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 |
37,740 |
$18.27 |
$38,000 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
6,150 |
$13.74 |
$28,570 |
| Production occupations |
4,950 |
$16.07 |
$33,420 |
| Sales and related occupations |
4,400 |
$13.76 |
$28,610 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
3,290 |
$9.84 |
$20,460 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
2,900 |
$20.75 |
$43,170 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
2,250 |
$37.09 |
$77,140 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
1,860 |
$14.03 |
$29,180 |
| Retail salespersons |
1,770 |
$11.09 |
$23,080 |
| Management occupations |
1,400 |
$41.59 |
$86,510 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
1,380 |
$18.29 |
$38,030 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
1,360 |
$20.11 |
$41,820 |
| Protective service occupations |
1,340 |
$23.60 |
$49,100 |
| Community and social services occupations |
1,270 |
$18.32 |
$38,110 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
1,140 |
$10.97 |
$22,830 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
1,100 |
$12.70 |
$26,420 |
| Cashiers |
950 |
$8.40 |
$17,470 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
850 |
$24.99 |
$51,980 |
| Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers |
700 |
$14.13 |
$29,380 |
| Registered nurses |
700 |
$25.71 |
$53,470 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
690 |
$9.93 |
$20,660 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
680 |
$30.03 |
$62,470 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
650 |
$11.01 |
$22,890 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
640 |
$10.97 |
$22,830 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
640 |
$13.37 |
$27,810 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
620 |
$12.50 |
$25,990 |
| Teacher assistants |
590 |
Not available |
$19,840 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
590 |
$10.18 |
$21,170 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
580 |
Not available |
$53,020 |
| Office clerks, general |
570 |
$12.24 |
$25,450 |
| Food preparation workers |
530 |
$9.37 |
$19,490 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
510 |
$10.67 |
$22,200 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
490 |
$14.44 |
$30,040 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
470 |
$24.90 |
$51,780 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
450 |
$19.69 |
$40,950 |
| Customer service representatives |
440 |
$13.86 |
$28,840 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
440 |
$18.13 |
$37,720 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
440 |
$12.10 |
$25,180 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
430 |
$17.57 |
$36,540 |
| Machinists |
410 |
$19.82 |
$41,230 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
370 |
Not available |
$51,770 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
360 |
$14.84 |
$30,860 |
| General and operations managers |
340 |
$43.20 |
$89,850 |
| Team assemblers |
340 |
$14.83 |
$30,840 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
340 |
$18.51 |
$38,490 |
| Helpers--production workers |
300 |
$11.72 |
$24,380 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
280 |
$17.53 |
$36,460 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
280 |
$8.88 |
$18,480 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
280 |
$15.04 |
$31,290 |
| Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic |
270 |
$17.90 |
$37,220 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
260 |
$11.47 |
$23,860 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
260 |
$25.38 |
$52,790 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
250 |
$15.16 |
$31,540 |
| Tellers |
250 |
$10.30 |
$21,430 |
| Accountants and auditors |
240 |
$28.98 |
$60,280 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
240 |
$14.88 |
$30,940 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
230 |
$17.86 |
$37,140 |
| Carpenters |
230 |
$18.31 |
$38,080 |
| Construction laborers |
230 |
$16.06 |
$33,400 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
220 |
$21.36 |
$44,420 |
| Legal occupations |
210 |
$39.12 |
$81,360 |
| Child care workers |
200 |
$8.92 |
$18,560 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
200 |
$29.39 |
$61,120 |
| Social and human service assistants |
200 |
$15.55 |
$32,330 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
190 |
$9.47 |
$19,690 |
| Bartenders |
180 |
$8.61 |
$17,910 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
180 |
Not available |
$51,120 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
180 |
$12.32 |
$25,630 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
160 |
$8.85 |
$18,420 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
160 |
$11.68 |
$24,300 |
| Home health aides |
150 |
$12.44 |
$25,870 |
| Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school |
150 |
Not available |
$59,080 |
| Bus drivers, school |
140 |
$14.57 |
$30,300 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
140 |
$21.65 |
$45,030 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
130 |
$14.16 |
$29,440 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
130 |
$11.76 |
$24,470 |
| Dishwashers |
130 |
$8.28 |
$17,210 |
| Electricians |
130 |
$32.02 |
$66,600 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
130 |
$28.41 |
$59,100 |
| Recreation workers |
130 |
$13.51 |
$28,100 |
| Security guards |
130 |
$15.93 |
$33,140 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
120 |
$23.36 |
$48,590 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
120 |
$27.08 |
$56,330 |
| Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
120 |
$16.04 |
$33,370 |
| Mechanical engineers |
120 |
$33.59 |
$69,870 |
| Medical and health services managers |
120 |
$42.41 |
$88,200 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
120 |
$8.93 |
$18,580 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
120 |
$22.78 |
$47,370 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
120 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
120 |
$24.38 |
$50,710 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
120 |
$17.28 |
$35,940 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
110 |
$9.76 |
$20,310 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
110 |
$12.95 |
$26,940 |
| Electrical and electronic engineering technicians |
100 |
$25.41 |
$52,860 |
| Financial managers |
100 |
$36.31 |
$75,530 |
| Tool and die makers |
100 |
$18.34 |
$38,150 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
90 |
$14.80 |
$30,780 |
| Child, family, and school social workers |
90 |
$22.95 |
$47,730 |
| Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
90 |
$12.54 |
$26,090 |
| Highway maintenance workers |
90 |
$17.01 |
$35,380 |
| Industrial engineers |
90 |
$33.57 |
$69,810 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
90 |
$21.79 |
$45,330 |
| Legislators |
90 |
Not available |
$67,650 |
| Switchboard operators, including answering service |
90 |
$9.94 |
$20,670 |
| Chief executives |
80 |
$65.08 |
$135,360 |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school |
80 |
Not available |
$79,750 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
80 |
$32.09 |
$66,750 |
| Insurance sales agents |
80 |
$24.05 |
$50,010 |
| Lawyers |
80 |
$47.29 |
$98,350 |
| Plating and coating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
80 |
$15.33 |
$31,880 |
| Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators |
80 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
80 |
$22.10 |
$45,970 |
| Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors |
80 |
$18.09 |
$37,630 |
| Administrative services managers |
70 |
$58.26 |
$121,190 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
70 |
$13.61 |
$28,300 |
| Driver/sales workers |
70 |
$13.22 |
$27,500 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other |
70 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
70 |
$13.91 |
$28,930 |
| Parts salespersons |
70 |
$14.81 |
$30,800 |
| Pharmacists |
70 |
$52.00 |
$108,150 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
70 |
$24.69 |
$51,350 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
70 |
$25.63 |
$53,320 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
60 |
$8.76 |
$18,220 |
| Computer support specialists |
60 |
$21.77 |
$45,280 |
| Dental assistants |
60 |
$15.01 |
$31,210 |
| Dental hygienists |
60 |
$24.68 |
$51,340 |
| Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment |
60 |
$24.30 |
$50,550 |
| Food service managers |
60 |
$24.20 |
$50,340 |
| Health educators |
60 |
$19.85 |
$41,300 |
| Legal secretaries |
60 |
$17.99 |
$37,410 |
| Mechanical drafters |
60 |
$20.92 |
$43,520 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technologists |
60 |
$23.27 |
$48,390 |
| Medical and public health social workers |
60 |
$24.47 |
$50,890 |
| Order clerks |
60 |
$16.14 |
$33,580 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance |
60 |
$18.63 |
$38,750 |
| Social and community service managers |
60 |
$33.68 |
$70,050 |
| Special education teachers, secondary school |
60 |
Not available |
$51,850 |
| Automotive body and related repairers |
50 |
$15.34 |
$31,900 |
| Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists |
50 |
$33.09 |
$68,820 |
| Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation |
50 |
$17.79 |
$37,000 |
| Cost estimators |
50 |
$23.44 |
$48,750 |
| Electrical engineers |
50 |
$43.88 |
$91,270 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
50 |
$18.23 |
$37,910 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers |
50 |
$32.95 |
$68,530 |
| Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors |
50 |
$13.86 |
$28,830 |
| Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates |
50 |
$51.08 |
$106,250 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
50 |
$9.19 |
$19,110 |
| Managers, all other |
50 |
$26.37 |
$54,840 |
| Medical assistants |
50 |
$11.50 |
$23,920 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
50 |
$21.39 |
$44,480 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
50 |
$12.96 |
$26,960 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians |
50 |
$22.81 |
$47,450 |
| Bakers |
40 |
$12.44 |
$25,870 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
40 |
$27.15 |
$56,460 |
| Clergy |
40 |
$18.41 |
$38,300 |
| Construction and building inspectors |
40 |
$20.51 |
$42,660 |
| Construction managers |
40 |
$41.55 |
$86,430 |
| Data entry keyers |
40 |
$13.41 |
$27,900 |
| Engineering managers |
40 |
$50.88 |
$105,820 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand |
40 |
$19.01 |
$39,530 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
40 |
$22.35 |
$46,480 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant |
40 |
$9.90 |
$20,600 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
40 |
$23.17 |
$48,190 |
| Industrial production managers |
40 |
$44.43 |
$92,410 |
| Insurance claims and policy processing clerks |
40 |
$14.65 |
$30,470 |
| Librarians |
40 |
$27.48 |
$57,160 |
| Library assistants, clerical |
40 |
$13.74 |
$28,590 |
| Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service |
40 |
$13.10 |
$27,260 |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
40 |
$11.92 |
$24,800 |
| Occupational therapists |
40 |
$27.42 |
$57,040 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks |
40 |
$14.03 |
$29,180 |
| Sales and related workers, all other |
40 |
$18.80 |
$39,100 |
| Sales managers |
40 |
$47.41 |
$98,610 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products |
40 |
$26.45 |
$55,020 |
| Social workers, all other |
40 |
$20.28 |
$42,180 |
| Speech-language pathologists |
40 |
$29.02 |
$60,360 |
| Training and development specialists |
40 |
$27.42 |
$57,030 |
| Civil engineering technicians |
30 |
$21.31 |
$44,320 |
| Computer programmers |
30 |
$31.80 |
$66,140 |
| Dietitians and nutritionists |
30 |
$26.16 |
$54,420 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of police and detectives |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
30 |
$12.53 |
$26,070 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
30 |
$8.40 |
$17,460 |
| Instructional coordinators |
30 |
$22.21 |
$46,200 |
| Interviewers, except eligibility and loan |
30 |
$13.69 |
$28,470 |
| Management analysts |
30 |
$31.53 |
$65,570 |
| Market research analysts |
30 |
$29.97 |
$62,330 |
| New accounts clerks |
30 |
$11.35 |
$23,600 |
| Personal financial advisors |
30 |
$34.21 |
$71,160 |
| Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers |
30 |
$16.23 |
$33,750 |
| Tax preparers |
30 |
$11.58 |
$24,100 |
| Tire repairers and changers |
30 |
$13.54 |
$28,160 |
| Advertising sales agents |
Not available |
$19.31 |
$40,160 |
| Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders |
Not available |
$15.91 |
$33,090 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
Not available |
$8.33 |
$17,320 |
| Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers |
Not available |
$17.15 |
$35,680 |
| Cooks, fast food |
Not available |
$8.35 |
$17,360 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
Not available |
$7.87 |
$16,370 |
| Electronics engineers, except computer |
Not available |
$38.52 |
$80,120 |
| Kindergarten teachers, except special education |
Not available |
Not available |
$53,880 |
| Loan officers |
Not available |
$22.92 |
$47,680 |
| Medical transcriptionists |
Not available |
$11.93 |
$24,810 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers |
Not available |
$20.48 |
$42,600 |
| Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic |
Not available |
$11.06 |
$23,000 |
| Nonfarm animal caretakers |
Not available |
$9.18 |
$19,100 |
| Physicians and surgeons, all other |
Not available |
$96.70 |
$201,130 |
| Psychiatrists |
Not available |
$75.88 |
$157,830 |
| Real estate sales agents |
Not available |
$20.42 |
$42,470 |
| Rehabilitation counselors |
Not available |
$11.22 |
$23,340 |
| Structural metal fabricators and fitters |
Not available |
$19.59 |
$40,740 |
| Telecommunications line installers and repairers |
Not available |
$20.15 |
$41,900 |
| Telemarketers |
Not available |
$9.30 |
$19,340 |
| Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders |
Not available |
$16.50 |
$34,310 |
