For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, March 27, 2012 USDL-12-0548 

Technical information: (202) 691-6569 • oesinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/oes 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

OCCUPATIONAL EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES–MAY 2011

Retail salespersons and cashiers were the occupations with the highest employment in 2011, the U.S. 

Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. These two occupations combined made up nearly 6 percent of 

total U.S. employment, with employment levels of 4.3 and 3.3 million, respectively. National 

employment and wage information for all occupations is shown in table 1. 

These data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program, which provides 

employment and wage estimates by area and by industry for wage and salary workers in 22 major 

occupational groups and nearly 800 detailed occupations. 

Occupations

 The 10 largest occupations accounted for more than 20 percent of total employment in May 

2011. In addition to retail salespersons and cashiers, the largest occupations included general 

office clerks; combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food; registered 

nurses; waiters and waitresses; and customer service representatives. (See chart 1.) 

 Most of the largest occupations were relatively low paying. Of the 10 largest occupations, only 

registered nurses, with an annual mean wage of $69,110, had an average wage above the U.S. alloccupations mean of $21.74 per hour or $45,230 annually. Annual mean wages for the rest of the 

10 largest occupations ranged from $18,790 for combined food preparation and serving workers 

to $33,120 for customer service representatives. (See chart 2.) 

 Office and administrative support was the largest occupational group, making up nearly 17 

percent of total U.S. employment. The next largest groups were sales and related occupations and 

food preparation and serving related occupations, which made up about 11 and 9 percent of U.S. 

employment, respectively. Seven of the 10 largest occupations were in one of these three groups. 

The smallest occupational groups included legal occupations and life, physical, and social 

science occupations, each making up less than 1 percent of total employment. (See chart 3.) 

 The highest paying occupational groups were management, legal, computer and mathematical, 

and architecture and engineering occupations. Most individual occupations in these groups were 

also high paying. For example, of the 35 architecture and engineering occupations, only one—

surveying and mapping technicians, with an annual mean wage of $42,050—had an average 

wage below the U.S. all-occupations mean. (See table 1.) 
- 2 - 

 The lowest paying occupational groups were food preparation and serving related; farming, 

fishing, and forestry; personal care and service; and building and grounds cleaning and 

maintenance occupations. Annual mean wages for these groups ranged from $21,430 for food 

preparation and serving related occupations to $25,560 for building and grounds cleaning and 

maintenance occupations. Nearly all of the individual occupations in these groups had belowaverage wages. For example, chefs and head cooks was the only food preparation and serving 

related occupation with a mean wage above the U.S. all-occupations mean, and 15 of the 18 

occupations in this group had annual mean wages of $25,000 or less. (See table 1.) 

Occupational profiles for all occupations are available on the BLS website at 

www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm. 

Ownership

 Eight of the 10 largest occupations in the private sector were the same as those in the economy 

as a whole as shown in chart 1; stock clerks and order fillers and general and operations 

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5

Secretaries and administrative assistants, exceptlegal, medical,

and executive

Laborers and freight,stock,and material movers, hand

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

Customer service representatives

Waiters and waitresses

Registerednurses

Combinedfood preparation and serving workers, including fast

food

Office clerks, general

Cashiers

Retail salespersons

Employment (millions)

Chart 1. Employment forthe Largest Occupationsin the United

States, May 2011
- 3 - 

managers rounded out the largest private sector occupations. Among the 10 largest occupations 

overall, over 91 percent of employment was in the private sector, with the share of private sector 

employment ranging from 75 percent of janitors and secretaries to nearly 100 percent of retail 

salespersons and waiters and waitresses. 

 Five of the 10 largest occupations in the public sector were education related: elementary, 

middle, and secondary school teachers, except special education; teacher assistants; and 

teachers and instructors, all other. Seventy percent or more of total employment and over 90 

percent of public sector employment in each of these 5 occupations was in local government. 

Other large occupations in local government included police and sheriff’s patrol officers, 

janitors, general office clerks, and firefighters. 

 Correctional officers and jailers and general office clerks were the largest occupations in state 

government, with employment of nearly 250,000 and 190,000, respectively. Additional large 

occupations in state government included registered nurses, graduate teaching assistants, 

postsecondary health specialties teachers, and police and sheriff's patrol officers. 

$0 $10,000 $20,000 $30,000 $40,000 $50,000 $60,000 $70,000

U.S. all‐occupationsmean

Secretaries and administrative assistants, exceptlegal,

medical, andexecutive

Laborers and freight,stock,and material movers, hand

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

Customer service representatives

Waiters and waitresses

Registerednurses

Combinedfood preparation and serving workers, including fast

food

Office clerks, general

Cashiers

Retail salespersons

Annual mean wage

Chart 2. Annual Mean Wagesforthe Largest Occupationsin the

United States, May 2011
- 4 - 

 Three of the 10 largest occupations in the federal government were specific to the U.S. Postal 

Service: postal service mail carriers, with employment of 315,320; postal service mail sorters, 

processors, and processing machine operators (139,680); and postal service clerks (64,710). 

The largest federal government occupations also included registered nurses, management 

analysts, and compliance officers. 

OES data by ownership are available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrci.htm. 

Industry

 Health care and social assistance was the industry sector with the highest employment. Over half 

of May 2011 employment in the health care and social assistance sector was in healthcarerelated occupations. Registered nurses was the largest occupation in this sector, with nearly 2.4 

million jobs, almost 70 percent of which were in hospitals. Other large healthcare occupations in 

this sector were nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants; home health aides; licensed practical 

and licensed vocational nurses; and medical assistants. Outside of the healthcare occupational 

groups, the largest occupations in this sector were personal care aides, childcare workers, and 

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

Transportation andmaterialmoving

Production

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

Construction andextraction

Farming, fishing, andforestry

Office and administrative support

Sales and related

Personal care andservice

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

Food preparation andserving related

Protective service

Healthcare support

Healthcare practitioners and technical

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media

Education, training, andlibrary

Legal

Communityand social service

Life, physical, and socialscience

Architecture and engineering

Computer andmathematical

Business and financial operations

Management

Percent of total U.S. employment

Chart 3. Major occupational groups as a percent oftotal U.S.

employment, May 2011
- 5 - 

three office and administrative support occupations: medical secretaries, receptionists and 

information clerks, and general office clerks. 

 Other large industry sectors included retail trade, educational services, and manufacturing. More 

than 60 percent of retail trade employment was in just 4 occupations: retail salespersons, 

cashiers, stock clerks and order fillers, and first-line supervisors of retail sales workers. 

Education, training, and library occupations made up about 59 percent of employment in the 

educational services sector, including 5 of the 10 largest occupations; the largest occupation 

outside of the education group was janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping 

cleaners. About half of manufacturing employment was in production occupations, including 

team assemblers, with employment of 703,740; first-line supervisors of production and 

operating workers (406,820); and machinists (294,620). 

 Industries with the highest all-occupations mean wages included computer and peripheral 

equipment manufacturing, software publishers, oil and gas extraction, and several financial 

services industries. These industries tended to have high employment concentrations of 

occupations with high wages, and in some cases, above average wages for individual 

occupations. For example, the largest occupations in oil and gas extraction included petroleum 

engineers, with an annual mean wage of $150,890; geoscientists, except hydrologists and 

geographers ($139,390); and accountants and auditors ($75,720); these three occupations also 

had higher wages in oil and gas extraction than in all industries combined. 

 Industries with the lowest all-occupations mean wages included support activities for crop 

production and several retail trade and food service industries. In limited-service eating places, 

the industry with the lowest overall average wage, 7 of the 10 largest occupations had mean 

wages below $20,000 per year. Cashiers, with an annual mean wage of $18,830, made up 65 

percent of employment in gasoline stations; other large occupations in this industry included 

first-line supervisors of retail sales workers ($34,380); combined food preparation and serving 

workers, including fast food ($18,800); and automotive and watercraft service attendants 

($20,380). 

OES national industry-specific data are available on the BLS website at 

www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrci.htm. 

State and Local Area

 States with high total employment, such as California, Texas, New York, and Florida, also 

tended to have the highest employment of many individual occupations. For example, 

California and Texas had the highest employment of surveyors, with employment levels of 

4,480 and 4,210, respectively. However, smaller states often had higher-than-average 

employment concentrations of particular occupations. For instance, as a share of total 

employment, Alaska and Wyoming had more than 3 times as many surveyors as the U.S. as a 

whole. 

 Similarly, large metropolitan areas tended to have the highest number of jobs in many 

individual occupations, but smaller metropolitan areas often had high concentrations of 

specific occupations. For example, Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill.-Ind.-Wis., and Los AngelesLong Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., had the highest employment of team assemblers, although 

neither area had a particularly high employment share of this occupation. However, Elkhart-
- 6 - 

Goshen, Ind., had an employment share of team assemblers nearly 10 times the U.S. average, 

and Spartanburg, S.C., and Lafayette, Ind., had employment shares nearly 7 times the average 

for this occupation. 

 Wages for a given occupation also varied considerably across areas. For example, annual mean 

wages for applications software developers ranged from $64,000 in North Dakota and $64,720 

in Wyoming to $99,800 in Virginia and $104,450 in California. Wages for this occupation 

varied even more by area than by state: among metropolitan areas with at least 100 

applications software developers, annual mean wages ranged from $49,530 in Myrtle BeachNorth Myrtle Beach-Conway, S.C., and $56,780 in Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, 

Fla., to $117,150 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif., and $129,480 in the HaverhillNorth Andover-Andover, Mass., NECTA division.

OES data, including location quotients, by state and metropolitan/nonmetropolitan area are available 

on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcst.htm and 

www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcma.htm, respectively. 

 
- 7 - 

Notes on the Occupational Employment Statistics Data

The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program provides employment and wage 

estimates for wage and salary workers in 22 major occupational groups and nearly 800 detailed 

occupations. OES produces cross-industry occupational employment and wage data for the 

nation, states, metropolitan areas, metropolitan divisions, and nonmetropolitan areas; industryspecific data for the nation; and data by ownership across all industries and for schools and 

hospitals. 

The May 2011 OES estimates are based in part on data collected using the 2010 Standard 

Occupational Classification (SOC) system and in part on data collected using the 2000 SOC 

system. Nearly all the occupations in this release are 2010 SOC occupations; however, some 

are not. In these cases, an estimate for a hybrid OES-specific occupation was created from 

data reported for one or more occupations in the 2000 SOC combined with data reported for 

one or more 2010 SOC occupations. Some occupations have the same title as a 2010 SOC 

occupation, but not the same content. These occupations are marked with an asterisk (*) and 

given a temporary code for the OES data. The May 2012 OES data will reflect the full set of 

detailed occupations in the 2010 SOC. For a list of all occupations, including 2010 SOC 

occupations, and information on how data collected using two structures were combined, see 

the OES Frequently Asked Questions online at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm#Ques41. 

The May 2011 OES estimates are the last to be produced using the 2007 North American 

Industry Classification System (NAICS). The May 2012 estimates will be based on the 2012 

NAICS. 
Technical Note

Scope of the survey

The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey is 

a semiannual mail survey measuring occupational employment 

and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm 

establishments in the United States. OES data available from 

BLS include cross-industry occupational employment and 

wage estimates for the nation; over 500 areas, including states 

and the District of Columbia, metropolitan statistical areas 

(MSAs), metropolitan divisions, nonmetropolitan areas, and 

territories; national industry-specific estimates at the NAICS 

sector, 3-, 4-, and selected 5-digit industry levels; and national 

estimates by ownership across all industries and for schools 

and hospitals. 

The OES survey is a cooperative effort between BLS and 

the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS funds the survey 

and provides the procedures and technical support, while 

the State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data. OES 

estimates are constructed from a sample of about 1.2 million 

establishments. Each year, forms are mailed to two semiannual 

panels of approximately 200,000 sampled establishments, one 

panel in May and the other in November. May 2011 estimates 

are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected 

over a 3-year period: May 2011, November 2010, May 2010, 

November 2009, May 2009, and November 2008. The overall 

national response rate for the six panels is 77.3 percent based 

on establishments and 73.3 percent based on employment. The 

unweighted employment of sampled establishments across all 

six semiannual panels represents approximately 62.2 percent 

of total national employment. 

The occupational coding system

The OES survey categorizes workers into nearly 800 

detailed occupations based on the Office of Management 

and Budget’s Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 

system; together, these detailed occupations make up 22 of the 

23 SOC major occupational groups. Major group 55, Military 

Specific Occupations, is not included. The May 2011 and 

May 2010 OES estimates are based in part on data collected 

using the 2010 SOC system. Previous estimates were based on 

the 2000 SOC. 

Almost all the occupations in this release are 2010 

SOC occupations; however, some are not. In these cases, an 

estimate for a temporary occupation was created from data 

reported for one or more occupations in the 2000 SOC combined with data reported for one or more 2010 SOC occupations. Some occupations have the same title as a 2010 SOC 

occupation, but not the same content. These occupations are 

marked with an asterisk (*) and given a temporary code for the 

OES data. The May 2012 OES data will reflect the full set of 

detailed occupations in the 2010 SOC. For a list of all 

occupations, including 2010 SOC occupations, and how data 

collected on two structures were combined, see the OES 

Frequently Asked Questions online at 

www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm#Ques41. 

For more information about the SOC system, please 

see the Bureau of Labor Statistics website at 

www.bls.gov/soc/. 

The industry coding system

The OES survey uses the 2007 North American Industry 

Classification System (NAICS). For more information about 

NAICS, see the BLS website at www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm. 

The OES survey excludes the majority of the agricultural 

sector, with the exception of logging (NAICS 113310), 

support activities for crop production (NAICS 1151), and 

support activities for animal production (NAICS 1152). 

Private households (NAICS 814) also are excluded. OES 

federal government data include the U.S. Postal Service and 

the federal executive branch only. All other industries, 

including state and local government, are covered by the 

survey. 

The OES survey covers all full- and part-time wage 

and salary workers in nonfarm industries. The survey does not 

include the self-employed, owners and partners in 

unincorporated firms, household workers, or unpaid family 

workers. 

Survey sample

The OES survey draws its sample from state 

unemployment insurance (UI) files. Supplemental sources are 

used for rail transportation (NAICS 4821) and Guam because 

they do not report to the UI program. The OES survey sample 

is stratified by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area, 

industry, and size. 

To provide the most occupational coverage, larger 

employers are more likely to be selected than smaller 

employers. An annual census is taken of the executive branch 

of the federal government, the U.S. Postal Service, and state 

government. 

Concepts

Occupational employment is the estimate of total wage 

and salary employment in an occupation. The OES survey 

defines employment as the number of workers who can be 

classified as full- or part-time employees, including workers 

on paid vacations or other types of paid leave; workers on 

unpaid short-term absences; salaried officers, executives, and 

staff members of incorporated firms; employees temporarily 

assigned to other units; and employees for whom the 

reporting unit is their permanent duty station, regardless of 

whether that unit prepares their paycheck. 

Wages for the OES survey are straight-time, gross pay, 

exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, 

including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are 

included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift 

differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for 

supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements. 

OES receives wage rate data for the federal government, 

the U.S. Postal Service, and some state governments. For the 

remaining establishments, the OES survey collects wage data 

in 12 intervals. For each occupation, respondents are asked to 

report the number of employees paid within specific wage 

intervals. The intervals are defined both as hourly rates and the 
corresponding annual rates, where the annual rate for an 

occupation is calculated by multiplying the hourly wage 

rate by a typical work year of 2,080 hours. The responding 

establishments are instructed to report the hourly rate for parttime workers, and to report annual rates for occupations that 

are typically paid at an annual rate but do not work 2,080 

hours per year, such as teachers, pilots, and flight attendants. 

Other workers, such as some entertainment workers, are paid 

hourly rates, but generally do not work 40 hours per week, 

year round. For these workers, only an hourly wage is 

reported. 

Estimation methodology

The OES survey is designed to produce estimates by 

combining six panels of data collected over a 3-year period. 

Each OES panel includes approximately 200,000 establishments. The full six-panel sample of nearly 1.2 million establishments allows the production of estimates at detailed levels 

of geography, industry, and occupation. 

Wage updating. Significant reductions in sampling errors 

are obtained by combining six panels of data, particularly for 

small geographic areas and occupations. Wages for the current 

panel need no adjustment. However, wages in the five previous panels need to be updated to the current panel's reference 

period. 

The OES program uses the BLS Employment Cost Index 

(ECI) to adjust survey data from prior panels before 

combining them with the current panel's data. The wage 

updating procedure adjusts each detailed occupation's wage 

rate, as measured in the earlier panel, according to the average 

movement of its broader occupational division. 

Imputation. About 20 percent of establishments do not 

respond for a given panel. A "nearest neighbor" hot deck 

imputation procedure is used to impute missing occupational 

employment totals. A variant of mean imputation is used to 

impute missing wage distributions. 

Weighting and benchmarking. The sampled establishments are weighted to represent all establishments for the 

reference period. Weights are further adjusted by the ratio of 

employment totals (the average of November 2010 and May 

2011 employment) from the BLS Quarterly Census of 

Employment and Wages to employment totals from the OES 

survey. 

For more information

Answers to frequently asked questions about the OES 

data are available at www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm. Detailed 

technical information about the OES survey is available in our 

Survey Methods and Reliability Statement on the BLS website 

at www.bls.gov/oes/current/methods_statement.pdf. 
Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, May 2011

Hourly Annual1

All occupations $21.74 $45,230 $16.57 128,278,550

Management occupations 51.64 6,183,820 107,410 44.65 

Chief executives......................................................................................................................................... 267,370 84.88 176,550 80.25 

General and operations managers............................................................................................................. 1,805,030 55.04 114,490 45.74 

Legislators.................................................................................................................................................. 62,180 (2) 38,860 (2)

Advertising and promotions managers...................................................................................................... 49.69 30,710 103,350 42.14 

Marketing managers.................................................................................................................................. 168,410 60.67 126,190 55.78 

Sales managers......................................................................................................................................... 328,230 56.18 116,860 48.87 

Public relations and fundraising managers................................................................................................ 53,200 50.81 105,690 44.86 

Administrative services managers............................................................................................................. 41.69 249,600 38.24 86,720

Computer and information systems managers.......................................................................................... 60.41 300,830 125,660 56.74 

Financial managers.................................................................................................................................... 57.91 477,690 120,450 51.52 

Industrial production managers.................................................................................................................. 46.33 151,850 96,370 42.40 

Purchasing managers................................................................................................................................ 49.57 66,990 103,110 46.70 

Transportation, storage, and distribution managers.................................................................................. 92,150 42.23 87,830 38.87 

Compensation and benefits managers...................................................................................................... 24,580 48.62 101,130 44.37 

Human resources managers...................................................................................................................... 81,750 52.21 108,600 47.66 

Training and development managers........................................................................................................ 27,150 47.73 99,280 44.10 

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers................................................................................. 3,340 33.66 70,010 31.09 

Construction managers.............................................................................................................................. 195,000 45.14 93,900 40.50 

Education administrators, preschool and childcare center/program.......................................................... 49,320 24.66 51,290 21.07 

Education administrators, elementary and secondary school.................................................................... 222,810 (2) 90,200 (2)

Education administrators, postsecondary.................................................................................................. 113,620 46.72 97,170 40.52 

Education administrators, all other............................................................................................................. 28,090 39.46 82,070 36.89 

Architectural and engineering managers................................................................................................... 62.19 184,530 129,350 58.75 

Food service managers............................................................................................................................. 183,940 25.30 52,620 23.13 

Gaming managers..................................................................................................................................... 3,570 35.95 74,780 32.32 

Lodging managers..................................................................................................................................... 29,870 26.49 55,100 22.81 

Medical and health services managers...................................................................................................... 287,560 46.17 96,030 41.54 

Natural sciences managers....................................................................................................................... 47,510 61.65 128,230 55.18 

Postmasters and mail superintendents...................................................................................................... 24,410 29.85 62,080 30.25 

Property, real estate, and community association managers.................................................................... 152,380 30.36 63,150 25.24 

Social and community service managers.................................................................................................. 115,550 30.43 63,290 28.20 

Emergency management directors............................................................................................................ 11,050 30.22 62,850 27.53 

Managers, all other.................................................................................................................................... 343,560 50.44 104,910 47.85 

Business and financial operations occupations 6,178,070 33.05 68,740 29.67

Agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes......................................................... 44.35 11,950 31.15 92,250

Buyers and purchasing agents, farm products........................................................................................... 10,180 29.08 60,500 26.86 

Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products................................................................................... 105,610 27.31 56,810 24.27 

Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products............................................................... 274,540 29.46 61,280 27.68 

Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators......................................................................................... 263,810 29.38 61,110 28.52 

Insurance appraisers, auto damage........................................................................................................... 10,950 28.41 59,080 27.42 

Compliance officers................................................................................................................................... 210,510 30.66 63,760 29.20 

Cost estimators.......................................................................................................................................... 187,730 30.13 62,670 28.10 

Farm labor contractors............................................................................................................................... 960 17.17 35,720 14.02 

Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other*....................................................... 436,090 28.31 58,890 26.11 

Logisticians................................................................................................................................................ 112,310 35.99 74,860 34.57 

Management analysts................................................................................................................................ 538,950 42.30 87,980 37.74 

Meeting, convention, and event planners*................................................................................................. 64,020 23.96 49,840 22.13 

Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists................................................................................ 94,710 29.34 61,030 27.86 

Training and development specialists........................................................................................................ 205,680 28.14 58,540 26.51

Market research analysts and marketing specialists*................................................................................ 318,190 32.27 67,130 28.97 

Business operations specialists, all other*................................................................................................. 967,250 33.21 69,070 30.78 

Accountants and auditors........................................................................................................................... 33.72 1,085,150 30.22 70,130

Appraisers and assessors of real estate.................................................................................................... 26.18 60,930 23.49 54,460

Budget analysts.......................................................................................................................................... 57,110 34.35 71,450 33.22 

Credit analysts........................................................................................................................................... 59,140 33.48 69,640 29.20 

Financial analysts....................................................................................................................................... 226,340 42.18 87,740 36.37 

Personal financial advisors........................................................................................................................ 161,790 43.70 90,900 32.01 

Insurance underwriters............................................................................................................................... 92,840 32.46 67,520 29.25 

Financial examiners................................................................................................................................... 28,050 40.20 83,620 36.18 

Credit counselors....................................................................................................................................... 29,400 20.16 41,940 18.48 

Loan officers............................................................................................................................................... 284,530 32.67 67,960 27.90 

Tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents................................................................................... 67,970 26.67 55,480 24.10 

Tax preparers............................................................................................................................................. 59,180 18.95 39,410 15.54 

Financial specialists, all other.................................................................................................................... 152,200 31.59 65,700 28.76 

Computer and mathematical occupations 3,406,720 37.85 78,730 36.10

Computer and information research scientists........................................................................................... 25,160 49.59 103,160 48.59 

Computer systems analysts....................................................................................................................... 487,740 39.58 82,320 37.87 

Computer programmers............................................................................................................................. 320,100 36.54 76,010 34.92 

Software developers, applications............................................................................................................. 539,880 44.27 92,080 42.92 

Software developers, systems software..................................................................................................... 387,050 48.28 100,420 46.44 

Database administrators............................................................................................................................ 108,500 37.19 77,350 36.15 

Network and computer systems administrators*........................................................................................ 35.71 341,800 74,270 34.12 

See footnotes at end of table.

Median 

hourly 

wages

Mean wages

Occupation Employment
Hourly Annual1

Computer and mathematical science occupations (Continued)

Computer support specialists..................................................................................................................... $24.91 $51,820 $22.91 632,490

Information security analysts, web developers, and computer network architects.................................... 39.27 272,670 81,670 37.49 

Computer occupations, all other*............................................................................................................... 177,630 38.70 80,500 38.43 

Actuaries.................................................................................................................................................... 49.52 19,590 103,000 43.78 

Mathematicians.......................................................................................................................................... 2,980 48.71 101,320 48.58 

Operations research analysts.................................................................................................................... 65,030 37.90 78,840 34.59 

Statisticians................................................................................................................................................ 23,770 37.16 77,280 35.52 

Mathematical technicians........................................................................................................................... 1,060 24.47 50,910 22.32 

Mathematical science occupations, all other............................................................................................. 1,260 30.37 63,170 26.95 

Architecture and engineering occupations 2,310,830 37.08 77,120 34.65

Architects, except landscape and naval..................................................................................................... 83,590 38.13 79,300 35.26 

Landscape architects................................................................................................................................. 15,760 31.98 66,520 30.40 

Cartographers and photogrammetrists...................................................................................................... 11,240 28.90 60,110 26.91 

Surveyors................................................................................................................................................... 42,020 28.24 58,740 26.73 

Aerospace engineers................................................................................................................................. 49.94 79,400 103,870 49.24 

Agricultural engineers................................................................................................................................ 37.69 2,650 35.88 78,400

Biomedical engineers................................................................................................................................. 42.48 16,590 88,360 40.71 

Chemical engineers................................................................................................................................... 47.81 27,860 99,440 44.68 

Civil engineers............................................................................................................................................ 254,130 39.76 82,710 37.49 

Computer hardware engineers................................................................................................................... 71,990 48.73 101,360 47.41 

Electrical engineers.................................................................................................................................... 154,250 42.88 89,200 41.31 

Electronics engineers, except computer.................................................................................................... 136,310 45.51 94,670 43.99 

Environmental engineers........................................................................................................................... 50,350 40.07 83,340 38.01 

Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors.......................................... 23,170 37.76 78,540 36.28 

Industrial engineers.................................................................................................................................... 211,490 38.39 79,840 37.13 

Marine engineers and naval architects...................................................................................................... 5,470 44.10 91,730 40.80 

Materials engineers.................................................................................................................................... 22,160 41.73 86,790 40.65 

Mechanical engineers................................................................................................................................ 238,260 40.17 83,550 38.09 

Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers........................................................ 6,630 43.30 90,070 40.53 

Nuclear engineers...................................................................................................................................... 18,430 50.56 105,160 49.01 

Petroleum engineers.................................................................................................................................. 30,880 66.82 138,980 58.79 

Engineers, all other.................................................................................................................................... 125,590 44.36 92,260 43.55 

Architectural and civil drafters.................................................................................................................... 24.11 85,740 22.72 50,160

Electrical and electronics drafters.............................................................................................................. 27.52 28,010 57,240 26.19 

Mechanical drafters.................................................................................................................................... 25.07 64,090 52,150 23.65 

Drafters, all other........................................................................................................................................ 16,070 23.25 48,370 21.92 

Aerospace engineering and operations technicians.................................................................................. 29.93 9,290 29.55 62,260

Civil engineering technicians..................................................................................................................... 71,890 23.31 48,480 22.55 

Electrical and electronics engineering technicians.................................................................................... 150,020 27.52 57,240 27.36 

Electro-mechanical technicians................................................................................................................. 16,620 25.42 52,870 24.63 

Environmental engineering technicians..................................................................................................... 19,490 23.51 48,910 21.56 

Industrial engineering technicians.............................................................................................................. 63,030 24.93 51,850 23.60 

Mechanical engineering technicians.......................................................................................................... 44,760 25.39 52,810 24.69 

Engineering technicians, except drafters, all other.................................................................................... 65,030 28.80 59,900 28.21 

Surveying and mapping technicians.......................................................................................................... 48,590 20.22 42,050 18.92 

Life, physical, and social science occupations 1,082,370 32.44 67,470 28.52

Animal scientists........................................................................................................................................ 2,190 35.66 74,170 29.44 

Food scientists and technologists.............................................................................................................. 12,040 30.85 64,170 28.05 

Soil and plant scientists............................................................................................................................. 11,860 30.72 63,890 28.34 

Biochemists and biophysicists................................................................................................................... 25,160 42.13 87,640 38.09 

Microbiologists........................................................................................................................................... 17,660 34.48 71,720 31.36 

Zoologists and wildlife biologists................................................................................................................ 18,380 29.75 61,880 27.60 

Biological scientists, all other..................................................................................................................... 31,550 35.12 73,050 34.03 

Conservation scientists.............................................................................................................................. 18,910 29.95 62,290 28.62 

Foresters.................................................................................................................................................... 9,000 26.99 56,130 26.53 

Epidemiologists.......................................................................................................................................... 4,610 33.49 69,660 30.87 

Medical scientists, except epidemiologists................................................................................................ 95,220 42.13 87,640 36.60 

Life scientists, all other............................................................................................................................... 10,020 35.68 74,220 30.95 

Astronomers............................................................................................................................................... 2,080 48.86 101,630 45.91 

Physicists................................................................................................................................................... 16,220 53.89 112,090 51.14 

Atmospheric and space scientists.............................................................................................................. 43.68 9,640 43.17 90,860

Chemists.................................................................................................................................................... 80,040 35.95 74,780 33.54 

Materials scientists..................................................................................................................................... 7,900 41.64 86,600 40.67 

Environmental scientists and specialists, including health........................................................................ 83,090 33.08 68,810 30.25 

Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers................................................................................. 32,490 46.97 97,700 40.61 

Hydrologists............................................................................................................................................... 6,960 38.01 79,070 36.39 

Physical scientists, all other....................................................................................................................... 25,790 46.29 96,290 45.67 

Economists................................................................................................................................................ 14,270 48.20 100,270 43.54 

Survey researchers.................................................................................................................................... 17,060 22.95 47,740 19.30 

Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists.......................................................................................... 100,850 35.14 73,090 32.64 

Industrial-organizational psychologists...................................................................................................... 1,230 59.69 124,160 45.54 

Psychologists, all other.............................................................................................................................. 41.27 10,580 85,830 43.27 

See footnotes at end of table.

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, May 2011- Continued

Mean wages

Occupation Employment

Median 

hourly 

wages
Hourly Annual1

Life, physical, and social science occupations (Continued)

Sociologists................................................................................................................................................ 2,830 $38.20 $79,460 $35.42

Urban and regional planners...................................................................................................................... 38,320 32.38 67,350 30.82 

Anthropologists and archeologists............................................................................................................. 28.39 5,370 26.95 59,040

Geographers.............................................................................................................................................. 1,430 35.66 74,170 35.94 

Historians................................................................................................................................................... 3,190 27.70 57,610 25.18 

Political scientists....................................................................................................................................... 5,340 50.50 105,040 49.93 

Social scientists and related workers, all other.......................................................................................... 31,520 37.82 78,670 36.14 

Agricultural and food science technicians.................................................................................................. 17.38 17,150 16.13 36,150

Biological technicians................................................................................................................................. 72,140 20.33 42,290 18.98 

Chemical technicians................................................................................................................................. 59,650 21.42 44,560 20.23 

Geological and petroleum technicians....................................................................................................... 14,680 27.81 57,840 23.89 

Nuclear technicians.................................................................................................................................... 7,370 32.46 67,520 32.71 

Social science research assistants............................................................................................................ 26,200 20.39 42,410 18.66 

Environmental science and protection technicians, including health......................................................... 30,320 21.76 45,270 20.32 

Forensic science technicians..................................................................................................................... 12,560 26.76 55,660 25.09 

Forest and conservation technicians......................................................................................................... 30,620 18.01 37,460 16.78 

Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other............................................................................. 58,890 22.00 45,770 20.73 

Community and social service occupations 1,890,410 21.07 43,830 19.17

Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors.............................................................................. 76,600 19.73 41,030 18.54 

Educational, guidance, school, and vocational counselors........................................................................ 244,560 27.18 56,540 26.02 

Marriage and family therapists................................................................................................................... 33,990 23.42 48,710 22.23 

Mental health counselors........................................................................................................................... 114,180 20.48 42,590 18.84

Rehabilitation counselors........................................................................................................................... 110,690 17.82 37,070 16.22 

Counselors, all other.................................................................................................................................. 27,140 21.56 44,850 20.21 

Child, family, and school social workers.................................................................................................... 276,510 21.35 44,410 19.56 

Healthcare social workers.......................................................................................................................... 133,890 24.28 50,500 23.37 

Mental health and substance abuse social workers.................................................................................. 115,390 20.50 42,650 18.86 

Social workers, all other............................................................................................................................. 63,110 26.07 54,220 25.91 

Health educators........................................................................................................................................ 56,610 25.07 52,150 23.05 

Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists........................................................................... 88,520 25.05 52,110 23.00 

Social and human service assistants......................................................................................................... 359,860 14.77 30,710 13.82 

Community and social service specialists, all other*................................................................................. 121,580 19.83 41,250 18.19 

Clergy......................................................................................................................................................... 42,560 23.31 48,490 21.22 

Directors, religious activities and education............................................................................................... 17,560 20.04 41,690 17.54 

Religious workers, all other........................................................................................................................ 7,660 15.19 31,600 12.57 

Legal occupations 1,002,330 47.30 98,380 36.28

Lawyers...................................................................................................................................................... 570,950 62.74 130,490 54.48

Judicial law clerks...................................................................................................................................... 18,300 22.44 46,670 20.41 

Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers................................................................... 42.47 14,460 40.96 88,340

Arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators...................................................................................................... 6,880 36.32 75,550 29.06 

Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates............................................................................................. 26,570 53.34 110,940 57.75 

Paralegals and legal assistants*................................................................................................................ 252,250 24.02 49,960 22.47 

Court reporters........................................................................................................................................... 18,440 25.82 53,710 23.33 

Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers.............................................................................................. 49,760 21.56 44,850 19.60 

Legal support workers, all other................................................................................................................. 44,720 28.88 60,070 25.19 

Education, training, and library occupations 8,409,060 24.46 50,870 22.14

Business teachers, postsecondary............................................................................................................ 82,090 (2) 86,620 (2)

Computer science teachers, postsecondary.............................................................................................. 33,510 (2) 80,460 (2)

Mathematical science teachers, postsecondary........................................................................................ 53,650 (2) 74,460 (2)

Architecture teachers, postsecondary........................................................................................................ (2) 79,600 7,060 (2)

Engineering teachers, postsecondary........................................................................................................ (2) 97,260 33,660 (2)

Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary.......................................................................................... (2) 83,480 10,170 (2)

Biological science teachers, postsecondary.............................................................................................. (2) 86,060 50,090 (2)

Forestry and conservation science teachers, postsecondary.................................................................... (2) 82,640 2,520 (2)

Atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences teachers, postsecondary.............................................. (2) 91,350 10,660 (2)

Chemistry teachers, postsecondary........................................................................................................... (2) 80,450 20,830 (2)

Environmental science teachers, postsecondary....................................................................................... (2) 84,140 4,990 (2)

Physics teachers, postsecondary............................................................................................................... (2) 86,730 13,630 (2)

Anthropology and archeology teachers, postsecondary............................................................................ (2) 81,860 5,790 (2)

Area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary....................................................................... (2) 79,840 9,250 (2)

Economics teachers, postsecondary......................................................................................................... (2) 94,450 13,300 (2)

Geography teachers, postsecondary......................................................................................................... (2) 72,300 4,280 (2)

Political science teachers, postsecondary................................................................................................. (2) 80,980 17,260 (2)

Psychology teachers, postsecondary......................................................................................................... (2) 74,890 37,540 (2)

Sociology teachers, postsecondary............................................................................................................ (2) 73,320 17,250 (2)

Social sciences teachers, postsecondary, all other................................................................................... (2) 82,750 9,230 (2)

Health specialties teachers, postsecondary............................................................................................... 153,430 (2) 99,210 (2)

Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary...................................................................................... 55,930 (2) 67,810 (2)

Education teachers, postsecondary........................................................................................................... 63,330 (2) 65,050 (2)

Library science teachers, postsecondary................................................................................................... 4,410 (2) 69,870 (2)

Criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary................................................................ 14,630 (2) 65,690 (2)

Law teachers, postsecondary.................................................................................................................... 14,980 (2) 108,760 (2)

Social work teachers, postsecondary......................................................................................................... 9,970 (2) 71,030 (2)

Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary........................................................................................ 90,030 (2) 72,660 (2)

See footnotes at end of table.

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, May 2011- Continued

Median 

hourly 

wages

Occupation

Mean wages

Employment
Hourly Annual1

Education, training, and library occupations (Continued)

Communications teachers, postsecondary................................................................................................ (2) $67,560 (2) 29,610

English language and literature teachers, postsecondary......................................................................... 72,700 (2) 68,760 (2)

Foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary......................................................................... 29,010 (2) 66,720 (2)

History teachers, postsecondary................................................................................................................ 23,470 (2) 72,200 (2)

Philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary...................................................................................... 21,930 (2) 71,620 (2)

Graduate teaching assistants..................................................................................................................... 110,130 (2) 33,180 (2)

Home economics teachers, postsecondary............................................................................................... 5,490 (2) 68,080 (2)

Recreation and fitness studies teachers, postsecondary........................................................................... 18,660 (2) 63,820 (2)

Vocational education teachers, postsecondary.......................................................................................... 125,160 25.71 53,480 23.46

Postsecondary teachers, all other.............................................................................................................. 182,130 (2) 74,360 (2)

Preschool teachers, except special education........................................................................................... 349,430 14.50 30,150 12.80 

Kindergarten teachers, except special education...................................................................................... 164,910 (2) 52,350 (2)

Elementary school teachers, except special education............................................................................. 1,415,590 (2) 55,270 (2)

Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education................................................... 642,820 (2) 55,780 (2)

Career/technical education teachers, middle school................................................................................. 16,870 (2) 56,100 (2)

Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education............................................. 1,004,850 (2) 56,760 (2)

Career/technical education teachers, secondary school............................................................................ 88,210 (2) 56,330 (2)

Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school*......................................... 220,220 (2) 56,460 (2)

Special education teachers, middle school................................................................................................ 100,590 (2) 58,420 (2)

Special education teachers, secondary school.......................................................................................... 132,960 (2) 59,080 (2)

Adult basic and secondary education and literacy teachers and instructors.............................................. 24.69 67,770 22.77 51,350

Self-enrichment education teachers.......................................................................................................... 169,200 19.75 41,070 17.36 

Teachers and instructors, all other*........................................................................................................... 827,800 (2) 37,260 (2)

Archivists.................................................................................................................................................... 24.11 5,460 22.48 50,140

Curators..................................................................................................................................................... 10,340 25.74 53,540 23.46 

Museum technicians and conservators...................................................................................................... 10,470 20.41 42,450 18.27 

Librarians................................................................................................................................................... 145,710 27.41 57,020 26.59 

Library technicians..................................................................................................................................... 106,560 15.42 32,070 14.63 

Audio-visual and multimedia collections specialists.................................................................................. 22.59 8,800 21.43 46,990

Farm and home management advisors..................................................................................................... 22.84 10,500 47,510 21.84 

Instructional coordinators........................................................................................................................... 29.67 130,230 61,720 28.50 

Teacher assistants..................................................................................................................................... 1,214,090 (2) 25,270 (2)

Education, training, and library workers, all other...................................................................................... 103,960 19.73 41,040 17.29 

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations 1,725,670 25.89 53,850 20.98

Art directors................................................................................................................................................ 45.92 30,680 39.07 95,500

Craft artists................................................................................................................................................. 4,810 15.51 32,270 12.82 

Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators.......................................................................... 11,830 25.67 53,400 21.44 

Multimedia artists and animators............................................................................................................... 28,400 32.72 68,060 29.25 

Artists and related workers, all other.......................................................................................................... 29.58 7,250 27.91 61,520

Commercial and industrial designers......................................................................................................... 28,710 30.56 63,570 29.21 

Fashion designers...................................................................................................................................... 16,010 35.54 73,930 31.10 

Floral designers.......................................................................................................................................... 47,180 12.19 25,350 11.34 

Graphic designers...................................................................................................................................... 191,550 23.41 48,690 21.16 

Interior designers....................................................................................................................................... 40,950 25.39 52,810 22.90 

Merchandise displayers and window trimmers.......................................................................................... 67,290 13.70 28,500 12.59 

Set and exhibit designers........................................................................................................................... 8,510 26.39 54,890 23.31 

Designers, all other.................................................................................................................................... 8,070 24.83 51,640 21.92 

Actors......................................................................................................................................................... 33.82 60,830 (2) 19.14 

Producers and directors............................................................................................................................. 44.34 82,880 92,220 33.97 

Athletes and sports competitors................................................................................................................. (2) 79,830 12,630 (2)

Coaches and scouts................................................................................................................................... (2) 36,340 193,810 (2)

Umpires, referees, and other sports officials............................................................................................. (2) 29,640 15,630 (2)

Dancers...................................................................................................................................................... 19.53 11,240 (2) 15.06 

Choreographers......................................................................................................................................... 10,870 21.23 44,160 19.04 

Music directors and composers................................................................................................................. 25,290 25.84 53,760 22.80 

Musicians and singers................................................................................................................................ 42,530 31.74 (2) 22.99 

Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers, all other........................................................... 17,920 23.34 (2) 15.23 

Radio and television announcers............................................................................................................... 31,680 19.47 40,510 13.12 

Public address system and other announcers........................................................................................... 7,770 19.17 39,870 12.50 

Broadcast news analysts........................................................................................................................... 5,200 36.71 76,370 26.79 

Reporters and correspondents................................................................................................................... 45,270 20.98 43,640 16.76 

Public relations specialists......................................................................................................................... 212,510 29.04 60,400 25.57 

Editors........................................................................................................................................................ 98,990 29.08 60,490 25.18 

Technical writers........................................................................................................................................ 45,120 32.35 67,280 31.06 

Writers and authors.................................................................................................................................... 40,930 32.72 68,060 26.86

Interpreters and translators........................................................................................................................ 47,950 24.33 50,610 21.23 

Media and communication workers, all other............................................................................................. 23,610 25.34 52,700 20.95 

Audio and video equipment technicians.................................................................................................... 22.12 49,180 20.01 46,010

Broadcast technicians................................................................................................................................ 30,360 20.41 42,450 17.58 

Radio operators.......................................................................................................................................... 1,220 21.73 45,190 21.54 

Sound engineering technicians.................................................................................................................. 14,930 26.98 56,110 22.48 

Photographers............................................................................................................................................ 54,410 17.59 36,580 13.88 

Camera operators, television, video, and motion picture........................................................................... 16,270 23.77 49,430 19.31 

Film and video editors................................................................................................................................ 32.06 20,730 66,690 25.45 

See footnotes at end of table.

Median 

hourly 

wages

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, May 2011- Continued

Employment

Mean wages

Occupation
Hourly Annual1

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations (Continued)

Media and communication equipment workers, all other........................................................................... $33.45 $69,570 $33.25 14,690

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations 7,514,980 34.97 72,730 28.64 

Chiropractors.............................................................................................................................................. 27,510 37.88 78,780 31.76 

Dentists, general........................................................................................................................................ 90,950 77.76 161,750 68.62 

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons................................................................................................................. 5,800 104.51 217,380 (3)

Orthodontists.............................................................................................................................................. 5,040 98.40 204,670 (3)

Prosthodontists.......................................................................................................................................... 560 62.89 130,820 52.55 

Dentists, all other specialists...................................................................................................................... 4,850 80.77 168,000 78.01

Dietitians and nutritionists.......................................................................................................................... 56,130 26.66 55,460 26.19 

Optometrists............................................................................................................................................... 27,950 51.79 107,720 45.53 

Pharmacists............................................................................................................................................... 272,320 53.92 112,160 54.51 

Anesthesiologists....................................................................................................................................... 112.96 33,310 (3) 234,950

Family and general practitioners................................................................................................................ 85.26 101,800 177,330 80.29 

Internists, general....................................................................................................................................... 90.97 46,740 189,210 88.06 

Obstetricians and gynecologists................................................................................................................ 20,540 105.10 218,610 (3)

Pediatricians, general................................................................................................................................. 29,640 81.08 168,650 76.04 

Psychiatrists............................................................................................................................................... 23,140 83.73 174,170 81.90 

Surgeons.................................................................................................................................................... 42,340 111.32 231,550 (3)

Physicians and surgeons, all other............................................................................................................ 305,590 88.78 184,650 (3)

Physician assistants................................................................................................................................... 83,540 43.01 89,470 42.62 

Podiatrists.................................................................................................................................................. 9,210 64.36 133,870 57.33 

Registered nurses*..................................................................................................................................... 2,724,570 33.23 69,110 31.71 

Occupational therapists.............................................................................................................................. 103,570 36.05 74,970 35.49 

Physical therapists..................................................................................................................................... 185,440 38.38 79,830 37.63 

Radiation therapists................................................................................................................................... 18,380 38.14 79,340 36.84 

Recreational therapists.............................................................................................................................. 19,650 20.65 42,940 19.74 

Respiratory therapists................................................................................................................................ 113,980 27.05 56,260 26.56 

Speech-language pathologists................................................................................................................... 117,210 34.61 72,000 33.22 

Therapists, all other*.................................................................................................................................. 15,720 25.43 52,890 23.61 

Veterinarians.............................................................................................................................................. 55,410 43.87 91,250 39.86 

Audiologists................................................................................................................................................ 34.13 12,490 32.88 71,000

Health diagnosing and treating practitioners, all other............................................................................... 32,300 40.24 83,710 33.98 

Medical and clinical laboratory technologists............................................................................................. 165,220 27.94 58,120 27.41 

Medical and clinical laboratory technicians................................................................................................ 156,860 18.73 38,960 17.76 

Dental hygienists........................................................................................................................................ 184,110 33.54 69,760 33.31 

Cardiovascular technologists and technicians........................................................................................... 50,410 25.08 52,160 24.53 

Diagnostic medical sonographers.............................................................................................................. 54,760 31.63 65,800 31.35 

Nuclear medicine technologists................................................................................................................. 21,200 33.64 69,960 33.39 

Radiologic technologists and technicians*................................................................................................. 220,540 27.29 56,760 26.50 

Emergency medical technicians and paramedics...................................................................................... 229,340 16.36 34,030 14.77 

Dietetic technicians.................................................................................................................................... 23,490 14.04 29,200 12.85 

Pharmacy technicians................................................................................................................................ 343,550 14.43 30,020 13.91 

Psychiatric technicians............................................................................................................................... 69,840 15.08 31,370 13.69 

Respiratory therapy technicians................................................................................................................. 13,940 22.76 47,330 22.28 

Surgical technologists................................................................................................................................ 94,490 20.41 42,460 19.69

Veterinary technologists and technicians................................................................................................... 78,800 15.18 31,570 14.49 

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses.................................................................................... 729,140 20.21 42,040 19.79 

Medical records and health information technicians.................................................................................. 180,280 17.27 35,920 16.01 

Opticians, dispensing................................................................................................................................. 60,680 16.70 34,750 15.91 

Orthotists and prosthetists......................................................................................................................... 6,860 34.13 71,000 31.37 

Health technologists and technicians, all other*........................................................................................ 103,120 20.11 41,830 18.31 

Occupational health and safety specialists................................................................................................ 57,950 32.37 67,340 31.86 

Occupational health and safety technicians............................................................................................... 11,090 23.19 48,240 22.13 

Athletic trainers.......................................................................................................................................... (2) 44,640 18,240 (2)

Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other*......................................................................... 25.64 55,450 53,330 21.61 

Healthcare support occupations 3,954,070 13.16 27,370 12.08

Home health aides..................................................................................................................................... 924,650 10.49 21,820 9.91 

Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants*.................................................................................................. 1,466,700 12.22 25,420 11.63 

Psychiatric aides........................................................................................................................................ 71,570 13.11 27,270 12.10 

Occupational therapy assistants................................................................................................................ 29,130 25.07 52,150 25.02 

Occupational therapy aides........................................................................................................................ 7,090 15.28 31,770 13.56 

Physical therapist assistants...................................................................................................................... 67,550 24.57 51,110 24.54 

Physical therapist aides............................................................................................................................. 47,640 12.11 25,190 11.39 

Massage therapists.................................................................................................................................... 63,810 19.19 39,920 17.23 

Dental assistants........................................................................................................................................ 296,810 16.70 34,740 16.42 

Medical assistants...................................................................................................................................... 539,220 14.51 30,170 13.99 

Medical equipment preparers..................................................................................................................... 49,560 14.99 31,180 14.45 

Medical transcriptionists............................................................................................................................. 76,570 16.37 34,050 16.10

Pharmacy aides......................................................................................................................................... 45,130 11.23 23,350 10.56 

Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers............................................................................ 72,530 11.75 24,430 10.98 

Healthcare support workers, all other*....................................................................................................... 15.50 196,100 32,240 14.80 

See footnotes at end of table.

Employment

Mean wages

Occupation

Median 

hourly 

wages

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, May 2011- Continued
Hourly Annual1

Protective service occupations $20.54 $42,730 $17.66 3,202,500

First-line supervisors of correctional officers.............................................................................................. 28.26 40,980 58,780 26.46 

First-line supervisors of police and detectives........................................................................................... 102,040 39.06 81,250 37.45 

First-line supervisors of fire fighting and prevention workers..................................................................... 58,210 34.62 72,020 33.42 

First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other.................................................................... 55,910 23.37 48,620 22.32 

Firefighters................................................................................................................................................. 304,080 22.94 47,720 21.84 

Fire inspectors and investigators............................................................................................................... 12,560 27.45 57,100 25.64 

Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists....................................................................................... 1,530 18.99 39,500 16.19 

Bailiffs......................................................................................................................................................... 16,730 19.79 41,160 18.72 

Correctional officers and jailers.................................................................................................................. 448,740 20.82 43,300 18.75 

Detectives and criminal investigators......................................................................................................... 111,930 36.41 75,720 34.51 

Fish and game wardens............................................................................................................................. 7,180 26.77 55,670 24.07 

Parking enforcement workers.................................................................................................................... 9,310 17.35 36,090 16.99 

Police and sheriff's patrol officers.............................................................................................................. 636,410 27.05 56,260 26.07 

Transit and railroad police.......................................................................................................................... 3,890 28.16 58,560 27.11 

Animal control workers............................................................................................................................... 16.54 14,960 15.61 34,390

Private detectives and investigators.......................................................................................................... 23.37 26,080 48,610 21.01 

Gaming surveillance officers and gaming investigators............................................................................. 15.97 7,580 33,210 14.62 

Security guards.......................................................................................................................................... 1,032,940 13.00 27,040 11.49 

Crossing guards......................................................................................................................................... 68,520 12.44 25,880 11.27 

Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers.................................................. 123,140 10.02 20,850 9.09 

Transportation security screeners* (federal only)....................................................................................... 45,320 17.98 37,400 17.74 

Protective service workers, all other *........................................................................................................ 74,470 16.69 34,720 15.05 

Food preparation and serving related occupations 11,218,710 10.30 21,430 9.09

Chefs and head cooks............................................................................................................................... 90,300 22.40 46,600 20.36 

First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers................................................................. 787,540 15.39 32,020 14.21 

Cooks, fast food......................................................................................................................................... 502,450 9.00 18,720 8.80 

Cooks, institution and cafeteria.................................................................................................................. 396,970 11.65 24,230 10.92 

Cooks, private household.......................................................................................................................... 370 14.94 31,080 13.52 

Cooks, restaurant....................................................................................................................................... 947,060 11.25 23,410 10.61 

Cooks, short order...................................................................................................................................... 168,320 10.23 21,280 9.51 

Cooks, all other.......................................................................................................................................... 20,700 11.99 24,930 10.96 

Food preparation workers.......................................................................................................................... 775,140 10.07 20,950 9.27 

Bartenders.................................................................................................................................................. 512,230 10.36 21,550 9.06 

Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food....................................................... 2,799,430 9.03 18,790 8.76 

Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop............................................................. 441,830 9.35 19,450 8.90 

Waiters and waitresses.............................................................................................................................. 2,289,010 10.05 20,890 8.93 

Food servers, nonrestaurant...................................................................................................................... 221,000 10.52 21,890 9.40 

Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers.................................................................... 391,290 9.40 19,540 8.86 

Dishwashers............................................................................................................................................... 504,280 9.06 18,840 8.83 

Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop....................................................................... 329,070 9.45 19,660 8.92 

Food preparation and serving related workers, all other............................................................................ 41,730 10.94 22,750 9.50 

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations 4,191,750 12.29 25,560 10.87

First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers................................................................... 171,960 18.16 37,760 16.94 

First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers.................................... 100,460 21.71 45,160 20.22 

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners............................................................. 2,068,460 11.94 24,840 10.75 

Maids and housekeeping cleaners............................................................................................................ 877,980 10.31 21,440 9.32 

Building cleaning workers, all other........................................................................................................... 12,370 13.89 28,890 13.14 

Pest control workers................................................................................................................................... 62,270 15.65 32,550 14.53 

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers............................................................................................... 821,750 12.33 25,650 11.26 

Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation......................................................................... 23,540 15.24 31,690 14.42 

Tree trimmers and pruners........................................................................................................................ 38,530 15.85 32,970 15.06 

Grounds maintenance workers, all other................................................................................................... 14,430 14.07 29,270 12.07 

Personal care and service occupations 3,619,250 11.84 24,620 9.96

Gaming supervisors................................................................................................................................... 23,080 23.82 49,540 23.47 

Slot supervisors.......................................................................................................................................... 8,570 15.18 31,580 14.03 

First-line supervisors of personal service workers..................................................................................... 136,520 18.50 38,480 16.94 

Animal trainers........................................................................................................................................... 14.67 10,530 12.49 30,510

Nonfarm animal caretakers........................................................................................................................ 144,240 10.58 22,000 9.38 

Gaming dealers.......................................................................................................................................... 88,370 10.54 21,930 8.87 

Gaming and sports book writers and runners............................................................................................ 12,800 11.65 24,240 10.25 

Gaming service workers, all other.............................................................................................................. 10,270 12.24 25,450 10.61 

Motion picture projectionists....................................................................................................................... 8,890 10.67 22,200 9.78 

Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers............................................................................................... 105,560 9.69 20,160 8.95 

Amusement and recreation attendants...................................................................................................... 9.60 253,110 19,960 8.97 

Costume attendants................................................................................................................................... 5,460 19.52 40,600 15.77 

Locker room, coatroom, and dressing room attendants............................................................................ 18,410 10.35 21,520 9.26 

Entertainment attendants and related workers, all other........................................................................... 22,500 11.51 23,940 10.17 

Embalmers................................................................................................................................................. 6,360 21.66 45,060 21.06 

Funeral attendants..................................................................................................................................... 30,940 11.83 24,600 10.94 

Funeral service managers, directors, morticians, and undertakers........................................................... 29.55 29,760 61,460 25.38 

See footnotes at end of table.

Occupation

Median 

hourly 

wages

Employment

Mean wages

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, May 2011- Continued
Hourly Annual1

Personal care and service occupations (Continued)

Barbers....................................................................................................................................................... 10,430 $13.49 $28,050 $11.63

Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists........................................................................................... 357,030 12.72 26,460 10.85 

Makeup artists, theatrical and performance............................................................................................... 2,040 30.63 63,710 25.52 

Manicurists and pedicurists........................................................................................................................ 56,270 10.46 21,760 9.35 

Shampooers............................................................................................................................................... 13,240 9.20 19,130 8.86 

Skincare specialists................................................................................................................................... 31,450 15.42 32,080 14.03 

Baggage porters and bellhops................................................................................................................... 44,130 11.49 23,910 10.04 

Concierges................................................................................................................................................. 22,650 13.96 29,030 13.15 

Tour guides and escorts............................................................................................................................. 30,730 12.82 26,660 11.36 

Travel guides.............................................................................................................................................. 4,110 15.91 33,090 14.74 

Childcare workers...................................................................................................................................... 631,240 10.25 21,320 9.34 

Personal care aides................................................................................................................................... 820,600 9.88 20,560 9.49 

Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors................................................................................................... 231,500 17.38 36,150 14.92 

Recreation workers.................................................................................................................................... 301,840 12.18 25,330 10.64 

Residential advisors................................................................................................................................... 76,450 12.72 26,460 11.80

Personal care and service workers, all other............................................................................................. 70,170 11.10 23,100 9.84 

Sales and related occupations 13,646,450 18.04 37,520 11.94

First-line supervisors of retail sales workers.............................................................................................. 1,197,390 19.53 40,630 17.54 

First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers....................................................................................... 235,630 39.62 82,400 33.91 

Cashiers..................................................................................................................................................... 3,314,870 9.73 20,230 9.05 

Gaming change persons and booth cashiers............................................................................................ 20,970 12.29 25,560 11.75 

Counter and rental clerks........................................................................................................................... 420,070 12.75 26,520 10.93 

Parts salespersons..................................................................................................................................... 208,800 15.38 32,000 14.11 

Retail salespersons.................................................................................................................................... 4,270,550 12.08 25,130 10.10 

Advertising sales agents............................................................................................................................ 26.65 144,760 21.76 55,430

Insurance sales agents.............................................................................................................................. 321,780 30.28 62,970 22.81 

Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents................................................................... 307,020 47.50 98,810 34.64 

Travel agents............................................................................................................................................. 67,490 17.18 35,740 16.31 

Sales representatives, services, all other.................................................................................................. 596,480 29.01 60,340 24.34 

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific 

 products.............................................................................................................................................. 375,500 41.23 85,750 35.94 

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical 

 and scientific products........................................................................................................................ 1,390,480 30.54 63,520 25.74 

Demonstrators and product promoters...................................................................................................... 72,620 13.66 28,410 11.43 

Models........................................................................................................................................................ 2,760 13.38 27,830 8.97 

Real estate brokers.................................................................................................................................... 38,200 40.31 83,830 28.53 

Real estate sales agents............................................................................................................................ 158,340 24.60 51,170 18.79 

Sales engineers......................................................................................................................................... 65,580 46.79 97,320 42.95 

Telemarketers............................................................................................................................................ 258,060 12.46 25,920 10.83 

Door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers............................................. 6,910 13.27 27,600 10.66 

Sales and related workers, all other*......................................................................................................... 172,170 19.19 39,920 15.58

Office and administrative support occupations 21,384,330 16.40 34,120 15.02

First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers........................................................... 1,364,720 25.16 52,330 23.47 

Switchboard operators, including answering service................................................................................. 132,680 12.84 26,710 12.18 

Telephone operators.................................................................................................................................. 14,890 16.48 34,270 15.74 

Communications equipment operators, all other....................................................................................... 2,580 19.62 40,800 18.57 

Bill and account collectors......................................................................................................................... 390,800 16.24 33,770 15.35 

Billing and posting clerks........................................................................................................................... 485,820 16.31 33,920 15.81 

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks........................................................................................... 1,643,470 17.37 36,120 16.70 

Gaming cage workers................................................................................................................................ 15,690 12.82 26,670 12.30 

Payroll and timekeeping clerks.................................................................................................................. 176,320 18.31 38,080 17.87 

Procurement clerks.................................................................................................................................... 70,540 18.24 37,940 18.10 

Tellers........................................................................................................................................................ 544,150 12.27 25,510 11.82 

Brokerage clerks........................................................................................................................................ 60,720 21.06 43,800 20.08 

Correspondence clerks.............................................................................................................................. 8,680 17.04 35,450 16.51 

Court, municipal, and license clerks.......................................................................................................... 121,290 17.50 36,390 16.49 

Credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks.................................................................................................... 51,240 17.21 35,790 16.13 

Customer service representatives............................................................................................................. 2,212,820 15.92 33,120 14.72 

Eligibility interviewers, government programs............................................................................................ 120,610 19.95 41,490 19.74 

File clerks................................................................................................................................................... 165,250 13.20 27,460 12.32 

Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks........................................................................................................... 224,430 10.46 21,760 9.68 

Interviewers, except eligibility and loan...................................................................................................... 200,150 14.91 31,010 14.21 

Library assistants, clerical.......................................................................................................................... 109,440 12.30 25,570 11.27 

Loan interviewers and clerks..................................................................................................................... 186,240 17.21 35,810 16.74 

New accounts clerks.................................................................................................................................. 60,830 15.56 32,360 14.92 

Order clerks................................................................................................................................................ 215,390 14.76 30,690 13.91 

Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping.................................................................. 145,780 18.43 38,330 17.91 

Receptionists and information clerks......................................................................................................... 973,800 12.85 26,730 12.35 

See footnotes at end of table.

Occupation

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, May 2011- Continued

Median 

hourly 

wages

Employment

Mean wages
Hourly Annual1

Office and administrative support occupations (Continued)

Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks................................................................. $16.19 $33,670 $16.01 126,790

Information and record clerks, all other...................................................................................................... 192,910 18.35 38,180 18.16 

Cargo and freight agents............................................................................................................................ 80,570 19.56 40,680 18.37 

Couriers and messengers.......................................................................................................................... 83,250 12.79 26,600 11.90 

Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers.................................................................................................... 97,100 18.01 37,460 17.27 

Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance....................................................................................... 182,310 18.23 37,910 16.92 

Meter readers, utilities................................................................................................................................ 40,630 18.17 37,800 17.02 

Postal service clerks.................................................................................................................................. 65,040 25.41 52,860 25.53 

Postal service mail carriers........................................................................................................................ 315,330 24.71 51,390 26.52 

Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators............................................ 139,700 23.26 48,380 25.52 

Production, planning, and expediting clerks.............................................................................................. 272,910 21.59 44,900 20.72 

Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks........................................................................................................ 687,940 14.65 30,480 13.84 

Stock clerks and order fillers...................................................................................................................... 1,782,800 11.66 24,250 10.52 

Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers, recordkeeping................................................................ 68,090 14.07 29,270 13.17 

Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants................................................................. 952,030 23.13 48,120 21.91 

Legal secretaries........................................................................................................................................ 220,680 21.30 44,310 20.41 

Medical secretaries.................................................................................................................................... 502,850 15.59 32,430 14.93 

Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive...................................... 1,955,570 15.87 33,020 15.32 

Computer operators................................................................................................................................... 77,280 18.89 39,280 18.26 

Data entry keyers....................................................................................................................................... 211,200 13.95 29,010 13.32 

Word processors and typists...................................................................................................................... 96,330 16.94 35,240 16.47 

Desktop publishers.................................................................................................................................... 18,620 18.77 39,030 17.69 

Insurance claims and policy processing clerks.......................................................................................... 218,630 17.72 36,850 16.93 

Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service................................................................. 115,010 13.47 28,010 12.79 

Office clerks, general................................................................................................................................. 2,828,140 13.90 28,920 13.07 

Office machine operators, except computer.............................................................................................. 66,280 14.03 29,190 13.26 

Proofreaders and copy markers................................................................................................................. 11,270 16.47 34,260 15.35 

Statistical assistants................................................................................................................................... 14,780 19.49 40,540 18.54 

Office and administrative support workers, all other*................................................................................. 261,990 16.07 33,420 14.96 

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations 409,590 11.68 24,300 9.36

First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers.................................................................. 18,920 21.97 45,690 20.48 

Agricultural inspectors................................................................................................................................ 20.25 13,780 19.90 42,120

Animal breeders......................................................................................................................................... 1,460 18.11 37,670 16.79 

Graders and sorters, agricultural products................................................................................................. 40,970 9.95 20,690 9.17 

Agricultural equipment operators............................................................................................................... 12.90 22,680 12.13 26,830

Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse...................................................................... 233,280 9.62 20,020 8.99 

Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals................................................................................ 29,790 11.60 24,130 10.62 

Agricultural workers, all other..................................................................................................................... 13.91 6,710 12.16 28,940

Fishers and related fishing workers........................................................................................................... 640 14.53 30,220 12.98 

Forest and conservation workers............................................................................................................... 8,250 13.07 27,180 11.20 

Fallers........................................................................................................................................................ 5,020 20.49 42,620 17.77 

Logging equipment operators.................................................................................................................... 22,470 16.40 34,110 16.03 

Log graders and scalers............................................................................................................................. 2,810 16.11 33,500 15.60 

Logging workers, all other.......................................................................................................................... 2,760 16.23 33,760 16.28 

Construction and extraction occupations 4,956,770 21.46 44,630 19.15

First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers......................................................... 459,830 30.25 62,910 28.44 

Boilermakers.............................................................................................................................................. 18,850 27.23 56,650 27.36 

Brickmasons and blockmasons................................................................................................................. 62,560 24.40 50,760 22.50 

Stonemasons............................................................................................................................................. 11,950 18.96 39,430 17.62 

Carpenters................................................................................................................................................. 578,910 21.31 44,330 19.24 

Carpet installers......................................................................................................................................... 24,670 19.55 40,650 17.67 

Floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles....................................................................................... 9,660 18.67 38,830 17.00

Floor sanders and finishers........................................................................................................................ 4,970 16.82 34,990 16.04 

Tile and marble setters.............................................................................................................................. 28,630 19.65 40,860 17.83 

Cement masons and concrete finishers..................................................................................................... 135,330 18.93 39,370 17.11 

Terrazzo workers and finishers.................................................................................................................. 3,500 20.99 43,660 19.83 

Construction laborers................................................................................................................................. 779,370 16.43 34,170 14.30 

Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators................................................................................ 54,120 18.99 39,500 16.96 

Pile-driver operators................................................................................................................................... 3,830 25.07 52,140 21.88 

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators............................................................ 335,410 21.98 45,720 19.96 

Drywall and ceiling tile installers................................................................................................................ 75,520 20.01 41,620 17.78 

Tapers........................................................................................................................................................ 15,340 23.51 48,900 21.59 

Electricians................................................................................................................................................. 512,290 25.44 52,910 23.71 

Glaziers...................................................................................................................................................... 41,960 20.01 41,620 17.96 

Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall.................................................................................................. 24,170 17.71 36,840 15.59 

Insulation workers, mechanical.................................................................................................................. 28,600 20.78 43,220 18.27 

Painters, construction and maintenance.................................................................................................... 184,820 18.67 38,830 17.04

Paperhangers............................................................................................................................................. 4,230 20.10 41,810 18.16 

Pipelayers.................................................................................................................................................. 43,570 18.98 39,470 17.26 

Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters....................................................................................................... 349,320 24.92 51,830 22.96 

Plasterers and stucco masons................................................................................................................... 22,810 20.07 41,750 17.71 

Reinforcing iron and rebar workers............................................................................................................ 15,730 21.83 45,400 18.27 

Roofers....................................................................................................................................................... 18.54 95,840 38,570 16.96 

See footnotes at end of table.

Mean wages

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, May 2011- Continued

Median 

hourly 

wages

Occupation Employment
Hourly Annual1

Construction and extraction occupations (Continued)

Sheet metal workers.................................................................................................................................. 130,670 $22.37 $46,530 $20.55

Structural iron and steel workers................................................................................................................ 56,920 24.11 50,160 21.97 

Helpers--brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters..................................... 26,750 14.65 30,470 13.38 

Helpers--carpenters................................................................................................................................... 40,160 13.20 27,470 12.69 

Helpers--electricians.................................................................................................................................. 65,300 13.84 28,780 13.28 

Helpers--painters, paperhangers, plasterers, and stucco masons............................................................ 10,980 12.25 25,490 11.30 

Helpers--pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters...................................................................... 51,420 13.66 28,420 12.99 

Helpers--roofers......................................................................................................................................... 12,540 11.99 24,930 11.18 

Helpers, construction trades, all other........................................................................................................ 19,020 13.14 27,340 12.17 

Construction and building inspectors......................................................................................................... 89,620 26.43 54,970 25.57 

Elevator installers and repairers................................................................................................................. 20,440 35.37 73,560 36.09 

Fence erectors........................................................................................................................................... 21,000 15.31 31,850 14.22 

Hazardous materials removal workers....................................................................................................... 36,270 20.07 41,750 18.33 

Highway maintenance workers.................................................................................................................. 143,760 17.47 36,340 16.93 

Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators........................................................................... 15,590 21.78 45,300 21.64

Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners.......................................................................................... 24,940 17.13 35,630 16.22 

Segmental pavers...................................................................................................................................... 1,330 16.27 33,850 15.55 

Construction and related workers, all other*.............................................................................................. 39,160 18.39 38,250 16.92 

Derrick operators, oil and gas.................................................................................................................... 19,480 22.66 47,120 21.74 

Rotary drill operators, oil and gas.............................................................................................................. 21,650 28.15 58,540 24.67 

Service unit operators, oil, gas, and mining............................................................................................... 46,880 21.48 44,670 19.59 

Earth drillers, except oil and gas................................................................................................................ 17,020 20.62 42,900 19.33 

Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters.................................................................. 5,210 22.62 47,040 21.81 

Continuous mining machine operators...................................................................................................... 12,280 23.88 49,680 24.33 

Mine cutting and channeling machine operators....................................................................................... 5,850 22.58 46,960 23.60 

Mining machine operators, all other........................................................................................................... 2,980 22.01 45,790 21.94 

Rock splitters, quarry................................................................................................................................. 3,600 16.31 33,920 15.63 

Roof bolters, mining................................................................................................................................... 6,060 25.52 53,090 25.54 

Roustabouts, oil and gas............................................................................................................................ 51,540 16.67 34,680 15.86 

Helpers--extraction workers....................................................................................................................... 23,970 17.36 36,110 15.80

Extraction workers, all other....................................................................................................................... 8,590 19.47 40,500 19.25 

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations 4,988,980 20.86 43,390 19.52

First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers.................................................................... 418,530 29.90 62,190 28.77 

Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers........................................................................ 111,690 18.44 38,360 17.48 

Radio, cellular, and tower equipment installers and repairs...................................................................... 12,920 21.27 44,250 20.27 

Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers........................................ 199,240 25.42 52,870 25.94 

Avionics technicians................................................................................................................................... 26.15 17,070 26.31 54,390

Electric motor, power tool, and related repairers....................................................................................... 18.30 18,710 38,050 17.26 

Electrical and electronics installers and repairers, transportation equipment............................................ 25.04 14,410 52,080 23.95 

Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment............................................... 67,220 25.20 52,420 25.16 

Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay................................................... 23,850 31.71 65,950 32.43 

Electronic equipment installers and repairers, motor vehicles................................................................... 13,610 15.81 32,890 14.52 

Electronic home entertainment equipment installers and repairers........................................................... 27,580 17.48 36,360 16.57 

Security and fire alarm systems installers.................................................................................................. 56,330 20.24 42,110 19.01 

Aircraft mechanics and service technicians............................................................................................... 26.20 117,320 26.25 54,500

Automotive body and related repairers...................................................................................................... 19.99 131,040 18.36 41,570

Automotive glass installers and repairers.................................................................................................. 13,690 16.52 34,360 16.21 

Automotive service technicians and mechanics........................................................................................ 18.54 589,750 17.39 38,560

Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists............................................................................ 222,940 20.63 42,910 20.02 

Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians................................................................................ 32,100 16.92 35,190 16.46 

Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines................................................................................ 109,810 22.48 46,770 21.92 

Rail car repairers........................................................................................................................................ 19,480 22.50 46,800 22.95 

Motorboat mechanics and service technicians.......................................................................................... 16,770 17.87 37,170 17.08 

Motorcycle mechanics................................................................................................................................ 15,010 16.44 34,190 15.58 

Outdoor power equipment and other small engine mechanics.................................................................. 26,610 15.06 31,330 14.52 

Bicycle repairers......................................................................................................................................... 9,950 11.76 24,460 11.16 

Recreational vehicle service technicians................................................................................................... 10,110 17.26 35,900 16.35 

Tire repairers and changers....................................................................................................................... 94,740 12.19 25,350 11.27 

Mechanical door repairers.......................................................................................................................... 14,620 18.71 38,920 17.62 

Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door.......................................................... 42,450 24.40 50,740 23.85 

Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers........................................................ 231,160 21.89 45,540 20.86 

Home appliance repairers.......................................................................................................................... 34,770 17.97 37,370 17.04

Industrial machinery mechanics................................................................................................................. 292,470 23.09 48,030 22.25 

Maintenance workers, machinery.............................................................................................................. 77,980 19.77 41,110 18.98 

Millwrights.................................................................................................................................................. 37,730 24.35 50,650 23.69 

Refractory materials repairers, except brickmasons.................................................................................. 2,040 21.57 44,860 20.53 

Electrical power-line installers and repairers.............................................................................................. 105,570 28.58 59,450 28.94 

Telecommunications line installers and repairers...................................................................................... 148,930 24.68 51,330 24.87 

Camera and photographic equipment repairers........................................................................................ 2,650 20.07 41,750 17.86 

Medical equipment repairers...................................................................................................................... 34,710 22.60 47,010 21.57 

Musical instrument repairers and tuners.................................................................................................... 6,850 16.27 33,850 14.95 

Watch repairers.......................................................................................................................................... 2,480 19.51 40,590 18.82 

Precision instrument and equipment repairers, all other............................................................................ 12,230 24.99 51,970 24.87 

Maintenance and repair workers, general.................................................................................................. 17.75 1,225,450 36,930 16.84 

See footnotes at end of table.

Employment

Median 

hourly 

wages

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, May 2011- Continued

Occupation

Mean wages
Hourly Annual1

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (Continued)

Coin, vending, and amusement machine servicers and repairers............................................................. $15.58 $32,400 $14.82 36,940

Commercial divers..................................................................................................................................... 3,760 28.19 58,640 25.26 

Fabric menders, except garment............................................................................................................... 760 14.22 29,580 13.45 

Locksmiths and safe repairers................................................................................................................... 16,200 18.50 38,490 17.63 

Manufactured building and mobile home installers.................................................................................... 4,320 14.59 30,350 13.70 

Riggers....................................................................................................................................................... 13,750 21.39 44,480 20.68 

Signal and track switch repairers............................................................................................................... 8,300 26.06 54,210 26.25 

Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers............................................................................. 122,820 12.78 26,580 11.57 

Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other*........................................................................... 119,580 19.07 39,670 17.65 

Production occupations 8,365,980 16.45 34,220 14.74

First-line supervisors of production and operating workers....................................................................... 559,350 27.35 56,890 25.80 

Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers................................................................... 23.23 36,570 22.22 48,310

Coil winders, tapers, and finishers............................................................................................................. 13,670 14.98 31,150 14.15 

Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers........................................................................................ 187,920 15.04 31,290 13.96 

Electromechanical equipment assemblers................................................................................................ 50,320 15.77 32,800 15.26 

Engine and other machine assemblers...................................................................................................... 36,670 18.86 39,230 17.51 

Structural metal fabricators and fitters....................................................................................................... 76,050 17.63 36,670 16.91 

Fiberglass laminators and fabricators........................................................................................................ 19,070 14.16 29,440 13.72 

Team assemblers...................................................................................................................................... 952,300 14.30 29,740 13.22 

Timing device assemblers and adjusters................................................................................................... 1,000 15.20 31,620 14.36 

Assemblers and fabricators, all other......................................................................................................... 14.16 265,260 12.56 29,450

Bakers........................................................................................................................................................ 12.10 149,910 25,160 11.18 

Butchers and meat cutters......................................................................................................................... 14.43 130,720 30,000 13.68 

Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers.............................................................................................. 164,650 11.44 23,800 10.92 

Slaughterers and meat packers................................................................................................................. 80,110 11.63 24,190 11.30 

Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders...................................... 18,890 14.01 29,140 13.26 

Food batchmakers..................................................................................................................................... 100,210 13.26 27,580 12.23 

Food cooking machine operators and tenders........................................................................................... 31,020 12.89 26,820 11.79 

Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic................................................................ 128,870 17.56 36,520 16.93 

Computer numerically controlled machine tool programmers, metal and plastic...................................... 20,370 23.30 48,460 22.06 

Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic.................................. 75,170 16.40 34,120 15.53 

Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic......................................................... 21,790 16.77 34,890 16.54 

Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic.......................................................... 35,180 18.16 37,780 17.75 

Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders,

 metal and plastic................................................................................................................................. 181,160 14.97 31,140 14.29 

Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic.................................. 21,560 17.02 35,410 16.11 

Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, 

 metal and plastic................................................................................................................................. 70,450 15.79 32,840 15.04 

Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic................................... 39,930 17.89 37,210 17.34 

Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic........................................ 21,700 18.03 37,510 17.37 

Machinists.................................................................................................................................................. 368,510 19.48 40,520 18.86 

Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders............................................................................................ 18,050 19.27 40,070 18.60 

Pourers and casters, metal........................................................................................................................ 11,070 17.08 35,520 16.41 

Model makers, metal and plastic............................................................................................................... 5,780 22.34 46,460 21.56 

Patternmakers, metal and plastic............................................................................................................... 4,290 19.94 41,470 19.21 

Foundry mold and coremakers.................................................................................................................. 11,680 15.28 31,790 14.81 

Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders,

 metal and plastic................................................................................................................................. 118,300 14.61 30,380 13.69 

Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic.................................................. 77,290 16.61 34,550 15.97 

Tool and die makers.................................................................................................................................. 70,320 23.16 48,170 22.43 

Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers................................................................................................... 316,290 18.23 37,920 17.27 

Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders................................................ 40,350 17.36 36,120 16.72 

Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic.............................................. 20,770 16.89 35,130 16.15 

Layout workers, metal and plastic.............................................................................................................. 9,600 19.23 39,990 19.17 

Plating and coating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic....................................... 31,150 15.36 31,960 14.25 

Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners.......................................................................................................... 11,860 17.15 35,670 16.62 

Metal workers and plastic workers, all other.............................................................................................. 21,720 16.79 34,910 15.16 

Prepress technicians and workers............................................................................................................. 43,430 18.69 38,870 17.82 

Printing press operators............................................................................................................................. 179,220 17.19 35,760 16.49 

Print binding and finishing workers............................................................................................................ 53,980 14.98 31,150 14.15 

Laundry and dry-cleaning workers............................................................................................................. 201,180 10.28 21,380 9.46 

Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials....................................................................................... 52,790 9.87 20,530 9.35 

Sewing machine operators......................................................................................................................... 142,860 11.10 23,080 10.15 

Shoe and leather workers and repairers.................................................................................................... 5,360 12.35 25,680 11.26 

Shoe machine operators and tenders........................................................................................................ 3,510 12.75 26,520 12.18 

Sewers, hand............................................................................................................................................. 5,460 12.30 25,590 11.32 

Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers................................................................................................. 25,530 13.85 28,800 12.60 

Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders................................................................... 11,870 12.01 24,980 11.22 

Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders............................................................................ 15,980 12.20 25,380 11.39 

Textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders...................................................... 21,160 12.86 26,760 12.55 

Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders................................. 27,400 12.72 26,460 12.66 

See footnotes at end of table.

Median 

hourly 

wages

Employment

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, May 2011- Continued

Mean wages

Occupation
Hourly Annual1

Production occupations (Continued)

Extruding and forming machine setters, operators, and tenders, synthetic 

 and glass fibers................................................................................................................................... 16,050 $15.43 $32,100 $15.27

Fabric and apparel patternmakers............................................................................................................. 6,410 21.47 44,650 19.14 

Upholsterers............................................................................................................................................... 28,260 15.21 31,640 14.31 

Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers, all other.................................................................................... 13,980 13.87 28,850 12.05 

Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters....................................................................................................... 81,260 15.49 32,220 14.68 

Furniture finishers...................................................................................................................................... 14,850 14.29 29,720 13.63 

Model makers, wood.................................................................................................................................. 1,370 16.79 34,930 13.82 

Patternmakers, wood................................................................................................................................. 820 19.54 40,630 18.69 

Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood............................................................................ 37,620 13.19 27,440 12.60 

Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing.................................................... 58,730 13.54 28,160 13.02 

Woodworkers, all other.............................................................................................................................. 7,600 13.84 28,790 12.05 

Nuclear power reactor operators................................................................................................................ 6,240 37.28 77,550 36.82 

Power distributors and dispatchers............................................................................................................ 11,600 34.79 72,360 33.99 

Power plant operators................................................................................................................................ 39,980 30.97 64,420 31.38 

Stationary engineers and boiler operators................................................................................................. 34,580 25.87 53,800 25.52 

Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators................................................................... 109 ,190 20.93 43,530 20.09 

Chemical plant and system operators........................................................................................................ 40,580 26.40 54,920 26.90 

Gas plant operators.................................................................................................................................... 11,750 28.78 59,870 28.63 

Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers........................................................ 41,570 28.99 60,290 29.45 

Plant and system operators, all other......................................................................................................... 11,740 25.46 52,960 25.58 

Chemical equipment operators and tenders.............................................................................................. 49,020 22.33 46,440 21.90 

Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, ...................................

 and tenders......................................................................................................................................... 39,660 18.70 38,910 18.14 

Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders.............................................. 31,540 16.21 33,720 15.57 

Grinding and polishing workers, hand........................................................................................................ 27,630 13.80 28,710 13.18 

Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders................................................................... 118,700 16.80 34,930 16.15 

Cutters and trimmers, hand....................................................................................................................... 14,670 12.75 26,510 11.83 

Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders..................................................................... 59,430 15.27 31,760 14.82 

Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders.......................... 66,330 15.85 32,960 14.99 

Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders...................................................................... 18,940 17.63 36,680 16.96 

Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers................................................................................. 434,170 17.64 36,690 16.36 

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers....................................................................................... 21,640 18.37 38,200 16.36 

Dental laboratory technicians..................................................................................................................... 37,600 18.54 38,550 17.11 

Medical appliance technicians................................................................................................................... 13,390 18.12 37,680 17.13 

Ophthalmic laboratory technicians............................................................................................................. 27,630 14.38 29,920 13.82 

Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders............................................................................... 354,810 13.44 27,950 12.32 

Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders................................................. 77,090 15.10 31,410 14.43 

Painters, transportation equipment............................................................................................................ 44,730 20.69 43,040 19.04 

Painting, coating, and decorating workers................................................................................................. 19,370 13.21 27,480 12.34 

Semiconductor processors........................................................................................................................ 22,070 16.45 34,220 15.64 

Photographic process workers and processing machine operators.......................................................... 50,570 12.39 25,770 10.99 

Adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders.................................................................................... 14.90 16,040 14.22 30,990

Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders................................................. 16,430 13.67 28,420 12.67 

Cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders............................................................................ 8,080 14.93 31,060 14.04 

Etchers and engravers............................................................................................................................... 8,260 14.48 30,120 13.71 

Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic.......................................................................... 30,600 14.70 30,570 13.92 

Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders.............................................................................. 93,290 16.89 35,140 16.48 

Tire builders............................................................................................................................................... 16,690 18.92 39,360 19.59 

Helpers--production workers...................................................................................................................... 420,910 11.72 24,370 10.83 

Production workers, all other*.................................................................................................................... 235,910 14.74 30,670 13.19 

Transportation and material moving occupations 8,635,940 15.96 33,200 13.83

Aircraft cargo handling supervisors............................................................................................................ 24.28 6,710 22.52 50,500

First-line supervisors of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand..................................................... 166,560 22.52 46,840 21.43 

First-line supervisors of transportation and material-moving machine

 and vehicle operators.......................................................................................................................... 198,690 26.54 55,210 25.45 

Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers................................................................................................ 68,350 (2) 118,070 (2)

Commercial pilots...................................................................................................................................... 31,630 (2) 76,050 (2)

Air traffic controllers................................................................................................................................... 55.03 23,580 114,460 54.59 

Airfield operations specialists..................................................................................................................... 23.90 6,060 22.68 49,710

Flight attendants......................................................................................................................................... 87,190 (2) 41,720 (2)

Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians............................................. 11.68 18,080 10.97 24,300

Bus drivers, transit and intercity................................................................................................................. 176,190 18.00 37,440 17.17 

Bus drivers, school or special client........................................................................................................... 477,400 14.05 29,220 13.51 

Driver/sales workers................................................................................................................................... 387,950 13.22 27,490 10.95 

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers........................................................................................................ 1,508,620 19.15 39,830 18.24 

Light truck or delivery services drivers....................................................................................................... 771,210 15.92 33,120 13.98 

Taxi drivers and chauffeurs........................................................................................................................ 166,890 12.03 25,020 10.94 

Motor vehicle operators, all other............................................................................................................... 61,600 15.15 31,510 13.07 

Locomotive engineers................................................................................................................................ 38,790 25.45 52,940 23.74 

Locomotive firers........................................................................................................................................ 1,670 23.47 48,820 21.50 

Rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers.................................................................................. 20.93 5,060 43,540 19.71 

See footnotes at end of table.

Median 

hourly 

wages

Mean wages

Occupation Employment

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, May 2011- Continued
Hourly Annual1

Transportation and material moving occupations (Continued)

Railroad brake, signal, and switch operators............................................................................................. 23,830 $23.61 $49,110 $24.24

Railroad conductors and yardmasters....................................................................................................... 44,280 27.03 56,230 25.90 

Subway and streetcar operators................................................................................................................ 5,920 28.56 59,400 30.68 

Rail transportation workers, all other.......................................................................................................... 2,400 22.52 46,840 23.56 

Sailors and marine oilers........................................................................................................................... 31,280 18.59 38,670 17.69 

Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels............................................................................................. 30,220 34.50 71,760 30.73 

Motorboat operators................................................................................................................................... 2,550 18.81 39,130 17.60 

Ship engineers........................................................................................................................................... 10,010 35.84 74,540 34.06 

Bridge and lock tenders............................................................................................................................. 3,420 20.90 43,460 22.09 

Parking lot attendants................................................................................................................................ 126,160 10.38 21,600 9.53 

Automotive and watercraft service attendants........................................................................................... 102,090 10.33 9.58 21,480

Traffic technicians...................................................................................................................................... 6,280 21.54 44,810 20.34 

Transportation inspectors........................................................................................................................... 24,810 31.62 65,770 29.92 

Transportation attendants, except flight attendants................................................................................... 27,040 11.64 24,210 10.41 

Transportation workers, all other................................................................................................................ 30,180 17.42 36,230 16.38 

Conveyor operators and tenders................................................................................................................ 37,200 14.90 30,990 14.09 

Crane and tower operators........................................................................................................................ 41,070 24.06 50,040 22.34 

Dredge operators....................................................................................................................................... 1,590 18.32 38,100 16.12 

Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators.......................................................................... 47,530 19.48 40,520 17.97 

Loading machine operators, underground mining..................................................................................... 2,290 22.44 46,680 21.91 

Hoist and winch operators.......................................................................................................................... 3,320 22.40 46,590 19.98 

Industrial truck and tractor operators......................................................................................................... 503,290 15.31 31,840 14.43 

Cleaners of vehicles and equipment.......................................................................................................... 290,780 10.87 22,600 9.54 

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand............................................................................ 2,063,580 12.62 26,240 11.42 

Machine feeders and offbearers................................................................................................................ 110,950 13.67 28,430 12.99 

Packers and packagers, hand................................................................................................................... 666,860 10.81 22,480 9.55 

Gas compressor and gas pumping station operators................................................................................ 3,870 25.52 53,080 25.21 

Pump operators, except wellhead pumpers............................................................................................... 12,150 22.31 46,400 21.09 

Wellhead pumpers..................................................................................................................................... 13,190 20.23 42,070 19.87 

Refuse and recyclable material collectors.................................................................................................. 123,160 16.55 34,420 15.52 

Mine shuttle car operators.......................................................................................................................... 3,080 24.50 50,970 24.43 

Tank car, truck, and ship loaders............................................................................................................... 10,960 20.84 43,350 19.16 

Material moving workers, all other............................................................................................................. 28,370 18.76 39,020 16.90 

3

 Represents a wage above $90.00 per hour.

4

 Estimates not released.

* Occupation titles followed by an asterisk (*) have similar titles, but not necessarily the same content as 2010 SOC occupations. 

2

 Wages for some occupations that do not generally work year-round, full time, are reported either as hourly wages or annual salaries 

depending on how they are typically paid.

Occupation

1

 Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations 

where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

Mean wages

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, May 2011- Continued

Median 

hourly 

wages

Employment