Mona Shield Payne / Special to the Sun
Housekeeper Karen Hudson dusts the Art Deco suite on June 22 at the renovated Boulder Dam Hotel.
Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Sun coverage
There are 126,000 fewer jobs in the Las Vegas Valley today than there were five years ago. But the salaries of many workers increased.
The average paycheck for CEOs, elementary school teachers, casino dealers and waiters, for example, all saw double-digit growth from 2007 to 2011, according to mean salaries compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor.
“One of the things this illustrates is how sticky wages are,” said Jeff Waddoups, a UNLV professor who studies labor economics and industrial relations. “Usually when you think about how markets work, demand for labor falls by quite a bit and you'd expect wages to go down with it. But in real life, wages stay the same or keep going up, but not as many people are hired.”
Larger businesses and their employees fared better during the economic downturn because those companies better absorbed blows and tend to pay higher wages. Government employees also saw wage increases.
But service providers, such as lawyers, hairstylists and dentists, saw their salaries drop.
Why? The number of providers in those industries grew, while the number of available jobs shrunk because customers cut back on expenses, Waddoups said. People in service professions also often are independent contractors, whose salaries aren’t set by large corporations or protected by unions, he said.
Want to know how much your accountant or favorite bartender earned? Here’s a look what Las Vegans with different occupations made before the boom and after:
| Job | Number of workers in 2007 | 2007 mean annual salary | 2007 adjusted annual salary | Number of workers in 2011 | 2011 mean annual salary | Percent change |
| Chief executive | 860 | $143,960 | $156,182 | 480 | $202,420 | 30% |
| Family physician | 730 | $143,160 | $155,314 | 770 | $199,140 | 28% |
| Elementary school teacher | 11,480 | $37,790 | $40,998.37 | 7,280 | $52,240 | 27% |
| Producer/director | 440 | $57,200 | $62,056 | 460 | $74,860 | 21% |
| Architect | 1,070 | $69,190 | $75,064 | 290 | $90,300 | 20% |
| Claims adjuster | 1,020 | $53,470 | $58,010 | 990 | $66,580 | 15% |
| Casino dealer | 20,680 | $14,210 | $15,416 | 18,620 | $17,300 | 12% |
| Chef | 2,270 | $44,780 | $48,582 | 2,290 | $54,340 | 12% |
| Waiter | 32,560 | $19,100 | $20,722 | 31,290 | $23,070 | 11% |
| Gaming supervisor | 7,480 | $45,880 | $49,775 | 6,210 | $54,680 | 10% |
| Financial manager | 3,330 | $88,670 | $96,198 | 2,900 | $105,480 | 10% |
| Accountant | 5,010 | $55,180 | $59,865 | 4,590 | $63,790 | 7% |
| Registered nurse | 10,460 | $67,740 | $73,491 | 11,730 | $77,790 | 6% |
| Chemist | 100 | $76,240 | $82,713 | 110 | 87,530 | 6% |
| Cage clerk | 3,740 | $24,640 | $26,732 | $2,250 | $28,020 | 5% |
| Maid | 19,230 | $25,130 | $27,264 | 18,960 | $28,550 | 5% |
| Pharmacist | 1,720 | $97,310 | $105,572 | 1,610 | $108,360 | 3% |
| Hotel desk clerk | 3,260 | $27,780 | $30,139 | 3,280 | $30,320 | 1% |
| Convention planners | 330 | $45,060 | $48,886 | 430 | $49,120 | 0% |
| Bartender | 9,780 | $24,030 | $26,070 | 10,630 | $26,160 | 0% |
| Security guard | 16,510 | $25,330 | $27,481 | 16,110 | $27,560 | 0% |
| Computer technician | 2,260 | $42,730 | $46,358 | 3,030 | $46,290 | 0% |
| Loan officer | 3,020 | $55,930 | $60,678 | 1,680 | $60,250 | -1% |
| Gaming manager | 400 | $89,190 | $96,762 | 430 | $93,620 | -3% |
| Civil Engineer | 1,960 | $83,660 | $90,763 | 1,710 | $87,140 | -4% |
| Lawyer | 3,200 | $115,520 | $125,328 | 3,540 | $118,390 | -6% |
| Sales manager | 2,180 | $95,150 | $103,228 | 2,410 | $96,250 | -7% |
| Psychologist | 280 | $64,630 | $70,117 | 310 | $63,170 | -10% |
| Dentist | 580 | $161,140 | $174,821 | 950 | $145,470 | -17% |
| Public relations specialist | 630 | $66,420 | $72,059 | 830 | $58,720 | -19% |
| Editor | 240 | $63,060 | $68,414 | 240 | $52,850 | -23% |
| Hairstylist | 1,440 | $26,230 | $28,457 | 2,110 | $21,420 | -25% |