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 |
35,680 |
$16.94 |
$35,230 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
5,020 |
$9.02 |
$18,760 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
4,940 |
$13.80 |
$28,700 |
| Sales and related occupations |
3,810 |
$13.09 |
$27,220 |
| Production occupations |
3,540 |
$18.56 |
$38,600 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
3,160 |
$15.26 |
$31,750 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
2,270 |
$23.90 |
$49,700 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
2,030 |
$30.03 |
$62,470 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
1,600 |
$18.71 |
$38,930 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
1,500 |
$11.32 |
$23,550 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
1,480 |
$8.03 |
$16,690 |
| Retail salespersons |
1,440 |
$10.09 |
$20,980 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
1,250 |
$12.31 |
$25,610 |
| Cashiers |
1,180 |
$8.52 |
$17,720 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
1,120 |
$8.23 |
$17,110 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
1,100 |
$21.82 |
$45,380 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
1,050 |
$9.37 |
$19,490 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
980 |
$11.46 |
$23,840 |
| Management occupations |
960 |
$38.92 |
$80,940 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
830 |
$26.26 |
$54,630 |
| Protective service occupations |
740 |
$15.58 |
$32,400 |
| Office clerks, general |
700 |
$11.94 |
$24,840 |
| Registered nurses |
640 |
$26.63 |
$55,390 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
640 |
$17.66 |
$36,740 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
590 |
Not available |
$55,160 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
580 |
$8.31 |
$17,290 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
550 |
$18.78 |
$39,060 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
510 |
$13.22 |
$27,490 |
| Production workers, all other |
500 |
$15.26 |
$31,740 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
480 |
$33.80 |
$70,310 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
480 |
$10.17 |
$21,160 |
| Home health aides |
460 |
$10.11 |
$21,030 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
450 |
$10.99 |
$22,860 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
440 |
$15.78 |
$32,810 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
420 |
$13.05 |
$27,150 |
| Community and social services occupations |
400 |
$19.96 |
$41,530 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
380 |
Not available |
$55,530 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
380 |
$18.21 |
$37,880 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
370 |
$14.60 |
$30,370 |
| Machinists |
370 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
370 |
$14.82 |
$30,830 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
330 |
$23.79 |
$49,480 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
320 |
$13.60 |
$28,290 |
| Bartenders |
310 |
$8.60 |
$17,890 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
310 |
$8.30 |
$17,260 |
| Customer service representatives |
290 |
$14.47 |
$30,100 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
290 |
$11.22 |
$23,340 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
270 |
$18.84 |
$39,180 |
| Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers |
270 |
$7.81 |
$16,250 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
260 |
$13.67 |
$28,430 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
260 |
$19.49 |
$40,540 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
260 |
$27.98 |
$58,210 |
| Teacher assistants |
260 |
Not available |
$22,690 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
250 |
$33.49 |
$69,660 |
| Dishwashers |
240 |
$8.48 |
$17,630 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
240 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Medical secretaries |
240 |
$12.45 |
$25,900 |
| Electricians |
220 |
$26.13 |
$54,350 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
200 |
$12.86 |
$26,740 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
200 |
$12.98 |
$26,990 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
190 |
$21.25 |
$44,190 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
190 |
$10.37 |
$21,570 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
190 |
$16.29 |
$33,880 |
| Carpenters |
180 |
$18.46 |
$38,390 |
| Cooks, fast food |
180 |
$8.37 |
$17,410 |
| General and operations managers |
180 |
$42.69 |
$88,790 |
| Tellers |
180 |
$10.65 |
$22,160 |
| Computer support specialists |
160 |
$19.10 |
$39,730 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
160 |
$29.36 |
$61,060 |
| Food preparation workers |
160 |
$9.33 |
$19,400 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
160 |
$15.32 |
$31,870 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
140 |
Not available |
$55,530 |
| Teachers and instructors, all other |
140 |
Not available |
$47,820 |
| Accountants and auditors |
130 |
$26.38 |
$54,870 |
| Assemblers and fabricators, all other |
130 |
$23.84 |
$49,590 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
130 |
$14.55 |
$30,270 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
130 |
$7.52 |
$15,640 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
130 |
$8.15 |
$16,960 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
130 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Medical assistants |
130 |
$13.73 |
$28,560 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
120 |
$27.47 |
$57,140 |
| Coaches and scouts |
120 |
Not available |
$20,540 |
| Construction laborers |
120 |
$16.77 |
$34,870 |
| Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
120 |
$16.39 |
$34,080 |
| Motorboat mechanics |
120 |
$13.38 |
$27,820 |
| Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
110 |
$17.52 |
$36,430 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant |
110 |
$9.17 |
$19,070 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other |
110 |
$21.60 |
$44,940 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
110 |
$27.13 |
$56,420 |
| Security guards |
110 |
$13.78 |
$28,660 |
| Special education teachers, secondary school |
110 |
Not available |
$49,890 |
| Tool and die makers |
110 |
$33.36 |
$69,380 |
| Bill and account collectors |
100 |
$14.10 |
$29,330 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
100 |
$13.10 |
$27,250 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
100 |
$10.85 |
$22,580 |
| Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse |
100 |
$15.34 |
$31,910 |
| Legal occupations |
100 |
$33.19 |
$69,030 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
100 |
$28.30 |
$58,870 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
100 |
Not available |
Not available |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
90 |
$26.20 |
$54,490 |
| Library assistants, clerical |
90 |
$12.15 |
$25,280 |
| Management analysts |
90 |
$30.17 |
$62,750 |
| Physicians and surgeons, all other |
90 |
$64.04 |
$133,210 |
| Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
80 |
$22.33 |
$46,440 |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school |
80 |
Not available |
$87,310 |
| Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
80 |
$17.01 |
$35,390 |
| Mechanical engineers |
80 |
$32.16 |
$66,900 |
| Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
80 |
$25.24 |
$52,500 |
| Order clerks |
80 |
$12.36 |
$25,710 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
80 |
$19.45 |
$40,470 |
| Child care workers |
70 |
$7.94 |
$16,520 |
| Cost estimators |
70 |
$23.87 |
$49,650 |
| Engineering technicians, except drafters, all other |
70 |
$28.05 |
$58,350 |
| Financial managers |
70 |
$40.80 |
$84,870 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
70 |
$18.59 |
$38,670 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
70 |
$9.40 |
$19,540 |
| Medical and health services managers |
70 |
$38.61 |
$80,310 |
| Medical transcriptionists |
70 |
$14.86 |
$30,920 |
| Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders |
70 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Pharmacy technicians |
70 |
$11.98 |
$24,910 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
60 |
$25.58 |
$53,200 |
| Food service managers |
60 |
$19.35 |
$40,250 |
| Industrial production managers |
60 |
$49.83 |
$103,640 |
| Lawyers |
60 |
$45.34 |
$94,310 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
60 |
$24.67 |
$51,320 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
60 |
$24.76 |
$51,510 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
60 |
$22.10 |
$45,970 |
| Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers |
50 |
$15.04 |
$31,280 |
| Dental assistants |
50 |
$14.68 |
$30,530 |
| Dental hygienists |
50 |
$28.92 |
$60,160 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
50 |
$12.38 |
$25,760 |
| Kindergarten teachers, except special education |
50 |
Not available |
$54,280 |
| Legal secretaries |
50 |
$12.66 |
$26,330 |
| Metal workers and plastic workers, all other |
50 |
$26.05 |
$54,180 |
| Millwrights |
50 |
$33.67 |
$70,040 |
| Network and computer systems administrators |
50 |
$23.54 |
$48,950 |
| Office and administrative support workers, all other |
50 |
$13.18 |
$27,410 |
| Pharmacists |
50 |
$50.50 |
$105,040 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
50 |
$12.28 |
$25,540 |
| Printing machine operators |
50 |
$14.10 |
$29,320 |
| Sales and related workers, all other |
50 |
$17.83 |
$37,080 |
| Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school |
50 |
Not available |
$56,320 |
| Structural metal fabricators and fitters |
50 |
$14.60 |
$30,380 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
50 |
$18.45 |
$38,380 |
| Administrative services managers |
40 |
$42.19 |
$87,750 |
| Automotive body and related repairers |
40 |
$16.41 |
$34,120 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
40 |
$11.81 |
$24,560 |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers |
40 |
$22.93 |
$47,700 |
| Chief executives |
40 |
$69.06 |
$143,640 |
| Computer and information systems managers |
40 |
$39.06 |
$81,250 |
| Computer software engineers, applications |
40 |
$26.86 |
$55,860 |
| Construction managers |
40 |
$37.24 |
$77,450 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
40 |
$29.69 |
$61,760 |
| Engineering managers |
40 |
$48.89 |
$101,700 |
| Engineers, all other |
40 |
$45.33 |
$94,290 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand |
40 |
$25.72 |
$53,490 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
40 |
$20.26 |
$42,140 |
| Health technologists and technicians, all other |
40 |
$18.37 |
$38,200 |
| Helpers--production workers |
40 |
$12.61 |
$26,220 |
| Highway maintenance workers |
40 |
$17.77 |
$36,960 |
| Insurance sales agents |
40 |
$20.35 |
$42,340 |
| Librarians |
40 |
$28.03 |
$58,290 |
| Lodging managers |
40 |
$15.51 |
$32,260 |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
40 |
$13.85 |
$28,820 |
| Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
40 |
$12.06 |
$25,070 |
| Parts salespersons |
40 |
$12.66 |
$26,340 |
| Public relations specialists |
40 |
$25.20 |
$52,420 |
| Recreation workers |
40 |
$10.74 |
$22,350 |
| Sales managers |
40 |
$46.36 |
$96,430 |
| Social and human service assistants |
40 |
$13.45 |
$27,980 |
| Switchboard operators, including answering service |
40 |
$10.44 |
$21,720 |
| Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators |
40 |
$19.95 |
$41,500 |
| Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders |
40 |
$20.07 |
$41,740 |
| All other information and record clerks |
30 |
$13.76 |
$28,630 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
30 |
$9.31 |
$19,360 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers |
30 |
$20.28 |
$42,190 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of personal service workers |
30 |
$15.31 |
$31,850 |
| Funeral attendants |
30 |
$11.86 |
$24,670 |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping |
30 |
$18.07 |
$37,580 |
| Mechanical drafters |
30 |
$21.09 |
$43,860 |
| Medical and public health social workers |
30 |
$22.59 |
$46,980 |
| Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents |
30 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Self-enrichment education teachers |
30 |
$20.95 |
$43,570 |
| Amusement and recreation attendants |
Not available |
$8.11 |
$16,880 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
Not available |
$19.09 |
$39,700 |
| Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic |
Not available |
$24.16 |
$50,250 |
| Cooks, short order |
Not available |
$9.76 |
$20,290 |
| Data entry keyers |
Not available |
$11.47 |
$23,860 |
| Driver/sales workers |
Not available |
$11.54 |
$23,990 |
| Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders |
Not available |
$11.95 |
$24,860 |
| Family and general practitioners |
Not available |
$92.30 |
$191,980 |
| Industrial engineers |
Not available |
$40.70 |
$84,650 |
| Library technicians |
Not available |
$16.06 |
$33,410 |
| Nonfarm animal caretakers |
Not available |
$8.40 |
$17,470 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
Not available |
$17.24 |
$35,860 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
Not available |
$11.14 |
$23,180 |
| Personal care and service workers, all other |
Not available |
$11.31 |
$23,530 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products |
Not available |
$28.47 |
$59,210 |
| Vocational education teachers, secondary school |
Not available |
Not available |
$59,500 |
