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 | 48,690 | $16.62 | $34,560 |
| Office and administrative support occupations | 7,510 | $13.86 | $28,820 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations | 5,340 | $9.20 | $19,140 |
| Sales and related occupations | 5,090 | $13.12 | $27,290 |
| Education, training, and library occupations | 3,810 | $24.25 | $50,440 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations | 3,500 | $13.69 | $28,470 |
| Production occupations | 3,410 | $15.53 | $32,310 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations | 2,830 | $28.36 | $58,990 |
| Construction and extraction occupations | 2,180 | $17.52 | $36,440 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations | 2,150 | $11.37 | $23,650 |
| Healthcare support occupations | 2,020 | $11.75 | $24,450 |
| Retail salespersons | 1,960 | $11.61 | $24,160 |
| Personal care and service occupations | 1,820 | $9.74 | $20,260 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | 1,810 | $18.14 | $37,730 |
| Cashiers | 1,460 | $8.22 | $17,090 |
| Management occupations | 1,450 | $38.92 | $80,960 |
| Business and financial operations occupations | 1,400 | $24.27 | $50,480 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food | 1,360 | $8.34 | $17,350 |
| Waiters and waitresses | 1,290 | $8.97 | $18,660 |
| Community and social services occupations | 1,140 | $17.01 | $35,380 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners | 1,060 | $10.99 | $22,860 |
| Office clerks, general | 990 | $11.40 | $23,710 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants | 980 | $11.66 | $24,250 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer | 970 | $15.94 | $33,150 |
| Registered nurses | 950 | $31.18 | $64,860 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks | 930 | $14.33 | $29,810 |
| Protective service occupations | 830 | $18.77 | $39,050 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand | 770 | $11.05 | $22,970 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education | 670 | Not available | $46,850 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners | 610 | $8.74 | $18,190 |
| Teacher assistants | 590 | Not available | $25,440 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses | 560 | $16.85 | $35,050 |
| Customer service representatives | 550 | $12.51 | $26,020 |
| Home health aides | 550 | $9.78 | $20,340 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations | 550 | $26.11 | $54,300 |
| Receptionists and information clerks | 550 | $11.50 | $23,920 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive | 550 | $14.16 | $29,450 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers | 530 | $11.25 | $23,390 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations | 520 | $25.33 | $52,680 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants | 510 | $17.38 | $36,150 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations | 500 | $17.51 | $36,420 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers | 500 | $20.14 | $41,900 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general | 490 | $15.61 | $32,460 |
| Bartenders | 460 | $8.79 | $18,280 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers | 460 | $16.86 | $35,070 |
| Personal and home care aides | 450 | $10.61 | $22,060 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations | 440 | $20.94 | $43,560 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers | 440 | $12.40 | $25,800 |
| General and operations managers | 420 | $43.71 | $90,930 |
| Business operations specialists, all other | 360 | $23.57 | $49,020 |
| Cooks, restaurant | 360 | $9.55 | $19,870 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products | 360 | $25.30 | $52,620 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education | 360 | Not available | $46,110 |
| Child care workers | 340 | $7.77 | $16,160 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | 320 | $15.29 | $31,800 |
| Social and human service assistants | 320 | $11.72 | $24,370 |
| Driver/sales workers | 310 | $8.68 | $18,060 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services | 310 | $12.32 | $25,620 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators | 300 | $18.37 | $38,220 |
| Carpenters | 290 | $16.04 | $33,360 |
| Construction laborers | 270 | $13.37 | $27,810 |
| Tellers | 270 | $10.79 | $22,440 |
| Legal occupations | 260 | $26.44 | $55,000 |
| Production workers, all other | 260 | $11.56 | $24,040 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers | 250 | $22.77 | $47,350 |
| Food preparation workers | 240 | $10.21 | $21,230 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics | 230 | $18.86 | $39,230 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks | 230 | $8.51 | $17,690 |
| Accountants and auditors | 220 | $23.08 | $48,020 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors | 210 | $20.47 | $42,590 |
| Computer support specialists | 200 | $16.00 | $33,280 |
| Counter and rental clerks | 200 | $9.27 | $19,280 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers | 200 | $15.07 | $31,340 |
| Cooks, fast food | 190 | $8.32 | $17,300 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators | 180 | $13.89 | $28,880 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria | 180 | $11.07 | $23,030 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers | 180 | $23.65 | $49,190 |
| Gaming dealers | 180 | $8.94 | $18,590 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers | 180 | $22.73 | $47,280 |
| Amusement and recreation attendants | 170 | $8.31 | $17,290 |
| Dishwashers | 170 | $7.41 | $15,420 |
| Electricians | 160 | $20.84 | $43,340 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant | 160 | $9.98 | $20,760 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders | 160 | $12.28 | $25,530 |
| Parts salespersons | 160 | $14.30 | $29,730 |
| Postal service mail carriers | 150 | Not available | Not available |
| Security guards | 150 | $11.27 | $23,430 |
| Bus drivers, school | 140 | $16.69 | $34,720 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop | 140 | $7.54 | $15,680 |
| Medical and health services managers | 140 | $38.78 | $80,650 |
| Medical secretaries | 140 | $13.27 | $27,610 |
| Sheet metal workers | 140 | $19.11 | $39,740 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers | 140 | $15.11 | $31,420 |
| Child, family, and school social workers | 130 | $18.86 | $39,230 |
| Coaches and scouts | 130 | Not available | $40,870 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop | 130 | $9.07 | $18,870 |
| Environmental scientists and specialists, including health | 130 | $36.96 | $76,880 |
| Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations | 130 | $13.07 | $27,180 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers | 130 | $25.69 | $53,440 |
| Loan officers | 130 | $38.20 | $79,460 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks | 130 | $14.37 | $29,880 |
| Cost estimators | 120 | $21.54 | $44,810 |
| Correctional officers and jailers | 110 | $16.08 | $33,440 |
| Fire fighters | 110 | $18.64 | $38,760 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers | 110 | $15.47 | $32,190 |
| Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors | 110 | $8.91 | $18,530 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics | 110 | $19.59 | $40,750 |
| Packers and packagers, hand | 110 | $8.56 | $17,800 |
| Pharmacy technicians | 110 | $15.98 | $33,240 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists | 100 | $18.82 | $39,140 |
| Business teachers, postsecondary | 100 | Not available | $92,630 |
| Computer programmers | 100 | $24.02 | $49,960 |
| Cooks, short order | 100 | $9.07 | $18,860 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand | 100 | $17.52 | $36,440 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators | 100 | $23.07 | $47,980 |
| Highway maintenance workers | 100 | $17.54 | $36,480 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators | 100 | $13.98 | $29,080 |
| Medical records and health information technicians | 100 | $16.31 | $33,920 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | 100 | $17.95 | $37,340 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters | 100 | $20.83 | $43,340 |
| Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school | 100 | Not available | $50,260 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers | 90 | $7.90 | $16,430 |
| File clerks | 90 | Not available | Not available |
| Insurance sales agents | 90 | $31.40 | $65,320 |
| Librarians | 90 | $22.48 | $46,770 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education | 90 | Not available | $42,730 |
| Pharmacists | 90 | $44.19 | $91,910 |
| Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers | 90 | $24.76 | $51,500 |
| Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators | 80 | $18.33 | $38,120 |
| Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation | 80 | $21.50 | $44,710 |
| Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders | 80 | $15.91 | $33,090 |
| Dental assistants | 80 | $15.40 | $32,030 |
| Eligibility interviewers, government programs | 80 | $15.94 | $33,160 |
| Financial managers | 80 | $41.54 | $86,400 |
| Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 80 | $14.23 | $29,600 |
| Lawyers | 80 | $43.53 | $90,540 |
| Medical and public health social workers | 80 | $18.35 | $38,170 |
| Network and computer systems administrators | 80 | $22.11 | $45,980 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance | 80 | $14.45 | $30,050 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education | 80 | $13.94 | $28,990 |
| Psychiatric technicians | 80 | $14.93 | $31,050 |
| Sales managers | 80 | $33.67 | $70,040 |
| Stationary engineers and boiler operators | 80 | Not available | Not available |
| Structural metal fabricators and fitters | 80 | $13.66 | $28,420 |
| All other information and record clerks | 70 | $12.36 | $25,700 |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers | 70 | $17.65 | $36,710 |
| Chief executives | 70 | $74.24 | $154,410 |
| Construction managers | 70 | $36.08 | $75,050 |
| Data entry keyers | 70 | $11.23 | $23,350 |
| Demonstrators and product promoters | 70 | $12.29 | $25,570 |
| Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance | 70 | $15.53 | $32,300 |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school | 70 | Not available | $77,380 |
| Farm equipment mechanics | 70 | $18.06 | $37,570 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of personal service workers | 70 | $16.76 | $34,870 |
| Food service managers | 70 | $19.80 | $41,190 |
| Graphic designers | 70 | $15.63 | $32,510 |
| Helpers--carpenters | 70 | $11.77 | $24,480 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other | 70 | $17.90 | $37,230 |
| Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines | 70 | $21.88 | $45,510 |
| Physical therapists | 70 | $30.64 | $63,730 |
| Public relations specialists | 70 | $21.28 | $44,270 |
| Taxi drivers and chauffeurs | 70 | $7.87 | $16,370 |
| Tire repairers and changers | 70 | $10.02 | $20,840 |
| Vocational education teachers, secondary school | 70 | Not available | $48,850 |
| Automotive body and related repairers | 60 | $18.08 | $37,600 |
| Biological technicians | 60 | $14.43 | $30,020 |
| Butchers and meat cutters | 60 | $14.01 | $29,140 |
| Civil engineers | 60 | $34.73 | $72,240 |
| Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists | 60 | $30.87 | $64,220 |
| Community and social service specialists, all other | 60 | $20.76 | $43,170 |
| Dental hygienists | 60 | $24.12 | $50,170 |
| Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists | 60 | $18.39 | $38,240 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of police and detectives | 60 | $33.41 | $69,490 |
| Gaming and sports book writers and runners | 60 | Not available | Not available |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers | 60 | $20.85 | $43,380 |
| Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers | 60 | $11.19 | $23,280 |
| Kindergarten teachers, except special education | 60 | Not available | $44,020 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers | 60 | $9.62 | $20,000 |
| Managers, all other | 60 | $31.74 | $66,010 |
| Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators | 60 | Not available | Not available |
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors | 60 | $15.03 | $31,260 |
| Sales and related workers, all other | 60 | $17.69 | $36,800 |
| Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders | 60 | $14.91 | $31,010 |
| Special education teachers, secondary school | 60 | Not available | $49,590 |
| Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators | 60 | $17.76 | $36,940 |
| Bakers | 50 | $11.41 | $23,730 |
| Civil engineering technicians | 50 | $22.14 | $46,060 |
| Computer operators | 50 | $14.95 | $31,100 |
| Conveyor operators and tenders | 50 | $14.07 | $29,260 |
| Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers | 50 | $8.05 | $16,750 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks | 50 | $15.18 | $31,580 |
| Protective service workers, all other | 50 | $12.73 | $26,490 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products | 50 | $23.48 | $48,850 |
| Recreation workers | 50 | $13.19 | $27,440 |
| Social workers, all other | 50 | $14.60 | $30,370 |
| Speech-language pathologists | 50 | $24.65 | $51,270 |
| Bus drivers, transit and intercity | 40 | $14.32 | $29,780 |
| Chemical technicians | 40 | $12.94 | $26,920 |
| Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 40 | $12.63 | $26,260 |
| Dietitians and nutritionists | 40 | $25.26 | $52,540 |
| Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse | 40 | $13.13 | $27,300 |
| Instructional coordinators | 40 | $26.69 | $55,520 |
| Legal secretaries | 40 | $14.62 | $30,410 |
| Library assistants, clerical | 40 | $10.77 | $22,410 |
| Library technicians | 40 | $12.49 | $25,980 |
| Loan interviewers and clerks | 40 | $14.91 | $31,020 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technicians | 40 | $17.44 | $36,280 |
| New accounts clerks | 40 | $13.90 | $28,900 |
| Physician assistants | 40 | $34.90 | $72,600 |
| Printing machine operators | 40 | $15.69 | $32,630 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks | 40 | $19.76 | $41,100 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians | 40 | $24.64 | $51,250 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other | 40 | $20.76 | $43,180 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products | 40 | $33.27 | $69,210 |
| Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents | 40 | $20.28 | $42,180 |
| Social and community service managers | 40 | $31.98 | $66,520 |
| Switchboard operators, including answering service | 40 | $11.62 | $24,170 |
| Word processors and typists | 40 | $13.94 | $28,990 |
| Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic | 30 | $16.68 | $34,690 |
| Education administrators, postsecondary | 30 | $52.54 | $109,280 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers | 30 | $33.62 | $69,920 |
| Floral designers | 30 | $12.09 | $25,140 |
| Helpers--electricians | 30 | $12.02 | $25,000 |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping | 30 | $18.07 | $37,590 |
| Industrial engineers | 30 | $28.31 | $58,880 |
| Industrial production managers | 30 | $45.07 | $93,740 |
| Office and administrative support workers, all other | 30 | $14.47 | $30,100 |
| Rehabilitation counselors | 30 | $19.30 | $40,140 |
| Residential advisors | 30 | $8.53 | $17,740 |
| Advertising sales agents | Not available | $23.33 | $48,530 |
| Agricultural equipment operators | Not available | $10.24 | $21,290 |
| Architects, except landscape and naval | Not available | $25.66 | $53,380 |
| Bill and account collectors | Not available | $17.34 | $36,060 |
| Chefs and head cooks | Not available | $15.88 | $33,020 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment | Not available | $9.16 | $19,040 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists | Not available | $9.52 | $19,810 |
| Helpers--pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters | Not available | $12.99 | $27,030 |
| Insurance claims and policy processing clerks | Not available | $15.56 | $32,360 |
| Massage therapists | Not available | $10.59 | $22,020 |
| Medical assistants | Not available | $16.55 | $34,410 |
| Opticians, dispensing | Not available | $14.62 | $30,420 |
| Paralegals and legal assistants | Not available | $16.27 | $33,840 |
| Roofers | Not available | $14.84 | $30,860 |
| Service station attendants | Not available | $8.91 | $18,530 |
| Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors | Not available | $19.10 | $39,720 |
| Surgeons | Not available | $75.00 | More than $145,600 |
| Telemarketers | Not available | $7.96 | $16,550 |
