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 |
52,250 |
$17.07 |
$35,500 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
9,000 |
$13.12 |
$27,280 |
| Sales and related occupations |
5,960 |
$14.90 |
$30,990 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
4,610 |
$8.46 |
$17,600 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
4,000 |
$13.00 |
$27,040 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
3,950 |
$16.07 |
$33,420 |
| Management occupations |
3,100 |
$32.97 |
$68,570 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
2,910 |
$32.54 |
$67,690 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
2,780 |
$17.78 |
$36,990 |
| Production occupations |
2,350 |
$14.60 |
$30,370 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
2,280 |
$16.21 |
$33,710 |
| Retail salespersons |
2,190 |
$11.55 |
$24,020 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
1,990 |
$27.89 |
$58,020 |
| Office clerks, general |
1,670 |
$12.41 |
$25,800 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
1,610 |
$10.61 |
$22,070 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
1,420 |
$14.80 |
$30,780 |
| Community and social services occupations |
1,280 |
$16.54 |
$34,410 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
1,100 |
$12.52 |
$26,040 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
1,070 |
$7.93 |
$16,490 |
| Cashiers |
1,040 |
$8.68 |
$18,050 |
| General and operations managers |
1,030 |
$33.27 |
$69,200 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
1,030 |
$8.10 |
$16,850 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
1,000 |
$8.80 |
$18,300 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
990 |
Not available |
$41,650 |
| Construction laborers |
950 |
$13.40 |
$27,870 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
890 |
$28.78 |
$59,860 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
890 |
$22.83 |
$47,490 |
| Registered nurses |
760 |
$25.56 |
$53,170 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
740 |
$32.16 |
$66,890 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
730 |
Not available |
$47,570 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
680 |
$12.29 |
$25,560 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
640 |
$20.87 |
$43,400 |
| Carpenters |
630 |
$15.78 |
$32,820 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
630 |
$10.10 |
$21,020 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
630 |
$10.03 |
$20,870 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
620 |
$11.02 |
$22,920 |
| Teacher assistants |
620 |
Not available |
$21,320 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
600 |
$18.57 |
$38,620 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
560 |
$14.41 |
$29,980 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
560 |
$14.90 |
$30,990 |
| Protective service occupations |
550 |
$16.53 |
$34,380 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
520 |
$15.34 |
$31,900 |
| Electricians |
510 |
$19.66 |
$40,880 |
| Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
500 |
$10.87 |
$22,610 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
450 |
$13.52 |
$28,120 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
450 |
$10.57 |
$21,980 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
420 |
$27.41 |
$57,010 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
400 |
$10.49 |
$21,820 |
| Accountants and auditors |
390 |
$29.82 |
$62,020 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
390 |
$12.38 |
$25,760 |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers |
380 |
$14.13 |
$29,380 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
380 |
$8.11 |
$16,880 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
370 |
$12.71 |
$26,430 |
| Food preparation workers |
360 |
$9.18 |
$19,090 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
360 |
$16.31 |
$33,920 |
| Telemarketers |
360 |
$11.75 |
$24,430 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
350 |
$18.50 |
$38,470 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
350 |
$13.29 |
$27,650 |
| Helpers--production workers |
340 |
$13.92 |
$28,950 |
| Tellers |
330 |
$10.15 |
$21,110 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
310 |
$11.79 |
$24,530 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
290 |
$21.54 |
$44,810 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
270 |
$11.81 |
$24,560 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
250 |
$12.05 |
$25,060 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
240 |
$12.23 |
$25,440 |
| Rehabilitation counselors |
240 |
$11.13 |
$23,160 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
230 |
$17.25 |
$35,870 |
| Engineers, all other |
230 |
$38.76 |
$80,620 |
| Dishwashers |
220 |
$7.89 |
$16,410 |
| Legal occupations |
220 |
$24.46 |
$50,880 |
| Social and human service assistants |
220 |
$9.75 |
$20,280 |
| Dental assistants |
210 |
$13.94 |
$28,990 |
| Financial managers |
210 |
$32.57 |
$67,740 |
| Administrative services managers |
200 |
$24.08 |
$50,090 |
| Chief executives |
200 |
$53.31 |
$110,890 |
| Child care workers |
200 |
$8.32 |
$17,310 |
| Computer support specialists |
200 |
$19.29 |
$40,130 |
| Sales managers |
200 |
$36.42 |
$75,760 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
190 |
$23.43 |
$48,740 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
190 |
$23.75 |
$49,410 |
| Home health aides |
190 |
$9.99 |
$20,790 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
180 |
$7.79 |
$16,210 |
| Loan officers |
180 |
$16.94 |
$35,240 |
| Management analysts |
180 |
$52.03 |
$108,220 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
180 |
$19.39 |
$40,340 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
170 |
$9.22 |
$19,170 |
| Computer programmers |
160 |
$26.08 |
$54,250 |
| Managers, all other |
160 |
$38.30 |
$79,670 |
| Parts salespersons |
160 |
$12.92 |
$26,870 |
| Biological technicians |
150 |
$11.12 |
$23,130 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
150 |
$9.05 |
$18,830 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
150 |
$10.24 |
$21,310 |
| Driver/sales workers |
150 |
$15.97 |
$33,210 |
| Amusement and recreation attendants |
140 |
$7.55 |
$15,690 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
140 |
$8.51 |
$17,700 |
| Food preparation and serving related workers, all other |
140 |
$8.92 |
$18,550 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
140 |
$13.39 |
$27,850 |
| Team assemblers |
140 |
$13.99 |
$29,100 |
| Training and development specialists |
140 |
$21.07 |
$43,820 |
| Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters |
130 |
$11.82 |
$24,580 |
| Dental hygienists |
130 |
$29.93 |
$62,250 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
130 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Community and social service specialists, all other |
120 |
$19.26 |
$40,060 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
120 |
$10.50 |
$21,830 |
| Food service managers |
120 |
$17.12 |
$35,610 |
| Medical and health services managers |
120 |
$27.20 |
$56,580 |
| Medical secretaries |
120 |
$12.86 |
$26,760 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
120 |
$9.14 |
$19,020 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
120 |
$21.68 |
$45,100 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
120 |
$9.72 |
$20,220 |
| Security guards |
120 |
$10.23 |
$21,280 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
120 |
$14.40 |
$29,940 |
| Bartenders |
110 |
$7.41 |
$15,400 |
| Bill and account collectors |
110 |
$14.13 |
$29,390 |
| Computer specialists, all other |
110 |
$27.18 |
$56,540 |
| Construction managers |
110 |
$26.15 |
$54,390 |
| File clerks |
110 |
$10.61 |
$22,070 |
| Legal secretaries |
110 |
$14.30 |
$29,740 |
| Drywall and ceiling tile installers |
100 |
$13.29 |
$27,640 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
100 |
$20.86 |
$43,400 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
100 |
$19.14 |
$39,810 |
| Pharmacists |
100 |
$44.59 |
$92,750 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
90 |
$9.62 |
$20,010 |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school |
90 |
Not available |
$75,200 |
| Emergency medical technicians and paramedics |
90 |
$14.55 |
$30,260 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers |
90 |
$29.81 |
$62,010 |
| Graphic designers |
90 |
$14.46 |
$30,080 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other |
90 |
$22.62 |
$47,050 |
| Network systems and data communications analysts |
90 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks |
90 |
$13.38 |
$27,830 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products |
90 |
$36.18 |
$75,250 |
| Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders |
90 |
$19.74 |
$41,050 |
| Computer systems analysts |
80 |
$26.20 |
$54,510 |
| Data entry keyers |
80 |
$10.52 |
$21,880 |
| Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance |
80 |
$18.21 |
$37,880 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
80 |
$14.97 |
$31,140 |
| Floral designers |
80 |
$8.27 |
$17,210 |
| Forest and conservation technicians |
80 |
$15.39 |
$32,010 |
| Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
80 |
$11.09 |
$23,070 |
| Marketing managers |
80 |
$35.09 |
$72,990 |
| Medical and public health social workers |
80 |
$23.23 |
$48,320 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
80 |
$12.70 |
$26,410 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance |
80 |
$15.68 |
$32,620 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
80 |
$27.00 |
$56,150 |
| Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists |
70 |
$23.14 |
$48,140 |
| Computer and information systems managers |
70 |
$39.07 |
$81,270 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
70 |
$23.26 |
$48,390 |
| Library technicians |
70 |
$11.03 |
$22,940 |
| Physical therapists |
70 |
$35.00 |
$72,810 |
| Surveying and mapping technicians |
70 |
$18.78 |
$39,070 |
| Switchboard operators, including answering service |
70 |
$10.05 |
$20,900 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
60 |
$13.63 |
$28,340 |
| Chemists |
60 |
$29.45 |
$61,260 |
| Civil engineers |
60 |
$29.15 |
$60,630 |
| Dentists, general |
60 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
60 |
$18.14 |
$37,740 |
| Industrial production managers |
60 |
$42.19 |
$87,750 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
60 |
$14.95 |
$31,100 |
| Photographers |
60 |
$11.42 |
$23,760 |
| Public relations specialists |
60 |
$26.22 |
$54,530 |
| Real estate sales agents |
60 |
$16.07 |
$33,410 |
| Transportation, storage, and distribution managers |
60 |
$28.35 |
$58,960 |
| Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation |
50 |
$23.58 |
$49,050 |
| Cost estimators |
50 |
$22.94 |
$47,720 |
| Engineering managers |
50 |
$47.36 |
$98,500 |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping |
50 |
$16.83 |
$35,010 |
| Industrial engineers |
50 |
$42.26 |
$87,900 |
| Nonfarm animal caretakers |
50 |
$9.17 |
$19,080 |
| Property, real estate, and community association managers |
50 |
$14.59 |
$30,350 |
| Tire repairers and changers |
50 |
$10.78 |
$22,420 |
| Advertising sales agents |
40 |
$22.00 |
$45,770 |
| Civil engineering technicians |
40 |
$22.03 |
$45,820 |
| Electrical power-line installers and repairers |
40 |
$22.36 |
$46,500 |
| Environmental engineers |
40 |
$31.82 |
$66,180 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant |
40 |
$9.14 |
$19,010 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
40 |
$9.07 |
$18,870 |
| Legislators |
40 |
Not available |
$24,820 |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
40 |
$12.91 |
$26,850 |
| Network and computer systems administrators |
40 |
$26.84 |
$55,840 |
| Office machine operators, except computer |
40 |
$16.70 |
$34,740 |
| Purchasing managers |
40 |
$29.60 |
$61,570 |
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors |
40 |
$12.60 |
$26,200 |
| Service station attendants |
40 |
$9.22 |
$19,180 |
| Zoologists and wildlife biologists |
40 |
$21.59 |
$44,900 |
| Agricultural inspectors |
30 |
$19.51 |
$40,590 |
| Construction and building inspectors |
30 |
$25.37 |
$52,770 |
| Environmental scientists and specialists, including health |
30 |
$28.18 |
$58,610 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of fire fighting and prevention workers |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| First-line supervisors/managers of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers |
30 |
$18.33 |
$38,120 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other |
30 |
$28.52 |
$59,320 |
| Librarians |
30 |
$19.44 |
$40,440 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technicians |
30 |
$17.62 |
$36,640 |
| Order clerks |
30 |
$11.61 |
$24,140 |
| Training and development managers |
30 |
$21.12 |
$43,930 |
| Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators |
30 |
$17.50 |
$36,390 |
| Appraisers and assessors of real estate |
Not available |
$14.12 |
$29,360 |
| Athletic trainers |
Not available |
Not available |
$28,360 |
| Automotive body and related repairers |
Not available |
$15.67 |
$32,590 |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons |
Not available |
$16.41 |
$34,140 |
| Bus drivers, school |
Not available |
$12.64 |
$26,300 |
| Child, family, and school social workers |
Not available |
$18.98 |
$39,480 |
| Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators |
Not available |
$28.14 |
$58,530 |
| Coaches and scouts |
Not available |
Not available |
$19,830 |
| Coin, vending, and amusement machine servicers and repairers |
Not available |
$16.11 |
$33,520 |
| Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists |
Not available |
$22.36 |
$46,510 |
| Computer software engineers, applications |
Not available |
$40.15 |
$83,500 |
| Computer software engineers, systems software |
Not available |
$43.89 |
$91,290 |
| Cooks, fast food |
Not available |
$7.78 |
$16,180 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
Not available |
$7.30 |
$15,190 |
| Customer service representatives |
Not available |
$11.08 |
$23,040 |
| Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers |
Not available |
$11.51 |
$23,940 |
| Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse |
Not available |
$12.45 |
$25,900 |
| Food scientists and technologists |
Not available |
$34.83 |
$72,440 |
| Graders and sorters, agricultural products |
Not available |
$9.48 |
$19,720 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
Not available |
$8.57 |
$17,820 |
| Insurance claims and policy processing clerks |
Not available |
$10.66 |
$22,160 |
| Lawyers |
Not available |
$31.84 |
$66,220 |
| Loan interviewers and clerks |
Not available |
$12.34 |
$25,660 |
| Machinists |
Not available |
$15.84 |
$32,940 |
| Market research analysts |
Not available |
$24.92 |
$51,840 |
| Medical assistants |
Not available |
$12.06 |
$25,090 |
| Medical transcriptionists |
Not available |
$15.10 |
$31,410 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers |
Not available |
$17.57 |
$36,540 |
| Mental health counselors |
Not available |
$28.02 |
$58,280 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
Not available |
Not available |
$42,260 |
| Motorboat mechanics |
Not available |
$17.62 |
$36,650 |
| Paralegals and legal assistants |
Not available |
$12.58 |
$26,170 |
| Personal and home care aides |
Not available |
$8.64 |
$17,970 |
| Personal financial advisors |
Not available |
$32.03 |
$66,610 |
| Physical therapist aides |
Not available |
$9.75 |
$20,290 |
| Physician assistants |
Not available |
$28.94 |
$60,200 |
| Physicians and surgeons, all other |
Not available |
More than $70 |
More than $145,600 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
Not available |
$19.31 |
$40,160 |
| Printing machine operators |
Not available |
$9.99 |
$20,780 |
| Protective service workers, all other |
Not available |
$10.13 |
$21,070 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians |
Not available |
$19.95 |
$41,500 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
Not available |
$26.12 |
$54,330 |
| Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents |
Not available |
$36.36 |
$75,630 |
| Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school |
Not available |
Not available |
$23,790 |
| Speech-language pathologists |
Not available |
$27.00 |
$56,160 |
| Structural iron and steel workers |
Not available |
$16.29 |
$33,880 |
| Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors |
Not available |
$16.76 |
$34,850 |
| Taxi drivers and chauffeurs |
Not available |
$8.46 |
$17,590 |
| Upholsterers |
Not available |
$9.72 |
$20,220 |
