Twice a year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics compiles occupational employment and wage estimates by surveying employers nationwide. Current data was released May 1, 2009.
| Occupation |
Total employment |
Mean hourly wage |
Mean annual wage |
| All Occupations |
48,830 |
$15.93 |
$33,130 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
7,330 |
$12.92 |
$26,870 |
| Sales and related occupations |
6,440 |
$11.82 |
$24,580 |
| Production occupations |
5,470 |
$13.88 |
$28,870 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
5,190 |
$8.09 |
$16,820 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
4,340 |
$25.37 |
$52,780 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
3,120 |
$12.96 |
$26,960 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
2,300 |
$14.51 |
$30,180 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
2,080 |
$26.39 |
$54,890 |
| Cashiers |
2,020 |
$7.62 |
$15,850 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
1,960 |
$10.06 |
$20,930 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
1,830 |
$17.65 |
$36,710 |
| Retail salespersons |
1,800 |
$11.06 |
$23,010 |
| Management occupations |
1,720 |
$41.32 |
$85,950 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
1,340 |
$7.21 |
$15,000 |
| Team assemblers |
1,280 |
$11.04 |
$22,960 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
1,280 |
$7.38 |
$15,350 |
| Protective service occupations |
1,200 |
$14.60 |
$30,360 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
1,140 |
$13.30 |
$27,670 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
1,080 |
$9.31 |
$19,370 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
1,040 |
$10.08 |
$20,960 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
1,020 |
$9.75 |
$20,270 |
| Office clerks, general |
960 |
$10.19 |
$21,190 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
900 |
$26.54 |
$55,210 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
860 |
$15.45 |
$32,130 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
820 |
$10.20 |
$21,220 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
690 |
$13.25 |
$27,550 |
| General and operations managers |
680 |
$42.93 |
$89,300 |
| Registered nurses |
680 |
$25.45 |
$52,940 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
660 |
Not available |
$39,870 |
| Customer service representatives |
610 |
$12.19 |
$25,360 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
590 |
$19.37 |
$40,290 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
580 |
$27.03 |
$56,220 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
580 |
$26.52 |
$55,160 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
540 |
$13.72 |
$28,530 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
530 |
$20.78 |
$43,210 |
| Community and social services occupations |
500 |
$18.55 |
$38,590 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
500 |
$8.68 |
$18,060 |
| Helpers--production workers |
480 |
$10.94 |
$22,750 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
480 |
$24.50 |
$50,970 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
470 |
$14.19 |
$29,520 |
| Construction laborers |
460 |
$10.10 |
$21,000 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
400 |
$9.77 |
$20,320 |
| Child care workers |
390 |
$8.55 |
$17,780 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
390 |
$13.85 |
$28,810 |
| Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
380 |
$10.35 |
$21,520 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
370 |
$14.39 |
$29,930 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
350 |
$18.06 |
$37,560 |
| Carpenters |
340 |
$13.89 |
$28,900 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
340 |
Not available |
$41,890 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
330 |
$24.22 |
$50,370 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
320 |
$21.48 |
$44,670 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
310 |
$9.94 |
$20,670 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
300 |
$8.72 |
$18,130 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
290 |
$20.37 |
$42,370 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
290 |
Not available |
$42,960 |
| Recreation workers |
270 |
$8.71 |
$18,120 |
| Teacher assistants |
270 |
Not available |
$17,040 |
| Tellers |
270 |
$10.53 |
$21,900 |
| Electricians |
260 |
$18.80 |
$39,100 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
260 |
$22.79 |
$47,410 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
260 |
$8.12 |
$16,880 |
| Security guards |
260 |
$9.18 |
$19,100 |
| Food preparation workers |
250 |
$7.77 |
$16,150 |
| Accountants and auditors |
240 |
$24.14 |
$50,220 |
| Cooks, fast food |
240 |
$6.80 |
$14,140 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
240 |
$11.87 |
$24,690 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
230 |
$23.19 |
$48,230 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
220 |
$13.50 |
$28,080 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
220 |
$11.04 |
$22,950 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
210 |
$14.42 |
$29,990 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
200 |
$21.38 |
$44,470 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
200 |
$7.56 |
$15,720 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
200 |
$13.95 |
$29,020 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
190 |
$16.52 |
$34,370 |
| Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders |
190 |
$19.15 |
$39,840 |
| Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
190 |
$10.99 |
$22,850 |
| Computer support specialists |
180 |
$17.91 |
$37,250 |
| Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic |
180 |
$13.29 |
$27,630 |
| Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
170 |
$12.69 |
$26,390 |
| Bus drivers, school |
160 |
$11.06 |
$23,010 |
| Dishwashers |
160 |
$7.95 |
$16,540 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
160 |
$15.66 |
$32,580 |
| Bartenders |
150 |
$7.46 |
$15,510 |
| Coaches and scouts |
150 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
150 |
$8.05 |
$16,740 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
150 |
$22.13 |
$46,020 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
150 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
140 |
$12.80 |
$26,630 |
| Pharmacists |
140 |
$42.03 |
$87,420 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
140 |
$11.73 |
$24,390 |
| Medical assistants |
130 |
$11.34 |
$23,590 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand |
120 |
$18.93 |
$39,380 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
120 |
$7.59 |
$15,790 |
| Industrial engineers |
120 |
$34.38 |
$71,510 |
| Machinists |
120 |
$16.93 |
$35,220 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
120 |
$8.18 |
$17,020 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
120 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Public relations specialists |
120 |
$20.53 |
$42,700 |
| Bill and account collectors |
110 |
$10.20 |
$21,220 |
| Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
110 |
$13.37 |
$27,820 |
| Insurance sales agents |
110 |
$15.97 |
$33,220 |
| Library assistants, clerical |
110 |
$10.65 |
$22,140 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
110 |
$12.32 |
$25,620 |
| Automotive body and related repairers |
100 |
$16.90 |
$35,150 |
| Bakers |
100 |
$16.23 |
$33,760 |
| Kindergarten teachers, except special education |
100 |
Not available |
$42,190 |
| Network and computer systems administrators |
100 |
$29.73 |
$61,830 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
100 |
$16.32 |
$33,950 |
| Social and human service assistants |
100 |
$11.31 |
$23,520 |
| Amusement and recreation attendants |
90 |
$7.44 |
$15,470 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
90 |
$7.41 |
$15,420 |
| Driver/sales workers |
90 |
$9.56 |
$19,880 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
90 |
$14.98 |
$31,160 |
| Industrial production managers |
90 |
$34.95 |
$72,700 |
| Legal secretaries |
90 |
$13.88 |
$28,870 |
| Librarians |
90 |
$25.35 |
$52,720 |
| Pest control workers |
90 |
$9.80 |
$20,380 |
| Training and development specialists |
90 |
$17.78 |
$36,990 |
| Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters |
80 |
$11.40 |
$23,710 |
| Civil engineers |
80 |
$27.98 |
$58,190 |
| Dental assistants |
80 |
$12.64 |
$26,300 |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school |
80 |
Not available |
$69,000 |
| Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors |
80 |
$12.51 |
$26,020 |
| Loan officers |
80 |
$37.44 |
$77,880 |
| Mechanical engineers |
80 |
$33.36 |
$69,380 |
| Pipelayers |
80 |
$13.60 |
$28,290 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
80 |
$18.38 |
$38,230 |
| Child, family, and school social workers |
70 |
$19.00 |
$39,510 |
| Computer and information systems managers |
70 |
$48.36 |
$100,590 |
| Computer systems analysts |
70 |
$31.12 |
$64,720 |
| Correctional officers and jailers |
70 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Dental hygienists |
70 |
$21.76 |
$45,250 |
| Financial managers |
70 |
$43.63 |
$90,760 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
70 |
$15.02 |
$31,240 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers |
70 |
$18.33 |
$38,120 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant |
70 |
$8.11 |
$16,880 |
| Food service managers |
70 |
$22.65 |
$47,110 |
| Legal occupations |
70 |
$30.19 |
$62,790 |
| Managers, all other |
70 |
$39.45 |
$82,050 |
| Office and administrative support workers, all other |
70 |
$10.82 |
$22,500 |
| Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers |
70 |
$9.40 |
$19,560 |
| Chief executives |
60 |
$72.35 |
$150,480 |
| Construction managers |
60 |
$32.33 |
$67,240 |
| File clerks |
60 |
$7.72 |
$16,060 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers |
60 |
$32.46 |
$67,520 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
60 |
$20.15 |
$41,900 |
| Helpers--electricians |
60 |
$11.37 |
$23,650 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other |
60 |
$25.72 |
$53,510 |
| Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
60 |
$10.46 |
$21,750 |
| Management analysts |
60 |
$43.26 |
$89,990 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance |
60 |
$11.28 |
$23,470 |
| Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers |
60 |
$13.53 |
$28,150 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians |
60 |
$17.93 |
$37,290 |
| Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school |
60 |
Not available |
$45,850 |
| Veterinary technologists and technicians |
60 |
$14.07 |
$29,260 |
| Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators |
60 |
$18.93 |
$39,370 |
| Assemblers and fabricators, all other |
50 |
$11.67 |
$24,270 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
50 |
$20.64 |
$42,920 |
| Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door |
50 |
$16.80 |
$34,950 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of personal service workers |
50 |
$18.04 |
$37,530 |
| Highway maintenance workers |
50 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
50 |
$12.25 |
$25,480 |
| Medical secretaries |
50 |
$11.40 |
$23,710 |
| Parts salespersons |
50 |
$15.85 |
$32,960 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks |
50 |
$11.40 |
$23,700 |
| Printing machine operators |
50 |
$12.86 |
$26,740 |
| Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists |
50 |
$18.14 |
$37,740 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
50 |
$25.86 |
$53,800 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
40 |
$18.90 |
$39,310 |
| Computer operators |
40 |
$14.33 |
$29,810 |
| Detectives and criminal investigators |
40 |
$19.54 |
$40,640 |
| Graphic designers |
40 |
$17.85 |
$37,130 |
| Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
40 |
$7.86 |
$16,350 |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping |
40 |
$15.96 |
$33,190 |
| Legislators |
40 |
Not available |
$17,190 |
| Library technicians |
40 |
$14.08 |
$29,290 |
| Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers |
40 |
$6.78 |
$14,100 |
| Logisticians |
40 |
$30.68 |
$63,810 |
| Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service |
40 |
$11.31 |
$23,520 |
| Medical and public health social workers |
40 |
$20.84 |
$43,340 |
| Nonfarm animal caretakers |
40 |
$7.75 |
$16,110 |
| Order clerks |
40 |
$11.50 |
$23,910 |
| Physicians and surgeons, all other |
40 |
$95.91 |
$199,490 |
| Advertising sales agents |
30 |
$25.57 |
$53,180 |
| Chefs and head cooks |
30 |
$14.99 |
$31,180 |
| Construction and building inspectors |
30 |
$21.14 |
$43,970 |
| Engineering managers |
30 |
$43.91 |
$91,340 |
| Family and general practitioners |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Foresters |
30 |
$30.70 |
$63,860 |
| Industrial engineering technicians |
30 |
$22.03 |
$45,820 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
30 |
$8.19 |
$17,040 |
| Medical and health services managers |
30 |
$41.51 |
$86,340 |
| Medical transcriptionists |
30 |
$14.25 |
$29,640 |
| Photographers |
30 |
$10.83 |
$22,530 |
| Photographic processing machine operators |
30 |
$9.09 |
$18,910 |
| Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials |
30 |
$7.28 |
$15,140 |
| Special education teachers, secondary school |
30 |
Not available |
$43,970 |
| Vocational education teachers, secondary school |
30 |
Not available |
$54,970 |
| Adult literacy, remedial education, and GED teachers and instructors |
Not available |
$18.39 |
$38,250 |
| Cardiovascular technologists and technicians |
Not available |
$17.34 |
$36,070 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
Not available |
$8.45 |
$17,580 |
| Computer programmers |
Not available |
$33.57 |
$69,830 |
| Computer specialists, all other |
Not available |
$26.83 |
$55,810 |
| Cooks, short order |
Not available |
$8.51 |
$17,700 |
| Cost estimators |
Not available |
$23.11 |
$48,060 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
Not available |
$7.48 |
$15,550 |
| Fire fighters |
Not available |
$16.09 |
$33,470 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
Not available |
$7.98 |
$16,600 |
| Helpers--carpenters |
Not available |
$12.01 |
$24,970 |
| Home health aides |
Not available |
$8.50 |
$17,690 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
Not available |
$11.48 |
$23,880 |
| Lawyers |
Not available |
$34.01 |
$70,730 |
| Mechanical engineering technicians |
Not available |
$15.76 |
$32,780 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
Not available |
$9.46 |
$19,680 |
| Pharmacy aides |
Not available |
$9.81 |
$20,400 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products |
Not available |
$51.40 |
$106,900 |
| Surveyors |
Not available |
$15.36 |
$31,950 |
| Taxi drivers and chauffeurs |
Not available |
$8.00 |
$16,640 |
| Teachers and instructors, all other |
Not available |
Not available |
$27,030 |
| Telecommunications line installers and repairers |
Not available |
$17.58 |
$36,570 |
