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 |
53,570 |
$16.09 |
$33,470 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
8,970 |
$13.05 |
$27,150 |
| Sales and related occupations |
5,440 |
$12.40 |
$25,790 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
5,150 |
$14.58 |
$30,320 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
5,120 |
$20.37 |
$42,370 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
5,070 |
$8.30 |
$17,270 |
| Production occupations |
3,890 |
$17.90 |
$37,230 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
3,840 |
$25.60 |
$53,250 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
3,240 |
$17.19 |
$35,760 |
| Retail salespersons |
1,970 |
$10.93 |
$22,730 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
1,920 |
$10.39 |
$21,610 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
1,840 |
$15.52 |
$32,290 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
1,760 |
$7.34 |
$15,280 |
| Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines |
1,730 |
$20.23 |
$42,080 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
1,650 |
$17.88 |
$37,180 |
| Management occupations |
1,620 |
$34.23 |
$71,200 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
1,590 |
$9.20 |
$19,150 |
| Cashiers |
1,530 |
$7.58 |
$15,770 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
1,500 |
$25.47 |
$52,980 |
| Protective service occupations |
1,390 |
$16.86 |
$35,070 |
| Registered nurses |
1,280 |
$27.77 |
$57,770 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
1,110 |
$12.12 |
$25,210 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
1,100 |
$8.29 |
$17,250 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
980 |
$12.28 |
$25,550 |
| Office clerks, general |
830 |
$10.59 |
$22,020 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
830 |
$7.57 |
$15,750 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
800 |
Not available |
$39,520 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
780 |
$9.62 |
$20,000 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
760 |
$14.97 |
$31,130 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
740 |
$9.47 |
$19,700 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
720 |
$9.70 |
$20,170 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
680 |
$13.66 |
$28,400 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
650 |
$15.34 |
$31,910 |
| Home health aides |
640 |
$7.47 |
$15,530 |
| Tellers |
640 |
$10.37 |
$21,560 |
| Community and social services occupations |
620 |
$18.06 |
$37,570 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
610 |
$25.97 |
$54,010 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
600 |
$18.46 |
$38,390 |
| Teacher assistants |
600 |
Not available |
$17,270 |
| General and operations managers |
560 |
$34.81 |
$72,410 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
550 |
$13.48 |
$28,030 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education |
550 |
Not available |
$43,330 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
540 |
$13.74 |
$28,580 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
510 |
Not available |
$40,340 |
| Correctional officers and jailers |
500 |
$15.54 |
$32,330 |
| Customer service representatives |
500 |
$12.34 |
$25,680 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
450 |
$20.66 |
$42,970 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
440 |
$7.13 |
$14,830 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
430 |
$9.08 |
$18,880 |
| Construction laborers |
420 |
$11.52 |
$23,960 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
420 |
$27.69 |
$57,600 |
| Bus drivers, school |
370 |
$7.67 |
$15,950 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
350 |
$12.56 |
$26,120 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
340 |
$8.62 |
$17,920 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
330 |
$24.81 |
$51,610 |
| Cooks, fast food |
330 |
$7.53 |
$15,650 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
330 |
$9.73 |
$20,240 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
330 |
$15.76 |
$32,780 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
310 |
$12.49 |
$25,980 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
310 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
290 |
$19.15 |
$39,820 |
| Child care workers |
280 |
$7.30 |
$15,170 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
280 |
$14.93 |
$31,060 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
280 |
$15.83 |
$32,940 |
| Bill and account collectors |
270 |
$14.25 |
$29,640 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
260 |
$17.74 |
$36,900 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
250 |
$23.72 |
$49,340 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
250 |
$19.11 |
$39,750 |
| Accountants and auditors |
240 |
$27.89 |
$58,000 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
240 |
$23.85 |
$49,600 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
240 |
$23.37 |
$48,610 |
| Legal occupations |
240 |
$35.88 |
$74,630 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
230 |
$9.68 |
$20,130 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
230 |
$6.86 |
$14,280 |
| Electricians |
230 |
$19.34 |
$40,230 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance |
230 |
$16.83 |
$35,010 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
200 |
$10.84 |
$22,550 |
| Fire fighters |
200 |
$20.02 |
$41,640 |
| Food preparation workers |
200 |
$8.04 |
$16,730 |
| Medical secretaries |
200 |
$11.02 |
$22,910 |
| All other information and record clerks |
190 |
$16.70 |
$34,740 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
190 |
$7.49 |
$15,570 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
190 |
$12.01 |
$24,990 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
190 |
$21.70 |
$45,140 |
| File clerks |
180 |
$10.22 |
$21,260 |
| Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
170 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Insurance sales agents |
170 |
$18.78 |
$39,060 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technicians |
170 |
$16.30 |
$33,900 |
| Medical assistants |
170 |
$12.81 |
$26,640 |
| Medical and health services managers |
160 |
$35.91 |
$74,700 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
160 |
$12.65 |
$26,320 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
160 |
$13.15 |
$27,350 |
| Lawyers |
150 |
$45.78 |
$95,230 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
150 |
$14.17 |
$29,470 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
150 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Driver/sales workers |
140 |
$10.89 |
$22,650 |
| Healthcare support workers, all other |
140 |
$12.21 |
$25,400 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
140 |
$29.04 |
$60,410 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
140 |
$9.81 |
$20,400 |
| Security guards |
140 |
$12.42 |
$25,830 |
| Carpenters |
130 |
$15.91 |
$33,100 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
130 |
$8.42 |
$17,500 |
| Dishwashers |
130 |
$7.48 |
$15,570 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
130 |
$24.13 |
$50,190 |
| Parts salespersons |
130 |
$13.54 |
$28,170 |
| Tire repairers and changers |
130 |
$9.79 |
$20,370 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
120 |
$7.30 |
$15,180 |
| Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance |
120 |
$16.54 |
$34,400 |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
120 |
$15.63 |
$32,510 |
| Printing machine operators |
120 |
$13.29 |
$27,650 |
| Teachers and instructors, all other |
120 |
Not available |
$30,570 |
| Child, family, and school social workers |
110 |
$14.69 |
$30,560 |
| Financial managers |
110 |
$36.95 |
$76,850 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant |
110 |
$8.04 |
$16,720 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
110 |
$7.46 |
$15,510 |
| Pharmacists |
110 |
$50.36 |
$104,750 |
| Procurement clerks |
110 |
$18.49 |
$38,450 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians |
110 |
$20.69 |
$43,030 |
| Administrative services managers |
100 |
$46.62 |
$96,970 |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school |
100 |
Not available |
$63,960 |
| Food service managers |
100 |
$31.43 |
$65,370 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
100 |
$17.97 |
$37,370 |
| Helpers--production workers |
100 |
$10.81 |
$22,480 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
100 |
$7.58 |
$15,760 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
100 |
$20.18 |
$41,980 |
| Interviewers, except eligibility and loan |
100 |
$11.11 |
$23,100 |
| Painters, transportation equipment |
100 |
$22.01 |
$45,780 |
| Physical therapists |
100 |
$35.80 |
$74,460 |
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors |
100 |
$10.65 |
$22,140 |
| Assemblers and fabricators, all other |
90 |
$12.27 |
$25,530 |
| Construction managers |
90 |
$27.42 |
$57,030 |
| Dental assistants |
90 |
$13.58 |
$28,240 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
90 |
$27.89 |
$58,020 |
| Legal secretaries |
90 |
$12.81 |
$26,640 |
| Amusement and recreation attendants |
80 |
$7.21 |
$15,000 |
| Automotive body and related repairers |
80 |
$13.78 |
$28,670 |
| Computer support specialists |
80 |
$15.47 |
$32,180 |
| Data entry keyers |
80 |
$11.56 |
$24,040 |
| Dental hygienists |
80 |
$24.74 |
$51,470 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers |
80 |
$26.32 |
$54,730 |
| Occupational therapists |
80 |
$35.06 |
$72,920 |
| Recreation workers |
80 |
$10.95 |
$22,780 |
| Respiratory therapists |
80 |
$22.37 |
$46,520 |
| Social and human service assistants |
80 |
$11.26 |
$23,410 |
| Speech-language pathologists |
80 |
$25.85 |
$53,780 |
| Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders |
70 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Entertainment attendants and related workers, all other |
70 |
$7.74 |
$16,100 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand |
70 |
$17.57 |
$36,540 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
70 |
$10.20 |
$21,210 |
| Medical and clinical laboratory technologists |
70 |
$22.55 |
$46,900 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks |
70 |
$13.12 |
$27,280 |
| Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators |
70 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
70 |
$25.35 |
$52,730 |
| Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators |
70 |
$15.89 |
$33,040 |
| Bartenders |
60 |
$7.37 |
$15,330 |
| Cost estimators |
60 |
$21.25 |
$44,210 |
| Counselors, all other |
60 |
$22.83 |
$47,480 |
| Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders |
60 |
$17.86 |
$37,140 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
60 |
$24.96 |
$51,910 |
| Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
60 |
$14.40 |
$29,950 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of correctional officers |
60 |
$19.49 |
$40,540 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
60 |
$15.45 |
$32,150 |
| Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
60 |
$12.34 |
$25,660 |
| Loan officers |
60 |
$19.31 |
$40,160 |
| Machine feeders and offbearers |
60 |
$14.67 |
$30,520 |
| Machinists |
60 |
$18.73 |
$38,970 |
| Management analysts |
60 |
$25.51 |
$53,060 |
| Medical and public health social workers |
60 |
$20.34 |
$42,320 |
| Personal care and service workers, all other |
60 |
$7.40 |
$15,380 |
| Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials |
60 |
$7.84 |
$16,310 |
| Property, real estate, and community association managers |
60 |
$17.98 |
$37,390 |
| Service station attendants |
60 |
$11.22 |
$23,330 |
| Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders |
50 |
$15.55 |
$32,340 |
| Community and social service specialists, all other |
50 |
$14.30 |
$29,730 |
| Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers |
50 |
$15.15 |
$31,510 |
| Electrical and electronic engineering technicians |
50 |
$22.23 |
$46,240 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of personal service workers |
50 |
$11.26 |
$23,430 |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping |
50 |
$14.07 |
$29,260 |
| Kindergarten teachers, except special education |
50 |
Not available |
$39,910 |
| Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers |
50 |
$7.72 |
$16,050 |
| Material moving workers, all other |
50 |
$17.33 |
$36,050 |
| Office and administrative support workers, all other |
50 |
$17.55 |
$36,500 |
| Physicians and surgeons, all other |
50 |
$45.30 |
$94,220 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
50 |
$16.65 |
$34,630 |
| Public relations specialists |
50 |
$32.41 |
$67,410 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
50 |
$28.70 |
$59,700 |
| Switchboard operators, including answering service |
50 |
$8.55 |
$17,780 |
| Transportation, storage, and distribution managers |
50 |
$34.60 |
$71,960 |
| Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing |
50 |
$10.83 |
$22,530 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
40 |
$10.79 |
$22,440 |
| Chief executives |
40 |
$62.63 |
$130,270 |
| Civil engineering technicians |
40 |
$17.30 |
$35,980 |
| Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation |
40 |
$22.58 |
$46,960 |
| Construction and building inspectors |
40 |
$19.54 |
$40,640 |
| Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door |
40 |
$20.25 |
$42,130 |
| Cooks, short order |
40 |
$7.83 |
$16,290 |
| Court, municipal, and license clerks |
40 |
$13.65 |
$28,400 |
| Detectives and criminal investigators |
40 |
$24.93 |
$51,850 |
| Eligibility interviewers, government programs |
40 |
$15.73 |
$32,710 |
| Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists |
40 |
$17.40 |
$36,200 |
| Floral designers |
40 |
$9.29 |
$19,330 |
| Health technologists and technicians, all other |
40 |
$14.67 |
$30,520 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other |
40 |
$28.06 |
$58,370 |
| Loan interviewers and clerks |
40 |
$13.12 |
$27,290 |
| Logisticians |
40 |
$31.55 |
$65,630 |
| Medical transcriptionists |
40 |
$16.07 |
$33,420 |
| Mental health counselors |
40 |
$27.19 |
$56,560 |
| Network and computer systems administrators |
40 |
$26.18 |
$54,450 |
| Order clerks |
40 |
$8.84 |
$18,380 |
| Physical therapist assistants |
40 |
$30.55 |
$63,550 |
| Plating and coating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
40 |
$16.27 |
$33,850 |
| Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers |
40 |
$14.66 |
$30,500 |
| Sheet metal workers |
40 |
$16.07 |
$33,420 |
| Structural metal fabricators and fitters |
40 |
$12.91 |
$26,850 |
| Vocational education teachers, secondary school |
40 |
Not available |
$42,340 |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers |
30 |
$13.08 |
$27,200 |
| Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators |
30 |
$26.71 |
$55,560 |
| Coaches and scouts |
30 |
Not available |
$33,940 |
| Computer systems analysts |
30 |
$24.50 |
$50,960 |
| Couriers and messengers |
30 |
$9.38 |
$19,500 |
| Education administrators, preschool and child care center/program |
30 |
$18.46 |
$38,400 |
| Helpers--electricians |
30 |
$9.19 |
$19,110 |
| Industrial production managers |
30 |
$35.55 |
$73,930 |
| Librarians |
30 |
$24.00 |
$49,930 |
| Nonfarm animal caretakers |
30 |
$7.42 |
$15,440 |
| Rehabilitation counselors |
30 |
$18.95 |
$39,410 |
| Roofers |
30 |
$13.25 |
$27,560 |
| Sales managers |
30 |
$42.18 |
$87,740 |
| Social and community service managers |
30 |
$21.67 |
$45,070 |
| Cardiovascular technologists and technicians |
Not available |
$19.95 |
$41,500 |
| Insurance claims and policy processing clerks |
Not available |
$13.88 |
$28,870 |
| Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
Not available |
$16.00 |
$33,270 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers |
Not available |
$17.59 |
$36,580 |
| New accounts clerks |
Not available |
$11.54 |
$23,990 |
| Paralegals and legal assistants |
Not available |
$19.78 |
$41,130 |
| Personal and home care aides |
Not available |
$7.42 |
$15,430 |
| Physician assistants |
Not available |
$30.73 |
$63,910 |
| Security and fire alarm systems installers |
Not available |
$14.09 |
$29,300 |
| Self-enrichment education teachers |
Not available |
$10.63 |
$22,100 |
| Taxi drivers and chauffeurs |
Not available |
$11.18 |
$23,260 |
| Team assemblers |
Not available |
$12.20 |
$25,380 |
