Demographics, wages, and benefits of workers in auto sector, manufacturing, and all industries
| Auto sector | All of manufacturing | Economywide | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | |||
| Male | 74.2% | 70.9% | 51.8% |
| Female | 25.8% | 29.1% | 48.2% |
| Race/ethnicity | |||
| White, non-Hispanic | 65.6% | 64.3% | 61.9% |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 16.6% | 10.3% | 12.5% |
| Hispanic | 10.4% | 16.9% | 17.5% |
| Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) | 6.6% | 7.5% | 7.0% |
| Other | 0.9% | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| Union status | |||
| Union | 17.0% | 9.3% | 11.8% |
| Nonunion | 83.0% | 90.7% | 88.2% |
| Education | |||
| Less than high school | 6.6% | 9.2% | 8.1% |
| High school diploma/GED only | 37.3% | 34.0% | 25.9% |
| Some college | 30.7% | 26.5% | 28.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 17.2% | 21.0% | 24.1% |
| Advanced degree | 8.2% | 9.3% | 13.7% |
| Wages for workers with less than a four-year college degree | |||
| 10th-percentile wage | $11.85 | $11.14 | $9.62 |
| Median wage | $18.34 | $18.22 | $15.84 |
| 90th-percentile wage | $32.64 | $33.44 | $32.40 |
| Employer-sponsored benefits | |||
| Health insurance coverage | 74.0% | 66.8% | 52.8% |
| Pension coverage | 47.7% | 43.2% | 34.0% |
| Regions | |||
| Upper Midwest | 54.8% | 28.2% | 18.6% |
| South | 30.1% | 28.5% | 31.2% |
| California | 4.5% | 10.6% | 11.6% |
| Other | 10.6% | 32.7% | 38.5% |
Notes: Data are for workers ages 16 and older. Wage data are from 2016–2020 and are adjusted to 2020 dollars. Data on employer-sponsored pension and health insurance coverage are from 2015–2019. The xth-percentile wage is the wage at which x% of wage earners earn less and (100−x)% earn more. Self-employed and self-incorporated workers are excluded. The auto sector includes auto assembly and auto parts. Share of union workers is share covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Upper Midwest states are Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Southern states are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. “Other” are all other states (those not in the Upper Midwest, South, or California region), including the District of Columbia.
Source: EPI analysis of BLS Current Population Survey (CPS) Outgoing Rotation Group (ORG) 2016–2020 pooled data and Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) 2015–2019 pooled data (EPI 2021).
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