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 |
65,870 |
$18.14 |
$37,740 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
9,060 |
$14.24 |
$29,620 |
| Production occupations |
8,100 |
$18.08 |
$37,610 |
| Sales and related occupations |
7,300 |
$15.85 |
$32,970 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
7,260 |
$14.24 |
$29,610 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
6,460 |
$9.33 |
$19,400 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
4,340 |
$20.57 |
$42,790 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
3,600 |
$33.90 |
$70,520 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
2,930 |
$23.67 |
$49,220 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
2,690 |
$21.00 |
$43,680 |
| Retail salespersons |
2,510 |
$10.93 |
$22,730 |
| Management occupations |
2,380 |
$39.93 |
$83,050 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
2,030 |
$13.37 |
$27,820 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
1,970 |
$9.72 |
$20,220 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
1,930 |
$8.02 |
$16,680 |
| Cashiers |
1,840 |
$8.72 |
$18,130 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
1,760 |
$20.06 |
$41,730 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
1,740 |
$11.49 |
$23,910 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
1,700 |
$9.74 |
$20,270 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
1,690 |
$11.32 |
$23,540 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
1,570 |
$26.02 |
$54,130 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
1,240 |
$30.22 |
$62,870 |
| Registered nurses |
1,160 |
$29.82 |
$62,030 |
| Office clerks, general |
1,110 |
$11.77 |
$24,490 |
| Protective service occupations |
1,080 |
$18.16 |
$37,780 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
1,030 |
$11.21 |
$23,320 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
1,030 |
$9.69 |
$20,150 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
900 |
$11.01 |
$22,890 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
880 |
$28.27 |
$58,800 |
| Team assemblers |
880 |
$14.35 |
$29,840 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
870 |
$11.80 |
$24,540 |
| Personal and home care aides |
850 |
$9.06 |
$18,850 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
820 |
Not available |
$48,600 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
800 |
$12.86 |
$26,750 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
790 |
$15.50 |
$32,240 |
| Customer service representatives |
770 |
$15.33 |
$31,890 |
| Bartenders |
730 |
$9.88 |
$20,560 |
| Teacher assistants |
680 |
Not available |
$22,550 |
| Community and social services occupations |
650 |
$21.51 |
$44,740 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
640 |
$23.62 |
$49,140 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
630 |
$16.09 |
$33,470 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
630 |
$17.73 |
$36,870 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
610 |
Not available |
$50,450 |
| General and operations managers |
600 |
$45.58 |
$94,810 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
590 |
$25.37 |
$52,770 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
570 |
$11.64 |
$24,200 |
| Carpenters |
530 |
$19.90 |
$41,390 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
530 |
Not available |
$47,770 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
510 |
$18.98 |
$39,480 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
510 |
$14.04 |
$29,200 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
500 |
$16.68 |
$34,690 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
470 |
$17.36 |
$36,110 |
| Electricians |
460 |
$30.24 |
$62,900 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
450 |
$26.73 |
$55,600 |
| Construction laborers |
440 |
$19.59 |
$40,740 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
400 |
$15.84 |
$32,960 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
400 |
$14.92 |
$31,040 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
380 |
$14.54 |
$30,240 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
380 |
$21.19 |
$44,070 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
370 |
$29.54 |
$61,440 |
| Tellers |
370 |
$11.68 |
$24,290 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
360 |
$9.58 |
$19,930 |
| Medical assistants |
360 |
$14.16 |
$29,450 |
| Helpers--production workers |
320 |
$10.80 |
$22,450 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
320 |
$16.40 |
$34,120 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
310 |
$26.02 |
$54,130 |
| Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
300 |
$14.47 |
$30,100 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
290 |
$11.15 |
$23,190 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
290 |
$8.14 |
$16,920 |
| Data entry keyers |
290 |
$12.25 |
$25,480 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
290 |
$7.44 |
$15,480 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
290 |
$11.70 |
$24,330 |
| Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic |
280 |
$17.15 |
$35,660 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
280 |
$8.75 |
$18,190 |
| Dishwashers |
270 |
$8.13 |
$16,910 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
270 |
$18.19 |
$37,840 |
| Security guards |
270 |
$10.90 |
$22,680 |
| Teachers and instructors, all other |
270 |
Not available |
$30,290 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
260 |
$30.63 |
$63,710 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
260 |
$10.54 |
$21,930 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
260 |
$16.16 |
$33,610 |
| Accountants and auditors |
250 |
$29.91 |
$62,220 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
240 |
$8.42 |
$17,510 |
| Legal occupations |
220 |
$30.75 |
$63,970 |
| Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
210 |
$14.03 |
$29,180 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
210 |
$25.31 |
$52,650 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
210 |
$29.95 |
$62,290 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
200 |
$21.23 |
$44,170 |
| Bus drivers, school |
190 |
$11.90 |
$24,750 |
| Dental assistants |
190 |
$16.02 |
$33,320 |
| Food preparation workers |
190 |
$9.37 |
$19,500 |
| Machinists |
190 |
$20.56 |
$42,760 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
190 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
180 |
$12.86 |
$26,750 |
| Computer support specialists |
180 |
$18.21 |
$37,880 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
180 |
$10.03 |
$20,850 |
| Industrial engineers |
180 |
$31.62 |
$65,770 |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
180 |
$13.37 |
$27,800 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
180 |
$12.95 |
$26,940 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians |
180 |
$23.63 |
$49,140 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
170 |
$18.60 |
$38,690 |
| Driver/sales workers |
170 |
$11.49 |
$23,900 |
| Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
170 |
$15.05 |
$31,310 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
160 |
$28.16 |
$58,580 |
| Home health aides |
160 |
$10.05 |
$20,910 |
| Sales managers |
160 |
$49.36 |
$102,670 |
| Chief executives |
150 |
$62.33 |
$129,650 |
| Child, family, and school social workers |
150 |
$22.80 |
$47,420 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
150 |
$28.08 |
$58,410 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
140 |
$13.01 |
$27,060 |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers |
140 |
$19.17 |
$39,880 |
| Construction managers |
140 |
$40.34 |
$83,900 |
| Cost estimators |
140 |
$40.13 |
$83,480 |
| Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
140 |
$15.43 |
$32,090 |
| Financial managers |
140 |
$39.75 |
$82,670 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
140 |
$26.15 |
$54,390 |
| Industrial production managers |
140 |
$37.04 |
$77,030 |
| Loan officers |
140 |
$24.68 |
$51,340 |
| Mechanical engineers |
140 |
$30.92 |
$64,320 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
140 |
$21.67 |
$45,070 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
140 |
$26.99 |
$56,140 |
| Social and human service assistants |
140 |
$14.47 |
$30,110 |
| Fire fighters |
130 |
$17.02 |
$35,400 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand |
130 |
$17.44 |
$36,280 |
| Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors |
130 |
$9.96 |
$20,720 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks |
130 |
$15.41 |
$32,060 |
| Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance |
120 |
$18.53 |
$38,530 |
| Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists |
120 |
$23.29 |
$48,440 |
| Motor vehicle operators, all other |
120 |
$10.02 |
$20,830 |
| Parts salespersons |
120 |
$14.47 |
$30,100 |
| Tool and die makers |
120 |
$25.42 |
$52,880 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant |
110 |
$10.75 |
$22,350 |
| Food service managers |
110 |
$23.41 |
$48,700 |
| Highway maintenance workers |
110 |
$17.21 |
$35,790 |
| Loan interviewers and clerks |
110 |
$16.79 |
$34,920 |
| Managers, all other |
110 |
$28.24 |
$58,730 |
| Mechanical drafters |
110 |
$24.25 |
$50,440 |
| Medical transcriptionists |
110 |
$16.14 |
$33,580 |
| Printing machine operators |
110 |
$16.43 |
$34,180 |
| Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school |
110 |
Not available |
$45,340 |
| Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists |
100 |
$25.38 |
$52,790 |
| Dentists, general |
100 |
$85.65 |
$178,150 |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school |
100 |
Not available |
$82,880 |
| Insurance sales agents |
100 |
$29.86 |
$62,110 |
| Medical and health services managers |
100 |
$41.68 |
$86,690 |
| Medical secretaries |
100 |
$14.22 |
$29,580 |
| Pharmacists |
100 |
$53.53 |
$111,350 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
100 |
$24.44 |
$50,840 |
| Recreation workers |
100 |
$10.85 |
$22,570 |
| Bill and account collectors |
90 |
$14.57 |
$30,300 |
| Coaches and scouts |
90 |
Not available |
$24,430 |
| Emergency medical technicians and paramedics |
90 |
$16.79 |
$34,920 |
| Farm equipment mechanics |
90 |
$17.19 |
$35,760 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
90 |
$18.69 |
$38,880 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers |
90 |
$37.25 |
$77,480 |
| Food cooking machine operators and tenders |
90 |
$13.65 |
$28,400 |
| Kindergarten teachers, except special education |
90 |
Not available |
$47,110 |
| Network and computer systems administrators |
90 |
$27.28 |
$56,740 |
| Special education teachers, middle school |
90 |
Not available |
$48,040 |
| Advertising sales agents |
80 |
$20.66 |
$42,970 |
| Cooks, short order |
80 |
$10.07 |
$20,950 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
80 |
$27.64 |
$57,500 |
| Family and general practitioners |
80 |
$97.91 |
$203,640 |
| File clerks |
80 |
$13.35 |
$27,770 |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping |
80 |
$15.81 |
$32,890 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other |
80 |
$14.47 |
$30,100 |
| Interviewers, except eligibility and loan |
80 |
$12.46 |
$25,920 |
| Lawyers |
80 |
$59.50 |
$123,770 |
| Librarians |
80 |
$23.49 |
$48,860 |
| Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
80 |
$16.10 |
$33,480 |
| Order clerks |
80 |
$14.00 |
$29,110 |
| Physical therapists |
80 |
$33.83 |
$70,360 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products |
80 |
$33.31 |
$69,290 |
| Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents |
80 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Self-enrichment education teachers |
80 |
$15.96 |
$33,200 |
| Special education teachers, secondary school |
80 |
Not available |
$49,000 |
| Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers |
80 |
$13.22 |
$27,490 |
| Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists |
70 |
$22.42 |
$46,630 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
70 |
$8.94 |
$18,600 |
| Legislators |
70 |
Not available |
$15,890 |
| Library assistants, clerical |
70 |
$14.54 |
$30,250 |
| Library technicians |
70 |
$13.70 |
$28,500 |
| Public relations specialists |
70 |
$22.32 |
$46,420 |
| Service station attendants |
70 |
$9.05 |
$18,830 |
| Sheet metal workers |
70 |
$24.12 |
$50,170 |
| Vocational education teachers, postsecondary |
70 |
$29.56 |
$61,480 |
| Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators |
70 |
$21.70 |
$45,140 |
| Administrative services managers |
60 |
$31.84 |
$66,220 |
| Architectural and civil drafters |
60 |
$19.15 |
$39,830 |
| Automotive body and related repairers |
60 |
$20.98 |
$43,640 |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons |
60 |
$29.86 |
$62,120 |
| Computer systems analysts |
60 |
$30.42 |
$63,280 |
| Court, municipal, and license clerks |
60 |
$16.47 |
$34,250 |
| Engineering managers |
60 |
$44.59 |
$92,750 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of personal service workers |
60 |
$17.69 |
$36,800 |
| Graphic designers |
60 |
$16.51 |
$34,340 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other |
60 |
$13.79 |
$28,680 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technologists |
60 |
$26.12 |
$54,340 |
| Medical and public health social workers |
60 |
$22.35 |
$46,490 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance |
60 |
$17.24 |
$35,870 |
| Sewing machine operators |
60 |
$15.74 |
$32,740 |
| Transportation, storage, and distribution managers |
60 |
$41.10 |
$85,480 |
| Veterinarians |
60 |
$36.53 |
$75,980 |
| Bakers |
50 |
$12.47 |
$25,930 |
| Chefs and head cooks |
50 |
$13.25 |
$27,550 |
| Civil engineers |
50 |
$29.07 |
$60,470 |
| Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders |
50 |
$14.87 |
$30,920 |
| Computer and information systems managers |
50 |
$41.52 |
$86,360 |
| Computer programmers |
50 |
$26.13 |
$54,340 |
| Electrical engineers |
50 |
$34.73 |
$72,240 |
| Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
50 |
$10.48 |
$21,810 |
| Machine feeders and offbearers |
50 |
$15.96 |
$33,190 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technicians |
50 |
$21.40 |
$44,510 |
| Nonfarm animal caretakers |
50 |
$8.30 |
$17,270 |
| Occupational therapists |
50 |
$30.02 |
$62,440 |
| Paralegals and legal assistants |
50 |
$15.54 |
$32,320 |
| Physician assistants |
50 |
$37.18 |
$77,330 |
| Speech-language pathologists |
50 |
$29.62 |
$61,620 |
| Surgical technologists |
50 |
$18.90 |
$39,310 |
| Training and development specialists |
50 |
$20.01 |
$41,630 |
| Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers |
50 |
$10.88 |
$22,640 |
| Adult literacy, remedial education, and GED teachers and instructors |
40 |
$27.60 |
$57,400 |
| Dietitians and nutritionists |
40 |
$19.84 |
$41,260 |
| Education administrators, postsecondary |
40 |
$32.76 |
$68,140 |
| Electrical and electronic engineering technicians |
40 |
$20.23 |
$42,070 |
| English language and literature teachers, postsecondary |
40 |
Not available |
$45,200 |
| Floral designers |
40 |
$11.89 |
$24,740 |
| Food batchmakers |
40 |
$16.07 |
$33,420 |
| Health diagnosing and treating practitioners, all other |
40 |
$34.09 |
$70,900 |
| Industrial engineering technicians |
40 |
$22.45 |
$46,700 |
| Management analysts |
40 |
$46.32 |
$96,360 |
| Metal workers and plastic workers, all other |
40 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines |
40 |
$20.61 |
$42,870 |
| Network systems and data communications analysts |
40 |
$22.80 |
$47,420 |
| Personal financial advisors |
40 |
$27.20 |
$56,580 |
| Reporters and correspondents |
40 |
$14.25 |
$29,640 |
| Sales engineers |
40 |
$37.67 |
$78,360 |
| Switchboard operators, including answering service |
40 |
$12.14 |
$25,240 |
| Taxi drivers and chauffeurs |
40 |
$10.83 |
$22,530 |
| Veterinary technologists and technicians |
40 |
$14.37 |
$29,900 |
| Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products |
40 |
$22.05 |
$45,870 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
30 |
$15.05 |
$31,300 |
| Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers |
30 |
$19.20 |
$39,940 |
| Engineers, all other |
30 |
$37.52 |
$78,040 |
| Helpers--electricians |
30 |
$14.59 |
$30,340 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
30 |
$9.56 |
$19,890 |
| Massage therapists |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Medical equipment preparers |
30 |
$12.78 |
$26,570 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Physical therapist assistants |
30 |
$21.69 |
$45,120 |
| Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Purchasing managers |
30 |
$41.49 |
$86,300 |
| Social and community service managers |
30 |
$26.57 |
$55,270 |
| Vocational education teachers, secondary school |
30 |
Not available |
$45,690 |
| Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers, recordkeeping |
30 |
$15.04 |
$31,290 |
| All other information and record clerks |
Not available |
$10.07 |
$20,950 |
| Amusement and recreation attendants |
Not available |
$7.27 |
$15,130 |
| Athletic trainers |
Not available |
Not available |
$47,570 |
| Child care workers |
Not available |
$9.28 |
$19,300 |
| Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation |
Not available |
$15.47 |
$32,170 |
| Computer software engineers, applications |
Not available |
$30.59 |
$63,630 |
| Cooks, fast food |
Not available |
$10.09 |
$20,990 |
| Dental hygienists |
Not available |
$27.02 |
$56,210 |
| Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
Not available |
$17.28 |
$35,940 |
| Electric motor, power tool, and related repairers |
Not available |
$21.07 |
$43,820 |
| Eligibility interviewers, government programs |
Not available |
$14.70 |
$30,570 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
Not available |
$18.86 |
$39,240 |
| Insurance claims and policy processing clerks |
Not available |
$15.56 |
$32,370 |
| Interior designers |
Not available |
$18.47 |
$38,420 |
| Job printers |
Not available |
$13.66 |
$28,400 |
| Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
Not available |
$18.22 |
$37,900 |
| Legal secretaries |
Not available |
$14.98 |
$31,150 |
| Logisticians |
Not available |
$25.64 |
$53,340 |
| Market research analysts |
Not available |
$32.38 |
$67,360 |
| Marketing managers |
Not available |
$37.92 |
$78,860 |
| Office and administrative support workers, all other |
Not available |
$12.66 |
$26,340 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
Not available |
$10.98 |
$22,830 |
| Sales and related workers, all other |
Not available |
$14.18 |
$29,500 |
| Tax preparers |
Not available |
$16.10 |
$33,480 |
| Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers |
Not available |
$22.03 |
$45,820 |
