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 |
53,580 |
$17.53 |
$36,450 |
| Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
8,430 |
$9.13 |
$19,000 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
7,670 |
$14.18 |
$29,490 |
| Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse |
7,470 |
$8.79 |
$18,280 |
| Sales and related occupations |
5,510 |
$12.71 |
$26,430 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
4,710 |
$25.69 |
$53,440 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
3,700 |
$9.53 |
$19,820 |
| Protective service occupations |
3,590 |
$26.66 |
$55,460 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
3,270 |
$13.48 |
$28,040 |
| Retail salespersons |
2,910 |
$10.26 |
$21,350 |
| Production occupations |
2,440 |
$15.83 |
$32,920 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
2,090 |
$18.28 |
$38,010 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
1,950 |
$26.28 |
$54,670 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
1,930 |
$18.97 |
$39,460 |
| Management occupations |
1,870 |
$37.83 |
$78,680 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
1,620 |
$38.96 |
$81,050 |
| Teacher assistants |
1,320 |
Not available |
$27,100 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
1,310 |
$11.44 |
$23,790 |
| Office clerks, general |
1,080 |
$12.48 |
$25,960 |
| Cashiers |
1,070 |
$9.17 |
$19,070 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
980 |
Not available |
$62,420 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
950 |
$10.01 |
$20,820 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
880 |
$8.81 |
$18,320 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
850 |
$12.76 |
$26,540 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
790 |
$15.90 |
$33,070 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
780 |
Not available |
$65,300 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
720 |
$10.52 |
$21,890 |
| Community and social services occupations |
700 |
$25.15 |
$52,320 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
680 |
$9.93 |
$20,650 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
670 |
$12.53 |
$26,060 |
| Registered nurses |
660 |
$33.37 |
$69,400 |
| Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation |
640 |
$26.42 |
$54,940 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
630 |
$14.52 |
$30,200 |
| General and operations managers |
630 |
$38.47 |
$80,020 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
610 |
$17.68 |
$36,780 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
590 |
$20.90 |
$43,460 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
580 |
$13.47 |
$28,030 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
560 |
$14.98 |
$31,150 |
| Agricultural equipment operators |
550 |
$9.26 |
$19,260 |
| Cooks, fast food |
540 |
$8.81 |
$18,320 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
520 |
$8.51 |
$17,710 |
| Construction laborers |
510 |
$13.73 |
$28,550 |
| Security guards |
490 |
$10.18 |
$21,180 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
460 |
$25.34 |
$52,700 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
390 |
$20.24 |
$42,110 |
| Tellers |
350 |
$11.37 |
$23,660 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
330 |
$9.47 |
$19,700 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
320 |
$12.44 |
$25,870 |
| Medical secretaries |
320 |
$11.37 |
$23,650 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
310 |
$32.48 |
$67,550 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
310 |
$11.27 |
$23,450 |
| Accountants and auditors |
300 |
$24.01 |
$49,930 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
300 |
$9.81 |
$20,390 |
| Customer service representatives |
300 |
$14.70 |
$30,580 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
300 |
$30.31 |
$63,040 |
| Food preparation workers |
290 |
$9.45 |
$19,650 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
280 |
$17.88 |
$37,200 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
270 |
$30.86 |
$64,190 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
270 |
$29.86 |
$62,100 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
260 |
$14.07 |
$29,270 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
240 |
$28.43 |
$59,130 |
| Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school |
240 |
Not available |
$65,540 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
230 |
$20.11 |
$41,830 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
230 |
$15.64 |
$32,520 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
230 |
$13.34 |
$27,760 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
230 |
$8.76 |
$18,230 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
230 |
$23.17 |
$48,190 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
230 |
$10.54 |
$21,910 |
| Power plant operators |
220 |
$22.52 |
$46,850 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
210 |
$13.11 |
$27,270 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
210 |
$10.74 |
$22,330 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of farming, fishing, and forestry workers |
210 |
$17.61 |
$36,620 |
| Electricians |
200 |
$23.08 |
$48,010 |
| Legal occupations |
200 |
$36.70 |
$76,340 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
180 |
$13.48 |
$28,030 |
| Kindergarten teachers, except special education |
170 |
Not available |
$59,550 |
| Dental assistants |
160 |
$14.75 |
$30,680 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
160 |
$27.44 |
$57,080 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
160 |
$27.51 |
$57,230 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
160 |
$8.84 |
$18,390 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
150 |
$25.55 |
$53,140 |
| Fire fighters |
140 |
$18.94 |
$39,390 |
| Sales managers |
140 |
$39.50 |
$82,170 |
| Special education teachers, secondary school |
140 |
Not available |
$73,250 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
130 |
$9.15 |
$19,030 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
130 |
$29.08 |
$60,480 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of police and detectives |
130 |
$38.09 |
$79,220 |
| Child, family, and school social workers |
120 |
$19.64 |
$40,850 |
| Dishwashers |
120 |
$8.42 |
$17,520 |
| Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance |
120 |
$13.20 |
$27,450 |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school |
120 |
Not available |
$103,460 |
| Managers, all other |
120 |
$41.24 |
$85,790 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
120 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
110 |
$14.30 |
$29,750 |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers |
110 |
$16.01 |
$33,300 |
| Medical assistants |
110 |
$12.69 |
$26,390 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
110 |
$11.03 |
$22,930 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
100 |
$17.23 |
$35,850 |
| Farm equipment mechanics |
100 |
$14.37 |
$29,890 |
| Financial managers |
100 |
$35.41 |
$73,650 |
| Food service managers |
100 |
$21.34 |
$44,380 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
100 |
$8.83 |
$18,360 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
100 |
$9.15 |
$19,030 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
100 |
$19.34 |
$40,230 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
100 |
$16.70 |
$34,730 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
100 |
$16.10 |
$33,480 |
| Word processors and typists |
100 |
$14.67 |
$30,510 |
| All other information and record clerks |
90 |
$15.45 |
$32,130 |
| Computer support specialists |
90 |
$21.28 |
$44,260 |
| Insurance sales agents |
90 |
$18.55 |
$38,570 |
| Management analysts |
90 |
$30.08 |
$62,570 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
90 |
$23.04 |
$47,920 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
90 |
$22.59 |
$46,980 |
| Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators |
90 |
$26.19 |
$54,470 |
| Administrative services managers |
80 |
$36.21 |
$75,310 |
| Bartenders |
80 |
$8.72 |
$18,130 |
| Carpenters |
80 |
$24.05 |
$50,020 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand |
80 |
$21.87 |
$45,490 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
80 |
$22.81 |
$47,450 |
| Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
80 |
$11.07 |
$23,030 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks |
80 |
$13.54 |
$28,170 |
| Special education teachers, middle school |
80 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Teachers and instructors, all other |
80 |
Not available |
$60,310 |
| Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers, recordkeeping |
80 |
$10.26 |
$21,340 |
| Bill and account collectors |
70 |
$13.06 |
$27,170 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
70 |
$8.62 |
$17,920 |
| Emergency medical technicians and paramedics |
70 |
$11.65 |
$24,230 |
| File clerks |
70 |
$10.27 |
$21,350 |
| Lawyers |
70 |
$50.95 |
$105,980 |
| Parts salespersons |
70 |
$13.29 |
$27,640 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
70 |
$28.30 |
$58,870 |
| Team assemblers |
70 |
$11.23 |
$23,350 |
| Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers |
70 |
$26.89 |
$55,920 |
| Cargo and freight agents |
60 |
$16.81 |
$34,970 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
60 |
$19.60 |
$40,760 |
| Helpers--electricians |
60 |
$14.32 |
$29,780 |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping |
60 |
$19.37 |
$40,300 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
60 |
$12.24 |
$25,460 |
| Legal secretaries |
60 |
$13.35 |
$27,770 |
| Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines |
60 |
$20.57 |
$42,790 |
| Order clerks |
60 |
$14.58 |
$30,330 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians |
60 |
$24.77 |
$51,510 |
| Taxi drivers and chauffeurs |
60 |
$10.32 |
$21,460 |
| Agricultural inspectors |
50 |
$20.77 |
$43,200 |
| Amusement and recreation attendants |
50 |
$9.04 |
$18,810 |
| Bus drivers, transit and intercity |
50 |
$9.11 |
$18,940 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
50 |
$12.39 |
$25,760 |
| Education administrators, preschool and child care center/program |
50 |
$24.40 |
$50,750 |
| Engineering managers |
50 |
$48.51 |
$100,910 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
50 |
$22.65 |
$47,120 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
50 |
$10.18 |
$21,180 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
50 |
$22.15 |
$46,070 |
| Instructional coordinators |
50 |
$29.83 |
$62,040 |
| Legislators |
50 |
Not available |
$43,690 |
| Library technicians |
50 |
$15.59 |
$32,430 |
| Logisticians |
50 |
$34.21 |
$71,150 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
50 |
$11.40 |
$23,710 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance |
50 |
$17.45 |
$36,300 |
| Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers |
50 |
$14.01 |
$29,150 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
50 |
$22.19 |
$46,160 |
| Protective service workers, all other |
50 |
$16.52 |
$34,370 |
| Sales and related workers, all other |
50 |
$18.62 |
$38,730 |
| Speech-language pathologists |
50 |
$26.93 |
$56,020 |
| Switchboard operators, including answering service |
50 |
$11.03 |
$22,940 |
| Vocational education teachers, secondary school |
50 |
Not available |
$68,450 |
| Chief executives |
40 |
$72.63 |
$151,060 |
| Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists |
40 |
$41.71 |
$86,760 |
| Construction managers |
40 |
$41.86 |
$87,070 |
| Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists |
40 |
$21.34 |
$44,380 |
| Farm, ranch, and other agricultural managers |
40 |
$27.17 |
$56,510 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers |
40 |
Not available |
Not available |
| First-line supervisors/managers, protective service workers, all other |
40 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Floral designers |
40 |
$12.35 |
$25,680 |
| Healthcare support workers, all other |
40 |
$13.77 |
$28,640 |
| Industrial production managers |
40 |
$38.75 |
$80,600 |
| Interpreters and translators |
40 |
$21.40 |
$44,500 |
| Librarians |
40 |
$25.15 |
$52,300 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technicians |
40 |
$13.90 |
$28,910 |
| Medical and health services managers |
40 |
$44.60 |
$92,780 |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
40 |
$17.46 |
$36,310 |
| New accounts clerks |
40 |
$14.85 |
$30,880 |
| Pharmacists |
40 |
$67.69 |
$140,800 |
| Postal service clerks |
40 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Sheet metal workers |
40 |
$18.09 |
$37,620 |
| Structural iron and steel workers |
40 |
$16.87 |
$35,090 |
| Vocational education teachers, postsecondary |
40 |
$41.93 |
$87,210 |
| Construction and building inspectors |
30 |
$23.35 |
$48,560 |
| Cost estimators |
30 |
$26.00 |
$54,070 |
| Crossing guards |
30 |
$9.27 |
$19,270 |
| Drywall and ceiling tile installers |
30 |
$17.85 |
$37,120 |
| Engineers, all other |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| First-line supervisors/managers of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers |
30 |
$19.82 |
$41,230 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other |
30 |
$24.68 |
$51,340 |
| Network and computer systems administrators |
30 |
$35.69 |
$74,230 |
| Child care workers |
Not available |
$12.53 |
$26,070 |
| Civil engineers |
Not available |
$45.46 |
$94,550 |
| Dental laboratory technicians |
Not available |
$18.82 |
$39,150 |
| Driver/sales workers |
Not available |
$15.49 |
$32,220 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other |
Not available |
$14.39 |
$29,930 |
| Insurance claims and policy processing clerks |
Not available |
$15.59 |
$32,430 |
| Loan officers |
Not available |
$44.24 |
$92,030 |
| Paralegals and legal assistants |
Not available |
$18.29 |
$38,040 |
| Pharmacy aides |
Not available |
$14.31 |
$29,770 |
| Property, real estate, and community association managers |
Not available |
$16.08 |
$33,440 |
| Recreation workers |
Not available |
$16.19 |
$33,680 |
| Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders |
Not available |
$11.39 |
$23,690 |
| Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners |
Not available |
$17.77 |
$36,970 |
