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 |
60,040 |
$19.67 |
$40,920 |
| Office and administrative support occupations |
9,200 |
$15.18 |
$31,570 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations |
6,240 |
$15.06 |
$31,320 |
| Sales and related occupations |
5,560 |
$15.23 |
$31,670 |
| Production occupations |
5,370 |
$16.04 |
$33,350 |
| Education, training, and library occupations |
4,880 |
$22.11 |
$45,980 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations |
3,850 |
$10.81 |
$22,480 |
| Protective service occupations |
3,370 |
$28.09 |
$58,430 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
3,250 |
$33.35 |
$69,370 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
2,820 |
$20.77 |
$43,210 |
| Construction and extraction occupations |
2,600 |
$24.11 |
$50,150 |
| Healthcare support occupations |
2,590 |
$13.94 |
$29,000 |
| Cashiers |
1,980 |
$8.88 |
$18,480 |
| Management occupations |
1,940 |
$47.92 |
$99,670 |
| Personal care and service occupations |
1,810 |
$12.73 |
$26,480 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
1,720 |
$12.57 |
$26,140 |
| Business and financial operations occupations |
1,490 |
$29.49 |
$61,350 |
| Retail salespersons |
1,490 |
$12.36 |
$25,700 |
| Community and social services occupations |
1,430 |
$22.88 |
$47,580 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
1,350 |
$12.11 |
$25,180 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
1,310 |
$21.99 |
$45,750 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food |
1,290 |
$9.95 |
$20,690 |
| Registered nurses |
1,270 |
$31.61 |
$65,750 |
| Packers and packagers, hand |
1,140 |
$10.17 |
$21,150 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers |
1,120 |
$10.70 |
$22,260 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education |
1,020 |
Not available |
$55,620 |
| Teacher assistants |
990 |
Not available |
$23,190 |
| Office clerks, general |
960 |
$12.32 |
$25,630 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive |
960 |
$15.51 |
$32,260 |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
950 |
$11.55 |
$24,020 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
920 |
$11.59 |
$24,100 |
| Customer service representatives |
690 |
$15.46 |
$32,150 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators |
650 |
$14.34 |
$29,840 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks |
610 |
$16.86 |
$35,070 |
| Waiters and waitresses |
610 |
$10.26 |
$21,330 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
600 |
$19.14 |
$39,820 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers |
590 |
$22.99 |
$47,820 |
| Child care workers |
580 |
$8.96 |
$18,630 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses |
580 |
$21.46 |
$44,640 |
| Receptionists and information clerks |
580 |
$12.04 |
$25,040 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general |
560 |
$17.14 |
$35,660 |
| Teachers and instructors, all other |
540 |
Not available |
$30,710 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations |
530 |
$34.68 |
$72,140 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers |
510 |
$28.14 |
$58,530 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders |
500 |
$12.31 |
$25,610 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
470 |
$14.83 |
$30,840 |
| Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education |
460 |
Not available |
$58,170 |
| General and operations managers |
450 |
$61.02 |
$126,910 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
420 |
$21.55 |
$44,820 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers |
420 |
$31.48 |
$65,480 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products |
420 |
$31.06 |
$64,600 |
| Security guards |
410 |
$10.65 |
$22,150 |
| Truck drivers, light or delivery services |
400 |
$13.62 |
$28,340 |
| Legal occupations |
390 |
$33.12 |
$68,890 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners |
390 |
$12.54 |
$26,080 |
| Word processors and typists |
380 |
$14.72 |
$30,610 |
| Home health aides |
360 |
$17.08 |
$35,530 |
| Business operations specialists, all other |
330 |
$28.20 |
$58,650 |
| Carpenters |
330 |
$19.28 |
$40,110 |
| Personal and home care aides |
330 |
$17.65 |
$36,710 |
| Electricians |
320 |
$22.11 |
$45,990 |
| Medical secretaries |
320 |
$15.70 |
$32,660 |
| Tellers |
320 |
$10.92 |
$22,720 |
| Accountants and auditors |
310 |
$29.71 |
$61,790 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers |
310 |
$17.18 |
$35,740 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics |
300 |
$16.45 |
$34,220 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
290 |
$17.20 |
$35,780 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers |
290 |
$27.57 |
$57,340 |
| Helpers--production workers |
290 |
$9.44 |
$19,640 |
| Production workers, all other |
290 |
$14.28 |
$29,700 |
| Counter and rental clerks |
280 |
$10.61 |
$22,070 |
| Billing and posting clerks and machine operators |
270 |
$15.10 |
$31,410 |
| Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic |
270 |
$18.96 |
$39,430 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
260 |
$11.18 |
$23,250 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations |
260 |
$30.96 |
$64,400 |
| Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
250 |
$10.72 |
$22,300 |
| Sewing machine operators |
250 |
$10.02 |
$20,830 |
| Cooks, short order |
240 |
$8.02 |
$16,680 |
| Medical assistants |
240 |
$14.07 |
$29,270 |
| Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders |
230 |
$16.43 |
$34,180 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers |
230 |
$30.98 |
$64,440 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks |
230 |
$14.35 |
$29,860 |
| Team assemblers |
230 |
$11.97 |
$24,900 |
| Food preparation workers |
220 |
$9.69 |
$20,160 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers |
220 |
$12.20 |
$25,370 |
| Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders |
210 |
$16.01 |
$33,290 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists |
200 |
$13.15 |
$27,360 |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
200 |
$25.49 |
$53,010 |
| Construction laborers |
190 |
$21.17 |
$44,030 |
| Court, municipal, and license clerks |
190 |
$18.04 |
$37,520 |
| Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders |
190 |
$16.33 |
$33,960 |
| Dental assistants |
190 |
$17.47 |
$36,330 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant |
190 |
$10.36 |
$21,550 |
| Lawyers |
190 |
$40.95 |
$85,180 |
| Service station attendants |
190 |
$8.64 |
$17,970 |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists |
180 |
$20.58 |
$42,800 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations |
180 |
$30.07 |
$62,540 |
| Sales representatives, services, all other |
180 |
$28.56 |
$59,410 |
| Cost estimators |
170 |
$35.08 |
$72,970 |
| Education administrators, elementary and secondary school |
170 |
Not available |
$96,970 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants |
170 |
$24.58 |
$51,120 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand |
170 |
$22.02 |
$45,800 |
| Preschool teachers, except special education |
170 |
$23.52 |
$48,920 |
| Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school |
170 |
Not available |
$56,710 |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers |
160 |
$14.20 |
$29,540 |
| Cooks, restaurant |
160 |
$10.75 |
$22,360 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of personal service workers |
160 |
$20.35 |
$42,330 |
| Bartenders |
150 |
$10.79 |
$22,440 |
| Financial managers |
150 |
$57.20 |
$118,980 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators |
150 |
$31.02 |
$64,510 |
| Postal service mail carriers |
150 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians |
150 |
$28.39 |
$59,040 |
| Child, family, and school social workers |
140 |
$23.60 |
$49,080 |
| Industrial production managers |
140 |
$43.80 |
$91,100 |
| Kindergarten teachers, except special education |
140 |
Not available |
$55,490 |
| Managers, all other |
140 |
$42.46 |
$88,310 |
| Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance |
130 |
$17.21 |
$35,790 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors |
130 |
$30.55 |
$63,550 |
| File clerks |
130 |
$9.80 |
$20,380 |
| Paralegals and legal assistants |
130 |
$19.63 |
$40,840 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria |
120 |
$13.91 |
$28,920 |
| Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders |
120 |
$12.63 |
$26,260 |
| Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers |
120 |
$11.52 |
$23,960 |
| Pharmacists |
120 |
$49.89 |
$103,780 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks |
120 |
$19.74 |
$41,060 |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons |
110 |
$24.20 |
$50,330 |
| Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation |
110 |
$27.48 |
$57,160 |
| Healthcare support workers, all other |
110 |
$15.39 |
$32,000 |
| Legal secretaries |
110 |
$16.69 |
$34,720 |
| Machinists |
110 |
$20.01 |
$41,620 |
| Sales managers |
110 |
$47.37 |
$98,520 |
| Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators |
110 |
$24.35 |
$50,650 |
| Construction managers |
100 |
$45.96 |
$95,610 |
| Cooks, fast food |
100 |
$8.26 |
$17,180 |
| Medical and health services managers |
100 |
$47.11 |
$97,980 |
| Parts salespersons |
100 |
$16.36 |
$34,040 |
| Special education teachers, middle school |
100 |
Not available |
$58,170 |
| Stationary engineers and boiler operators |
100 |
$23.30 |
$48,470 |
| Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors |
100 |
$19.38 |
$40,320 |
| Computer support specialists |
90 |
$18.99 |
$39,500 |
| Dishwashers |
90 |
$8.63 |
$17,940 |
| Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors |
90 |
$11.16 |
$23,220 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers |
90 |
$21.18 |
$44,040 |
| Office and administrative support workers, all other |
90 |
$17.73 |
$36,880 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance |
90 |
$16.08 |
$33,440 |
| Pharmacy technicians |
90 |
$13.23 |
$27,510 |
| Rehabilitation counselors |
90 |
$14.83 |
$30,840 |
| Crossing guards |
80 |
$9.94 |
$20,680 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers |
80 |
$8.18 |
$17,010 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers |
80 |
$21.57 |
$44,860 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers |
80 |
$41.64 |
$86,610 |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping |
80 |
$17.01 |
$35,380 |
| Legislators |
80 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials |
80 |
$12.15 |
$25,280 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
80 |
$25.22 |
$52,460 |
| Recreation workers |
80 |
$15.14 |
$31,480 |
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors |
80 |
$15.32 |
$31,870 |
| Administrative services managers |
70 |
$39.30 |
$81,740 |
| Data entry keyers |
70 |
$16.00 |
$33,280 |
| Eligibility interviewers, government programs |
70 |
$19.21 |
$39,950 |
| Fire fighters |
70 |
$21.26 |
$44,230 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop |
70 |
$9.22 |
$19,170 |
| Insurance sales agents |
70 |
$20.80 |
$43,260 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers |
70 |
$11.59 |
$24,110 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks |
70 |
$17.56 |
$36,530 |
| Self-enrichment education teachers |
70 |
$18.07 |
$37,580 |
| Speech-language pathologists |
70 |
$41.21 |
$85,720 |
| Bakers |
60 |
$14.89 |
$30,970 |
| Construction and building inspectors |
60 |
$25.23 |
$52,480 |
| Dental hygienists |
60 |
$29.89 |
$62,170 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
60 |
$9.95 |
$20,700 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other |
60 |
$32.33 |
$67,250 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other |
60 |
$23.04 |
$47,930 |
| Internists, general |
60 |
$78.92 |
$164,160 |
| Maintenance workers, machinery |
60 |
$20.97 |
$43,610 |
| Medical and public health social workers |
60 |
$27.01 |
$56,190 |
| Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
60 |
$10.79 |
$22,440 |
| Physical therapists |
60 |
$38.48 |
$80,040 |
| Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents |
60 |
$39.47 |
$82,090 |
| Shampooers |
60 |
$8.64 |
$17,980 |
| Structural iron and steel workers |
60 |
$29.60 |
$61,560 |
| Taxi drivers and chauffeurs |
60 |
$10.99 |
$22,860 |
| Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists |
50 |
$35.94 |
$74,750 |
| Diagnostic medical sonographers |
50 |
$31.60 |
$65,730 |
| Dietitians and nutritionists |
50 |
$27.67 |
$57,550 |
| Editors |
50 |
$18.43 |
$38,330 |
| Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists |
50 |
$25.69 |
$53,430 |
| Financial specialists, all other |
50 |
$33.55 |
$69,780 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers |
50 |
$19.05 |
$39,620 |
| Food service managers |
50 |
$26.30 |
$54,700 |
| Graphic designers |
50 |
$16.28 |
$33,850 |
| Industrial engineers |
50 |
$37.11 |
$77,180 |
| Insurance claims and policy processing clerks |
50 |
$13.91 |
$28,940 |
| Librarians |
50 |
$28.51 |
$59,300 |
| Loan officers |
50 |
$29.60 |
$61,570 |
| Machine feeders and offbearers |
50 |
$10.75 |
$22,360 |
| Marketing managers |
50 |
$60.79 |
$126,450 |
| Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines |
50 |
$20.58 |
$42,810 |
| Pharmacy aides |
50 |
$10.45 |
$21,740 |
| Physicians and surgeons, all other |
50 |
$96.11 |
$199,910 |
| Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers |
50 |
$17.77 |
$36,970 |
| Social and community service managers |
50 |
$39.11 |
$81,350 |
| Transportation, storage, and distribution managers |
50 |
$50.50 |
$105,040 |
| Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers, recordkeeping |
50 |
$14.33 |
$29,810 |
| Woodworkers, all other |
50 |
$14.07 |
$29,260 |
| Amusement and recreation attendants |
40 |
$9.61 |
$19,990 |
| Architects, except landscape and naval |
40 |
$36.33 |
$75,560 |
| Butchers and meat cutters |
40 |
$20.51 |
$42,650 |
| Computer software engineers, applications |
40 |
$39.27 |
$81,690 |
| Driver/sales workers |
40 |
$17.29 |
$35,970 |
| Family and general practitioners |
40 |
$68.63 |
$142,750 |
| Food batchmakers |
40 |
$15.06 |
$31,330 |
| Glaziers |
40 |
$17.67 |
$36,750 |
| Grinding and polishing workers, hand |
40 |
$18.35 |
$38,160 |
| Mental health counselors |
40 |
$27.88 |
$57,990 |
| Meter readers, utilities |
40 |
$16.08 |
$33,440 |
| Nonfarm animal caretakers |
40 |
$9.67 |
$20,120 |
| Postal service clerks |
40 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators |
40 |
Not available |
Not available |
| Sales and related workers, all other |
40 |
$16.15 |
$33,600 |
| Switchboard operators, including answering service |
40 |
$13.12 |
$27,290 |
| Telemarketers |
40 |
$10.74 |
$22,330 |
| Training and development specialists |
40 |
$27.39 |
$56,980 |
| Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products |
40 |
$24.89 |
$51,770 |
| Architectural and civil drafters |
30 |
$23.62 |
$49,130 |
| Automotive body and related repairers |
30 |
$20.18 |
$41,980 |
| Bill and account collectors |
30 |
$15.83 |
$32,930 |
| Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators |
30 |
$30.81 |
$64,090 |
| Computer programmers |
30 |
$30.75 |
$63,960 |
| Computer systems analysts |
30 |
$38.36 |
$79,790 |
| Credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks |
30 |
$14.87 |
$30,930 |
| Education administrators, preschool and child care center/program |
30 |
$31.32 |
$65,150 |
| Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators |
30 |
$18.60 |
$38,680 |
| Health technologists and technicians, all other |
30 |
$22.00 |
$45,760 |
| Instructional coordinators |
30 |
$39.09 |
$81,300 |
| Medical records and health information technicians |
30 |
$21.04 |
$43,750 |
| Personal care and service workers, all other |
30 |
$9.86 |
$20,520 |
| Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers |
30 |
$10.78 |
$22,430 |
| All other information and record clerks |
Not available |
$18.93 |
$39,380 |
| Assemblers and fabricators, all other |
Not available |
$16.67 |
$34,670 |
| Bus drivers, school |
Not available |
$13.61 |
$28,320 |
| Civil engineers |
Not available |
$41.51 |
$86,340 |
| Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders |
Not available |
$12.79 |
$26,600 |
| Community and social service specialists, all other |
Not available |
$21.18 |
$44,050 |
| Counselors, all other |
Not available |
$21.60 |
$44,940 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop |
Not available |
$9.71 |
$20,200 |
| Electronic home entertainment equipment installers and repairers |
Not available |
$11.58 |
$24,090 |
| Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse |
Not available |
$9.39 |
$19,530 |
| Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders |
Not available |
$16.12 |
$33,540 |
| Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers |
Not available |
$15.96 |
$33,200 |
| Medical equipment repairers |
Not available |
$20.69 |
$43,040 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products |
Not available |
$33.49 |
$69,660 |
| Sheet metal workers |
Not available |
$27.99 |
$58,210 |
| Surgeons |
Not available |
More than $70 |
More than $145,600 |
| Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers |
Not available |
$30.02 |
$62,440 |
| Tile and marble setters |
Not available |
$33.38 |
$69,440 |
| Transportation workers, all other |
Not available |
$14.58 |
$30,320 |
