Springfield's average wage: $16.31

White-collar workers made $18.35 per hour, on average, and made up 51 percent of the area’s workers. Blue-collar workers, representing 35 percent of the area’s employees, made an average of $15.96 per hour. Service workers made up the remaining 14 percent and earned about $9.54 per hour.

The survey polled 70,200 employees from Greene, Christian and Webster counties who work at establishments employing 50 or more people.

Agricultural establishments, private households and the self-employed were excluded.

Administrators and education-related workers earned an average of $38.30 per hour, with elementary and secondary school teachers earning $25.57 per hour.

Health-related workers earned $31.64, with registered nurses coming in at an average of $22.51 per hour.

Bookkeepers, accountants and auditing clerks earned $11.79, while cashiers earned $7.64.

Industrial machinery repairers earned $18.39 per hour, truck drivers came in at $17.14 per hour and construction laborers earned $14.31. Blue-collar union workers, at $19.34 per hour, average $5.33 more than nonunion laborers.

Public service police and detectives averaged $15.89 per hour, and workers in food service earned $7.47 per hour on average.

The survey also showed full-time Springfield employees average $17.06 per hour and part-time workers earn $8.14.