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 |
32,600 |
$19.19 |
$39,920 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
5,620 |
$15.16 |
$31,530 |
| Sales and related occupations |
3,430 |
$14.45 |
$30,050 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
3,270 |
$11.13 |
$23,140 |
| Production occupations |
2,510 |
$15.94 |
$33,160 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
2,230 |
$21.18 |
$44,060 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
1,820 |
$11.77 |
$24,470 |
| Management occupations |
1,510 |
$44.64 |
$92,850 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
1,420 |
$30.18 |
$62,770 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
1,340 |
$14.79 |
$30,760 |
| Retail salespersons |
1,320 |
$12.02 |
$25,000 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
1,310 |
$21.08 |
$43,840 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
1,230 |
$43.15 |
$89,750 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
1,220 |
$12.43 |
$25,860 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
1,190 |
$12.33 |
$25,650 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
1,170 |
$18.74 |
$38,990 |
| Cashiers |
1,050 |
$9.59 |
$19,940 |
| Community and social services occupations |
970 |
$18.61 |
$38,720 |
| Office clerks, general |
910 |
$12.36 |
$25,700 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
680 |
$34.88 |
$72,560 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
650 |
$9.43 |
$19,610 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
580 |
$12.40 |
$25,790 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
560 |
$16.16 |
$33,600 |
| Customer service representatives |
560 |
$15.45 |
$32,130 |
| Child care workers |
540 |
$11.58 |
$24,090 |
| Home health aides |
530 |
$11.02 |
$22,920 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
530 |
$11.47 |
$23,850 |
| Teacher assistants |
510 |
Not available |
$23,030 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
480 |
$13.37 |
$27,820 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
470 |
$20.49 |
$42,620 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
470 |
$29.54 |
$61,450 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
470 |
$12.10 |
$25,170 |
| General and operations managers |
440 |
$47.48 |
$98,760 |
| Protective service occupations |
440 |
$20.36 |
$42,350 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
360 |
$16.90 |
$35,150 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
350 |
$12.44 |
$25,870 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
350 |
Not available |
$55,990 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
340 |
Not available |
$56,440 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
340 |
$20.87 |
$43,410 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
320 |
$13.16 |
$27,380 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
320 |
$16.18 |
$33,650 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
320 |
$19.49 |
$40,540 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
300 |
$10.14 |
$21,090 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
270 |
$20.08 |
$41,780 |
| Food preparation workers |
270 |
$9.93 |
$20,650 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
260 |
Not available |
$59,600 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
250 |
$15.51 |
$32,270 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
240 |
$34.81 |
$72,410 |
| Carpenters |
240 |
$18.17 |
$37,800 |
| Accountants and auditors |
230 |
$31.24 |
$64,970 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
230 |
$10.96 |
$22,800 |
| Physicians and surgeons, all other |
230 |
$104.38 |
$217,100 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
220 |
$16.44 |
$34,200 |
| Medical secretaries |
220 |
$14.67 |
$30,510 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
210 |
$14.93 |
$31,040 |
| Helpers--production workers |
210 |
$16.31 |
$33,930 |
| Dishwashers |
200 |
$8.90 |
$18,510 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
200 |
$20.22 |
$42,050 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
200 |
$13.56 |
$28,210 |
| Tellers |
200 |
$13.26 |
$27,580 |
| Bartenders |
190 |
$10.00 |
$20,810 |
| Personal and home care aides |
180 |
$10.97 |
$22,810 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
180 |
$17.23 |
$35,850 |
| Child, family, and school social workers |
170 |
$21.88 |
$45,510 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
170 |
$25.99 |
$54,050 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
170 |
$11.16 |
$23,220 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
170 |
$27.49 |
$57,180 |
| Self-enrichment education teachers |
170 |
$17.88 |
$37,190 |
| Amusement and recreation attendants |
160 |
$11.10 |
$23,080 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
160 |
$14.81 |
$30,800 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
160 |
$12.66 |
$26,330 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
160 |
$23.13 |
$48,120 |
| Recreation workers |
160 |
$9.64 |
$20,050 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
150 |
$8.64 |
$17,970 |
| Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
150 |
$15.06 |
$31,320 |
| Social and human service assistants |
150 |
$15.00 |
$31,210 |
| Computer support specialists |
140 |
$19.15 |
$39,830 |
| Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic |
140 |
$15.75 |
$32,770 |
| Construction laborers |
130 |
$16.91 |
$35,180 |
| Financial managers |
130 |
$45.12 |
$93,840 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
130 |
$10.09 |
$20,990 |
| Insurance claims and policy processing clerks |
130 |
$16.16 |
$33,610 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
130 |
$23.37 |
$48,610 |
| Rehabilitation counselors |
130 |
$14.76 |
$30,700 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
120 |
$29.86 |
$62,110 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
120 |
$10.18 |
$21,170 |
| Legal occupations |
120 |
$50.25 |
$104,530 |
| Medical assistants |
120 |
$12.83 |
$26,690 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers |
120 |
$15.27 |
$31,760 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
120 |
$15.91 |
$33,090 |
| Tour guides and escorts |
120 |
$11.65 |
$24,240 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
110 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
110 |
$25.11 |
$52,240 |
| Taxi drivers and chauffeurs |
110 |
$10.68 |
$22,210 |
| Chief executives |
100 |
$81.91 |
$170,370 |
| Civil engineers |
100 |
$32.17 |
$66,910 |
| Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic |
100 |
$11.18 |
$23,250 |
| Electricians |
100 |
$27.60 |
$57,410 |
| Food service managers |
100 |
$21.44 |
$44,590 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
100 |
$24.29 |
$50,520 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
100 |
$25.04 |
$52,090 |
| Security guards |
100 |
$12.82 |
$26,660 |
| Switchboard operators, including answering service |
100 |
$12.76 |
$26,540 |
| Team assemblers |
100 |
$13.41 |
$27,880 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
90 |
$27.28 |
$56,730 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
90 |
$25.34 |
$52,710 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of personal service workers |
90 |
$17.55 |
$36,500 |
| Computer software engineers, applications |
80 |
$36.13 |
$75,160 |
| Dental assistants |
80 |
$17.79 |
$37,010 |
| Dental hygienists |
80 |
$32.12 |
$66,810 |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school |
80 |
Not available |
$81,610 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
80 |
$8.98 |
$18,680 |
| Management analysts |
80 |
$35.98 |
$74,830 |
| Network and computer systems administrators |
80 |
$29.64 |
$61,660 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
80 |
$9.49 |
$19,750 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance |
80 |
$15.68 |
$32,620 |
| Public relations specialists |
80 |
$22.98 |
$47,810 |
| Social and community service managers |
80 |
$23.13 |
$48,100 |
| Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors |
70 |
$14.82 |
$30,830 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
70 |
$14.81 |
$30,810 |
| Lawyers |
70 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Printing machine operators |
70 |
$15.29 |
$31,800 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
70 |
$20.69 |
$43,040 |
| Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school |
70 |
Not available |
$56,100 |
| Appraisers and assessors of real estate |
60 |
$25.52 |
$53,090 |
| Community and social service specialists, all other |
60 |
$16.03 |
$33,340 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
60 |
$14.02 |
$29,160 |
| Cost estimators |
60 |
$29.72 |
$61,820 |
| Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance |
60 |
$13.55 |
$28,190 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
60 |
$16.15 |
$33,580 |
| Industrial engineering technicians |
60 |
$21.64 |
$45,000 |
| Loan officers |
60 |
$35.29 |
$73,410 |
| Medical and public health social workers |
60 |
$20.46 |
$42,560 |
| Photographic processing machine operators |
60 |
$9.87 |
$20,530 |
| Sales managers |
60 |
$49.96 |
$103,910 |
| Special education teachers, secondary school |
60 |
Not available |
$56,240 |
| Training and development specialists |
60 |
$28.40 |
$59,070 |
| Architects, except landscape and naval |
50 |
$32.48 |
$67,560 |
| Bakers |
50 |
$13.77 |
$28,640 |
| Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters |
50 |
$12.45 |
$25,890 |
| Computer and information systems managers |
50 |
$65.94 |
$137,160 |
| Computer programmers |
50 |
$26.91 |
$55,980 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
50 |
$12.38 |
$25,750 |
| Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists |
50 |
$27.48 |
$57,160 |
| Engineering managers |
50 |
$64.24 |
$133,610 |
| Financial analysts |
50 |
$36.28 |
$75,470 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers |
50 |
$30.10 |
$62,610 |
| Graphic designers |
50 |
$18.33 |
$38,120 |
| Health educators |
50 |
$21.53 |
$44,780 |
| Highway maintenance workers |
50 |
$18.18 |
$37,810 |
| Industrial production managers |
50 |
$43.00 |
$89,440 |
| Kindergarten teachers, except special education |
50 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Legal secretaries |
50 |
$14.38 |
$29,920 |
| Library technicians |
50 |
$12.92 |
$26,870 |
| Maintenance workers, machinery |
50 |
$20.15 |
$41,920 |
| Market research analysts |
50 |
$21.37 |
$44,440 |
| New accounts clerks |
50 |
$14.51 |
$30,180 |
| Nonfarm animal caretakers |
50 |
$10.87 |
$22,600 |
| Paralegals and legal assistants |
50 |
$19.71 |
$41,010 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks |
50 |
$16.16 |
$33,610 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products |
50 |
$32.68 |
$67,980 |
| Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers |
50 |
$21.85 |
$45,460 |
| Administrative services managers |
40 |
$36.90 |
$76,750 |
| Assemblers and fabricators, all other |
40 |
$14.40 |
$29,950 |
| Bill and account collectors |
40 |
$15.36 |
$31,950 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
40 |
$21.12 |
$43,920 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
40 |
$19.71 |
$41,000 |
| Chefs and head cooks |
40 |
$18.29 |
$38,050 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
40 |
$10.84 |
$22,550 |
| Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists |
40 |
$25.76 |
$53,580 |
| Computer systems analysts |
40 |
$39.74 |
$82,660 |
| Driver/sales workers |
40 |
$13.88 |
$28,870 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
40 |
$22.56 |
$46,920 |
| Glaziers |
40 |
$15.20 |
$31,610 |
| Helpers--carpenters |
40 |
$12.76 |
$26,540 |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping |
40 |
$15.39 |
$32,000 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other |
40 |
$26.32 |
$54,730 |
| Insurance sales agents |
40 |
$33.96 |
$70,640 |
| Marketing managers |
40 |
$51.19 |
$106,480 |
| Massage therapists |
40 |
$13.69 |
$28,470 |
| Mechanical engineers |
40 |
$33.68 |
$70,050 |
| Medical and health services managers |
40 |
$41.83 |
$87,010 |
| Prepress technicians and workers |
40 |
$13.60 |
$28,290 |
| Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners |
40 |
$17.67 |
$36,750 |
| Special education teachers, middle school |
40 |
Not available |
$59,400 |
| Veterinary technologists and technicians |
40 |
$13.62 |
$28,330 |
| Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products |
40 |
$28.69 |
$59,680 |
| Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists |
30 |
$26.28 |
$54,660 |
| Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation |
30 |
$25.42 |
$52,880 |
| Construction and building inspectors |
30 |
$21.96 |
$45,670 |
| Editors |
30 |
$23.09 |
$48,020 |
| Industrial engineers |
30 |
$38.84 |
$80,780 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
30 |
$21.72 |
$45,180 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
30 |
$15.89 |
$33,040 |
| Librarians |
30 |
$24.31 |
$50,570 |
| Order clerks |
30 |
$14.05 |
$29,220 |
| Physician assistants |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Procurement clerks |
30 |
$14.02 |
$29,160 |
| Real estate sales agents |
30 |
$28.13 |
$58,510 |
| Security and fire alarm systems installers |
30 |
$20.87 |
$43,410 |
| Service station attendants |
30 |
$10.09 |
$20,990 |
| Tax examiners, collectors, and revenue agents |
30 |
$26.46 |
$55,030 |
| Teachers and instructors, all other |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers |
Not available |
$21.18 |
$44,050 |
| Computer operators |
Not available |
$17.66 |
$36,730 |
| Construction managers |
Not available |
$41.00 |
$85,290 |
| Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door |
Not available |
$19.53 |
$40,610 |
| Cooks, fast food |
Not available |
$9.76 |
$20,300 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
Not available |
$9.54 |
$19,830 |
| Cutters and trimmers, hand |
Not available |
$12.41 |
$25,800 |
| Engineering technicians, except drafters, all other |
Not available |
$24.69 |
$51,350 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
Not available |
$21.03 |
$43,740 |
| Logisticians |
Not available |
$37.13 |
$77,230 |
| Machinists |
Not available |
$17.98 |
$37,400 |
| Manicurists and pedicurists |
Not available |
$9.27 |
$19,270 |
| Mental health counselors |
Not available |
$18.66 |
$38,820 |
| Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders |
Not available |
$14.83 |
$30,850 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
Not available |
$23.24 |
$48,340 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
Not available |
$12.80 |
$26,630 |
| Production workers, all other |
Not available |
$14.31 |
$29,760 |
| Property, real estate, and community association managers |
Not available |
$35.79 |
$74,440 |
| Registered nurses |
Not available |
$27.14 |
$56,460 |
| Roofers |
Not available |
$19.61 |
$40,790 |
| Tax preparers |
Not available |
$19.25 |
$40,040 |
| Technical writers |
Not available |
$19.20 |
$39,930 |
| Telemarketers |
Not available |
$15.56 |
$32,360 |
| Tool and die makers |
Not available |
$22.19 |
$46,150 |
