Editor's note: In the last issue of the Carolina Communique, Naomi Kleid examined data from the employment and salary survey that our chapter conducted from March 1, 2003 through March 28, 2003. She reported on what tools persons involved in hiring decisions wanted potential job candidates to know and what skills they wanted potential candidates to possess. This month, instead of a President's Message, Meredith Blackwelder summarizes the remainder of survey results.

All 291 chapter members were invited to participate in our survey. From that invitation, we gathered 79 responses — a 27% response rate. We then analyzed the survey data using JMP software to sort, sum, and average data, and to create charts.

We wanted to determine the salary range of our chapter's membership, as well as the ranges or ages, breakdown of genders, and levels of education. We asked:

• Is there a difference in salary between people with different education levels?
• Is there a difference in salary between people with different amounts of experience?
• Do males earn more than females?
• Do those who have direct reports make more than those who don't?

Of the members who took this survey, the highest average yearly salary was earned by those who were 57 years old, and the lowest average salary was earned by those who were 27 years old.

In the graph below, the red line represents the mean of the salaries of those who took the survey, which was $61,761.02.



The highest average yearly salaries of the STC members who took this survey were earned by members who worked at companies with 11-50 employees, as illustrated below. Their average yearly salary is $75,166.67.



Of the STC members who took this survey, the highest mean yearly salary was earned by those who had 6-11 people reporting directly to them, as illustrated below. Their average yearly salary was $81,252.50.



The members responding to this survey who reported the highest yearly salaries were in the 40-49 year old age group. Their average salary is $68,206.



Forty of the people who responded to this survey worked in business or industry, as shown below.



The highest average salaries (of those paid yearly and hourly) were earned by those who consider themselves to be in a senior level supervisory position.



The full employment and salary survey is posted on our web site, at http://www.stc-carolina.org/. The survey also reports what tools and skills are most used among those who took the survey, and how our chapter's results compare to the STC National results.