The Numbers

Oil is called black gold but for the workers in the petroleum industry in Los Angeles County it also brings in a lot of green. The petroleum and coal products industry paid the highest manufacturing wages with an average of $117,242 in 2012, according to a recent study from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. Christine Cooper, an LADC economist at the organization who co-authored the report, said the high wages were reflective of the premium paid for such dangerous and intensive work. Refinery work can be as varied as engineers and seismic experts to welders and machinists. “They are highly trained and skilled but not at the high end of the education level,” Cooper said. “You don’t need to have a Ph.D to be a welder at a refinery.” Unfortunately from a labor perspective, the number of jobs in petroleum and coal products sector are low, with only about 4,100 countywide in 2012, according to the study. Only three other industry sectors had fewer jobs. In the county, refineries operated by global petroleum companies such as Chevron Corp. and BP plc are located in the South Bay communities of El Segundo, Torrance and Wilmington. And there is also drilling, including in Placerita Canyon in unincorporated Santa Clarita. The average for all manufacturing jobs in the county was $59,719, which puts it higher than Imperial County at $36,000 but less than Ventura County at $95,460. The average wage is reflective of the county’s broad mix of both high end and low end manufacturing, Cooper said. “Ventura is very specialized with pharmaceuticals and Imperial has a limited manufacturing base,” she added. Rounding out the top five highest manufacturing wages are computer and electronics products with $97,500; transportation equipment at $87,800; machinery at $63,000; and chemicals at $62,000. – Mark R. Madler