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 |
43,130 |
$20.77 |
$43,210 |
| Production occupations |
7,200 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
5,160 |
$14.35 |
$29,850 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
4,560 |
$8.21 |
$17,070 |
| Sales and related occupations |
4,350 |
$13.45 |
$27,970 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
2,740 |
$26.11 |
$54,310 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
2,630 |
$18.50 |
$38,470 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
2,590 |
$30.06 |
$62,530 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
2,420 |
$17.32 |
$36,020 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
1,710 |
$23.45 |
$48,780 |
| Retail salespersons |
1,560 |
$11.10 |
$23,080 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
1,550 |
$7.22 |
$15,020 |
| Management occupations |
1,310 |
$44.18 |
$91,880 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
1,290 |
$29.88 |
$62,140 |
| Cashiers |
1,290 |
$7.95 |
$16,540 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
1,060 |
$12.19 |
$25,350 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
1,030 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Healthcare support occupations |
930 |
$12.55 |
$26,110 |
| Registered nurses |
840 |
$24.97 |
$51,930 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
820 |
$7.77 |
$16,160 |
| Office clerks, general |
700 |
$11.51 |
$23,950 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
700 |
$9.66 |
$20,080 |
| Teacher assistants |
590 |
Not available |
$19,890 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
580 |
$13.51 |
$28,090 |
| Protective service occupations |
580 |
$17.93 |
$37,300 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
530 |
$12.99 |
$27,030 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
530 |
$11.46 |
$23,830 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
520 |
$18.80 |
$39,100 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
510 |
Not available |
$45,970 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
500 |
$13.29 |
$27,650 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
480 |
$16.80 |
$34,950 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
480 |
$19.12 |
$39,770 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
460 |
$11.20 |
$23,290 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
440 |
Not available |
Not available |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
430 |
$31.18 |
$64,860 |
| Helpers--production workers |
420 |
$10.09 |
$20,990 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
420 |
$19.71 |
$41,000 |
| Electricians |
390 |
$31.67 |
$65,880 |
| Community and social services occupations |
360 |
$16.96 |
$35,280 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
340 |
$21.24 |
$44,180 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
340 |
$12.41 |
$25,810 |
| Food preparation workers |
340 |
$8.68 |
$18,060 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
330 |
$12.71 |
$26,450 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
310 |
$17.21 |
$35,790 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
300 |
$19.82 |
$41,230 |
| Tellers |
300 |
$11.19 |
$23,270 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
280 |
$40.69 |
$84,640 |
| Cooks, fast food |
280 |
$7.25 |
$15,080 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
280 |
$8.66 |
$18,020 |
| Customer service representatives |
280 |
$16.01 |
$33,290 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
280 |
Not available |
$42,770 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
270 |
$26.34 |
$54,780 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
260 |
$11.25 |
$23,390 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
250 |
$33.94 |
$70,600 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
240 |
$23.41 |
$48,680 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
240 |
$9.21 |
$19,160 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
230 |
Not available |
$44,130 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
220 |
$16.85 |
$35,050 |
| Carpenters |
200 |
$17.46 |
$36,320 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
190 |
$22.65 |
$47,120 |
| Legal occupations |
190 |
$27.78 |
$57,790 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
190 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Pharmacy technicians |
180 |
$11.43 |
$23,770 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
170 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
170 |
$10.54 |
$21,920 |
| General and operations managers |
170 |
$47.94 |
$99,710 |
| Construction laborers |
160 |
$17.41 |
$36,210 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
160 |
$24.04 |
$50,000 |
| Personal and home care aides |
160 |
$8.51 |
$17,690 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
160 |
$14.49 |
$30,130 |
| Teachers and instructors, all other |
160 |
Not available |
$28,710 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
150 |
$9.35 |
$19,450 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
150 |
$7.77 |
$16,150 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
150 |
$10.53 |
$21,900 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other |
150 |
$18.24 |
$37,940 |
| Industrial production managers |
150 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
150 |
$10.22 |
$21,250 |
| Team assemblers |
150 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Bartenders |
140 |
$8.32 |
$17,300 |
| Bus drivers, school |
140 |
$13.51 |
$28,100 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
140 |
$7.73 |
$16,090 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
140 |
$27.37 |
$56,920 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
140 |
$21.00 |
$43,680 |
| Fire fighters |
130 |
$17.20 |
$35,770 |
| Accountants and auditors |
120 |
$30.37 |
$63,170 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
120 |
$12.44 |
$25,860 |
| Medical secretaries |
120 |
$14.21 |
$29,560 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
120 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Insurance sales agents |
110 |
$23.13 |
$48,110 |
| Loan officers |
110 |
$27.51 |
$57,220 |
| Medical assistants |
110 |
$14.83 |
$30,840 |
| Dental hygienists |
100 |
$29.30 |
$60,950 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant |
100 |
$8.21 |
$17,090 |
| Pharmacists |
100 |
$48.09 |
$100,020 |
| Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators |
100 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Dental assistants |
90 |
$15.48 |
$32,210 |
| Dishwashers |
90 |
$7.79 |
$16,200 |
| Respiratory therapists |
90 |
$23.94 |
$49,800 |
| Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school |
90 |
Not available |
$48,670 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
90 |
$23.01 |
$47,870 |
| Medical and health services managers |
80 |
$34.22 |
$71,170 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
80 |
$9.38 |
$19,520 |
| Parts salespersons |
80 |
$13.34 |
$27,750 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians |
80 |
$23.65 |
$49,190 |
| Security guards |
80 |
$14.89 |
$30,980 |
| Child care workers |
70 |
$8.27 |
$17,200 |
| Dentists, general |
70 |
$90.83 |
$188,920 |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school |
70 |
Not available |
$71,740 |
| Financial managers |
70 |
$50.78 |
$105,630 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
70 |
$24.83 |
$51,650 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers |
70 |
$25.72 |
$53,500 |
| Food service managers |
70 |
$18.88 |
$39,280 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
70 |
$8.73 |
$18,160 |
| Lawyers |
70 |
$37.95 |
$78,930 |
| Machine feeders and offbearers |
70 |
$11.00 |
$22,870 |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
70 |
$14.62 |
$30,400 |
| Order clerks |
70 |
$17.43 |
$36,260 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
70 |
$12.55 |
$26,110 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
70 |
$33.40 |
$69,470 |
| Tire repairers and changers |
70 |
$10.62 |
$22,090 |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers |
60 |
$15.93 |
$33,130 |
| Coaches and scouts |
60 |
Not available |
$25,010 |
| Community and social service specialists, all other |
60 |
$17.51 |
$36,430 |
| Cooks, short order |
60 |
$9.51 |
$19,770 |
| Cost estimators |
60 |
$22.28 |
$46,340 |
| Data entry keyers |
60 |
$10.83 |
$22,530 |
| Emergency medical technicians and paramedics |
60 |
$15.73 |
$32,720 |
| Family and general practitioners |
60 |
$81.79 |
$170,130 |
| Healthcare support workers, all other |
60 |
$12.39 |
$25,780 |
| Home health aides |
60 |
$10.63 |
$22,120 |
| Interviewers, except eligibility and loan |
60 |
$15.67 |
$32,590 |
| Legal secretaries |
60 |
$20.04 |
$41,680 |
| Library technicians |
60 |
$12.24 |
$25,470 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technologists |
60 |
$24.54 |
$51,030 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
60 |
$16.58 |
$34,490 |
| Paralegals and legal assistants |
60 |
$20.08 |
$41,770 |
| Physical therapists |
60 |
$32.35 |
$67,290 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
60 |
$24.84 |
$51,680 |
| Public relations specialists |
60 |
$20.01 |
$41,630 |
| Child, family, and school social workers |
50 |
$17.71 |
$36,840 |
| Computer and information systems managers |
50 |
$47.98 |
$99,790 |
| Computer support specialists |
50 |
$20.47 |
$42,590 |
| Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists |
50 |
$18.94 |
$39,400 |
| Kindergarten teachers, except special education |
50 |
Not available |
$45,050 |
| Librarians |
50 |
$22.98 |
$47,800 |
| Maintenance workers, machinery |
50 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Nonfarm animal caretakers |
50 |
$6.95 |
$14,460 |
| Physicians and surgeons, all other |
50 |
$101.98 |
$212,120 |
| Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers |
50 |
$14.16 |
$29,460 |
| Printing machine operators |
50 |
$15.01 |
$31,230 |
| Sales managers |
50 |
$53.83 |
$111,960 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
50 |
$24.27 |
$50,490 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products |
50 |
$36.63 |
$76,190 |
| Switchboard operators, including answering service |
50 |
$11.87 |
$24,690 |
| Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators |
50 |
$22.96 |
$47,760 |
| All other information and record clerks |
40 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Appraisers and assessors of real estate |
40 |
$12.22 |
$25,410 |
| Automotive body and related repairers |
40 |
$21.40 |
$44,520 |
| Bill and account collectors |
40 |
$15.47 |
$32,170 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
40 |
$26.81 |
$55,770 |
| Chief executives |
40 |
$57.25 |
$119,070 |
| Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation |
40 |
$22.60 |
$47,010 |
| Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance |
40 |
$18.08 |
$37,600 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
40 |
$25.08 |
$52,180 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
40 |
$31.02 |
$64,520 |
| Legislators |
40 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Management analysts |
40 |
$32.81 |
$68,250 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technicians |
40 |
$13.98 |
$29,080 |
| Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents |
40 |
$37.10 |
$77,170 |
| Service station attendants |
40 |
$8.64 |
$17,960 |
| Speech-language pathologists |
40 |
$28.89 |
$60,100 |
| Tree trimmers and pruners |
40 |
$11.84 |
$24,620 |
| Eligibility interviewers, government programs |
30 |
$16.84 |
$35,030 |
| Financial specialists, all other |
30 |
$25.20 |
$52,410 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
30 |
$17.16 |
$35,680 |
| Helpers--brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters |
30 |
$12.42 |
$25,830 |
| Managers, all other |
30 |
$24.80 |
$51,580 |
| Market research analysts |
30 |
$35.88 |
$74,640 |
| Occupational therapists |
30 |
$34.99 |
$72,780 |
| Opticians, dispensing |
30 |
$14.40 |
$29,960 |
| Special education teachers, middle school |
30 |
Not available |
$48,290 |
| Surgical technologists |
30 |
$16.03 |
$33,350 |
| Training and development specialists |
30 |
$24.81 |
$51,610 |
| Amusement and recreation attendants |
Not available |
$6.76 |
$14,060 |
| Driver/sales workers |
Not available |
$10.94 |
$22,760 |
| Helpers--carpenters |
Not available |
$9.15 |
$19,030 |
| Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
Not available |
$11.91 |
$24,770 |
| Roofers |
Not available |
$15.38 |
$31,990 |
| Special education teachers, secondary school |
Not available |
Not available |
$44,130 |
| Taxi drivers and chauffeurs |
Not available |
$13.95 |
$29,010 |
| Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers |
Not available |
$18.97 |
$39,460 |
