national average for SLP annual mean wages, including two states that ranked among the ten states in the country with the lowest SLP annual mean wage levels.  A closer review of May 2020 BLS data reveals the following about speech language pathologist pay in the Rocky Mountain region:

Speech Language Pathologist Pay in the Rocky Mountain Region

Speech Language Pathologist Pay in the Rocky Mountain Region


State # Employed Annual Mean Wages Wage Rank*
CO 3,950 $91,200 7th
ID 860 $72,390 42nd
MT 370 $72,220 43rd
UT 1,220 $77,630 30th
WY 240 $81,760 18th
U.S. 148,450 $83,240 -------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on June 2, 2021

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Recreational Therapist Pay in the U.S. Southeast

Earlier this year the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released data reporting that over 20,000 recreational therapists were employed in the United States as of May 2020.  Just over 4,000 recreational therapists were employed in the twelve-state Southeastern region according to BLS data.  Compared to the rest of the nation, BLS data revealed the region to be a relatively poor one for recreational therapist pay, with only one state in the region showing a recreational therapist annual mean wage level that was above the national average.  A closer examination of May 2020 BLS data shows the following about recreational therapist pay in the U.S. Southeast:

Recreational Therapist Pay in the U.S. Southeast
Recreational Therapist Pay in the U.S. Southeast

State # Employed Annual Mean Wages Wage Rank*
AL 120 $45,100 37th
AR 30 $54,600 7th
FL 950 $51,110 12th
GA 700 $48,370 25th
KY 100 $50,090 15th
LA 300 $44,550 38th
MS 200 $36,370 46th
NC 440 $47,270 29th
SC 270 $47,180 30th
TN 280 $44,480 39th
VA 560 $49,110 21st
WV 80 $46,590 35th
U.S. 20,080 $51,260 -------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 29, 2021

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Drug Induced Deaths in the Southeastern U.S.

More than 74,500 drug induced deaths in the United States, or about 22.7 deaths per 100,000 population, were recorded in 2019.  About 95% of these fatalities stemmed from drug overdoses, both intentional and accidental.  From 1999 to 2019, nationally the number of annual drug induced deaths increased by over 50,000 and the death rate per 100,000 population more than tripled. While every region of the country experienced an increase in its annual drug induced death count over the twenty years from 1999 to 2019, the experience in the twelve-state Southeastern U.S. was worse than the nation as whole.  From a drug induced death rate per 100,000 population that was nearly 22% below the national average in 1999, the Southeast's drug induced death rate was 3.5% above the national average rate by 2019.  An examination of data from the National Center for Health Statistics reveals the following trends with respect to drug induced deaths in the Southeastern U.S.:

Drug Induced Deaths in the Southeastern U.S.
Drug Induced Deaths in the Southeastern U.S.

State/Deaths 1999 2009 2019
AL 195 688 906
AR 121 384 404
FL 1,061 3,193 5,538
GA 347 1,043 1,502
KY 215 786 1,487
LA 246 623 1,316
MS 101 345 431
NC 401 1,223 2,378
SC 168 631 1,181
TN 374 1,000 2,219
VA 391 700 1,621
WV 80 235 934
Region 3,700 10,851 19,917
U.S. 19,128 39,147 74,511
State/Death Rate* 1999 2009 2019
AL 4.4 14.5 18.5
AR 4.6 13.3 13.4
FL 6.7 17.1 25.8
GA 4.3 10.8 14.1
KY 5.4 18.2 33.3
LA 5.5 13.9 28.3
MS 3.6 11.7 14.5
NC 5.0 12.9 22.7
SC 4.2 13.7 22.9
TN 6.6 15.9 32.5
VA 5.6 8.8 19.0
WV 4.4 12.7 52.1
Region 5.4 13.9 23.5
U.S. 6.9 12.8 22.7

(*) number of drug induced deaths per 100,000 population

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2019 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2020. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2019, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on June 5, 2021

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Physical Therapy Assistant Pay in the Southwest

Recently released data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put physical therapy (PT) assistant employment at nearly 93,000 as of May 2020.  The four-state Southwestern U.S. accounted for approximately 11,700 of those PT assistant jobs. BLS data shows the Southwest to be region of wide contrast for physical therapy assistant pay. Over half the PT assistants in the region live in Texas, which ranked as the third best state in the nation for physical therapy assistant annual mean wages. At the same time, two states in the region, Arizona and New Mexico, ranked nationally among the bottom ten states for PT assistant annual mean wages.  A closer look at BLS data from May 2020 shows the following about physical therapy assistant pay in the Southwest region of the U.S.:

Physical Therapy Assistant Pay in the Southwest

Physical Therapy Assistant Pay in the Southwest


State # Employed Annual Mean Wages Wage Rank*
AZ 3,140 $45,580 48th
NM 660 $50,900 44th
OK 1,380 $57,000 26th
TX 6,500 $69,900 3rd
U.S. 92,740 $59,440 -------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 29, 2021

Sunday, October 24, 2021

Radiologic Tech Pay in the Great Lakes Region

Data recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put the employment of radiologic technologists and technicians in the United States at nearly 207,000 as of May 2020.  About 33,400 radiologic technologists and technicians were employed in the five-state Great Lakes region at that time.  BLS data showed the region to be a relatively subpar one for radiologic tech pay with no state in the region recording annual mean wage levels for radiologic techs that was above the national average.  A closer look at BLS data from May 2020 reveals the following about radiologic tech pay in the Great Lakes region:

Radiologic Tech Pay in the Great Lakes Region

Radiologic Tech Pay in the Great Lakes Region

State # Employed Annual Mean Wages Wage Rank*
IL 8,470 $63,630 21st
IN 4,860 $60,270 29th
MI 6,630 $59,440 31st
OH 8,860 $61,720 24th
WI 4,610 $62,360 23rd
U.S. 206,720 $64,840 -------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 26, 2021

Friday, October 22, 2021

Clinical Lab Tech Pay in the Great Plains States

There were over 326,000 clinical laboratory technicians and technologists at work in the U.S. as of May 2020 according to data published earlier this year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  The seven-state Great Plains region accounted for about 25,700 of those clinical lab tech jobs, or about 7.9% of U.S. clinical lab technician employment.  For clinical lab techs, the Great Plains region is one of the weakest ones in the nation for pay.  The clinical lab tech annual mean wage level in six of the seven states in the region fell below the national average, and four Great Plains states ranked among the ten worst states in the nation for clinical lab tech annual mean wages.  BLS data from May 2020 details the following about clinical lab tech pay in the Great Plains states:

Clinical Lab Tech Pay in the Great Plains States
Clinical Lab Tech Pay in the Great Plains States

State # Employed Annual Mean Wages Wage Rank*
IA 2,600 $49,720 44th
KS 3,560 $49,810 43rd
MN 6,410 $59,840 13th
MO 8,920 $49,890 42nd
NE 1,690 $54,300 27th
ND 1,220 $53,190 29th
SD 1,310 $49,580 45th
U.S. 326,220 $55,990 -------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 18, 2021

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Pharmacy Technician Pay in the U.S. Mid-East

May 2020 data published earlier this year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put pharmacy technician employment at more than 415,000. With over 57,000 pharmacy technicians employed, the U.S. Mid-East region, which encompasses five states and the District of Columbia, accounted for about 13.8% of U.S. pharmacy technician employment. The region is a weak one for pharmacy technician pay.  Although the annual mean wage level for District of Columbia pharmacy technicians ranked 4th best in the nation, PT annual mean wages in four of the five states in the region fell below the national average.  From May 2020 BLS data, here is a summary look at pharmacy technician pay in the U.S. Mid-East region:

Pharmacy Technician Pay in the U.S. Mid-East

Pharmacy Technician Pay in the U.S. Mid-East

State # Employed Annual Mean Wages Wage Rank*
DC 660 $46,240 4th
DE 1,270 $35,210 31st
MD 6,940 $36,160 22nd
NJ 10,400 $35,700 26th
NY 18,970 $37,100 17th
PA 18,900 $31,760 48th
U.S. 415,310 $36,450 -------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 18, 2021

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Firearms Deaths in the Great Plains Region

In 2019 there were more than 39,700 firearm deaths in the United States. That was about 12.1 deaths caused by firearms per 100,000 population.  Nationally, the number of firearms-caused deaths per 100,000 population increased approximately 17% from 1999 to 2019.  The experience in the seven-state Great Plains region was even worse, as the region saw its firearms-caused death rate jump nearly 45% from its 1999 level, to 13.2 deaths per 100,000 population in 2019.  In fact, every state in the region experienced a bigger increase in its firearms death rate between 1999 and 2019 than did the U.S. as a whole.  A closer examination of data from the National Center for Health Statistics reveals the following about the trend in firearm deaths in the Great Plains region:

Firearms Deaths in the Great Plains Region
Firearms Deaths in the Great Plains Region

Area/Deaths 1999 2009 2019
IA 202 193 294
KS 269 303 403
MN 296 336 465
MO 711 822 1,252
NE 146 132 205
ND 49 59 93
SD 73 75 113
Region 1,746 1,920 2,825
U.S. 28,874 31,347 39,707
Area/Death Rate* 1999 2009 2019
IA 6.9 6.4 9.3
KS 10.0 10.7 13.8
MN 6.1 6.4 8.2
MO 12.8 13.8 20.4
NE 8.6 7.3 10.6
ND 7.6 8.9 12.2
SD 9.7 9.3 12.8
Region 9.1 9.4 13.2
U.S. 10.3 10.2 12.1

(*) number of firearm-caused deaths per 100,000 population; death count includes both intentional and unintentional fatalities caused by a firearm

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2019 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2020. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2019, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on June 2, 2021

Monday, October 18, 2021

Nurse Practitioner Pay in the Rocky Mountain Region

Earlier this year the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released May 2020 statistics that put nurse practitioner (NP) employment in the U.S. at more than 211,000.  The five-state Rocky Mountain region accounted for a little more than 3% of those nurse practitioner jobs in May 2020.  NP pay in the region was modestly lower than the national average, although Wyoming ranked among the ten best states in the nation for nurse practitioner annual mean wages.  The average NP annual mean wage in every other state in the region was below the national average.  A closer examination of May 2020 BLS data shows the following about nurse practitioner pay in the Rocky Mountain region:

Nurse Practitioner Pay in the Rocky Mountain Region

Nurse Practitioner Pay in the Rocky Mountain Region


State # Employed Annual Mean Wages Wage Rank*
CO 3,080 $109,760 32nd
ID 810 $113,890 19th
MT 710 $114,370 18th
UT 1,610 $113,550 20th
WY 340 $118,810 8th
U.S. 211,280 $114,510 -------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 17, 2021

Sunday, October 17, 2021

Heart Disease Deaths in the Rocky Mountain Region

Heart disease accounted for over 659,000 deaths in 2019 (approximately 23% of all deaths in the U.S. that year), making it the leading cause of death in the United States.  The good news on heart disease is that advancements in medical know how have lowered the heart disease death rate over the past twenty years. From a 1999 level of 259.9 deaths per 100,000 population, by 2019 the death rate from heart disease had dropped to 200.8 deaths per 100,000 population.  The bad news is that the heart disease death rate in the U.S. has been inching back up since the middle of the last decade.  The five-state Rocky Mountain region has likewise seen its heart disease death rate trend downward in the past two decades, although the improvement was less than the nation as a whole. That said, with a heart disease death rate that was 27% below than the national average in 2019, the Rocky Mountain region had a heart disease death rate that was lower than every other region of the country.  A deeper look into data from the National Center for Health Statistics reveals the following about the trend in heart disease deaths in the Rocky Mountain region:

Heart Disease Deaths in the Rocky Mountain Region

Heart Disease Deaths in the Rocky Mountain Region


Area/Deaths 1999 2009 2019
CO 6,420 6,093 7,762
ID 2,532 2,398 3,061
MT 2,049 1,832 2,290
UT 2,786 2,813 3,882
WY 1,009 964 1,067
Region 14,796 14,100 18,062
U.S. 725,192 599,413 659,041
Area/Death Rate* 1999 2009 2019
CO 151.9 122.5 134.8
ID 198.5 154.3 171.3
MT 228.3 186.2 214.3
UT 126.4 103.3 121.1
WY 205.2 172.2 184.4
Region 162.7 130.6 145.7
U.S. 259.9 195.4 200.8

(*) number of heart disease deaths per 100,000 population

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2019 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2020. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2019, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on June 9, 2021

Thursday, October 14, 2021

Dental Hygienist Pay in the Southeastern U.S

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data published this past summer put dental hygienist (DH) employment in the United States at about 195,000 as of May 2020.  At that time, the twelve-state Southeastern U.S. was home to approximately 48,600 employed dental hygienists according to the BLS.  BLS data shows the region to be the worst in the nation for dental hygienist pay.  Although Virginia DHs earned an average annual mean wage that was 15th best in the nation, every other state in the Southeast had an annual mean wage level for dental hygienists that was below the national average.  Moreover, eight Southeastern states ranked among the ten worst states in the nation for dental hygienist annual mean wage levels.  A deeper examination of May 2020 BLS data shows the following about dental hygienist pay in the Southeastern U.S.:

Dental Hygienist Pay in the Southeastern U.S
Dental Hygienist Pay in the Southeastern U.S

State # Employed Annual Mean Wages Wage Rank*
AL 3,670 $49,200 51st
AR 1,560 $65,730 46th
FL 11,830 $67,870 41st
GA 5,690 $66,330 43rd
KY 2,130 $61,140 49th
LA 2,340 $69,980 34th
MS 1,180 $56,650 50th
NC 6,700 $71,140 31st
SC 3,500 $61,360 48th
TN 4,020 $65,820 45th
VA 5,040 $82,530 15th
WV 980 $61,530 47th
U.S. 194,830 $78,050 -------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 17, 2021

Monday, October 11, 2021

Drug Induced Deaths in the Mid-Eastern U.S.

More than 74,500 drug induced deaths, or about 22.7 drug induced deaths per 100,000 population, were recorded in the United States in 2019.  Nearly 95% of these fatalities were related to drug overdoses, both accidental and intentional.  In the twenty years from 1999 to 2019, the drug induced death count in the U.S. surged by over 50,000 per year, while the death rate per 100,000 population more than tripled. While all regions of the country experienced sharp increases in their drug induced death counts in the twenty years from 1999 to 2019, the experience in the Mid-Eastern U.S. region was even worse.  From a drug induced death rate per 100,000 population that was 16% above the national average in 1999, by 2019 the region's drug induced death rate had surged to a level that was 29% higher than the national average.  An examination of data from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics reveals the following about drug induced deaths in the Mid-Eastern U.S.:

Drug Induced Deaths in the Mid-Eastern U.S.

Drug Induced Deaths in the Mid-Eastern U.S.

State/Deaths 1999 2009 2019
DE 55 139 442
DC 55 58 319
MD 660 768 2,421
NJ 757 343 2,867
NY 1,102 1,797 3,814
PA 1,049 1,983 4,475
Region 3,678 5,088 14,338
U.S. 19,128 39,147 74,511
State/Death Rate* 1999 2009 2019
DE 7.1 15.6 45.4
DC 9.6 9.8 45.2
MD 12.6 13.4 40.0
NJ 9.1 3.9 32.3
NY 5.8 9.3 19.6
PA 8.6 15.7 35.0
Region 8.0 10.6 29.3
U.S. 6.9 12.8 22.7

(*) number of drug induced deaths per 100,000 population

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2019 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2020. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2019, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on June 5, 2021

Sunday, October 10, 2021

Medical Assistant Pay in the U.S. Far West

Medical assistant (MA) employment in the U.S. stood at more than 710,000 as of May 2020 according U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released earlier this year. Per BLS data, almost 138,000 medical assistants were employed in the six-state U.S. Far West region. The Far West is the best region in the nation for medical assistant pay according to BLS data.  Except for Nevada, all states in the Far West region ranked among the top ten states nationally for medical assistant annual mean wages.  A closer review of May 2020 BLS data reveals the following about medical assistant pay in the U.S. Far West:

Medical Assistant Pay in the U.S. Far West

Medical Assistant Pay in the U.S. Far West

State # Employed Annual Mean Wages Wage Rank*
AK 2,500 $46,610 1st
CA 95,690 $42,990 6th
HI 4,190 $40,530 9th
NV 7,190 $35,970 25th
OR 12,480 $41,700 7th
WA 15,870 $45,700 2nd
U.S. 710,200 $36,930 -------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 15, 2021