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 |
56,190 |
$18.95 |
$39,410 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
7,610 |
$14.14 |
$29,400 |
| Sales and related occupations |
4,770 |
$12.29 |
$25,560 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
4,630 |
$8.68 |
$18,050 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
3,710 |
$18.34 |
$38,150 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
3,450 |
$17.08 |
$35,520 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
3,230 |
$29.18 |
$60,690 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
2,730 |
$13.92 |
$28,940 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
2,710 |
$20.10 |
$41,810 |
| Management occupations |
2,270 |
$41.82 |
$86,980 |
| Cashiers |
2,020 |
$8.18 |
$17,010 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
1,740 |
$26.89 |
$55,920 |
| Retail salespersons |
1,500 |
$11.59 |
$24,100 |
| Registered nurses |
1,420 |
$26.35 |
$54,800 |
| Protective service occupations |
1,410 |
$14.12 |
$29,380 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
1,320 |
$9.48 |
$19,720 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
1,130 |
$10.93 |
$22,720 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
910 |
$26.93 |
$56,020 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
810 |
$12.15 |
$25,280 |
| Customer service representatives |
780 |
$12.44 |
$25,870 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
770 |
Not available |
$40,660 |
| Teacher assistants |
770 |
Not available |
$16,230 |
| Food preparation workers |
760 |
$7.70 |
$16,010 |
| Cooks, fast food |
730 |
$7.50 |
$15,590 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
710 |
$8.94 |
$18,580 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
700 |
$23.75 |
$49,400 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
680 |
$15.10 |
$31,410 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
650 |
$8.70 |
$18,090 |
| Team assemblers |
650 |
$10.51 |
$21,860 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
640 |
$9.89 |
$20,580 |
| Carpenters |
600 |
$17.32 |
$36,030 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
600 |
$10.61 |
$22,060 |
| Office clerks, general |
600 |
$11.64 |
$24,220 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
590 |
$10.15 |
$21,110 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
580 |
Not available |
$38,220 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
570 |
$17.47 |
$36,350 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
560 |
$28.61 |
$59,500 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
550 |
$30.28 |
$62,980 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
550 |
$21.14 |
$43,960 |
| Security guards |
550 |
$12.02 |
$25,000 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
530 |
$9.28 |
$19,290 |
| Engineering technicians, except drafters, all other |
480 |
$36.21 |
$75,310 |
| General and operations managers |
480 |
$43.44 |
$90,360 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
470 |
Not available |
$45,350 |
| Community and social services occupations |
450 |
$17.42 |
$36,230 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
450 |
$13.78 |
$28,660 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
430 |
$10.84 |
$22,540 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
390 |
$6.98 |
$14,510 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
380 |
$28.71 |
$59,720 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
360 |
$21.88 |
$45,510 |
| Structural metal fabricators and fitters |
360 |
$18.07 |
$37,580 |
| Machinists |
350 |
$15.35 |
$31,920 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
350 |
$13.11 |
$27,270 |
| Tellers |
330 |
$10.65 |
$22,140 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
320 |
$15.90 |
$33,070 |
| Bus drivers, school |
310 |
$8.34 |
$17,340 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
310 |
$10.58 |
$22,000 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
310 |
$27.01 |
$56,170 |
| Dishwashers |
300 |
$8.44 |
$17,560 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
300 |
$14.92 |
$31,040 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
300 |
$14.18 |
$29,490 |
| Crane and tower operators |
280 |
$21.00 |
$43,690 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
280 |
$10.21 |
$21,230 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
260 |
$21.59 |
$44,910 |
| Child care workers |
260 |
$7.35 |
$15,280 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
260 |
$27.35 |
$56,890 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
250 |
$36.65 |
$76,230 |
| Construction laborers |
250 |
$11.45 |
$23,830 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
250 |
$8.61 |
$17,920 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
250 |
$7.64 |
$15,900 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
250 |
$16.78 |
$34,900 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
250 |
$7.85 |
$16,330 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
250 |
$24.47 |
$50,900 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
220 |
$8.90 |
$18,510 |
| Legal occupations |
220 |
$26.83 |
$55,810 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
220 |
$11.06 |
$23,000 |
| Accountants and auditors |
200 |
$28.11 |
$58,470 |
| Fire fighters |
200 |
$13.21 |
$27,470 |
| Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
190 |
$11.10 |
$23,090 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
190 |
$24.81 |
$51,600 |
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors |
190 |
$14.46 |
$30,070 |
| Maintenance workers, machinery |
180 |
$18.66 |
$38,820 |
| Bartenders |
170 |
$7.53 |
$15,650 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
170 |
$13.54 |
$28,160 |
| Financial managers |
170 |
$30.78 |
$64,020 |
| Court, municipal, and license clerks |
150 |
$9.71 |
$20,190 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
150 |
$7.90 |
$16,430 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
140 |
$10.86 |
$22,580 |
| Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists |
140 |
$19.21 |
$39,950 |
| Kindergarten teachers, except special education |
140 |
Not available |
$44,010 |
| Medical and health services managers |
140 |
$35.81 |
$74,480 |
| Medical assistants |
140 |
$12.25 |
$25,470 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
140 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Bill and account collectors |
120 |
$13.69 |
$28,470 |
| Computer support specialists |
120 |
$15.05 |
$31,310 |
| Construction managers |
120 |
$38.32 |
$79,700 |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school |
120 |
Not available |
$69,860 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
120 |
$12.79 |
$26,600 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
120 |
$11.53 |
$23,980 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians |
120 |
$21.27 |
$44,240 |
| Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school |
120 |
Not available |
$45,290 |
| Correctional officers and jailers |
110 |
$12.87 |
$26,760 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
110 |
$22.55 |
$46,900 |
| Interviewers, except eligibility and loan |
110 |
$12.47 |
$25,930 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
110 |
$7.85 |
$16,330 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technicians |
110 |
$14.72 |
$30,620 |
| Civil engineers |
100 |
$34.94 |
$72,680 |
| Environmental engineering technicians |
100 |
$16.41 |
$34,130 |
| File clerks |
100 |
$9.38 |
$19,510 |
| Industrial engineering technicians |
100 |
$24.87 |
$51,730 |
| Lawyers |
100 |
$39.57 |
$82,300 |
| Logisticians |
100 |
$25.79 |
$53,640 |
| Medical secretaries |
100 |
$11.81 |
$24,560 |
| Pharmacists |
100 |
$50.45 |
$104,930 |
| Physical therapists |
100 |
$35.03 |
$72,850 |
| Child, family, and school social workers |
90 |
$15.27 |
$31,760 |
| Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
90 |
$11.89 |
$24,720 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks |
90 |
$16.52 |
$34,360 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
90 |
$14.08 |
$29,290 |
| Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation |
80 |
$23.53 |
$48,930 |
| Dental assistants |
80 |
$13.31 |
$27,680 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
80 |
$26.05 |
$54,180 |
| Eligibility interviewers, government programs |
80 |
$14.49 |
$30,150 |
| Legal secretaries |
80 |
$14.75 |
$30,680 |
| Medical and public health social workers |
80 |
$17.47 |
$36,350 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers |
80 |
$17.32 |
$36,030 |
| Occupational therapists |
80 |
$32.41 |
$67,410 |
| Paralegals and legal assistants |
80 |
$16.74 |
$34,830 |
| Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators |
80 |
$16.98 |
$35,310 |
| Computer software engineers, applications |
70 |
$25.59 |
$53,220 |
| Dental hygienists |
70 |
$24.80 |
$51,590 |
| Electrical power-line installers and repairers |
70 |
$24.74 |
$51,450 |
| Engineers, all other |
70 |
$45.22 |
$94,060 |
| Family and general practitioners |
70 |
$95.98 |
$199,640 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant |
70 |
$7.75 |
$16,110 |
| Home health aides |
70 |
$9.77 |
$20,320 |
| Librarians |
70 |
$22.65 |
$47,100 |
| Loan interviewers and clerks |
70 |
$14.07 |
$29,260 |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
70 |
$12.47 |
$25,930 |
| Personal financial advisors |
70 |
$16.80 |
$34,940 |
| Recreation workers |
70 |
$11.89 |
$24,730 |
| Respiratory therapists |
70 |
$21.27 |
$44,250 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
60 |
$18.42 |
$38,310 |
| Chief executives |
60 |
$55.88 |
$116,220 |
| Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators |
60 |
$21.34 |
$44,380 |
| Computer specialists, all other |
60 |
$45.00 |
$93,590 |
| Computer systems analysts |
60 |
$29.55 |
$61,460 |
| Cost estimators |
60 |
$27.20 |
$56,580 |
| Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance |
60 |
$16.28 |
$33,850 |
| Electrical engineers |
60 |
$31.21 |
$64,910 |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping |
60 |
$16.08 |
$33,450 |
| Loan officers |
60 |
$21.06 |
$43,810 |
| Network and computer systems administrators |
60 |
$35.29 |
$73,410 |
| Parts salespersons |
60 |
$17.00 |
$35,360 |
| Physical therapist aides |
60 |
$10.66 |
$22,180 |
| Pipelayers |
60 |
$13.58 |
$28,250 |
| Property, real estate, and community association managers |
60 |
$20.67 |
$43,000 |
| Sailors and marine oilers |
60 |
$15.93 |
$33,140 |
| Special education teachers, middle school |
60 |
Not available |
$41,410 |
| Speech-language pathologists |
60 |
$25.92 |
$53,910 |
| Training and development specialists |
60 |
$24.23 |
$50,400 |
| Administrative services managers |
50 |
$23.23 |
$48,320 |
| Architectural and civil drafters |
50 |
$20.99 |
$43,650 |
| Automotive body and related repairers |
50 |
$16.64 |
$34,600 |
| Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels |
50 |
$38.51 |
$80,100 |
| Civil engineering technicians |
50 |
$15.09 |
$31,390 |
| Environmental scientists and specialists, including health |
50 |
$27.69 |
$57,600 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers |
50 |
$16.82 |
$34,990 |
| Healthcare support workers, all other |
50 |
$10.43 |
$21,700 |
| Insurance sales agents |
50 |
$21.81 |
$45,360 |
| Nonfarm animal caretakers |
50 |
$8.51 |
$17,710 |
| Personal and home care aides |
50 |
$7.84 |
$16,300 |
| Surgical technologists |
50 |
$14.38 |
$29,900 |
| Surveying and mapping technicians |
50 |
$16.28 |
$33,870 |
| Switchboard operators, including answering service |
50 |
$10.83 |
$22,530 |
| Veterinary technologists and technicians |
50 |
$10.73 |
$22,320 |
| Amusement and recreation attendants |
40 |
$7.86 |
$16,360 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
40 |
$12.60 |
$26,220 |
| Computer operators |
40 |
$15.61 |
$32,470 |
| Construction and building inspectors |
40 |
$20.41 |
$42,440 |
| Data entry keyers |
40 |
$12.07 |
$25,100 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand |
40 |
$21.01 |
$43,690 |
| Food service managers |
40 |
$22.34 |
$46,460 |
| Helpers--pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
40 |
$11.75 |
$24,430 |
| Legislators |
40 |
Not available |
$29,540 |
| Library technicians |
40 |
$9.39 |
$19,540 |
| Management analysts |
40 |
$37.66 |
$78,340 |
| Meter readers, utilities |
40 |
$16.38 |
$34,070 |
| Pest control workers |
40 |
$12.16 |
$25,280 |
| Physical therapist assistants |
40 |
$23.52 |
$48,920 |
| Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers |
40 |
$12.71 |
$26,430 |
| Public relations specialists |
40 |
$21.88 |
$45,510 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
40 |
$16.79 |
$34,920 |
| Service station attendants |
40 |
$10.53 |
$21,900 |
| Special education teachers, secondary school |
40 |
Not available |
$47,970 |
| Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers |
40 |
$9.87 |
$20,540 |
| Vocational education teachers, secondary school |
40 |
Not available |
$47,630 |
| Computer programmers |
30 |
$28.90 |
$60,110 |
| Crossing guards |
30 |
$12.40 |
$25,780 |
| Environmental engineers |
30 |
$29.01 |
$60,330 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of police and detectives |
30 |
$25.39 |
$52,810 |
| Graphic designers |
30 |
$16.42 |
$34,150 |
| Motorboat mechanics |
30 |
$14.38 |
$29,920 |
| New accounts clerks |
30 |
$13.64 |
$28,380 |
| Postal service clerks |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Self-enrichment education teachers |
30 |
$17.80 |
$37,010 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
Not available |
$27.48 |
$57,170 |
| Budget analysts |
Not available |
$27.95 |
$58,130 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
Not available |
$12.91 |
$26,850 |
| Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists |
Not available |
$23.77 |
$49,450 |
| Computer software engineers, systems software |
Not available |
$40.13 |
$83,470 |
| Cooks, short order |
Not available |
$7.04 |
$14,650 |
| Dentists, general |
Not available |
$97.94 |
$203,720 |
| Driver/sales workers |
Not available |
$10.12 |
$21,050 |
| Electrical and electronic engineering technicians |
Not available |
$32.41 |
$67,410 |
| Electrical and electronics drafters |
Not available |
$18.54 |
$38,560 |
| Electricians |
Not available |
$18.16 |
$37,770 |
| Engineering managers |
Not available |
$58.18 |
$121,010 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
Not available |
$15.05 |
$31,300 |
| Helpers--electricians |
Not available |
$14.09 |
$29,300 |
| Helpers--production workers |
Not available |
$13.43 |
$27,930 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
Not available |
$7.02 |
$14,600 |
| Industrial engineers |
Not available |
$43.89 |
$91,300 |
| Industrial production managers |
Not available |
$36.80 |
$76,540 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
Not available |
$12.67 |
$26,350 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
Not available |
$12.54 |
$26,080 |
| Library assistants, clerical |
Not available |
$8.89 |
$18,480 |
| Managers, all other |
Not available |
$42.62 |
$88,660 |
| Marine engineers and naval architects |
Not available |
$37.94 |
$78,920 |
| Mechanical drafters |
Not available |
$15.55 |
$32,350 |
| Mechanical engineers |
Not available |
$30.93 |
$64,340 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technologists |
Not available |
$22.26 |
$46,300 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
Not available |
$14.43 |
$30,010 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance |
Not available |
$13.77 |
$28,640 |
| Painters, transportation equipment |
Not available |
$16.93 |
$35,210 |
| Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists |
Not available |
$11.82 |
$24,580 |
| Production occupations |
Not available |
$19.07 |
$39,670 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
Not available |
$26.03 |
$54,150 |
| Riggers |
Not available |
$12.18 |
$25,330 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products |
Not available |
$38.92 |
$80,960 |
| Stationary engineers and boiler operators |
Not available |
$17.78 |
$36,980 |
| Surveyors |
Not available |
$17.87 |
$37,170 |
| Telecommunications line installers and repairers |
Not available |
$19.01 |
$39,550 |
| Tile and marble setters |
Not available |
$13.69 |
$28,470 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
Not available |
$18.73 |
$38,960 |
