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 |
45,420 |
$16.40 |
$34,100 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
7,730 |
$13.11 |
$27,270 |
| Production occupations |
5,490 |
$14.74 |
$30,660 |
| Sales and related occupations |
5,070 |
$13.08 |
$27,200 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
4,480 |
$8.21 |
$17,080 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
2,970 |
$20.06 |
$41,730 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
2,890 |
$13.77 |
$28,630 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
2,690 |
$27.60 |
$57,400 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
2,150 |
$18.12 |
$37,680 |
| Team assemblers |
2,130 |
$15.46 |
$32,150 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
1,920 |
$17.18 |
$35,720 |
| Management occupations |
1,730 |
$35.33 |
$73,500 |
| Retail salespersons |
1,730 |
$11.14 |
$23,170 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
1,650 |
$7.14 |
$14,850 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
1,550 |
$11.16 |
$23,220 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
1,450 |
$27.53 |
$57,270 |
| Cashiers |
1,450 |
$7.94 |
$16,510 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
1,100 |
$11.93 |
$24,800 |
| Registered nurses |
990 |
$27.42 |
$57,030 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
970 |
$8.90 |
$18,510 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
960 |
$7.24 |
$15,060 |
| Protective service occupations |
760 |
$17.22 |
$35,820 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
730 |
$28.65 |
$59,600 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
730 |
$16.26 |
$33,810 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
710 |
$9.90 |
$20,590 |
| Community and social services occupations |
700 |
$18.02 |
$37,470 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
700 |
$16.91 |
$35,170 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
610 |
$12.43 |
$25,850 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
550 |
$10.18 |
$21,180 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
530 |
$11.55 |
$24,030 |
| Teacher assistants |
530 |
Not available |
$23,420 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
500 |
$18.48 |
$38,430 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
480 |
$11.73 |
$24,410 |
| General and operations managers |
460 |
$38.14 |
$79,330 |
| Teachers and instructors, all other |
450 |
Not available |
$39,490 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
440 |
$17.29 |
$35,960 |
| Office clerks, general |
440 |
$11.22 |
$23,330 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
430 |
Not available |
$47,070 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
420 |
$14.40 |
$29,960 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
410 |
$27.72 |
$57,660 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
410 |
$15.65 |
$32,550 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
410 |
$9.22 |
$19,180 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
400 |
$13.03 |
$27,100 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
390 |
$12.57 |
$26,140 |
| Child care workers |
380 |
$7.76 |
$16,130 |
| Carpenters |
370 |
$15.75 |
$32,760 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
370 |
$8.02 |
$16,690 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
360 |
$30.26 |
$62,940 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
360 |
$9.26 |
$19,260 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
310 |
Not available |
$49,750 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
300 |
$20.81 |
$43,290 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
300 |
$10.78 |
$22,430 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
300 |
$23.02 |
$47,870 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
290 |
$13.89 |
$28,890 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
280 |
$16.52 |
$34,360 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
270 |
$25.75 |
$53,550 |
| Tellers |
270 |
$9.25 |
$19,240 |
| Child, family, and school social workers |
260 |
$17.35 |
$36,090 |
| Construction laborers |
260 |
$14.34 |
$29,830 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
250 |
$10.71 |
$22,270 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
230 |
Not available |
$48,290 |
| Education administrators, all other |
220 |
$30.49 |
$63,420 |
| Education, training, and library workers, all other |
220 |
$16.11 |
$33,510 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
220 |
$11.09 |
$23,070 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
220 |
$21.13 |
$43,960 |
| All other information and record clerks |
210 |
$18.12 |
$37,690 |
| Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
210 |
$15.75 |
$32,750 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
210 |
$24.06 |
$50,040 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
200 |
$15.43 |
$32,090 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
190 |
$12.67 |
$26,360 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
190 |
$20.50 |
$42,640 |
| Legal occupations |
180 |
$33.06 |
$68,760 |
| Sewing machine operators |
180 |
$9.54 |
$19,840 |
| Driver/sales workers |
170 |
$9.83 |
$20,450 |
| Electricians |
170 |
$21.63 |
$44,980 |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping |
170 |
$16.45 |
$34,210 |
| Medical assistants |
170 |
$11.69 |
$24,320 |
| Medical secretaries |
170 |
$11.77 |
$24,490 |
| Fire fighters |
160 |
$15.16 |
$31,530 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
160 |
$7.17 |
$14,920 |
| Parts salespersons |
160 |
$12.05 |
$25,070 |
| Personal and home care aides |
160 |
$8.25 |
$17,150 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
160 |
$18.39 |
$38,250 |
| Assemblers and fabricators, all other |
150 |
$9.54 |
$19,840 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
150 |
$25.45 |
$52,930 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other |
150 |
$27.09 |
$56,350 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
150 |
$19.97 |
$41,540 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
150 |
$12.24 |
$25,450 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
150 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Accountants and auditors |
140 |
$31.58 |
$65,690 |
| Computer support specialists |
140 |
$16.54 |
$34,410 |
| Dishwashers |
140 |
$7.84 |
$16,310 |
| Financial managers |
140 |
$31.09 |
$64,680 |
| Food preparation workers |
140 |
$8.21 |
$17,070 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
140 |
$9.88 |
$20,540 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
140 |
$7.74 |
$16,100 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other |
140 |
$21.78 |
$45,310 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
140 |
$10.26 |
$21,340 |
| Service station attendants |
140 |
$15.44 |
$32,120 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
140 |
$14.90 |
$30,980 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
130 |
$16.09 |
$33,470 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
130 |
$29.32 |
$60,990 |
| Tool and die makers |
130 |
$21.15 |
$43,980 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
120 |
$8.11 |
$16,880 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
120 |
$9.83 |
$20,450 |
| Procurement clerks |
120 |
$18.05 |
$37,550 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians |
120 |
$23.52 |
$48,920 |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers |
110 |
$20.15 |
$41,920 |
| Food service managers |
110 |
$21.35 |
$44,410 |
| Chief executives |
100 |
$69.60 |
$144,760 |
| Management analysts |
100 |
$30.71 |
$63,870 |
| Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines |
100 |
$21.67 |
$45,070 |
| Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood |
100 |
$9.96 |
$20,710 |
| Dental assistants |
90 |
$15.56 |
$32,370 |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school |
90 |
Not available |
$77,130 |
| Highway maintenance workers |
90 |
$13.22 |
$27,500 |
| Industrial engineers |
90 |
$27.63 |
$57,470 |
| Loan officers |
90 |
$25.49 |
$53,030 |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
90 |
$16.16 |
$33,610 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
90 |
$18.06 |
$37,560 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
90 |
$29.33 |
$61,010 |
| Computer systems analysts |
80 |
$31.49 |
$65,500 |
| Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors |
80 |
$7.00 |
$14,570 |
| Healthcare support workers, all other |
80 |
$16.23 |
$33,750 |
| Insurance sales agents |
80 |
$21.30 |
$44,310 |
| Lawyers |
80 |
$48.53 |
$100,950 |
| Printing machine operators |
80 |
$17.04 |
$35,440 |
| Psychiatric technicians |
80 |
$11.12 |
$23,140 |
| Public relations specialists |
80 |
$25.77 |
$53,600 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
70 |
$14.15 |
$29,440 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
70 |
$30.74 |
$63,950 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers |
70 |
$30.70 |
$63,850 |
| Home health aides |
70 |
$11.34 |
$23,580 |
| Medical and health services managers |
70 |
$34.11 |
$70,950 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks |
70 |
$16.31 |
$33,920 |
| Pharmacists |
70 |
$54.75 |
$113,870 |
| Sheet metal workers |
70 |
$13.39 |
$27,860 |
| Social and community service managers |
70 |
$19.76 |
$41,100 |
| Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators |
70 |
$16.89 |
$35,130 |
| Bartenders |
60 |
$7.77 |
$16,160 |
| Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders |
60 |
$14.14 |
$29,410 |
| Computer and information systems managers |
60 |
$39.34 |
$81,830 |
| Construction managers |
60 |
$34.95 |
$72,690 |
| Cost estimators |
60 |
$20.95 |
$43,580 |
| Data entry keyers |
60 |
$10.93 |
$22,720 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
60 |
$6.76 |
$14,060 |
| Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment |
60 |
$24.40 |
$50,750 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of personal service workers |
60 |
$10.70 |
$22,250 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
60 |
$22.85 |
$47,530 |
| Machinists |
60 |
$15.46 |
$32,160 |
| Medical equipment repairers |
60 |
$11.40 |
$23,710 |
| Network and computer systems administrators |
60 |
$28.05 |
$58,350 |
| Operations research analysts |
60 |
$34.95 |
$72,700 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
60 |
$19.82 |
$41,220 |
| Real estate sales agents |
60 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers |
60 |
$24.73 |
$51,440 |
| Administrative services managers |
50 |
$26.31 |
$54,730 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
50 |
$13.59 |
$28,280 |
| Civil engineers |
50 |
$33.96 |
$70,630 |
| Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation |
50 |
$22.54 |
$46,890 |
| Dental hygienists |
50 |
$25.09 |
$52,190 |
| Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
50 |
$11.18 |
$23,250 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand |
50 |
$15.92 |
$33,120 |
| Instructional coordinators |
50 |
$34.35 |
$71,450 |
| Librarians |
50 |
$27.76 |
$57,740 |
| Logisticians |
50 |
$30.80 |
$64,070 |
| Managers, all other |
50 |
$32.35 |
$67,280 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technologists |
50 |
$23.00 |
$47,830 |
| Medical and public health social workers |
50 |
$19.54 |
$40,640 |
| Paralegals and legal assistants |
50 |
$20.40 |
$42,420 |
| Physicians and surgeons, all other |
50 |
$74.88 |
$155,750 |
| Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers |
50 |
$14.25 |
$29,640 |
| Protective service workers, all other |
50 |
$14.29 |
$29,720 |
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors |
50 |
$11.92 |
$24,790 |
| Switchboard operators, including answering service |
50 |
$11.63 |
$24,180 |
| Training and development specialists |
50 |
$18.31 |
$38,080 |
| Chefs and head cooks |
40 |
$16.16 |
$33,610 |
| Computer software engineers, systems software |
40 |
$35.31 |
$73,440 |
| Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers |
40 |
$14.31 |
$29,770 |
| Construction and building inspectors |
40 |
$24.68 |
$51,330 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
40 |
$7.89 |
$16,400 |
| Financial specialists, all other |
40 |
$30.42 |
$63,280 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
40 |
$14.56 |
$30,280 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers |
40 |
$14.64 |
$30,450 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of police and detectives |
40 |
$27.85 |
$57,930 |
| Floral designers |
40 |
$8.45 |
$17,570 |
| Helpers--electricians |
40 |
$12.84 |
$26,700 |
| Legal secretaries |
40 |
$11.18 |
$23,260 |
| Loan interviewers and clerks |
40 |
$13.12 |
$27,290 |
| Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service |
40 |
$12.67 |
$26,360 |
| Mechanical engineers |
40 |
$30.69 |
$63,840 |
| Medical transcriptionists |
40 |
$13.24 |
$27,540 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
40 |
$10.26 |
$21,350 |
| Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators |
40 |
$22.53 |
$46,870 |
| Recreation workers |
40 |
$16.59 |
$34,510 |
| Surgeons |
40 |
$99.22 |
$206,370 |
| Automotive body and related repairers |
30 |
$15.66 |
$32,570 |
| Camera operators, television, video, and motion picture |
30 |
$21.17 |
$44,030 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant |
30 |
$8.28 |
$17,210 |
| Industrial production managers |
30 |
$43.55 |
$90,580 |
| Motor vehicle operators, all other |
30 |
$16.93 |
$35,220 |
| Occupational therapists |
30 |
$32.58 |
$67,770 |
| Physical therapists |
30 |
$35.34 |
$73,500 |
| Sales managers |
30 |
$47.18 |
$98,120 |
| Social scientists and related workers, all other |
30 |
$29.61 |
$61,590 |
| Speech-language pathologists |
30 |
$27.94 |
$58,120 |
| Bill and account collectors |
Not available |
$13.55 |
$28,190 |
| Cooks, fast food |
Not available |
$7.29 |
$15,170 |
| Customer service representatives |
Not available |
$12.11 |
$25,180 |
| Electronics engineers, except computer |
Not available |
$33.92 |
$70,550 |
| Health technologists and technicians, all other |
Not available |
$14.80 |
$30,790 |
| Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
Not available |
$10.93 |
$22,720 |
| Helpers--pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
Not available |
$8.69 |
$18,070 |
| Interviewers, except eligibility and loan |
Not available |
$12.87 |
$26,770 |
| Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
Not available |
$13.28 |
$27,620 |
| Network systems and data communications analysts |
Not available |
$28.79 |
$59,880 |
| New accounts clerks |
Not available |
$13.52 |
$28,130 |
| Opticians, dispensing |
Not available |
$14.83 |
$30,840 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
Not available |
$11.99 |
$24,940 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
Not available |
$18.77 |
$39,030 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
Not available |
$13.79 |
$28,670 |
| Production workers, all other |
Not available |
$8.72 |
$18,130 |
| Social and human service assistants |
Not available |
$12.17 |
$25,310 |
| Telecommunications line installers and repairers |
Not available |
$17.99 |
$37,420 |
| Vocational education teachers, postsecondary |
Not available |
$16.36 |
$34,020 |
