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 |
33,290 |
$10.51 |
$21,860 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
5,870 |
$8.84 |
$18,380 |
| Sales and related occupations |
4,470 |
$8.56 |
$17,800 |
| Production occupations |
2,950 |
$7.73 |
$16,080 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
2,710 |
$8.02 |
$16,690 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
2,520 |
$20.27 |
$42,150 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
2,520 |
$7.28 |
$15,150 |
| Retail salespersons |
2,280 |
$7.33 |
$15,250 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
1,950 |
$12.37 |
$25,740 |
| Protective service occupations |
1,660 |
$7.65 |
$15,910 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
1,660 |
$8.31 |
$17,290 |
| Security guards |
1,380 |
$7.69 |
$15,990 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
1,290 |
$11.01 |
$22,900 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
1,210 |
$8.46 |
$17,590 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
1,170 |
$7.34 |
$15,260 |
| Cashiers |
1,110 |
$7.05 |
$14,660 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
940 |
$7.03 |
$14,620 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
920 |
$14.90 |
$30,990 |
| Management occupations |
850 |
$25.14 |
$52,290 |
| Registered nurses |
740 |
$10.57 |
$21,980 |
| Office clerks, general |
680 |
$7.45 |
$15,500 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
640 |
$8.03 |
$16,700 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
620 |
$7.79 |
$16,200 |
| Construction laborers |
590 |
$7.01 |
$14,580 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
530 |
$7.24 |
$15,060 |
| Community and social services occupations |
490 |
$12.13 |
$25,230 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
480 |
$13.02 |
$27,090 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
450 |
$13.25 |
$27,570 |
| Food preparation workers |
440 |
$6.75 |
$14,040 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
420 |
$6.87 |
$14,290 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
420 |
$7.52 |
$15,630 |
| Cooks, fast food |
380 |
$6.69 |
$13,920 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
360 |
$8.05 |
$16,740 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
340 |
$11.97 |
$24,910 |
| Medical secretaries |
340 |
$7.33 |
$15,250 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
330 |
$17.20 |
$35,770 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
330 |
$7.11 |
$14,800 |
| Teachers and instructors, all other |
300 |
Not available |
$27,790 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
290 |
$7.83 |
$16,280 |
| Customer service representatives |
280 |
$10.37 |
$21,580 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
280 |
$9.98 |
$20,750 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
270 |
$8.47 |
$17,610 |
| Accountants and auditors |
260 |
$13.52 |
$28,110 |
| Carpenters |
260 |
$8.49 |
$17,660 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
250 |
$14.23 |
$29,600 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
250 |
$10.42 |
$21,680 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
250 |
$19.62 |
$40,800 |
| Production workers, all other |
250 |
$10.52 |
$21,880 |
| Assemblers and fabricators, all other |
240 |
$7.13 |
$14,820 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
230 |
$7.27 |
$15,120 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
220 |
$8.64 |
$17,970 |
| Team assemblers |
220 |
$7.06 |
$14,670 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
210 |
$12.99 |
$27,020 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
210 |
$12.87 |
$26,770 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
190 |
$7.01 |
$14,580 |
| Managers, all other |
190 |
$21.04 |
$43,760 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
180 |
$11.54 |
$24,010 |
| Helpers--electricians |
180 |
$7.73 |
$16,090 |
| Tellers |
170 |
$7.33 |
$15,250 |
| Couriers and messengers |
160 |
$7.56 |
$15,720 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
150 |
$9.21 |
$19,150 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
150 |
$8.12 |
$16,890 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
140 |
$8.16 |
$16,970 |
| Electricians |
140 |
$10.43 |
$21,700 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
140 |
$11.99 |
$24,950 |
| Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
140 |
$7.32 |
$15,220 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
140 |
$7.18 |
$14,930 |
| Dental assistants |
130 |
$7.26 |
$15,110 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
130 |
$8.82 |
$18,350 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
130 |
$6.93 |
$14,400 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
120 |
$6.92 |
$14,390 |
| Loan interviewers and clerks |
120 |
$9.03 |
$18,780 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technologists |
120 |
$12.43 |
$25,860 |
| Dishwashers |
110 |
$6.74 |
$14,010 |
| General and operations managers |
110 |
$31.21 |
$64,910 |
| Bill and account collectors |
100 |
$8.48 |
$17,630 |
| Financial managers |
100 |
$28.16 |
$58,560 |
| Mechanical engineers |
100 |
$19.68 |
$40,930 |
| Pharmacy aides |
100 |
$6.95 |
$14,460 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
100 |
$7.40 |
$15,390 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
90 |
$6.71 |
$13,960 |
| Helpers--production workers |
90 |
$6.80 |
$14,140 |
| Parts salespersons |
90 |
$7.31 |
$15,210 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
90 |
$14.83 |
$30,850 |
| Social and human service assistants |
90 |
$8.42 |
$17,520 |
| Computer specialists, all other |
80 |
$19.92 |
$41,440 |
| Education administrators, postsecondary |
80 |
$16.07 |
$33,420 |
| Emergency medical technicians and paramedics |
80 |
$7.18 |
$14,940 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
80 |
$17.82 |
$37,060 |
| Legal secretaries |
80 |
$8.77 |
$18,230 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
80 |
$7.25 |
$15,080 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks |
80 |
$8.24 |
$17,140 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
80 |
$8.22 |
$17,100 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians |
80 |
$8.84 |
$18,380 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
80 |
$8.31 |
$17,280 |
| Computer support specialists |
70 |
$11.00 |
$22,880 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
70 |
$11.40 |
$23,710 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
70 |
$11.52 |
$23,960 |
| Lawyers |
70 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Legal occupations |
70 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
70 |
$6.84 |
$14,220 |
| Personal and home care aides |
70 |
$6.72 |
$13,980 |
| Public relations specialists |
70 |
$12.98 |
$27,000 |
| Civil engineers |
60 |
$21.33 |
$44,370 |
| Data entry keyers |
60 |
$8.17 |
$16,990 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
60 |
Not available |
Not available |
| First-line supervisors/managers, protective service workers, all other |
60 |
$7.53 |
$15,660 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant |
60 |
$8.52 |
$17,710 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
60 |
$7.63 |
$15,870 |
| Loan officers |
60 |
$14.99 |
$31,180 |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
60 |
$8.52 |
$17,710 |
| Taxi drivers and chauffeurs |
60 |
$7.78 |
$16,190 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
50 |
$7.50 |
$15,590 |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers |
50 |
$7.78 |
$16,190 |
| Chief executives |
50 |
$55.98 |
$116,440 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other |
50 |
$15.33 |
$31,880 |
| Insurance sales agents |
50 |
$15.83 |
$32,920 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
50 |
$6.92 |
$14,400 |
| Pharmacists |
50 |
$32.53 |
$67,650 |
| Recreation workers |
50 |
$7.97 |
$16,570 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
50 |
$7.90 |
$16,430 |
| Word processors and typists |
50 |
$8.54 |
$17,760 |
| Administrative services managers |
40 |
$16.16 |
$33,610 |
| Anesthesiologists |
40 |
$16.46 |
$34,240 |
| Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation |
40 |
$14.61 |
$30,400 |
| Engineering technicians, except drafters, all other |
40 |
$15.85 |
$32,960 |
| Family and general practitioners |
40 |
$35.38 |
$73,580 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
40 |
$11.25 |
$23,390 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
40 |
$6.75 |
$14,040 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
40 |
$6.96 |
$14,480 |
| Interviewers, except eligibility and loan |
40 |
$7.21 |
$14,990 |
| Pipelayers |
40 |
$7.01 |
$14,580 |
| Respiratory therapists |
40 |
$7.71 |
$16,030 |
| Sales managers |
40 |
$22.40 |
$46,590 |
| Surgical technologists |
40 |
$7.01 |
$14,590 |
| Switchboard operators, including answering service |
40 |
$7.40 |
$15,380 |
| Bakers |
30 |
$7.42 |
$15,430 |
| Bartenders |
30 |
$6.71 |
$13,960 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
30 |
$7.56 |
$15,730 |
| Engineers, all other |
30 |
$22.01 |
$45,780 |
| Healthcare support workers, all other |
30 |
$7.06 |
$14,690 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
30 |
$6.73 |
$14,000 |
| Office and administrative support workers, all other |
30 |
$9.13 |
$19,000 |
| Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers |
Not available |
$7.67 |
$15,960 |
| Home health aides |
Not available |
$6.82 |
$14,180 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
Not available |
$8.87 |
$18,450 |
| Opticians, dispensing |
Not available |
$10.86 |
$22,590 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
Not available |
$7.53 |
$15,660 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance |
Not available |
$7.16 |
$14,900 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
Not available |
$10.67 |
$22,190 |
| Sewing machine operators |
Not available |
$6.70 |
$13,940 |
| Tire repairers and changers |
Not available |
$8.10 |
$16,840 |
| Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers |
Not available |
$6.82 |
$14,190 |
