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 |
84,100 |
$18.72 |
$38,940 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
14,180 |
$15.09 |
$31,390 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
8,320 |
$9.27 |
$19,290 |
| Sales and related occupations |
7,810 |
$13.99 |
$29,100 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
7,810 |
$15.12 |
$31,450 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
6,290 |
$29.35 |
$61,060 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
5,810 |
$34.55 |
$71,860 |
| Production occupations |
5,640 |
$13.90 |
$28,920 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
3,430 |
$24.68 |
$51,330 |
| Office clerks, general |
3,320 |
$15.24 |
$31,700 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
3,000 |
$10.88 |
$22,640 |
| Retail salespersons |
2,770 |
$11.88 |
$24,710 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
2,750 |
$20.34 |
$42,300 |
| Management occupations |
2,700 |
$40.28 |
$83,780 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
2,670 |
$13.02 |
$27,080 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
2,530 |
$12.31 |
$25,610 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
2,470 |
$17.76 |
$36,950 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
2,190 |
$24.25 |
$50,440 |
| Cashiers |
2,170 |
$9.07 |
$18,870 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
2,090 |
$8.07 |
$16,770 |
| Team assemblers |
1,920 |
$11.68 |
$24,290 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
1,820 |
$27.62 |
$57,450 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
1,710 |
$8.40 |
$17,480 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
1,450 |
$12.62 |
$26,250 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
1,390 |
$23.60 |
$49,080 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
1,330 |
$16.36 |
$34,020 |
| Protective service occupations |
1,180 |
$17.83 |
$37,090 |
| Community and social services occupations |
1,140 |
$19.33 |
$40,210 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
1,090 |
$8.93 |
$18,570 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
1,070 |
$19.90 |
$41,380 |
| Customer service representatives |
1,070 |
$13.93 |
$28,970 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
1,060 |
$11.64 |
$24,210 |
| Child care workers |
1,020 |
$8.66 |
$18,020 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
940 |
$15.23 |
$31,690 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
880 |
$12.29 |
$25,570 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
860 |
$28.96 |
$60,240 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
750 |
$18.17 |
$37,790 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
750 |
$12.13 |
$25,240 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
740 |
$19.25 |
$40,050 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
660 |
Not available |
$37,630 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
620 |
$16.55 |
$34,430 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
590 |
$13.28 |
$27,630 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
570 |
$11.83 |
$24,600 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
560 |
$24.84 |
$51,670 |
| Home health aides |
550 |
$9.93 |
$20,660 |
| Carpenters |
520 |
$17.07 |
$35,510 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
520 |
$21.92 |
$45,600 |
| Bartenders |
510 |
$8.57 |
$17,830 |
| General and operations managers |
510 |
$44.39 |
$92,320 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
500 |
Not available |
$42,180 |
| Accountants and auditors |
490 |
$24.17 |
$50,270 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
490 |
$16.28 |
$33,870 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
480 |
$9.51 |
$19,780 |
| Medical secretaries |
460 |
$16.82 |
$34,980 |
| Computer software engineers, applications |
450 |
$31.00 |
$64,480 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
450 |
$8.76 |
$18,230 |
| Food preparation workers |
440 |
$10.66 |
$22,170 |
| Teachers and instructors, all other |
440 |
Not available |
$29,340 |
| Teacher assistants |
430 |
Not available |
$20,180 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
420 |
$12.40 |
$25,790 |
| Construction laborers |
400 |
$14.31 |
$29,760 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
400 |
$10.98 |
$22,830 |
| Medical assistants |
390 |
$14.36 |
$29,870 |
| Computer support specialists |
370 |
$20.67 |
$42,990 |
| Personal and home care aides |
370 |
$9.83 |
$20,440 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
360 |
$17.20 |
$35,780 |
| Medical scientists, except epidemiologists |
350 |
$30.09 |
$62,580 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
330 |
$12.96 |
$26,960 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
320 |
$11.81 |
$24,570 |
| Legal occupations |
310 |
$24.46 |
$50,870 |
| Pharmacists |
310 |
$41.82 |
$86,990 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
310 |
$14.95 |
$31,100 |
| Security guards |
310 |
$10.60 |
$22,040 |
| Medical and health services managers |
300 |
$43.12 |
$89,680 |
| Office and administrative support workers, all other |
300 |
$10.66 |
$22,170 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
300 |
$13.68 |
$28,460 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
290 |
$15.60 |
$32,450 |
| Telemarketers |
290 |
$10.60 |
$22,060 |
| Electricians |
280 |
$23.40 |
$48,660 |
| Amusement and recreation attendants |
270 |
$8.96 |
$18,630 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
260 |
$8.25 |
$17,150 |
| Insurance sales agents |
260 |
$20.73 |
$43,110 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
260 |
$14.31 |
$29,760 |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers |
250 |
$16.53 |
$34,370 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
250 |
$23.15 |
$48,150 |
| Managers, all other |
250 |
$26.49 |
$55,100 |
| Tellers |
250 |
$11.22 |
$23,340 |
| Computer programmers |
240 |
$28.19 |
$58,640 |
| Dental assistants |
240 |
$15.07 |
$31,350 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
240 |
$40.12 |
$83,440 |
| Network and computer systems administrators |
240 |
$28.03 |
$58,300 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
240 |
$14.95 |
$31,110 |
| Dishwashers |
230 |
$8.90 |
$18,500 |
| Coaches and scouts |
220 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
220 |
$19.16 |
$39,850 |
| Physicians and surgeons, all other |
220 |
$84.24 |
$175,230 |
| Training and development specialists |
220 |
$24.12 |
$50,170 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
210 |
$9.68 |
$20,130 |
| Computer and information systems managers |
190 |
$56.72 |
$117,980 |
| Data entry keyers |
190 |
$14.49 |
$30,140 |
| Driver/sales workers |
190 |
$10.04 |
$20,880 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
190 |
$18.80 |
$39,090 |
| Instructional coordinators |
190 |
$26.32 |
$54,740 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
190 |
$22.74 |
$47,310 |
| File clerks |
180 |
$12.68 |
$26,370 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
180 |
$8.81 |
$18,330 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
180 |
$18.06 |
$37,570 |
| Loan officers |
180 |
$25.44 |
$52,910 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
180 |
Not available |
$43,300 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance |
180 |
$19.57 |
$40,700 |
| Printing machine operators |
180 |
$14.83 |
$30,850 |
| Administrative services managers |
170 |
$40.61 |
$84,460 |
| Recreation workers |
170 |
$13.03 |
$27,100 |
| Financial managers |
160 |
$45.85 |
$95,370 |
| Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors |
160 |
$13.13 |
$27,310 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant |
160 |
$9.23 |
$19,190 |
| Graphic designers |
160 |
$20.62 |
$42,890 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
160 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school |
160 |
Not available |
$33,460 |
| Child, family, and school social workers |
150 |
$23.84 |
$49,580 |
| Library assistants, clerical |
150 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
150 |
$28.59 |
$59,460 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products |
150 |
$37.22 |
$77,420 |
| All other information and record clerks |
140 |
$17.67 |
$36,750 |
| Computer systems analysts |
140 |
$27.91 |
$58,050 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
140 |
$8.91 |
$18,540 |
| Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment |
140 |
$22.21 |
$46,190 |
| Healthcare support workers, all other |
140 |
$14.92 |
$31,030 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
140 |
$17.68 |
$36,770 |
| Management analysts |
140 |
$36.36 |
$75,630 |
| Nonfarm animal caretakers |
140 |
$14.65 |
$30,480 |
| Physical therapists |
140 |
$31.82 |
$66,190 |
| Prepress technicians and workers |
140 |
$19.33 |
$40,210 |
| Social and human service assistants |
140 |
$11.54 |
$23,990 |
| Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
130 |
$10.73 |
$22,320 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
130 |
$24.59 |
$51,140 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other |
130 |
$24.44 |
$50,840 |
| Lawyers |
130 |
$34.59 |
$71,940 |
| Librarians |
130 |
$29.11 |
$60,550 |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
130 |
$21.09 |
$43,860 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
130 |
$16.60 |
$34,530 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
130 |
$22.00 |
$45,760 |
| Bus drivers, transit and intercity |
120 |
$16.79 |
$34,920 |
| Chemists |
120 |
$25.35 |
$52,720 |
| Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
120 |
$15.69 |
$32,630 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
120 |
$24.13 |
$50,180 |
| Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service |
120 |
$11.91 |
$24,760 |
| Medical and public health social workers |
120 |
$23.82 |
$49,550 |
| Parts salespersons |
120 |
$10.94 |
$22,740 |
| Civil engineers |
110 |
$34.87 |
$72,540 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
110 |
$10.58 |
$22,000 |
| Editors |
110 |
$21.74 |
$45,210 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
110 |
$21.53 |
$44,790 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of personal service workers |
110 |
$17.44 |
$36,270 |
| Food preparation and serving related workers, all other |
110 |
$8.77 |
$18,250 |
| Mechanical engineers |
110 |
$31.97 |
$66,490 |
| Automotive body and related repairers |
100 |
$18.28 |
$38,020 |
| English language and literature teachers, postsecondary |
100 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Legal secretaries |
100 |
$14.06 |
$29,250 |
| Loan interviewers and clerks |
100 |
$14.01 |
$29,140 |
| Production workers, all other |
100 |
$12.60 |
$26,210 |
| Public relations specialists |
100 |
$25.90 |
$53,860 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
100 |
$27.19 |
$56,560 |
| Rehabilitation counselors |
100 |
$13.65 |
$28,400 |
| Sales and related workers, all other |
100 |
$16.30 |
$33,900 |
| Construction and related workers, all other |
90 |
$16.89 |
$35,120 |
| Database administrators |
90 |
$29.36 |
$61,060 |
| Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators |
90 |
$18.41 |
$38,290 |
| Financial analysts |
90 |
$28.21 |
$58,670 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers |
90 |
$29.73 |
$61,830 |
| Food service managers |
90 |
$23.59 |
$49,060 |
| Highway maintenance workers |
90 |
$20.15 |
$41,900 |
| Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers |
90 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Opticians, dispensing |
90 |
$12.06 |
$25,090 |
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors |
90 |
$16.04 |
$33,370 |
| Sales managers |
90 |
$40.77 |
$84,800 |
| Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators |
90 |
$20.64 |
$42,930 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
90 |
$14.96 |
$31,120 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
80 |
$11.08 |
$23,050 |
| Community and social service specialists, all other |
80 |
$21.66 |
$45,060 |
| Cost estimators |
80 |
$25.52 |
$53,080 |
| Education administrators, preschool and child care center/program |
80 |
$13.86 |
$28,840 |
| Industrial engineers |
80 |
$28.60 |
$59,490 |
| Library technicians |
80 |
$14.21 |
$29,560 |
| Order clerks |
80 |
$14.25 |
$29,630 |
| Property, real estate, and community association managers |
80 |
$21.65 |
$45,040 |
| Taxi drivers and chauffeurs |
80 |
$12.09 |
$25,150 |
| Chief executives |
70 |
$76.72 |
$159,570 |
| Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation |
70 |
$25.44 |
$52,910 |
| Computer specialists, all other |
70 |
$30.10 |
$62,600 |
| Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance |
70 |
$16.83 |
$35,000 |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school |
70 |
Not available |
$81,540 |
| Electronic home entertainment equipment installers and repairers |
70 |
$15.09 |
$31,380 |
| Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists |
70 |
$22.34 |
$46,480 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
70 |
$18.64 |
$38,760 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of police and detectives |
70 |
$31.88 |
$66,310 |
| Home appliance repairers |
70 |
$13.98 |
$29,070 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
70 |
$10.73 |
$22,330 |
| Machinists |
70 |
$15.99 |
$33,250 |
| Market research analysts |
70 |
$26.15 |
$54,400 |
| Social and community service managers |
70 |
$24.29 |
$50,510 |
| Speech-language pathologists |
70 |
$28.44 |
$59,160 |
| Advertising sales agents |
60 |
$16.88 |
$35,100 |
| Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists |
60 |
$31.69 |
$65,920 |
| Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers |
60 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Dental hygienists |
60 |
$24.11 |
$50,150 |
| Dietitians and nutritionists |
60 |
$24.75 |
$51,470 |
| Medical equipment repairers |
60 |
$22.90 |
$47,640 |
| Medical transcriptionists |
60 |
$14.20 |
$29,540 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers |
60 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Network systems and data communications analysts |
60 |
$30.39 |
$63,210 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks |
60 |
$15.26 |
$31,750 |
| Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents |
60 |
$39.21 |
$81,550 |
| Self-enrichment education teachers |
60 |
$21.52 |
$44,760 |
| Special education teachers, secondary school |
60 |
Not available |
$33,630 |
| Switchboard operators, including answering service |
60 |
$14.40 |
$29,960 |
| Financial specialists, all other |
50 |
$16.91 |
$35,170 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand |
50 |
$22.39 |
$46,580 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers |
50 |
$19.27 |
$40,080 |
| Helpers--production workers |
50 |
$10.73 |
$22,320 |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping |
50 |
$17.93 |
$37,300 |
| Kindergarten teachers, except special education |
50 |
Not available |
$42,400 |
| Legislators |
50 |
Not available |
$27,570 |
| Mechanical door repairers |
50 |
$16.16 |
$33,620 |
| Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines |
50 |
$16.94 |
$35,230 |
| Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation |
50 |
$13.54 |
$28,160 |
| Physical therapist assistants |
50 |
$21.48 |
$44,680 |
| Physician assistants |
50 |
$48.19 |
$100,230 |
| Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers |
50 |
$18.38 |
$38,240 |
| Public relations managers |
50 |
$33.76 |
$70,210 |
| Service station attendants |
50 |
$10.19 |
$21,190 |
| Social scientists and related workers, all other |
50 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Social workers, all other |
50 |
$24.19 |
$50,320 |
| Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers |
50 |
$23.80 |
$49,500 |
| Travel agents |
50 |
$14.67 |
$30,520 |
| Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products |
50 |
$21.44 |
$44,590 |
| Architects, except landscape and naval |
40 |
$39.36 |
$81,860 |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons |
40 |
$21.68 |
$45,090 |
| Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders |
40 |
$12.83 |
$26,690 |
| Construction managers |
40 |
$35.44 |
$73,720 |
| Couriers and messengers |
40 |
$9.70 |
$20,170 |
| Court, municipal, and license clerks |
40 |
$16.37 |
$34,050 |
| Diagnostic medical sonographers |
40 |
$27.19 |
$56,550 |
| Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers |
40 |
$29.34 |
$61,020 |
| Industrial production managers |
40 |
$44.57 |
$92,710 |
| Interviewers, except eligibility and loan |
40 |
$16.81 |
$34,970 |
| Lodging managers |
40 |
$20.95 |
$43,570 |
| Marketing managers |
40 |
$35.09 |
$72,990 |
| Occupational therapists |
40 |
$30.13 |
$62,670 |
| Office machine operators, except computer |
40 |
$12.80 |
$26,620 |
| Paralegals and legal assistants |
40 |
$13.87 |
$28,850 |
| Power plant operators |
40 |
$22.29 |
$46,370 |
| Special education teachers, middle school |
40 |
Not available |
$48,670 |
| Surveying and mapping technicians |
40 |
$16.73 |
$34,800 |
| Technical writers |
40 |
$21.75 |
$45,230 |
| Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters |
30 |
$13.80 |
$28,710 |
| Construction and building inspectors |
30 |
$23.06 |
$47,970 |
| Education, training, and library workers, all other |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Environmental engineers |
30 |
$31.52 |
$65,560 |
| Parking enforcement workers |
30 |
$14.06 |
$29,250 |
| Postal service clerks |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Postsecondary teachers, all other |
30 |
Not available |
$60,920 |
| Reporters and correspondents |
30 |
$14.18 |
$29,490 |
| Sheet metal workers |
30 |
$17.78 |
$36,980 |
| Veterinarians |
30 |
$36.09 |
$75,070 |
| Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers, recordkeeping |
30 |
$14.15 |
$29,430 |
| Appraisers and assessors of real estate |
Not available |
$25.08 |
$52,170 |
| Assemblers and fabricators, all other |
Not available |
$15.39 |
$32,020 |
| Bakers |
Not available |
$8.62 |
$17,920 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
Not available |
$16.76 |
$34,850 |
| Bus drivers, school |
Not available |
$12.63 |
$26,260 |
| Chemical technicians |
Not available |
$21.39 |
$44,480 |
| Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators |
Not available |
$27.20 |
$56,570 |
| Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic |
Not available |
$11.32 |
$23,550 |
| Cooks, fast food |
Not available |
$8.12 |
$16,890 |
| Cooks, short order |
Not available |
$9.91 |
$20,610 |
| Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders |
Not available |
$14.92 |
$31,040 |
| Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse |
Not available |
$9.39 |
$19,540 |
| Floral designers |
Not available |
$11.19 |
$23,270 |
| Health technologists and technicians, all other |
Not available |
$24.61 |
$51,190 |
| Insurance claims and policy processing clerks |
Not available |
$15.43 |
$32,100 |
| Machine feeders and offbearers |
Not available |
$10.49 |
$21,810 |
| Mental health counselors |
Not available |
$12.31 |
$25,600 |
| Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders |
Not available |
$16.75 |
$34,850 |
| Outdoor power equipment and other small engine mechanics |
Not available |
$12.73 |
$26,480 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
Not available |
$10.51 |
$21,860 |
| Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors |
Not available |
$16.90 |
$35,150 |
| Tire repairers and changers |
Not available |
$13.49 |
$28,050 |
| Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers |
Not available |
$12.98 |
$27,000 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
Not available |
$16.79 |
$34,920 |
| Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers |
Not available |
$10.04 |
$20,880 |
