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 |
19,970 |
$10.44 |
$21,700 |
| Production occupations |
4,180 |
$8.89 |
$18,490 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
2,850 |
$8.36 |
$17,400 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
1,920 |
$7.47 |
$15,540 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
1,450 |
$7.10 |
$14,770 |
| Sewing machine operators |
1,440 |
$6.95 |
$14,460 |
| Sales and related occupations |
1,420 |
$7.82 |
$16,260 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
1,240 |
$8.57 |
$17,830 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
1,210 |
$16.15 |
$33,600 |
| Team assemblers |
770 |
$8.51 |
$17,700 |
| Cashiers |
690 |
$6.90 |
$14,350 |
| Production workers, all other |
630 |
$10.63 |
$22,120 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
590 |
$7.34 |
$15,260 |
| Management occupations |
520 |
$28.96 |
$60,230 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
490 |
$10.19 |
$21,190 |
| Registered nurses |
480 |
$10.75 |
$22,360 |
| Highway maintenance workers |
430 |
$6.90 |
$14,350 |
| Retail salespersons |
430 |
$7.02 |
$14,600 |
| Office clerks, general |
400 |
$7.73 |
$16,080 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
400 |
$7.54 |
$15,680 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
400 |
$7.11 |
$14,800 |
| Construction laborers |
390 |
$7.00 |
$14,570 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
350 |
$13.54 |
$28,160 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
350 |
$6.83 |
$14,210 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
340 |
$7.27 |
$15,130 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
340 |
$9.85 |
$20,480 |
| Carpenters |
300 |
$7.29 |
$15,160 |
| Protective service occupations |
300 |
$7.78 |
$16,190 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
290 |
$7.16 |
$14,900 |
| Food preparation workers |
270 |
$6.82 |
$14,190 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
260 |
$29.00 |
$60,330 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
260 |
$11.84 |
$24,620 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
250 |
$7.80 |
$16,220 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
240 |
$10.22 |
$21,250 |
| Medical secretaries |
220 |
$6.84 |
$14,230 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
200 |
$7.64 |
$15,890 |
| Community and social services occupations |
190 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Helpers--carpenters |
190 |
$7.02 |
$14,600 |
| Personal and home care aides |
190 |
$7.04 |
$14,640 |
| Cooks, fast food |
170 |
$6.83 |
$14,200 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
170 |
$13.25 |
$27,560 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
170 |
$12.56 |
$26,120 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
170 |
$6.79 |
$14,130 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
160 |
$24.56 |
$51,070 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
150 |
$19.33 |
$40,200 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
150 |
$7.79 |
$16,210 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
150 |
$7.58 |
$15,770 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
140 |
$8.49 |
$17,660 |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers |
130 |
$7.27 |
$15,130 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
130 |
$7.09 |
$14,750 |
| Customer service representatives |
120 |
$11.29 |
$23,490 |
| Helpers--production workers |
120 |
$6.71 |
$13,950 |
| Industrial engineers |
120 |
$35.58 |
$74,010 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
110 |
$9.90 |
$20,590 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
110 |
$12.36 |
$25,720 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
110 |
$10.76 |
$22,390 |
| Word processors and typists |
110 |
$6.94 |
$14,430 |
| Accountants and auditors |
100 |
$12.27 |
$25,520 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
100 |
$7.63 |
$15,880 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
100 |
$9.90 |
$20,590 |
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors |
100 |
$6.88 |
$14,310 |
| Tellers |
100 |
$7.71 |
$16,030 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
90 |
$9.54 |
$19,850 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
90 |
$7.36 |
$15,310 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
90 |
$9.46 |
$19,670 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technologists |
90 |
$12.33 |
$25,650 |
| Security guards |
90 |
$7.83 |
$16,290 |
| Chemists |
80 |
$24.47 |
$50,890 |
| Child care workers |
80 |
$8.01 |
$16,650 |
| Emergency medical technicians and paramedics |
80 |
$6.70 |
$13,940 |
| Managers, all other |
80 |
$20.38 |
$42,380 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
80 |
$7.29 |
$15,160 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
80 |
$8.21 |
$17,070 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
70 |
$7.23 |
$15,030 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
70 |
$8.13 |
$16,910 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
70 |
$9.84 |
$20,460 |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons |
60 |
$7.08 |
$14,740 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
60 |
$7.00 |
$14,560 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
60 |
$20.96 |
$43,600 |
| Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators |
60 |
$8.09 |
$16,830 |
| Financial managers |
60 |
$21.76 |
$45,260 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
60 |
Not available |
$30,990 |
| Parts salespersons |
60 |
$6.90 |
$14,350 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
60 |
$6.98 |
$14,530 |
| Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians |
50 |
$6.66 |
$13,860 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
50 |
$8.34 |
$17,350 |
| Home health aides |
50 |
$7.06 |
$14,680 |
| Industrial production managers |
50 |
$48.25 |
$100,370 |
| Loan interviewers and clerks |
50 |
$9.11 |
$18,940 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
50 |
$9.24 |
$19,220 |
| Telecommunications line installers and repairers |
50 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
40 |
$6.91 |
$14,370 |
| Bartenders |
40 |
$6.94 |
$14,430 |
| Dental assistants |
40 |
$6.99 |
$14,550 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
40 |
$17.00 |
$35,360 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of police and detectives |
40 |
$8.67 |
$18,040 |
| Pharmacists |
40 |
$32.88 |
$68,400 |
| Recreation workers |
40 |
$7.09 |
$14,750 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
30 |
$11.72 |
$24,370 |
| Bakers |
30 |
$6.81 |
$14,150 |
| Bill and account collectors |
30 |
$7.47 |
$15,540 |
| Bus drivers, school |
30 |
$6.94 |
$14,430 |
| General and operations managers |
30 |
$33.06 |
$68,760 |
| Legal secretaries |
30 |
$7.74 |
$16,090 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
30 |
$13.75 |
$28,600 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
30 |
$17.39 |
$36,160 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Assemblers and fabricators, all other |
Not available |
$6.89 |
$14,330 |
| Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters |
Not available |
$6.75 |
$14,040 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
Not available |
$6.65 |
$13,830 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
Not available |
$6.89 |
$14,330 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
Not available |
$6.98 |
$14,510 |
