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 |
50,520 |
$16.26 |
$33,820 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
8,920 |
$13.40 |
$27,860 |
| Sales and related occupations |
6,150 |
$13.24 |
$27,550 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
5,560 |
$9.10 |
$18,920 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
4,730 |
$17.25 |
$35,870 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
3,370 |
$13.02 |
$27,070 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
2,940 |
$28.85 |
$60,010 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
2,690 |
$16.71 |
$34,750 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
2,480 |
$17.90 |
$37,220 |
| Production occupations |
2,440 |
$14.47 |
$30,110 |
| Cashiers |
2,320 |
$9.33 |
$19,410 |
| Management occupations |
2,180 |
$37.21 |
$77,390 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
2,130 |
$10.61 |
$22,060 |
| Retail salespersons |
1,900 |
$12.69 |
$26,390 |
| Protective service occupations |
1,610 |
$19.06 |
$39,650 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
1,390 |
$23.18 |
$48,210 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
1,380 |
$12.36 |
$25,710 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
1,260 |
$7.94 |
$16,520 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
1,200 |
Not available |
$37,700 |
| Office clerks, general |
1,110 |
$11.88 |
$24,710 |
| Registered nurses |
1,020 |
$28.73 |
$59,770 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
960 |
$12.69 |
$26,390 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
960 |
$10.76 |
$22,380 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
950 |
$8.61 |
$17,920 |
| Construction laborers |
940 |
$13.11 |
$27,270 |
| General and operations managers |
790 |
$42.99 |
$89,430 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
780 |
$9.79 |
$20,370 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
760 |
$14.43 |
$30,020 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
710 |
$17.24 |
$35,850 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
700 |
$11.61 |
$24,160 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
650 |
$11.35 |
$23,620 |
| Customer service representatives |
610 |
$12.33 |
$25,650 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
610 |
$8.49 |
$17,660 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
600 |
$16.04 |
$33,360 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
580 |
$18.39 |
$38,260 |
| Carpenters |
570 |
$16.36 |
$34,040 |
| Community and social services occupations |
530 |
$19.39 |
$40,340 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
520 |
$11.41 |
$23,720 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
520 |
$11.95 |
$24,850 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
500 |
$16.59 |
$34,500 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
480 |
$16.41 |
$34,140 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
470 |
$11.46 |
$23,830 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
450 |
$9.81 |
$20,410 |
| Fire fighters |
440 |
$16.77 |
$34,890 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
440 |
$24.42 |
$50,800 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
430 |
$15.90 |
$33,080 |
| Food preparation workers |
430 |
$10.68 |
$22,200 |
| Teacher assistants |
420 |
Not available |
$21,650 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
380 |
$17.27 |
$35,930 |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers |
380 |
$17.87 |
$37,160 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
370 |
$27.26 |
$56,710 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
360 |
$10.28 |
$21,380 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
360 |
$12.95 |
$26,940 |
| Cooks, fast food |
340 |
$8.99 |
$18,700 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
340 |
$14.39 |
$29,940 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
330 |
$7.97 |
$16,570 |
| Bartenders |
320 |
$8.25 |
$17,160 |
| Medical assistants |
310 |
$13.30 |
$27,670 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
310 |
$22.53 |
$46,870 |
| Dishwashers |
280 |
$7.81 |
$16,240 |
| Electricians |
280 |
$22.87 |
$47,570 |
| Team assemblers |
280 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
270 |
$9.17 |
$19,070 |
| Tellers |
270 |
$11.81 |
$24,560 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
260 |
$8.08 |
$16,800 |
| Medical secretaries |
260 |
$13.57 |
$28,220 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
260 |
$19.74 |
$41,060 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
250 |
$25.85 |
$53,770 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
250 |
$19.88 |
$41,360 |
| Accountants and auditors |
240 |
$25.80 |
$53,660 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
240 |
$13.72 |
$28,530 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
230 |
$29.59 |
$61,550 |
| Security guards |
230 |
$11.65 |
$24,240 |
| Bus drivers, school |
220 |
$9.47 |
$19,700 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
210 |
$25.96 |
$54,000 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
190 |
Not available |
$38,020 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
190 |
$19.83 |
$41,260 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
190 |
Not available |
$40,800 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
180 |
$8.26 |
$17,180 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
180 |
$9.04 |
$18,800 |
| Legal occupations |
180 |
$32.00 |
$66,560 |
| Loan interviewers and clerks |
180 |
$13.97 |
$29,050 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
170 |
$23.01 |
$47,870 |
| Child care workers |
170 |
$7.96 |
$16,560 |
| Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators |
170 |
$17.22 |
$35,810 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
170 |
$29.75 |
$61,880 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
160 |
$14.18 |
$29,490 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
160 |
$11.08 |
$23,040 |
| Driver/sales workers |
160 |
$9.42 |
$19,590 |
| Drywall and ceiling tile installers |
160 |
$16.79 |
$34,930 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
160 |
$21.09 |
$43,860 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
160 |
$8.57 |
$17,830 |
| Bill and account collectors |
150 |
$13.29 |
$27,640 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
150 |
$14.31 |
$29,770 |
| Sales managers |
150 |
$36.20 |
$75,300 |
| Construction managers |
140 |
$41.28 |
$85,850 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
140 |
$10.45 |
$21,730 |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school |
140 |
Not available |
$72,340 |
| Home health aides |
140 |
$9.99 |
$20,770 |
| Machinists |
140 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Highway maintenance workers |
130 |
$15.94 |
$33,160 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
130 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Telecommunications line installers and repairers |
130 |
$16.98 |
$35,320 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
120 |
$17.26 |
$35,890 |
| Plasterers and stucco masons |
120 |
$16.19 |
$33,670 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
120 |
$10.26 |
$21,340 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
120 |
$19.82 |
$41,220 |
| Administrative services managers |
110 |
$27.47 |
$57,140 |
| Advertising sales agents |
110 |
$19.77 |
$41,110 |
| Dental assistants |
110 |
$13.69 |
$28,470 |
| File clerks |
110 |
$9.77 |
$20,310 |
| Financial managers |
110 |
$33.70 |
$70,090 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
110 |
$13.82 |
$28,740 |
| Medical and health services managers |
110 |
$30.13 |
$62,670 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks |
110 |
$15.22 |
$31,660 |
| Pharmacists |
110 |
$53.55 |
$111,390 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians |
110 |
$32.66 |
$67,930 |
| Recreation workers |
110 |
$13.80 |
$28,710 |
| Sheet metal workers |
110 |
$14.07 |
$29,260 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
110 |
$16.03 |
$33,340 |
| Assemblers and fabricators, all other |
100 |
$10.94 |
$22,760 |
| Court, municipal, and license clerks |
100 |
$15.13 |
$31,470 |
| Data entry keyers |
100 |
$10.94 |
$22,760 |
| Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance |
100 |
$13.57 |
$28,220 |
| Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors |
100 |
$13.47 |
$28,020 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
100 |
$18.79 |
$39,090 |
| Managers, all other |
100 |
$30.34 |
$63,110 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance |
100 |
$14.11 |
$29,360 |
| Parts salespersons |
100 |
$13.64 |
$28,370 |
| Physicians and surgeons, all other |
100 |
$65.83 |
$136,920 |
| Real estate brokers |
100 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons |
90 |
$17.03 |
$35,420 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
90 |
$17.45 |
$36,290 |
| Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
90 |
$12.90 |
$26,830 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
90 |
$16.20 |
$33,700 |
| Interviewers, except eligibility and loan |
90 |
$11.61 |
$24,140 |
| Management analysts |
90 |
$26.33 |
$54,770 |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
90 |
$15.54 |
$32,320 |
| Pest control workers |
90 |
$14.35 |
$29,850 |
| Roofers |
90 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Travel agents |
90 |
$12.13 |
$25,240 |
| Chefs and head cooks |
80 |
$17.83 |
$37,090 |
| Food service managers |
80 |
$23.71 |
$49,320 |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping |
80 |
$16.46 |
$34,230 |
| Insurance sales agents |
80 |
$27.37 |
$56,930 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
80 |
$14.84 |
$30,870 |
| Respiratory therapists |
80 |
$26.05 |
$54,180 |
| Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers |
80 |
$9.05 |
$18,830 |
| Automotive body and related repairers |
70 |
$13.75 |
$28,600 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
70 |
$21.60 |
$44,930 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
70 |
$19.39 |
$40,330 |
| Library technicians |
70 |
$17.09 |
$35,550 |
| Medical transcriptionists |
70 |
$17.72 |
$36,860 |
| Social and human service assistants |
70 |
$15.39 |
$32,010 |
| Amusement and recreation attendants |
60 |
$9.90 |
$20,600 |
| Appraisers and assessors of real estate |
60 |
$21.56 |
$44,850 |
| Bakers |
60 |
$11.14 |
$23,170 |
| Child, family, and school social workers |
60 |
$18.34 |
$38,160 |
| Civil engineering technicians |
60 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Coaches and scouts |
60 |
Not available |
$27,100 |
| Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation |
60 |
$18.99 |
$39,510 |
| Dental hygienists |
60 |
$35.37 |
$73,560 |
| Dentists, general |
60 |
$96.12 |
$199,930 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of correctional officers |
60 |
$22.99 |
$47,810 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of fire fighting and prevention workers |
60 |
$33.71 |
$70,120 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers |
60 |
$25.32 |
$52,660 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of police and detectives |
60 |
$38.07 |
$79,180 |
| Lawyers |
60 |
$43.65 |
$90,800 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technologists |
60 |
$21.88 |
$45,520 |
| Medical and public health social workers |
60 |
$19.61 |
$40,790 |
| Network and computer systems administrators |
60 |
$22.16 |
$46,090 |
| Sewing machine operators |
60 |
$11.78 |
$24,510 |
| Training and development specialists |
60 |
$23.03 |
$47,910 |
| Cardiovascular technologists and technicians |
50 |
$15.74 |
$32,740 |
| Civil engineers |
50 |
$30.51 |
$63,460 |
| Computer support specialists |
50 |
$20.38 |
$42,390 |
| Construction and building inspectors |
50 |
$20.19 |
$42,000 |
| Cost estimators |
50 |
$23.93 |
$49,780 |
| Engineering managers |
50 |
$81.55 |
$169,630 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand |
50 |
$21.28 |
$44,260 |
| Helpers--production workers |
50 |
$13.60 |
$28,280 |
| Instructional coordinators |
50 |
$22.45 |
$46,700 |
| Kindergarten teachers, except special education |
50 |
Not available |
$35,600 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technicians |
50 |
$20.27 |
$42,170 |
| Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines |
50 |
$20.13 |
$41,860 |
| Painters, transportation equipment |
50 |
$14.98 |
$31,160 |
| Physical therapists |
50 |
$37.27 |
$77,520 |
| Public relations specialists |
50 |
$23.63 |
$49,150 |
| Service station attendants |
50 |
$10.50 |
$21,850 |
| Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school |
50 |
Not available |
$37,600 |
| Tile and marble setters |
50 |
$16.06 |
$33,390 |
| Veterinary technologists and technicians |
50 |
$12.71 |
$26,430 |
| All other information and record clerks |
40 |
$14.58 |
$30,330 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
40 |
$18.89 |
$39,290 |
| Carpet installers |
40 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Dental laboratory technicians |
40 |
$15.11 |
$31,430 |
| Editors |
40 |
$20.80 |
$43,260 |
| Graphic designers |
40 |
$15.95 |
$33,180 |
| Healthcare support workers, all other |
40 |
$11.04 |
$22,960 |
| Librarians |
40 |
$17.34 |
$36,060 |
| Manicurists and pedicurists |
40 |
$9.37 |
$19,490 |
| Order clerks |
40 |
$12.00 |
$24,970 |
| Painting, coating, and decorating workers |
40 |
$12.13 |
$25,230 |
| Postal service clerks |
40 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators |
40 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Surgical technologists |
40 |
$16.63 |
$34,590 |
| Surveying and mapping technicians |
40 |
$18.04 |
$37,520 |
| Transportation, storage, and distribution managers |
40 |
$33.57 |
$69,820 |
| Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products |
40 |
$14.81 |
$30,810 |
| Architectural and civil drafters |
30 |
$18.76 |
$39,010 |
| Chief executives |
30 |
$72.88 |
$151,600 |
| Chiropractors |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Electrical power-line installers and repairers |
30 |
$29.36 |
$61,070 |
| Fiberglass laminators and fabricators |
30 |
$14.64 |
$30,450 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant |
30 |
$10.09 |
$20,990 |
| Insurance claims and policy processing clerks |
30 |
$11.60 |
$24,120 |
| Lodging managers |
30 |
$15.30 |
$31,830 |
| Marriage and family therapists |
30 |
$20.66 |
$42,980 |
| Real estate sales agents |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Sales and related workers, all other |
30 |
$13.92 |
$28,960 |
| Surveyors |
30 |
$24.57 |
$51,100 |
| Veterinarians |
30 |
$41.33 |
$85,970 |
| Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders |
Not available |
$8.50 |
$17,680 |
| Cooks, short order |
Not available |
$8.48 |
$17,640 |
| Credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks |
Not available |
$13.59 |
$28,270 |
| Emergency medical technicians and paramedics |
Not available |
$14.53 |
$30,220 |
| Fire inspectors and investigators |
Not available |
$28.31 |
$58,880 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers |
Not available |
$17.77 |
$36,950 |
| Helpers--painters, paperhangers, plasterers, and stucco masons |
Not available |
$12.37 |
$25,740 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
Not available |
$21.10 |
$43,890 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other |
Not available |
$13.30 |
$27,670 |
| Legislators |
Not available |
Not available |
$52,380 |
| Loan officers |
Not available |
$25.59 |
$53,230 |
| Maintenance workers, machinery |
Not available |
$15.20 |
$31,610 |
| Mechanical engineers |
Not available |
$19.03 |
$39,570 |
| Medical equipment repairers |
Not available |
$13.16 |
$27,380 |
| Office and administrative support workers, all other |
Not available |
$12.99 |
$27,030 |
| Pipelayers |
Not available |
$12.96 |
$26,950 |
| Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers |
Not available |
$16.01 |
$33,290 |
| Printing machine operators |
Not available |
$14.18 |
$29,490 |
| Production workers, all other |
Not available |
$10.20 |
$21,210 |
| Property, real estate, and community association managers |
Not available |
$16.10 |
$33,490 |
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors |
Not available |
$12.45 |
$25,890 |
| Respiratory therapy technicians |
Not available |
$14.49 |
$30,150 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
Not available |
$30.59 |
$63,620 |
| Tax preparers |
Not available |
$13.96 |
$29,030 |
| Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators |
Not available |
$18.90 |
$39,320 |
