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 |
53,300 |
$17.88 |
$37,190 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
8,470 |
$14.10 |
$29,320 |
| Sales and related occupations |
5,540 |
$13.61 |
$28,310 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
5,370 |
$9.63 |
$20,030 |
| Production occupations |
4,760 |
$15.58 |
$32,400 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
4,480 |
$21.05 |
$43,780 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
3,170 |
$30.89 |
$64,260 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
2,780 |
$19.51 |
$40,580 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
2,700 |
$19.82 |
$41,230 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
2,350 |
$14.23 |
$29,590 |
| Cashiers |
2,070 |
$8.79 |
$18,280 |
| Management occupations |
2,070 |
$41.53 |
$86,380 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
1,980 |
$11.67 |
$24,270 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
1,860 |
$12.70 |
$26,410 |
| Retail salespersons |
1,790 |
$12.09 |
$25,140 |
| Protective service occupations |
1,640 |
$21.44 |
$44,590 |
| Team assemblers |
1,460 |
$12.86 |
$26,750 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
1,270 |
$25.01 |
$52,030 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
1,270 |
$8.75 |
$18,200 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
1,240 |
$13.59 |
$28,270 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
1,210 |
$11.25 |
$23,400 |
| Community and social services occupations |
1,080 |
$19.01 |
$39,530 |
| Registered nurses |
1,060 |
$26.79 |
$55,720 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
1,000 |
$14.48 |
$30,110 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
940 |
$10.36 |
$21,560 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
890 |
$27.06 |
$56,290 |
| Teacher assistants |
880 |
Not available |
$19,980 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
860 |
$8.05 |
$16,740 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
800 |
$11.99 |
$24,930 |
| Home health aides |
760 |
$12.90 |
$26,830 |
| Office clerks, general |
750 |
$11.43 |
$23,770 |
| Food preparation workers |
740 |
$9.43 |
$19,620 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
740 |
Not available |
$56,460 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
680 |
Not available |
$56,430 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
630 |
$16.47 |
$34,250 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
630 |
$11.64 |
$24,200 |
| Teachers and instructors, all other |
630 |
Not available |
$31,710 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
600 |
$17.17 |
$35,710 |
| Carpenters |
590 |
$21.40 |
$44,520 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
590 |
$9.38 |
$19,510 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
580 |
$27.10 |
$56,380 |
| Customer service representatives |
570 |
$13.97 |
$29,050 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
550 |
$19.11 |
$39,750 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
550 |
$11.02 |
$22,910 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
500 |
$20.86 |
$43,390 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
500 |
$11.33 |
$23,560 |
| Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders |
490 |
$17.05 |
$35,450 |
| General and operations managers |
480 |
$46.11 |
$95,900 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
480 |
Not available |
$57,670 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
440 |
$26.23 |
$54,550 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
430 |
$18.01 |
$37,450 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
420 |
$11.67 |
$24,270 |
| Construction laborers |
410 |
$16.04 |
$33,350 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
390 |
$18.18 |
$37,820 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
380 |
$17.18 |
$35,720 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
380 |
$11.63 |
$24,190 |
| Dishwashers |
380 |
$8.57 |
$17,810 |
| Highway maintenance workers |
370 |
$15.18 |
$31,570 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
370 |
$12.21 |
$25,400 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
340 |
$15.54 |
$32,330 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
340 |
$16.82 |
$34,990 |
| Bus drivers, school |
310 |
$14.23 |
$29,590 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
290 |
$29.54 |
$61,450 |
| Accountants and auditors |
280 |
$28.76 |
$59,810 |
| Child care workers |
270 |
$9.37 |
$19,490 |
| Amusement and recreation attendants |
260 |
$8.20 |
$17,050 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
260 |
$27.42 |
$57,030 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
250 |
$17.38 |
$36,140 |
| Legislators |
220 |
Not available |
$73,660 |
| Physicians and surgeons, all other |
220 |
$88.68 |
$184,450 |
| Legal occupations |
210 |
$37.84 |
$78,700 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
210 |
$18.09 |
$37,630 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
200 |
$16.83 |
$35,010 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
200 |
$28.35 |
$58,960 |
| Machinists |
200 |
$19.23 |
$40,000 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
190 |
$27.88 |
$57,980 |
| Tellers |
190 |
$11.54 |
$24,010 |
| Word processors and typists |
190 |
$13.57 |
$28,220 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
180 |
$8.03 |
$16,710 |
| Medical secretaries |
180 |
$13.22 |
$27,490 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
180 |
$18.12 |
$37,680 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
180 |
$10.88 |
$22,620 |
| Bartenders |
170 |
$9.15 |
$19,040 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
170 |
$8.63 |
$17,960 |
| Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders |
170 |
$16.03 |
$33,340 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
170 |
$23.58 |
$49,050 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
160 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Rehabilitation counselors |
160 |
$14.67 |
$30,510 |
| Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school |
160 |
Not available |
$55,930 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
150 |
$12.63 |
$26,270 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
150 |
$12.25 |
$25,470 |
| Electricians |
150 |
$20.47 |
$42,590 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
150 |
$14.21 |
$29,560 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
150 |
$24.04 |
$50,000 |
| Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
140 |
$13.32 |
$27,710 |
| Financial managers |
140 |
$41.12 |
$85,530 |
| Recreation workers |
140 |
$10.67 |
$22,180 |
| Security guards |
140 |
$10.43 |
$21,690 |
| Telecommunications line installers and repairers |
140 |
$35.09 |
$72,990 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
130 |
$13.34 |
$27,750 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
130 |
$18.74 |
$38,970 |
| Chief executives |
120 |
$59.97 |
$124,740 |
| Dental assistants |
120 |
$15.97 |
$33,230 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
120 |
$9.42 |
$19,590 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
120 |
$10.11 |
$21,020 |
| Managers, all other |
120 |
$27.28 |
$56,740 |
| Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
120 |
$15.43 |
$32,090 |
| Pharmacists |
120 |
$53.02 |
$110,270 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
120 |
$13.72 |
$28,530 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
120 |
$13.86 |
$28,820 |
| Computer support specialists |
110 |
$20.06 |
$41,730 |
| Management analysts |
110 |
$31.87 |
$66,290 |
| Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood |
110 |
$11.94 |
$24,830 |
| Social and human service assistants |
110 |
$13.85 |
$28,800 |
| Special education teachers, secondary school |
110 |
Not available |
$56,990 |
| Computer systems analysts |
100 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school |
100 |
Not available |
$93,560 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
100 |
$19.16 |
$39,860 |
| Industrial engineers |
100 |
$32.90 |
$68,430 |
| Insurance claims and policy processing clerks |
100 |
$16.05 |
$33,380 |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
100 |
$13.56 |
$28,210 |
| Parts salespersons |
100 |
$14.32 |
$29,780 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
100 |
$20.59 |
$42,830 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
90 |
$19.38 |
$40,310 |
| Child, family, and school social workers |
90 |
$18.52 |
$38,530 |
| Engineering managers |
90 |
$53.07 |
$110,390 |
| Healthcare support workers, all other |
90 |
$12.64 |
$26,290 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
90 |
$10.81 |
$22,490 |
| Insurance sales agents |
90 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Medical assistants |
90 |
$12.46 |
$25,910 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
90 |
$10.36 |
$21,550 |
| Physical therapists |
90 |
$27.79 |
$57,800 |
| Social workers, all other |
90 |
$20.09 |
$41,790 |
| Dental hygienists |
80 |
$30.75 |
$63,950 |
| Driver/sales workers |
80 |
$16.24 |
$33,780 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance |
80 |
$20.23 |
$42,090 |
| Physician assistants |
80 |
$41.21 |
$85,710 |
| Social and community service managers |
80 |
$31.72 |
$65,970 |
| Special education teachers, middle school |
80 |
Not available |
$56,690 |
| Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing |
80 |
$12.08 |
$25,130 |
| Appraisers and assessors of real estate |
70 |
$21.39 |
$44,480 |
| Clergy |
70 |
$19.65 |
$40,880 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of personal service workers |
70 |
$19.29 |
$40,120 |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping |
70 |
$15.55 |
$32,350 |
| Kindergarten teachers, except special education |
70 |
Not available |
$57,650 |
| Lawyers |
70 |
$39.78 |
$82,750 |
| Library assistants, clerical |
70 |
$9.62 |
$20,010 |
| Medical and public health social workers |
70 |
$19.97 |
$41,540 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers |
70 |
$19.12 |
$39,760 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
70 |
$28.77 |
$59,830 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
60 |
$14.16 |
$29,440 |
| Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters |
60 |
$14.14 |
$29,410 |
| Chefs and head cooks |
60 |
$21.54 |
$44,800 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
60 |
$11.94 |
$24,840 |
| Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists |
60 |
$31.91 |
$66,370 |
| Computer and information systems managers |
60 |
$43.70 |
$90,890 |
| Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic |
60 |
$15.27 |
$31,760 |
| Court, municipal, and license clerks |
60 |
$16.43 |
$34,170 |
| Emergency medical technicians and paramedics |
60 |
$13.47 |
$28,020 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers |
60 |
$32.68 |
$67,970 |
| Food service managers |
60 |
$22.32 |
$46,430 |
| Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates |
60 |
$55.01 |
$114,430 |
| Librarians |
60 |
$20.92 |
$43,510 |
| Loan officers |
60 |
$24.74 |
$51,460 |
| Mechanical engineers |
60 |
$34.25 |
$71,240 |
| Network and computer systems administrators |
60 |
$29.15 |
$60,640 |
| Nonfarm animal caretakers |
60 |
$8.94 |
$18,600 |
| Outdoor power equipment and other small engine mechanics |
60 |
$15.27 |
$31,770 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks |
60 |
$16.56 |
$34,450 |
| Personal and home care aides |
60 |
$14.27 |
$29,690 |
| Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators |
60 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Printing machine operators |
60 |
$18.66 |
$38,820 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
60 |
$25.07 |
$52,140 |
| Roofers |
60 |
$18.07 |
$37,580 |
| Taxi drivers and chauffeurs |
60 |
$8.87 |
$18,440 |
| Training and development specialists |
60 |
$21.39 |
$44,480 |
| Advertising sales agents |
50 |
$23.50 |
$48,880 |
| Architectural and civil drafters |
50 |
$16.95 |
$35,260 |
| Bakers |
50 |
$12.44 |
$25,870 |
| Cementing and gluing machine operators and tenders |
50 |
$13.33 |
$27,720 |
| Community and social service specialists, all other |
50 |
$21.91 |
$45,580 |
| Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists |
50 |
$22.37 |
$46,540 |
| Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment |
50 |
$22.74 |
$47,310 |
| Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse |
50 |
$9.85 |
$20,490 |
| File clerks |
50 |
$10.66 |
$22,180 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers |
50 |
$18.13 |
$37,710 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
50 |
$22.05 |
$45,860 |
| Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
50 |
$10.02 |
$20,840 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other |
50 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Industrial production managers |
50 |
$43.02 |
$89,480 |
| Insurance underwriters |
50 |
$21.59 |
$44,900 |
| New accounts clerks |
50 |
$13.62 |
$28,320 |
| Office and administrative support workers, all other |
50 |
$12.56 |
$26,120 |
| Order clerks |
50 |
$14.56 |
$30,280 |
| Switchboard operators, including answering service |
50 |
$12.06 |
$25,070 |
| Administrative services managers |
40 |
$38.94 |
$80,990 |
| Architects, except landscape and naval |
40 |
$31.60 |
$65,720 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
40 |
$21.82 |
$45,390 |
| Civil engineering technicians |
40 |
$25.54 |
$53,120 |
| Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation |
40 |
$26.35 |
$54,810 |
| Computer programmers |
40 |
$26.12 |
$54,340 |
| Construction and building inspectors |
40 |
$20.67 |
$43,000 |
| Cost estimators |
40 |
$24.53 |
$51,020 |
| Crossing guards |
40 |
$11.29 |
$23,490 |
| Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
40 |
$14.80 |
$30,780 |
| Dentists, general |
40 |
$102.03 |
$212,230 |
| Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance |
40 |
$16.44 |
$34,200 |
| Electrical and electronic engineering technicians |
40 |
$22.35 |
$46,500 |
| Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists |
40 |
$23.78 |
$49,460 |
| Environmental engineers |
40 |
$26.11 |
$54,300 |
| Farmworkers, farm and ranch animals |
40 |
$9.36 |
$19,470 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand |
40 |
$22.41 |
$46,610 |
| Funeral directors |
40 |
$27.41 |
$57,010 |
| Graphic designers |
40 |
$21.53 |
$44,780 |
| Instructional coordinators |
40 |
$19.73 |
$41,030 |
| Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders |
40 |
$17.12 |
$35,610 |
| Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines |
40 |
$19.27 |
$40,080 |
| Photographers |
40 |
$18.30 |
$38,070 |
| Physical therapist assistants |
40 |
$17.41 |
$36,210 |
| Postal service clerks |
40 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Postmasters and mail superintendents |
40 |
$26.85 |
$55,850 |
| Sales managers |
40 |
$56.36 |
$117,220 |
| Self-enrichment education teachers |
40 |
$18.65 |
$38,800 |
| Sewing machine operators |
40 |
$13.34 |
$27,740 |
| Speech-language pathologists |
40 |
$30.45 |
$63,330 |
| Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators |
40 |
$19.27 |
$40,090 |
| Bill and account collectors |
30 |
$14.48 |
$30,120 |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons |
30 |
$20.46 |
$42,550 |
| Farm equipment mechanics |
30 |
$16.56 |
$34,440 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of police and detectives |
30 |
$28.26 |
$58,780 |
| Floral designers |
30 |
$11.46 |
$23,830 |
| Health educators |
30 |
$19.81 |
$41,210 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other |
30 |
$16.06 |
$33,410 |
| Loan interviewers and clerks |
30 |
$13.21 |
$27,470 |
| Mechanical drafters |
30 |
$22.22 |
$46,220 |
| Public relations specialists |
30 |
$20.53 |
$42,710 |
| Real estate sales agents |
30 |
$15.94 |
$33,160 |
| Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors |
30 |
$20.63 |
$42,910 |
| Veterinarians |
30 |
$42.16 |
$87,690 |
| Vocational education teachers, secondary school |
30 |
Not available |
$57,420 |
| All other information and record clerks |
Not available |
$15.20 |
$31,620 |
| Automotive body and related repairers |
Not available |
$16.76 |
$34,860 |
| Civil engineers |
Not available |
$27.46 |
$57,110 |
| Coaches and scouts |
Not available |
Not available |
$25,100 |
| Computer software engineers, applications |
Not available |
$32.40 |
$67,390 |
| Construction managers |
Not available |
$47.93 |
$99,700 |
| Cooks, fast food |
Not available |
$8.91 |
$18,540 |
| Cooks, short order |
Not available |
$11.25 |
$23,390 |
| Financial specialists, all other |
Not available |
$16.64 |
$34,620 |
| Funeral attendants |
Not available |
$11.18 |
$23,250 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
Not available |
$18.03 |
$37,490 |
| Legal secretaries |
Not available |
$15.74 |
$32,730 |
| Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers |
Not available |
$8.39 |
$17,440 |
| Mental health counselors |
Not available |
$17.37 |
$36,130 |
| Millwrights |
Not available |
$21.31 |
$44,320 |
| Motorboat mechanics |
Not available |
$15.16 |
$31,530 |
| Paralegals and legal assistants |
Not available |
$20.71 |
$43,070 |
| Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks |
Not available |
$12.73 |
$26,490 |
| Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents |
Not available |
$26.17 |
$54,440 |
| Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers |
Not available |
$34.03 |
$70,770 |
| Tire repairers and changers |
Not available |
$12.43 |
$25,860 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
Not available |
$18.19 |
$37,830 |
