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 |
44,670 |
$17.90 |
$37,230 |
| Production occupations |
7,570 |
$17.39 |
$36,160 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
6,060 |
$14.23 |
$29,590 |
| Sales and related occupations |
4,440 |
$15.82 |
$32,900 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
4,110 |
$8.92 |
$18,540 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
3,700 |
$14.15 |
$29,420 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
2,620 |
$21.61 |
$44,950 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
2,280 |
$23.11 |
$48,070 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
2,120 |
$31.42 |
$65,360 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
1,760 |
$18.49 |
$38,460 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
1,560 |
$24.42 |
$50,790 |
| Management occupations |
1,560 |
$37.96 |
$78,960 |
| Retail salespersons |
1,480 |
$12.75 |
$26,530 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
1,420 |
$12.25 |
$25,480 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
1,380 |
$10.81 |
$22,490 |
| Cashiers |
1,370 |
$8.92 |
$18,550 |
| Team assemblers |
1,070 |
$16.03 |
$33,350 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
980 |
$11.28 |
$23,450 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
900 |
$8.41 |
$17,490 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
890 |
$8.41 |
$17,490 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
820 |
$18.90 |
$39,310 |
| Machinists |
810 |
$18.98 |
$39,480 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
800 |
$28.80 |
$59,900 |
| Office clerks, general |
790 |
$12.22 |
$25,430 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
780 |
$10.47 |
$21,770 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
730 |
$13.27 |
$27,610 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
730 |
$11.42 |
$23,750 |
| Protective service occupations |
710 |
$21.33 |
$44,360 |
| Registered nurses |
700 |
$28.02 |
$58,280 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
690 |
$11.82 |
$24,580 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
550 |
$18.03 |
$37,500 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
540 |
$10.65 |
$22,160 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
500 |
$18.42 |
$38,320 |
| Community and social services occupations |
500 |
$20.10 |
$41,800 |
| Bartenders |
480 |
$8.69 |
$18,070 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
480 |
$30.61 |
$63,670 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
470 |
$11.62 |
$24,170 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
460 |
$15.07 |
$31,350 |
| Customer service representatives |
450 |
$16.35 |
$34,010 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
440 |
$17.70 |
$36,810 |
| Carpenters |
430 |
$23.76 |
$49,410 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
410 |
$8.27 |
$17,200 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
410 |
$30.77 |
$64,000 |
| General and operations managers |
410 |
$46.84 |
$97,420 |
| Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
410 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
360 |
$29.56 |
$61,490 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
350 |
$16.37 |
$34,050 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
350 |
$14.46 |
$30,070 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
350 |
$12.64 |
$26,280 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
340 |
$16.95 |
$35,260 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
330 |
$19.45 |
$40,450 |
| Home health aides |
330 |
$10.70 |
$22,250 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
320 |
$27.37 |
$56,930 |
| Helpers--production workers |
320 |
$10.69 |
$22,240 |
| Tellers |
320 |
$10.17 |
$21,150 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
310 |
$15.62 |
$32,500 |
| Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
300 |
$17.98 |
$37,390 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
300 |
$9.42 |
$19,600 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
300 |
$10.99 |
$22,860 |
| Personal and home care aides |
300 |
$9.73 |
$20,240 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
260 |
$21.36 |
$44,420 |
| Food preparation workers |
260 |
$8.94 |
$18,590 |
| Accountants and auditors |
250 |
$27.24 |
$56,650 |
| Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
240 |
$20.08 |
$41,780 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
240 |
$11.57 |
$24,060 |
| Assemblers and fabricators, all other |
230 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Bus drivers, school |
230 |
$13.54 |
$28,150 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
230 |
$12.96 |
$26,950 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
230 |
$23.46 |
$48,800 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
220 |
$17.23 |
$35,840 |
| Construction laborers |
220 |
$17.02 |
$35,410 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
220 |
$18.08 |
$37,600 |
| Teachers and instructors, all other |
220 |
Not available |
$27,610 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
210 |
$24.40 |
$50,750 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
200 |
$25.71 |
$53,480 |
| Child care workers |
190 |
$9.56 |
$19,870 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
190 |
$11.85 |
$24,650 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
190 |
$19.47 |
$40,500 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
180 |
$14.15 |
$29,440 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
180 |
$9.92 |
$20,640 |
| Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic |
180 |
$14.13 |
$29,390 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
170 |
$11.97 |
$24,900 |
| Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders |
170 |
$15.52 |
$32,290 |
| Food batchmakers |
170 |
$15.70 |
$32,660 |
| Mechanical engineers |
170 |
$30.84 |
$64,160 |
| Tool and die makers |
170 |
$26.49 |
$55,100 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other |
160 |
$18.16 |
$37,780 |
| Sheet metal workers |
160 |
$24.26 |
$50,450 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
150 |
$9.87 |
$20,540 |
| Electricians |
150 |
$24.86 |
$51,700 |
| Legislators |
150 |
Not available |
$19,470 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
140 |
$7.52 |
$15,640 |
| Dishwashers |
140 |
$7.63 |
$15,870 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
140 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Social and human service assistants |
140 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Healthcare support workers, all other |
130 |
$11.94 |
$24,830 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
130 |
$25.49 |
$53,030 |
| Loan officers |
130 |
$25.04 |
$52,090 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
120 |
$11.33 |
$23,570 |
| Driver/sales workers |
120 |
$11.73 |
$24,400 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
120 |
$13.23 |
$27,530 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
120 |
$23.98 |
$49,870 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
110 |
$17.02 |
$35,410 |
| Cooks, fast food |
110 |
$8.27 |
$17,200 |
| Dental hygienists |
110 |
$27.29 |
$56,760 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
110 |
$26.66 |
$55,460 |
| Highway maintenance workers |
110 |
$15.99 |
$33,250 |
| Industrial production managers |
110 |
$33.19 |
$69,040 |
| Machine feeders and offbearers |
110 |
$12.76 |
$26,550 |
| Chief executives |
100 |
$74.94 |
$155,880 |
| Cost estimators |
100 |
$25.73 |
$53,510 |
| Emergency medical technicians and paramedics |
100 |
$12.63 |
$26,260 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
100 |
$28.68 |
$59,650 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
100 |
$21.21 |
$44,120 |
| Insurance sales agents |
100 |
$26.88 |
$55,920 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians |
100 |
$21.68 |
$45,090 |
| Roofers |
100 |
$17.30 |
$35,990 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
100 |
$25.05 |
$52,100 |
| Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators |
90 |
$25.55 |
$53,140 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products |
90 |
$31.72 |
$65,970 |
| Sewing machine operators |
90 |
$9.75 |
$20,280 |
| Computer support specialists |
80 |
$18.70 |
$38,900 |
| Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
80 |
$13.74 |
$28,570 |
| Financial managers |
80 |
$42.36 |
$88,100 |
| Library assistants, clerical |
80 |
$11.69 |
$24,320 |
| Mechanical drafters |
80 |
$25.90 |
$53,870 |
| Public relations specialists |
80 |
$21.68 |
$45,080 |
| Recreation workers |
80 |
$15.89 |
$33,060 |
| Coaches and scouts |
70 |
Not available |
$27,140 |
| Computer programmers |
70 |
$34.83 |
$72,450 |
| Court, municipal, and license clerks |
70 |
$13.64 |
$28,370 |
| Dental assistants |
70 |
$16.29 |
$33,880 |
| Engineering managers |
70 |
$41.64 |
$86,610 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
70 |
$23.78 |
$49,460 |
| Food service managers |
70 |
$14.81 |
$30,800 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
70 |
$9.24 |
$19,210 |
| Legal occupations |
70 |
$37.24 |
$77,460 |
| Managers, all other |
70 |
$35.86 |
$74,600 |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
70 |
$14.33 |
$29,810 |
| Network and computer systems administrators |
70 |
$25.98 |
$54,030 |
| Parts salespersons |
70 |
$17.57 |
$36,550 |
| Pharmacists |
70 |
$53.19 |
$110,620 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
70 |
$17.68 |
$36,780 |
| Sales managers |
70 |
$37.86 |
$78,750 |
| Security guards |
70 |
$14.44 |
$30,030 |
| Telecommunications line installers and repairers |
70 |
$19.55 |
$40,650 |
| Vocational education teachers, postsecondary |
70 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons |
60 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Bus drivers, transit and intercity |
60 |
$10.50 |
$21,840 |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers |
60 |
$20.94 |
$43,550 |
| Chefs and head cooks |
60 |
$15.05 |
$31,310 |
| Crossing guards |
60 |
$11.21 |
$23,320 |
| Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance |
60 |
$15.06 |
$31,320 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
60 |
$25.06 |
$52,110 |
| File clerks |
60 |
$12.06 |
$25,070 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers |
60 |
$28.20 |
$58,650 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant |
60 |
$9.39 |
$19,520 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
60 |
$9.65 |
$20,070 |
| Management analysts |
60 |
$27.56 |
$57,330 |
| Medical and health services managers |
60 |
$37.14 |
$77,240 |
| Medical assistants |
60 |
$14.59 |
$30,350 |
| Nonfarm animal caretakers |
60 |
$10.29 |
$21,410 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks |
60 |
$16.43 |
$34,170 |
| Surgeons |
60 |
More than $70 |
More than $145,600 |
| Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers |
60 |
$16.18 |
$33,650 |
| All other information and record clerks |
50 |
$14.29 |
$29,730 |
| Automotive body and related repairers |
50 |
$17.58 |
$36,570 |
| Bakers |
50 |
$12.90 |
$26,830 |
| Education administrators, postsecondary |
50 |
$39.10 |
$81,330 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand |
50 |
$22.85 |
$47,520 |
| Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
50 |
$13.55 |
$28,180 |
| Interviewers, except eligibility and loan |
50 |
$12.44 |
$25,880 |
| Kindergarten teachers, except special education |
50 |
Not available |
$52,050 |
| Legal secretaries |
50 |
$15.32 |
$31,870 |
| Medical and public health social workers |
50 |
$20.75 |
$43,160 |
| Medical transcriptionists |
50 |
$14.45 |
$30,050 |
| Order clerks |
50 |
$13.60 |
$28,290 |
| Physical therapists |
50 |
$34.66 |
$72,080 |
| Training and development specialists |
50 |
$22.16 |
$46,090 |
| Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators |
50 |
$20.08 |
$41,760 |
| Advertising sales agents |
40 |
$18.71 |
$38,910 |
| Appraisers and assessors of real estate |
40 |
$25.17 |
$52,340 |
| Civil engineers |
40 |
$29.65 |
$61,670 |
| Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists |
40 |
$38.15 |
$79,360 |
| Construction managers |
40 |
$36.19 |
$75,270 |
| Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers |
40 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists |
40 |
$24.08 |
$50,100 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
40 |
$16.29 |
$33,880 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of personal service workers |
40 |
$17.74 |
$36,890 |
| Graphic designers |
40 |
$18.33 |
$38,120 |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping |
40 |
$16.39 |
$34,080 |
| Insurance claims and policy processing clerks |
40 |
$12.17 |
$25,320 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
40 |
$9.82 |
$20,420 |
| Librarians |
40 |
$26.25 |
$54,590 |
| Library technicians |
40 |
$15.31 |
$31,850 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance |
40 |
$16.52 |
$34,350 |
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors |
40 |
$13.38 |
$27,830 |
| Sales engineers |
40 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products |
40 |
$18.56 |
$38,610 |
| Word processors and typists |
40 |
$14.84 |
$30,880 |
| Community and social service specialists, all other |
30 |
$18.61 |
$38,710 |
| Farm equipment mechanics |
30 |
$15.56 |
$32,370 |
| Floral designers |
30 |
$12.27 |
$25,520 |
| Grinding and polishing workers, hand |
30 |
$13.86 |
$28,820 |
| Helpers--carpenters |
30 |
$14.28 |
$29,710 |
| Helpers--electricians |
30 |
$16.16 |
$33,610 |
| Occupational therapists |
30 |
$28.92 |
$60,160 |
| Special education teachers, secondary school |
30 |
Not available |
$52,640 |
| Surgical technologists |
30 |
$20.33 |
$42,290 |
| Transportation, storage, and distribution managers |
30 |
$30.07 |
$62,550 |
| Veterinarians |
30 |
$33.16 |
$68,970 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
Not available |
$15.87 |
$33,020 |
| Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders |
Not available |
$17.05 |
$35,460 |
| Cooks, short order |
Not available |
$8.49 |
$17,660 |
| Crane and tower operators |
Not available |
$14.23 |
$29,600 |
| Credit analysts |
Not available |
$15.44 |
$32,120 |
| Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders |
Not available |
$14.42 |
$29,990 |
| Education administrators, preschool and child care center/program |
Not available |
$20.40 |
$42,440 |
| Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment |
Not available |
$35.84 |
$74,550 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
Not available |
Not available |
$49,070 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
Not available |
$21.72 |
$45,170 |
| Industrial engineers |
Not available |
$31.76 |
$66,070 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other |
Not available |
$14.36 |
$29,880 |
| Medical secretaries |
Not available |
$14.19 |
$29,520 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
Not available |
Not available |
$50,970 |
| Opticians, dispensing |
Not available |
$15.04 |
$31,280 |
| Physician assistants |
Not available |
$25.16 |
$52,320 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
Not available |
$9.92 |
$20,640 |
| Printing machine operators |
Not available |
$18.60 |
$38,700 |
| Production workers, all other |
Not available |
$15.03 |
$31,250 |
| Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school |
Not available |
Not available |
$50,270 |
| Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers |
Not available |
$13.37 |
$27,820 |
| Teacher assistants |
Not available |
Not available |
$23,020 |
| Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders |
Not available |
$16.27 |
$33,840 |
