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 |
13,940 |
$12.55 |
$26,100 |
| Production occupations |
2,390 |
$13.70 |
$28,500 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
1,880 |
$9.21 |
$19,160 |
| Sales and related occupations |
1,460 |
$7.76 |
$16,150 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
930 |
$7.21 |
$15,000 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
730 |
$12.15 |
$25,280 |
| Retail salespersons |
730 |
$7.39 |
$15,360 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
700 |
$8.81 |
$18,330 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
700 |
$8.59 |
$17,870 |
| Protective service occupations |
640 |
$8.37 |
$17,410 |
| Production workers, all other |
550 |
$15.59 |
$32,420 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
530 |
$14.96 |
$31,110 |
| Management occupations |
530 |
$33.53 |
$69,730 |
| Security guards |
530 |
$8.13 |
$16,920 |
| Cashiers |
470 |
$6.70 |
$13,930 |
| Office clerks, general |
390 |
$8.18 |
$17,010 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
370 |
$14.00 |
$29,110 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
360 |
$15.74 |
$32,740 |
| Registered nurses |
330 |
$11.78 |
$24,500 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
320 |
$22.50 |
$46,790 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
310 |
$17.28 |
$35,950 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
310 |
$8.22 |
$17,090 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
300 |
$27.57 |
$57,340 |
| Food preparation workers |
290 |
$6.88 |
$14,300 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
280 |
$19.65 |
$40,880 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
260 |
$7.12 |
$14,820 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
250 |
$9.80 |
$20,390 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
200 |
$7.83 |
$16,290 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
190 |
$6.87 |
$14,300 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
180 |
$7.81 |
$16,250 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
170 |
$6.89 |
$14,340 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
160 |
$22.80 |
$47,420 |
| Community and social services occupations |
150 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Construction laborers |
150 |
$6.96 |
$14,470 |
| Cooks, fast food |
150 |
$6.72 |
$13,970 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
130 |
$11.49 |
$23,890 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
120 |
$11.35 |
$23,610 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
120 |
$6.83 |
$14,210 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
120 |
$11.38 |
$23,670 |
| Teacher assistants |
120 |
Not available |
$14,890 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
110 |
$17.55 |
$36,500 |
| Teachers and instructors, all other |
110 |
Not available |
$22,760 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
100 |
$26.35 |
$54,820 |
| Managers, all other |
100 |
$32.73 |
$68,080 |
| Medical secretaries |
100 |
$7.12 |
$14,810 |
| Industrial production managers |
90 |
$48.07 |
$99,980 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
90 |
$7.31 |
$15,200 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
90 |
$9.52 |
$19,790 |
| Engineers, all other |
80 |
$33.43 |
$69,540 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
80 |
$12.96 |
$26,960 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
80 |
$12.18 |
$25,340 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
80 |
$9.86 |
$20,500 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
80 |
$6.69 |
$13,920 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
80 |
$8.87 |
$18,450 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
80 |
$7.18 |
$14,940 |
| Accountants and auditors |
70 |
$18.52 |
$38,520 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
70 |
$9.21 |
$19,160 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
70 |
$8.86 |
$18,420 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
70 |
$10.10 |
$21,010 |
| Pharmacy aides |
70 |
$7.26 |
$15,110 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
60 |
$7.67 |
$15,950 |
| Customer service representatives |
60 |
$7.30 |
$15,190 |
| Dental assistants |
60 |
$7.59 |
$15,790 |
| Electricians |
60 |
$11.75 |
$24,440 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other |
60 |
$17.50 |
$36,410 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
50 |
$8.24 |
$17,130 |
| Financial managers |
50 |
$28.07 |
$58,390 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
50 |
$19.95 |
$41,500 |
| Bakers |
40 |
$7.04 |
$14,630 |
| Emergency medical technicians and paramedics |
40 |
$6.60 |
$13,720 |
| Engineering managers |
40 |
$50.68 |
$105,410 |
| Environmental science and protection technicians, including health |
40 |
$8.97 |
$18,670 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
40 |
$7.26 |
$15,110 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
40 |
$7.62 |
$15,850 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technologists |
40 |
$11.09 |
$23,060 |
| Medical and health services managers |
40 |
$15.75 |
$32,750 |
| New accounts clerks |
40 |
$9.84 |
$20,460 |
| Pharmacists |
40 |
$26.77 |
$55,680 |
| Tellers |
40 |
$7.50 |
$15,590 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
30 |
$9.73 |
$20,240 |
| General and operations managers |
30 |
$34.52 |
$71,800 |
| Loan interviewers and clerks |
30 |
$8.47 |
$17,610 |
| Parts salespersons |
30 |
$7.14 |
$14,850 |
| Word processors and typists |
30 |
$8.78 |
$18,270 |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers |
Not available |
$9.70 |
$20,180 |
