1

Technical information: (202) 691-6569

 http://www.bls.gov/oes/

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 03-741

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

Chart 1. Mean hourly wage and percent of total employment by major occupational group

0 5,000,000 10,000,000 15,000,000 20,000,000 25,000,000

Food preparation and serving related ($8.26)

Farming, fishing, and forestry ($9.72)

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance ($10.02)

Personal care and service ($10.27)

Healthcare support ($10.77)

Transportation and material moving ($13.09)

Office and administrative support ($13.42)

Production ($13.55)

Sales and related ($14.72)

Protective service ($16.02)

Community and social services ($16.65)

Installation, maintenance, and repair ($17.20)

Construction and extraction ($17.47)

Education, training, and library ($19.31)

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media ($20.03)

Life, physical, and social science ($25.19)

Business and financial operations ($25.65)

Healthcare practitioner and technical ($25.96)

Architecture and engineering ($27.89)

Computer and mathematical science ($29.63)

Legal ($37.18)

Management ($37.92)

Occupation group (with mean hourly wage shown in parentheses)

Employment level

.7%

5.6%

 4.9%

.8%

1.2%

6.1%

4.8%

4.1%

1.2% 

2.3%

10.5%

8.4%

17.8%

7.4%

2.5%

2.3%

3.3%

.4%

7.9%

2.2%

1.9%

3.7%

OCCUPATIONAL EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES, 2002

Management and legal occupational groups were the highest paying of the 22 major occupational groups

in 2002, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The occupational

group with the highest employment level in 2002 was office and administrative support workers, followed by

sales and related workers, production workers, and food preparation and serving workers. (See chart 1.)

These statistics for wage and salary workers are from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey,

a federal-state cooperative program between BLS and State Employment Security Agencies (SESAs).

The OES survey provides estimates of employment, hourly wages, and annual wages for 22 major occupational groups and for 770 detailed occupations, as defined by the Standard Occupational Classification

(SOC) system. (See table A.)
2

Table A. Employment and wages by major occupational group, 2002

 Total............................................ 770 100.0 127,523,740 100.0

Management ...................................... 30 3.9 7,092,460 5.6 $ 37.92

Business and financial operations......... 28 3.6 4,772,120 3.7 25.65

Computer and mathematical science .... 16 2.1 2,772,620 2.2 29.63

Architecture and engineering............... 35 4.5 2,411,260 1.9 27.89

Life, physical, and social science ......... 39 5.1 1,078,630 .8 25.19

Community and social services............ 14 1.8 1,576,980 1.2 16.65

Legal................................................. 9 1.2 934,850 .7 37.18

Education, training, and library............. 58 7.5 7,772,470 6.1 19.31

Arts, design, entertainment, sports,

 and media ...................................... 37 4.8 1,503,680 1.2 20.03

Healthcare practitioner and technical... 46 6.0 6,185,020 4.9 25.96

Healthcare support ............................. 15 1.9 3,173,400 2.5 10.77

Protective service ............................... 20 2.6 2,993,490 2.3 16.02

Food preparation and serving related.... 16 2.1 10,067,080 7.9 8.26

Building and grounds cleaning and

 maintenance .................................... 9 1.2 4,262,880 3.3 10.02

Personal care and service ................... 33 4.3 2,919,280 2.3 10.27

Sales and related ................................ 21 2.7 13,339,570 10.5 14.72

Office and administrative support ........ 56 7.3 22,754,570 17.8 13.42

Farming, fishing, and forestry .............. 13 1.7 451,140 .4 9.72

Construction and extraction ................. 58 7.5 6,124,600 4.8 17.47

Installation, maintenance, and repair ..... 53 6.9 5,215,970 4.1 17.20

Production ......................................... 112 14.5 10,726,670 8.4 13.55

Transportation and material moving ..... 52 6.8 9,395,000 7.4 13.09

Major occupational group

Employment

Number Number

Average

 (mean)

 hourly

 wage

Percent of

 total

Percent of

 total

Occupations

The highest-paying major groups in 2002 were management occupations and legal occupations. About

30 percent of the workers in these occupational groups earned more than $43.75 per hour. (See table B.)

The occupational groups with the lowest average wages were food preparation and serving related; farming,

fishing, and forestry; building and grounds cleaning and maintenance; and personal care and service. At least

40 percent of all workers in each of these lowest-paying groups earned less than $8.50 per hour.

Major groups whose wages were concentrated in the middle included business and financial operations

occupations; life, physical, and social science occupations; community and social services occupations;

education, training, and library occupations; healthcare practitioner and technical occupations; construction

and extraction occupations; and installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.

In addition to estimates for the 22 OES major occupational groups, the OES program produces detailed

occupational wages across all industries. These estimates show that wages for occupations can vary

substantially within a major occupational group. Table 1 shows wages for the detailed occupations within

each group.
3

Management .....................................................

Business and financial operations........................

Computer and mathematical science ...................

Architecture and engineering..............................

Life, physical, and social science ........................

Community and social services...........................

Legal................................................................

Education, training, and library............................

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media ......

Healthcare practitioner and technical..................

Healthcare support ............................................

Protective service ..............................................

Food preparation and serving related...................

Building and grounds cleaning and

 maintenance ..................................................

Personal care and service ..................................

Sales and related ...............................................

Office and administrative support .......................

Farming, fishing, and forestry .............................

Construction and extraction ................................

Installation, maintenance, and repair ....................

Production ........................................................

Transportation and material moving ....................

$17.00

 to

$21.49

$21.50

 to

$27.24

$27.25

 to

$34.49

Wage range

Under

 $8.50

 $8.50

 to

$10.74

Major occupational group $10.75

 to

$13.49

$13.50

 to

$16.99

$34.50

 to

$43.74

 Over

$43.75

 1.6

 1.9

 .9

 .7

2.5

 8.1

 1.8

12.6

13.7

 3.2

27.7

18.3

68.2

43.9

50.9

38.4

16.0

57.1

 7.8

7.9

19.4

27.5

1.7

 2.5

 1.8

2.0

4.3

12.0

 2.7

8.8

10.5

 5.5

30.5

14.4

17.0

24.3

20.8

16.2

20.2

17.3

12.4

11.0

20.4

19.4

 3.5

6.6

 3.8

4.7

 8.1

18.9

6.3

10.2

12.4

8.9

22.6

15.6

8.5

15.7

11.3

11.1

22.8

10.6

16.6

15.6

20.1

17.7

 6.8

13.7

 7.7

 9.2

14.0

21.3

10.8

15.2

15.0

14.0

12.7

14.2

 3.9

9.2

7.0

9.4

19.1

7.2

18.6

19.4

16.8

14.6

10.6

19.9

13.5

15.3

18.0

18.2

14.3

18.5

15.1

20.4

13.8

 1.7

 4.7

 4.7

 8.0

13.8

 4.4

17.6

20.4

11.5

11.0

14.4

21.1

19.4

21.2

19.0

12.8

12.9

16.7

13.5

20.2

1.2

12.7

.5

 1.6

 2.6

6.1

5.4

 2.0

14.4

16.2

7.7

6.2

16.2

16.6

21.7

20.9

15.2

 6.2

11.4

10.5

9.1

12.2

 .3

7.4

 .2

 .4

1.2

 4.2

 1.8

.8

8.8

 7.0

3.0

 2.1

16.0

9.7

18.4

16.1

10.0

1.9

10.6

4.7

5.4

6.3

.1

2.9

.1

.1

.7

2.9

.6

.3

3.0

1.8

.8

.7

29.2

7.9

12.8

9.8

8.8

.8

29.3

2.9

5.3

9.4

-

.8

-

-

.6

3.8

.3

.1

.8

.5

.2

.9

Table B. Wage distribution by major occupational group, 2002

(Percent distribution)

4.8

The two largest detailed occupations can be found within the sales group. Retail salespersons and

cashiers were the largest occupations in the United States, with almost 3.9 million and 3.4 million employees,

respectively. General office clerks and registered nurses were the next largest occupations with 2.9 million

and 2.2 million workers, respectively.

The seven highest-paying occupations were all found in the occupational group of healthcare practitioner

and technical occupations and were all doctors. The average hourly wage for these occupations ranged from

$91.15 for surgeons to $65.01 for psychiatrists. Seven of the lowest-paying occupations were found in food

preparation and serving, where the average wages for workers ranged from $7.18 per hour for fast-food

cooks to $7.76 per hour for hosts and hostesses.

The OES survey is designed to estimate employment and wages at detailed industry and area levels with

a desired level of reliability based on a sample of 1.2 million establishments, collected over a 3-year period.

Because the 2002 estimates represent the first year that OES estimates were based on the North American

Industry Classification System (NAICS) and because of the program’s transition to semiannual collection and

publication, the 2002 estimates are based on 4-year responses from establishments for 1999, 2000, 2001,

and 2002.
4

The OES employment estimates presented in this release are benchmarked to data from the fourthquarter 2002 Census of Employment and Wages. The 1999, 2000, and 2001 wage data have been

adjusted to the 2002 reference period, using over-the-year wage changes in the most applicable national

Employment Cost Index series. For further details, see the Technical Note.

The 2002 OES data for states and metropolitan areas and the national employment and wage data by

industry will be available on the BLS Web site in late November.
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, by

industry, in the United States. (Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin

Islands also are surveyed, but their data are not included in this release.)

In 2002, the OES survey switched from industry coding based on the

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system to that based on the

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The

nationwide response rate for the 2002 survey was 78 percent for

establishments, covering 71 percent of employment.

In November 2002, the OES survey changed from an annual survey

of 400,000 establishments to a semiannual survey of 200,000

establishments. The OES survey samples and contacts establishments

in May and November of each year and, over 3 years, contacts

approximately 1.2 million establishments. The full 3-year sample

allows the production of estimates at fine levels of geographic,

industrial, and occupational detail.

In order to maintain adequate geographic, industrial, and

occupational coverage through the implementation of NAICS and

semiannual sampling, the 2002 data were combined with the annual

samples from 1999, 2000, and 2001 for a total sample size of

approximately 1.4 million establishments. Estimates from the OES

survey are based on data collected using the Standard Occupational

Classification (SOC) system. A brief description of this classification

system is provided below.

The occupational classification system for 2002

In 1999, the OES survey began using the Office of Management and

Budget’s (OMB) occupational classification system, the Standard

Occupational Classification (SOC) system. The SOC system is the

first OMB-required occupational classification system for federal

agencies. The OES survey categorizes workers in 1 of about 770

detailed occupations. Together, these detailed occupations comprise

22 major occupational groups. The major groups are as follows:

Management occupations

Business and financial operations occupations

Computer and mathematical science occupations

Architecture and engineering occupations

Life, physical, and social science occupations

Community and social services occupations

Legal occupations

Education, training, and library occupations

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations

Healthcare support occupations

Protective service occupations

Food preparation and serving related occupations

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

Personal care and service occupations

Sales and related occupations

Office and administrative support occupations

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

Construction and extraction occupations

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

Production occupations

Transportation and material moving occupations

Military specific occupations (not surveyed in OES)

The industry coding system for 2002

In 2002, the OES survey switched from using the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system to using the North American Industry

Classification System (NAICS). Due to differences in NAICS and SIC

structures, OES industry data for 2002 are not comparable with the

SIC-based data for earlier years. For more information about NAICS,

see the BLS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm. An

establishment is defined as an economic unit that processes goods or

provides services, such as a factory, mine, or store. The establishment

is generally at a single physical location and is engaged primarily in one

type of economic activity.

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

workers in nonfarm industries. The survey does not include the selfemployed owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household

workers, or unpaid family workers.

The OES survey includes establishments in NAICS sectors 11

(logging and agricultural support activities only), 21, 22, 23, 31-33, 42,

44-45, 48-49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 61, 62, 71, 72, 81 (except private

households), state government, and local government. Data for the

U.S. Postal Service and the federal government are universe counts

obtained from the Postal Service and the Office of Personnel

Management, respectively.

BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures and technical

support, while the State Employment Security Agencies (SESAs)

collect the data. BLS produces cross-industry NAICS estimates for

the nation, states, and metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). NAICS

estimates are produced primarily at the 4-digit level with some 5-digit

exceptions. BLS releases all cross-industry and national estimates, and

the SESAs release industry estimates at the state and MSA levels.

The OES survey defines employment as the number of workers

who can be classified as full-time or part-time employees, including

workers on paid vacations or other types of 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.

State Unemployment Insurance (UI) files provide the universe from

which the OES survey draws its sample. The employment benchmarks

are obtained from reports submitted by employers to the UI program.

In some non-manufacturing industries, supplemental sources are used

for establishments not reporting to the UI program. The OES survey

sample is stratified by area, industry, and size class. Size classes are

defined as follows:

UI reporting units with 250 or more employees are sampled with

virtual certainty across a 3-year period. Generally, one-sixth of the

certainty units are sampled in each panel in each state.

Concepts

Occupational employment is the estimate of total wage and salary

employment in an occupation across the industries in which that

1 1 to 4

2 5 to 9

3 10 to 19

4 20 to 49

5 50 to 99

6 100 to 249

7 250 and above

Size class Number of employees

For more information about the SOC system, please see the Bureau

of Labor Statistics (BLS) Web site at http://www.bls.gov/soc.
occupation was reported. The OES survey form sent to an

establishment contains between 50 and 225 SOC occupations selected

on the basis of the sampled establishment’s industry classification

and size class. To reduce paperwork and respondent burden, no

survey form contains every SOC occupation. Thus, data for specific

occupations are collected primarily from establishments in industries

that are the predominant employers of workers in those occupations.

Each survey form is structured, however, to allow a respondent to

provide detailed occupational information for each worker at the

establishment; that is, workers in unlisted occupations can have their

occupations added to the survey form.

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, tips, and on-call pay are included. Excluded are

back pay, jury duty pay, overtime pay, severance pay, shift

differentials, non-production bonuses, employer cost for

supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.

The OES survey collects wage data in 12 intervals. Employers

report the number of employees in an occupation for each wage range.

The wage intervals used for the 2002 survey are as follows:

A mean (average) wage value is calculated for each wage interval

based on occupational wage data collected by the BLS Office of

Compensation and Working Conditions for the National

Compensation Survey (NCS). These interval mean wage values are

then attributed to all workers reported in the interval. To calculate

the mean wage of each occupation, total weighted wages are summed

across all intervals and divided by the occupation’s weighted survey

employment.

The mean wage value for the highest wage interval, $70.00 and

over, is calculated after excluding data for pilots. Pilots comprise a

large portion of the employment from the NCS survey that falls into

the highest interval, and about one percent of the workers reported

for the OES survey makes $70.00 and over. Since pilots work much

fewer hours than workers in other occupations, their hourly wage

rates are much higher than other occupations. After excluding pilots

from the calculation, the mean wage for the highest interval was

computed separately for 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002. Then the

average of these four mean wages was derived and used for all of the

$70.00 and over data in the 2002 survey. The wages for this interval

do not go through any wage updating procedures.

Annual Wage. Many employees are paid at an hourly rate by their

employers and may work more than or less than 40 hours per week.

The annual wage estimates in this release are calculated by

multiplying the mean hourly wage by a “year-round, full-time” figure

of 2,080 hours (52 weeks by 40 hours). Thus, the annual wage

estimates may not represent the actual annual pay received by the

employee if they work more or less than 2,080 hours per year.

Alternatively, some workers are paid based on an annual amount, but

they generally do not work the usual 2,080 hours per year. Since the

OES survey does not collect the actual number of hours worked, the

hourly rate cannot be calculated with a reasonable degree of confidence

from the annual wages. For this reason, the annual salary is directly

calculated from reported survey data, and only annual wages are

estimated for these occupations. Occupations that typically have a

work year of less than 2,080 hours include musical and entertainment

occupations, pilots and flight attendants, and teachers.

Hourly versus annual wage reporting. 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 establishment can

reference either the hourly or the annual rate, but they are instructed

to report the hourly rate for part-time workers.

Estimation methodology

Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2002, the OES survey samples

approximately 200,000 establishments semiannually in the second

and fourth quarters of the year, for a combined sample of 1.2 million

different establishments over six semiannual panels. Until 2002, the

survey sampled approximately 400,000 establishments in the fourth

quarter of each year, for a 3-year combined sample size of 1.2 million.

While estimates can be made from a single year or 2 years of data,

the OES survey has been designed to produce estimates at a desired

level of precision using the full 3 years of data. The 3-year sample

allows the production of estimates at fine levels of geographical,

industrial, and occupational detail. Since the 2002 sample was the

first time that 200,000 establishments were sampled, the data were

combined with annual survey data from 1999, 2000, and 2001, for

a combined sample of approximately 1.4 million to provide adequate

coverage of the sampling frame for these detailed estimates.

Producing estimates using the 3 years of sample data provides

significant sampling error reductions (particularly for small

geographic areas and occupations); however, it also has some quality

limitations in that it requires the adjustment of earlier years’ data to the

current reference period, a procedure referred to as “wage updating.”

Wage updating. As noted above, combining multiple years of data

has both statistical advantages and limitations. Significant reductions

in sampling error can be achieved by taking advantage of 3 years of

data, which covers over 70 percent of the employment in the United

States. This feature is particularly important in improving the

reliability of estimates for small domains in the population (that is,

wage and employment estimates for detailed occupations in small

areas). Combining multiple years of data also has been necessary to

obtain full coverage of establishments with 250 or more workers that

are sampled with certainty.

Starting with the 1997 estimates, the OES program has used the

over-the-year fourth-quarter wage changes from the BLS

Employment Cost Index (ECI) to adjust prior year survey data before

combining it with the current year’s data. The wage updating

procedure assumes that each occupation’s wage, as measured in the

earlier years, moves according to the average movement of its

occupational division and that there are no major geographic or

detailed occupational differences.

Interval Hourly

Wages

Annual

Range A Under $6.75 Under $14,040

Range B $6.75 to $8.49 $14,040 to $17,679

Range C $8.50 to $10.74 $17,680 to $22,359

Range D $10.75 to $13.49 $22,360 to $28,079

Range E $13.50 to $16.99 $28,080 to $35,359

Range F $17.00 to $21.49 $35,360 to $44,719

Range G $21.50 to $27.24 $44,720 to $56,679

Range H $27.25 to $34.49 $56,680 to $71,759

Range I $34.50 to $43.74 $71,760 to $90,999

Range J $43.75 to $55.49 $91,000 to $115,439

Range K $55.50 to $69.99 $115,440 to $145,599

Range L $70.00 and over $145,600 and over
2002 OES survey estimates. The 2002 OES survey estimates are

based on data collected from establishments for the 1999, 2000, 2001,

and 2002 samples. The 2002 estimates use the wage-updating

methodology introduced in 1997. In addition, the 2002 estimates use

the estimation methodology introduced in 1997, which uses a “nearest

neighbor” imputation approach for nonresponse and applies

employment benchmarks at the state-MSA/4-digit NAICS (with 5-

digit exceptions) /size class level.

Reliability of the estimates. Statistics based on establishment

surveys are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When

a sample of the population is surveyed, there is a chance that the

sample estimate of a characteristic may differ from the population

value of that characteristic. The difference between the sample

estimate and the population value will vary depending on the

particular sample selected. This variability is measured by the

sampling error (SE). If the sampling and estimation process using the

same survey design was repeated, 90 percent of the intervals created

by adding and subtracting 1.645 standard errors from the sample

estimate would include the population value. This interval is called

a 90-percent confidence interval.

The OES survey produces estimates of the relative standard error

(RSE). The RSE is defined as the SE divided by the estimated value

as computed from the sample. This statistic provides a measure of

the relative precision of the sample estimates. The SE may be

obtained by multiplying the RSE by the sample estimate. RSE

estimates are produced for both occupational employment and mean

wage estimates. The employment RSE values are estimated using a

subsample replication technique known as the Jackknife (random

group) variance estimation method. The mean wage RSE values are

estimated using a variance components model that accounts for both

the observed and unobserved components of the wage data. The

variances of the unobserved components of the wage data are

calculated from the BLS National Compensation Survey. In general,

estimates involving many establishments have lower relative standard

errors than estimates involving few establishments. If the

distributional assumptions of the models are violated, the resulting

confidence interval may not reflect the prescribed level of confidence.

Additional information

The 2002 OES national data by occupation, comparable to data

in table 1, will be available soon on the Internet (http://www.bls.gov/

oes). Users also may access each occupation’s definition and

percentile wages. The 2002 cross-industry data for states and

metropolitan areas will be available on the BLS Web site in late

November. Industry staffing patterns at the 4- and 5-digit NAICS

levels also will be available from the Internet beginning in late

November. These data will include industry-specific occupational

employment and wage data.

For additional information, contact the Office of Employment and

Unemployment Statistics, Division of Occupational Employment

Statistics, Room 2135, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Washington,

DC, 20212; telephone 202-691-6569 (e-mail: oesinfo@bls.gov).

Information in this release will be made available to sensory

impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200;

TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.
Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, 2002

Hourly Annual1

Management occupations

Chief executives................................................................................................................. 452,400 $64.89 $134,960 $60.70

General and operations managers..................................................................................... 1,998,350 40.19 83,590 32.80

Legislators.......................................................................................................................... 64,650 14.62 30,420 7.32

Advertising and promotions managers............................................................................... 81,090 33.27 69,200 27.47

Marketing managers.......................................................................................................... 192,080 41.91 87,170 37.62

Sales managers................................................................................................................. 328,060 41.40 86,110 36.08

Public relations managers.................................................................................................. 62,640 33.59 69,870 29.15

Administrative services managers..................................................................................... 306,370 28.54 59,350 25.24

Computer and information systems managers.................................................................. 264,790 43.48 90,440 40.98

Financial managers............................................................................................................ 563,020 39.94 83,080 35.26

Human resources managers.............................................................................................. 193,360 34.12 70,960 31.11

Industrial production managers.......................................................................................... 173,960 35.09 72,980 32.37

Purchasing managers........................................................................................................ 105,010 31.85 66,250 28.79

Transportation, storage, and distribution managers........................................................... 107,400 31.29 65,070 28.68

Farm, ranch, and other agricultural managers................................................................... 5,630 23.65 49,200 21.03

Construction managers...................................................................................................... 208,360 34.24 71,210 30.53

Education administrators, preschool and child care center/program................................. 52,700 18.84 39,190 16.03

Education administrators, elementary and secondary school............................................ 204,340 (2) 74,050 (2)

Education administrators, postsecondary.......................................................................... 96,910 34.44 71,630 31.08

Engineering managers....................................................................................................... 205,390 46.03 95,750 43.71

Food service managers...................................................................................................... 249,710 19.75 41,090 17.21

Funeral directors................................................................................................................ 21,740 24.83 51,650 20.85

Gaming managers.............................................................................................................. 3,760 29.29 60,910 26.12

Lodging managers............................................................................................................. 31,170 18.32 38,110 16.33

Medical and health services managers.............................................................................. 228,290 33.35 69,370 29.50

Natural sciences managers................................................................................................ 42,470 43.46 90,400 39.54

Postmasters and mail superintendents.............................................................................. 26,470 23.36 48,590 23.34

Property, real estate, and community association managers............................................. 156,290 22.30 46,390 17.73

Social and community service managers........................................................................... 111,480 22.55 46,900 20.71

Business and financial operations occupations

Agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes................................. 11,590 33.16 68,970 26.79

Purchasing agents and buyers, farm products................................................................... 16,570 22.56 46,930 19.66

Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products........................................................... 138,380 22.43 46,650 19.60

Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products....................................... 231,490 23.21 48,270 21.68

Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators................................................................. 211,960 22.11 45,990 20.68

Insurance appraisers, auto damage................................................................................... 13,270 20.97 43,620 20.50

Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety,

 and transportation....................................................................................................... 146,670 23.29 48,450 21.54

Cost estimators.................................................................................................................. 185,080 24.67 51,310 22.86

Emergency management specialists................................................................................. 10,700 22.75 47,320 20.94

Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists........................................................ 168,550 22.14 46,050 18.95

Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists........................................................ 85,880 23.04 47,920 21.68

Training and development specialists................................................................................ 198,910 22.11 46,000 20.58

Management analysts........................................................................................................ 392,670 33.73 70,160 29.01

Meeting and convention planners...................................................................................... 32,380 19.72 41,020 17.99

Accountants and auditors................................................................................................... 888,690 25.59 53,230 22.60

Appraisers and assessors of real estate............................................................................ 57,160 22.18 46,120 20.08

Budget analysts.................................................................................................................. 58,900 26.67 55,470 25.23

Credit analysts.................................................................................................................... 65,700 23.81 49,530 20.63

Financial analysts............................................................................................................... 159,920 32.30 67,180 27.45

Personal financial advisors................................................................................................ 77,010 37.72 78,460 27.25

Insurance underwriters....................................................................................................... 95,620 24.49 50,940 21.92

Financial examiners........................................................................................................... 23,890 29.60 61,570 27.03

Loan counselors................................................................................................................. 29,780 17.52 36,450 15.39

Loan officers....................................................................................................................... 218,470 25.08 52,160 21.15

Tax examiners, collectors, and revenue agents................................................................. 69,320 21.99 45,730 20.31

Tax preparers..................................................................................................................... 54,330 15.21 31,630 12.32

Computer and mathematical science occupations

Computer and information scientists, research.................................................................. 24,410 38.71 80,510 37.38

Computer programmers..................................................................................................... 457,320 30.62 63,690 28.98

Computer software engineers, applications....................................................................... 356,760 35.48 73,800 34.09

Computer software engineers, systems software.............................................................. 255,040 36.46 75,840 35.60

Computer support specialists............................................................................................. 478,560 20.35 42,320 18.80

Computer systems analysts............................................................................................... 467,750 31.20 64,890 30.24

Database administrators.................................................................................................... 102,090 28.41 59,080 26.68

Network and computer systems administrators................................................................. 232,560 27.70 57,620 26.35

Network systems and data communications analysts........................................................ 133,460 29.51 61,390 28.09

Actuaries............................................................................................................................ 14,440 38.84 80,780 33.64

Mathematicians.................................................................................................................. 2,600 36.35 75,610 36.77

See footnotes at end of table.

Mean wages

Occupation Employment Median hourly 

wages
Hourly Annual1

Computer and mathematical science occupations 3⁄4 Continued

Operations research analysts............................................................................................. 56,310 $29.27 $60,890 $27.36

Statisticians........................................................................................................................ 17,820 28.85 60,000 27.44

Mathematical technicians................................................................................................... 1,970 20.64 42,920 17.56

Architecture and engineering occupations

Architects, except landscape and naval............................................................................. 87,700 30.06 62,530 27.22

Landscape architects......................................................................................................... 17,460 25.02 52,050 22.79

Cartographers and photogrammetrists.............................................................................. 8,040 21.72 45,180 20.61

Surveyors........................................................................................................................... 53,340 20.50 42,630 19.22

Aerospace engineers......................................................................................................... 74,210 35.63 74,110 34.97

Agricultural engineers......................................................................................................... 2,500 26.79 55,730 24.38

Biomedical engineers......................................................................................................... 7,130 30.97 64,420 29.04

Chemical engineers........................................................................................................... 32,110 36.06 75,010 34.85

Civil engineers.................................................................................................................... 207,480 30.29 63,010 28.88

Computer hardware engineers........................................................................................... 67,180 36.61 76,150 34.69

Electrical engineers............................................................................................................ 146,180 33.88 70,480 32.78

Electronics engineers, except computer............................................................................ 126,020 34.43 71,600 33.62

Environmental engineers................................................................................................... 45,720 30.50 63,440 29.52

Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors................... 34,160 28.77 59,830 27.89

Industrial engineers............................................................................................................ 151,760 30.57 63,590 29.88

Marine engineers and naval architects............................................................................... 4,810 32.83 68,280 32.04

Materials engineers............................................................................................................ 22,780 30.92 64,310 30.09

Mechanical engineers........................................................................................................ 203,620 31.33 65,170 30.23

Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers................................ 5,050 31.14 64,770 29.70

Nuclear engineers.............................................................................................................. 15,180 39.57 82,300 39.11

Petroleum engineers.......................................................................................................... 11,130 41.13 85,540 40.08

Architectural and civil drafters............................................................................................ 101,190 18.78 39,060 17.95

Electrical and electronics drafters...................................................................................... 35,470 21.16 44,020 19.76

Mechanical drafters............................................................................................................ 68,280 20.71 43,080 19.58

Aerospace engineering and operations technicians.......................................................... 14,700 25.48 52,990 24.83

Civil engineering technicians.............................................................................................. 88,380 18.71 38,910 18.13

Electrical and electronic engineering technicians.............................................................. 194,960 21.26 44,210 20.65

Electro-mechanical technicians.......................................................................................... 30,360 19.20 39,930 18.33

Environmental engineering technicians............................................................................. 18,770 18.93 39,380 17.72

Industrial engineering technicians...................................................................................... 59,700 21.79 45,310 20.15

Mechanical engineering technicians.................................................................................. 53,630 20.60 42,850 19.85

Surveying and mapping technicians................................................................................... 55,670 15.27 31,760 14.05

Life, physical, and social science occupations

Agricultural and food scientists.......................................................................................... 14,920 25.38 52,800 23.40

Biochemists and biophysicists........................................................................................... 15,190 31.55 65,620 29.03

Microbiologists.................................................................................................................... 14,730 26.78 55,700 24.53

Zoologists and wildlife biologists........................................................................................ 12,970 23.68 49,250 22.95

Conservation scientists...................................................................................................... 13,600 24.43 50,820 24.20

Foresters............................................................................................................................ 9,760 23.11 48,060 22.47

Epidemiologists.................................................................................................................. 3,760 27.98 58,190 25.89

Medical scientists, except epidemiologists......................................................................... 53,840 31.83 66,200 27.40

Astronomers....................................................................................................................... 900 38.71 80,510 39.27

Physicists........................................................................................................................... 11,480 42.08 87,530 40.88

Atmospheric and space scientists...................................................................................... 7,210 29.33 61,000 28.94

Chemists............................................................................................................................ 82,050 27.72 57,670 25.43

Materials scientists............................................................................................................. 7,090 32.33 67,240 31.05

Environmental scientists and specialists, including health................................................. 60,380 24.51 50,970 22.88

Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers......................................................... 26,130 37.83 78,690 32.44

Hydrologists........................................................................................................................ 7,390 28.28 58,820 27.18

Economists......................................................................................................................... 13,290 36.62 76,180 32.96

Market research analysts................................................................................................... 122,000 28.97 60,260 25.87

Survey researchers............................................................................................................ 18,350 14.60 30,360 10.67

Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists.................................................................. 100,560 27.18 56,540 24.60

Industrial-organizational psychologists............................................................................... 1,360 33.49 69,670 30.63

Sociologists........................................................................................................................ 2,630 27.17 56,520 25.56

Urban and regional planners.............................................................................................. 30,460 24.98 51,960 23.98

Anthropologists and archeologists..................................................................................... 4,410 20.38 42,380 18.57

Geographers...................................................................................................................... 740 26.10 54,290 25.68

Historians........................................................................................................................... 2,110 21.68 45,090 20.21

Political scientists............................................................................................................... 5,300 38.48 80,040 38.73

Agricultural and food science technicians.......................................................................... 15,990 14.91 31,010 13.74

Biological technicians......................................................................................................... 45,630 16.65 34,630 15.73

See footnotes at end of table.

Mean wages

Occupation Employment Median hourly 

wages

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, 20023⁄4 

Continued
Hourly Annual1

Life, physical, and social science occupations 3⁄4 Continued

Chemical technicians......................................................................................................... 67,230 $18.70 $38,890 $18.00

Geological and petroleum technicians............................................................................... 10,690 19.94 41,470 18.96

Nuclear technicians............................................................................................................ 5,620 29.43 61,220 28.84

Environmental science and protection technicians, including health................................. 26,380 17.96 37,370 16.98

Forensic science technicians............................................................................................. 7,830 20.81 43,280 19.73

Forest and conservation technicians.................................................................................. 17,160 15.72 32,700 14.90

Community and social services occupations

Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors...................................................... 63,310 15.32 31,860 14.51

Educational, vocational, and school counselors................................................................ 208,340 22.19 46,160 21.20

Marriage and family therapists........................................................................................... 22,130 18.45 38,370 17.11

Mental health counselors................................................................................................... 81,030 15.77 32,800 14.39

Rehabilitation counselors................................................................................................... 110,580 13.75 28,590 12.43

Child, family, and school social workers............................................................................ 259,990 17.14 35,640 15.94

Medical and public health social workers........................................................................... 103,180 18.71 38,920 17.97

Mental health and substance abuse social workers........................................................... 91,240 16.76 34,860 15.79

Health educators................................................................................................................ 43,240 18.84 39,190 17.43

Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists................................................... 78,990 19.81 41,210 18.44

Social and human service assistants................................................................................. 291,410 12.04 25,040 11.24

Clergy................................................................................................................................. 36,450 17.35 36,080 15.92

Directors, religious activities and education....................................................................... 13,120 15.54 32,330 13.47

Legal occupations

Lawyers.............................................................................................................................. 504,370 50.91 105,890 43.41

Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers............................................ 16,700 32.76 68,130 31.03

Arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators.............................................................................. 5,090 26.91 55,970 22.75

Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates...................................................................... 25,100 40.97 85,210 45.23

Paralegals and legal assistants.......................................................................................... 193,300 19.51 40,590 18.25

Court reporters................................................................................................................... 15,270 21.59 44,910 19.98

Law clerks.......................................................................................................................... 41,760 15.42 32,070 14.65

Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers...................................................................... 48,060 17.93 37,300 15.68

Education, training, and library occupations

Business teachers, postsecondary..................................................................................... 66,520 (2) 61,400 (2)

Computer science teachers, postsecondary...................................................................... 32,990 (2) 55,330 (2)

Mathematical science teachers, postsecondary................................................................. 41,140 (2) 55,060 (2)

Architecture teachers, postsecondary................................................................................ 5,290 (2) 61,930 (2)

Engineering teachers, postsecondary................................................................................ 29,310 (2) 73,100 (2)

Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary.................................................................. 11,070 (2) 67,660 (2)

Biological science teachers, postsecondary....................................................................... 47,150 (2) 67,750 (2)

Forestry and conservation science teachers, postsecondary............................................ 2,350 (2) 68,030 (2)

Atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences teachers, postsecondary...................... 8,270 (2) 67,320 (2)

Chemistry teachers, postsecondary................................................................................... 17,670 (2) 60,800 (2)

Environmental science teachers, postsecondary............................................................... 3,760 (2) 63,380 (2)

Physics teachers, postsecondary....................................................................................... 11,940 (2) 66,960 (2)

Anthropology and archeology teachers, postsecondary..................................................... 4,490 (2) 62,910 (2)

Area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary............................................... 6,040 (2) 61,180 (2)

Economics teachers, postsecondary.................................................................................. 11,560 (2) 68,370 (2)

Geography teachers, postsecondary.................................................................................. 3,920 (2) 59,790 (2)

Political science teachers, postsecondary.......................................................................... 11,910 (2) 62,110 (2)

Psychology teachers, postsecondary................................................................................. 25,790 (2) 58,680 (2)

Sociology teachers, postsecondary.................................................................................... 13,580 (2) 56,510 (2)

Health specialties teachers, postsecondary....................................................................... 85,770 (2) 72,820 (2)

Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary.............................................................. 36,500 (2) 52,970 (2)

Education teachers, postsecondary................................................................................... 42,300 (2) 52,240 (2)

Library science teachers, postsecondary........................................................................... 3,760 (2) 54,480 (2)

Criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary........................................ 8,870 (2) 48,890 (2)

Law teachers, postsecondary............................................................................................. 10,260 (2) 88,020 (2)

Social work teachers, postsecondary................................................................................. 6,480 (2) 56,070 (2)

Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary................................................................ 58,130 (2) 52,350 (2)

Communications teachers, postsecondary........................................................................ 19,660 (2) 52,050 (2)

English language and literature teachers, postsecondary.................................................. 55,150 (2) 51,310 (2)

Foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary................................................. 19,730 (2) 50,410 (2)

History teachers, postsecondary........................................................................................ 17,500 (2) 56,200 (2)

Philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary.............................................................. 14,480 (2) 53,760 (2)

Graduate teaching assistants............................................................................................. 128,470 (2) 25,420 (2)

Home economics teachers, postsecondary....................................................................... 4,490 (2) 53,650 (2)

Recreation and fitness studies teachers, postsecondary................................................... 14,650 (2) 46,480 (2)

Vocational education teachers, postsecondary.................................................................. 119,350 20.35 42,340 18.71

Preschool teachers, except special education................................................................... 367,300 10.45 21,730 9.26

Kindergarten teachers, except special education............................................................... 162,560 (2) 42,040 (2)

Elementary school teachers, except special education...................................................... 1,443,160 (2) 44,080 (2)

See footnotes at end of table.

Occupation

Mean wages

Employment

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, 20023⁄4 

Continued

Median hourly 

wages
Hourly Annual1

Education, training, and library occupations 3⁄4 Continued

Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education..................................... 582,620 (2) $44,110 (2)

Vocational education teachers, middle school................................................................... 17,730 (2) 44,650 (2)

Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education.............................. 984,600 (2) 46,010 (2)

Vocational education teachers, secondary school............................................................. 106,920 (2) 45,850 (2)

Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school.................. 211,530 (2) 45,510 (2)

Special education teachers, middle school........................................................................ 89,350 (2) 44,150 (2)

Special education teachers, secondary school.................................................................. 134,870 (2) 47,270 (2)

Adult literacy, remedial education, and GED teachers and instructors.............................. 61,440 19.94 41,470 17.50

Self-enrichment education teachers................................................................................... 136,780 15.82 32,910 14.09

Archivists, curators, and museum technicians................................................................... 20,100 19.11 39,750 16.96

Librarians............................................................................................................................ 156,920 21.36 44,430 20.72

Library technicians............................................................................................................. 111,240 12.16 25,280 11.58

Audio-visual collections specialists.................................................................................... 9,040 17.01 35,370 15.56

Farm and home management advisors............................................................................. 12,760 20.12 41,850 18.96

Instructional coordinators................................................................................................... 90,350 23.80 49,510 22.77

Teacher assistants............................................................................................................. 1,227,220 (2) 19,930 (2)

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

Art directors........................................................................................................................ 23,200 33.55 69,790 29.74

Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators.................................................. 10,280 21.03 43,750 16.95

Multi-media artists and animators...................................................................................... 34,150 24.45 50,860 21.14

Commercial and industrial designers................................................................................. 35,270 26.04 54,160 25.12

Fashion designers.............................................................................................................. 10,310 28.93 60,160 24.66

Floral designers.................................................................................................................. 66,480 9.90 20,600 9.37

Graphic designers.............................................................................................................. 141,830 19.89 41,380 17.64

Interior designers................................................................................................................ 40,670 21.04 43,770 18.84

Merchandise displayers and window trimmers................................................................... 53,350 12.25 25,470 10.84

Set and exhibit designers................................................................................................... 8,280 17.91 37,250 16.28

Actors................................................................................................................................. 52,560 (2) 42,820 (2)

Producers and directors..................................................................................................... 50,780 (2) 61,500 (2)

Athletes and sports competitors......................................................................................... 10,400 (2) 92,540 (2)

Coaches and scouts........................................................................................................... 87,720 (2) 34,170 (2)

Umpires, referees, and other sports officials...................................................................... 9,190 (2) 27,010 (2)

Dancers.............................................................................................................................. 16,580 13.17 27,390 10.14

Choreographers................................................................................................................. 15,320 16.24 33,790 14.17

Music directors and composers......................................................................................... 8,980 (2) 39,270 (2)

Musicians and singers........................................................................................................ 53,940 (2) 48,240 (2)

Announcers........................................................................................................................ 49,790 14.03 29,190 9.91

News analysts, reporters and correspondents................................................................... 61,100 18.83 39,160 14.67

Public relations specialists................................................................................................. 136,360 22.40 46,590 20.05

Editors................................................................................................................................ 106,520 22.60 47,010 19.79

Technical writers................................................................................................................ 44,780 25.63 53,310 24.32

Writers and authors............................................................................................................ 41,990 24.18 50,300 20.57

Interpreters and translators................................................................................................ 18,600 16.78 34,900 15.67

Audio and video equipment technicians............................................................................. 35,770 17.57 36,550 14.96

Broadcast technicians........................................................................................................ 31,520 16.44 34,200 13.35

Radio operators.................................................................................................................. 2,510 16.53 34,380 15.16

Sound engineering technicians.......................................................................................... 11,110 22.00 45,750 17.77

Photographers.................................................................................................................... 63,140 13.85 28,810 11.56

Camera operators, television, video, and motion picture................................................... 21,370 17.73 36,880 15.73

Film and video editors........................................................................................................ 15,180 21.42 44,540 18.40

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations

Chiropractors...................................................................................................................... 20,630 40.12 83,440 31.41

Dentists.............................................................................................................................. 92,460 64.11 133,350 59.24

Dietitians and nutritionists.................................................................................................. 45,150 20.16 41,920 19.79

Optometrists....................................................................................................................... 23,040 45.89 95,440 41.39

Pharmacists....................................................................................................................... 219,390 36.13 75,140 37.04

Anesthesiologists............................................................................................................... 24,780 87.22 181,420 (3)

Family and general practitioners........................................................................................ 115,020 65.51 136,260 62.79

Internists, general............................................................................................................... 50,380 76.13 158,350 (3)

Obstetricians and gynecologists......................................................................................... 19,970 86.37 179,640 (3)

Pediatricians, general......................................................................................................... 27,320 68.44 142,360 64.11

Psychiatrists....................................................................................................................... 19,750 65.01 135,220 62.95

Surgeons............................................................................................................................ 51,580 91.15 189,590 (3)

Physician assistants........................................................................................................... 61,910 30.53 63,490 31.09

Podiatrists........................................................................................................................... 7,490 51.65 107,430 45.61

Registered nurses.............................................................................................................. 2,239,530 23.96 49,840 23.12

Audiologists........................................................................................................................ 10,180 24.92 51,840 23.27

Occupational therapists...................................................................................................... 78,580 25.50 53,040 24.99

See footnotes at end of table.

Occupation Employment Median hourly 

wages

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, 20023⁄4 

Continued

Mean wages
Hourly Annual1

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations 3⁄4 Continued

Physical therapists............................................................................................................. 130,290 $28.93 $60,180 $27.56

Radiation therapists............................................................................................................ 13,510 28.90 60,110 24.35

Recreational therapists....................................................................................................... 26,130 15.23 31,670 14.68

Respiratory therapists........................................................................................................ 85,350 19.57 40,700 19.34

Speech-language pathologists........................................................................................... 87,030 24.75 51,490 23.77

Veterinarians...................................................................................................................... 42,900 35.44 73,720 30.33

Medical and clinical laboratory technologists..................................................................... 146,480 21.00 43,670 20.63

Medical and clinical laboratory technicians........................................................................ 144,120 14.58 30,330 13.96

Dental hygienists................................................................................................................ 148,530 27.78 57,790 26.59

Cardiovascular technologists and technicians................................................................... 42,870 18.12 37,680 17.52

Diagnostic medical sonographers...................................................................................... 36,530 23.90 49,710 23.40

Nuclear medicine technologists......................................................................................... 17,090 25.13 52,260 23.44

Radiologic technologists and technicians.......................................................................... 173,540 19.30 40,150 18.74

Emergency medical technicians and paramedics.............................................................. 178,700 12.78 26,570 11.55

Dietetic technicians............................................................................................................ 28,910 11.59 24,100 10.81

Pharmacy technicians........................................................................................................ 207,380 11.15 23,200 10.70

Psychiatric technicians....................................................................................................... 58,600 13.49 28,060 12.36

Respiratory therapy technicians......................................................................................... 26,220 16.79 34,930 16.41

Surgical technologists........................................................................................................ 72,040 15.36 31,960 15.00

Veterinary technologists and technicians........................................................................... 54,040 11.56 24,050 11.03

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses............................................................ 692,290 15.53 32,300 15.12

Medical records and health information technicians.......................................................... 145,270 12.49 25,980 11.49

Opticians, dispensing......................................................................................................... 61,790 13.38 27,830 12.31

Orthotists and prosthetists.................................................................................................. 4,480 25.68 53,410 22.24

Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians.............................................. 39,060 22.85 47,530 22.12

Athletic trainers................................................................................................................... 13,500 (2) 36,070 (2)

Healthcare support occupations

Home health aides............................................................................................................. 569,670 9.16 19,050 8.70

Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants............................................................................ 1,329,310 9.87 20,540 9.59

Psychiatric aides................................................................................................................ 56,260 11.42 23,760 11.04

Occupational therapist assistants...................................................................................... 17,970 17.76 36,950 17.62

Occupational therapist aides.............................................................................................. 8,040 11.78 24,510 10.60

Physical therapist assistants.............................................................................................. 50,430 17.48 36,360 17.34

Physical therapist aides...................................................................................................... 37,330 10.63 22,120 9.94

Massage therapists............................................................................................................ 27,160 16.21 33,720 13.75

Dental assistants................................................................................................................ 268,220 13.42 27,910 13.10

Medical assistants.............................................................................................................. 361,960 11.93 24,810 11.51

Medical equipment preparers............................................................................................. 35,490 11.50 23,910 11.04

Medical transcriptionists..................................................................................................... 99,160 13.33 27,730 13.05

Pharmacy aides.................................................................................................................. 58,020 9.47 19,700 8.86

Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers..................................................... 62,740 9.07 18,870 8.55

Protective service occupations

First-line supervisors/managers of correctional officers..................................................... 31,210 22.59 47,000 21.60

First-line supervisors/managers of police and detectives.................................................. 109,530 29.64 61,650 29.33

First-line supervisors/managers of fire fighting and prevention workers............................ 60,900 27.28 56,750 26.66

Fire fighters........................................................................................................................ 273,850 18.04 37,530 17.42

Fire inspectors and investigators....................................................................................... 12,140 22.11 46,000 21.64

Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists............................................................... 1,450 19.58 40,720 18.04

Bailiffs................................................................................................................................. 14,390 16.47 34,250 15.73

Correctional officers and jailers.......................................................................................... 400,190 16.66 34,650 15.71

Detectives and criminal investigators................................................................................. 88,460 25.46 52,960 24.71

Fish and game wardens..................................................................................................... 7,080 21.12 43,920 19.72

Parking enforcement workers............................................................................................ 10,180 14.07 29,260 13.52

Police and sheriff's patrol officers....................................................................................... 597,650 20.86 43,390 20.32

Transit and railroad police.................................................................................................. 6,010 22.00 45,750 21.01

Animal control workers....................................................................................................... 10,420 12.49 25,980 11.91

Private detectives and investigators................................................................................... 31,170 16.47 34,250 14.09

Gaming surveillance officers and gaming investigators..................................................... 8,760 11.79 24,520 11.11

Security guards.................................................................................................................. 977,650 10.13 21,060 9.20

Crossing guards................................................................................................................. 73,020 9.79 20,370 8.98

Food preparation and serving related occupations

Chefs and head cooks....................................................................................................... 120,430 15.38 32,000 13.43

First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers......................... 661,050 12.78 26,590 11.73

Cooks, fast food................................................................................................................. 582,630 7.18 14,930 6.90

Cooks, institution and cafeteria.......................................................................................... 416,710 9.23 19,190 8.72

Cooks, restaurant............................................................................................................... 715,520 9.54 19,850 9.16

Cooks, short order.............................................................................................................. 223,030 8.24 17,130 7.82

Food preparation workers.................................................................................................. 836,540 8.27 17,200 7.85

See footnotes at end of table.

Occupation

Mean wages

Employment Median hourly 

wages

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, 20023⁄4 

Continued
Hourly Annual1

Food preparation and serving related occupations 3⁄4 Continued

Bartenders.......................................................................................................................... 453,390 $8.12 $16,900 $7.21

Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food............................... 2,000,070 7.28 15,150 6.97

Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop..................................... 466,270 7.74 16,090 7.32

Waiters and waitresses...................................................................................................... 2,086,120 7.58 15,770 6.80

Food servers, nonrestaurant.............................................................................................. 193,980 8.21 17,070 7.52

Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers............................................ 404,210 7.37 15,330 6.99

Dishwashers....................................................................................................................... 499,070 7.41 15,410 7.15

Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop............................................... 295,170 7.76 16,130 7.36

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers.......................... 204,710 14.63 30,430 13.53

First-line supervisors/managers of landscaping, lawn service, and

 groundskeeping workers............................................................................................. 95,600 17.41 36,220 15.89

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners..................................... 2,052,090 9.69 20,150 8.77

Maids and housekeeping cleaners..................................................................................... 912,340 8.33 17,330 7.90

Pest control workers........................................................................................................... 57,370 12.58 26,180 11.90

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers........................................................................ 792,170 10.33 21,490 9.51

Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation................................................. 22,000 12.48 25,960 11.94

Tree trimmers and pruners................................................................................................. 43,530 12.92 26,870 12.07

Personal care and service occupations

Gaming supervisors........................................................................................................... 25,610 19.32 40,180 18.89

Slot key persons................................................................................................................. 14,380 11.80 24,540 11.00

First-line supervisors/managers of personal service workers............................................ 106,680 15.45 32,130 13.92

Animal trainers................................................................................................................... 6,780 13.08 27,210 11.03

Nonfarm animal caretakers................................................................................................ 86,700 9.01 18,750 8.21

Gaming dealers.................................................................................................................. 75,690 7.82 16,270 6.78

Gaming and sports book writers and runners.................................................................... 13,820 9.95 20,700 8.97

Motion picture projectionists............................................................................................... 9,600 9.82 20,420 7.97

Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers....................................................................... 106,050 7.93 16,490 7.02

Amusement and recreation attendants.............................................................................. 225,100 7.87 16,360 7.18

Costume attendants........................................................................................................... 3,660 12.93 26,890 11.62

Locker room, coatroom, and dressing room attendants.................................................... 21,660 8.55 17,780 8.14

Embalmers......................................................................................................................... 6,790 17.38 36,160 16.46

Funeral attendants............................................................................................................. 25,950 9.52 19,800 8.75

Barbers............................................................................................................................... 18,350 10.77 22,390 9.40

Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists................................................................... 330,730 10.63 22,110 9.12

Makeup artists, theatrical and performance....................................................................... 830 15.44 32,120 11.89

Manicurists and pedicurists................................................................................................ 31,350 9.04 18,810 8.33

Shampooers....................................................................................................................... 15,410 7.30 15,190 6.91

Skin care specialists........................................................................................................... 15,580 12.33 25,650 10.80

Baggage porters and bellhops........................................................................................... 57,650 10.79 22,440 8.58

Concierges......................................................................................................................... 16,770 11.39 23,680 10.44

Tour guides and escorts..................................................................................................... 28,480 9.63 20,040 8.90

Travel guides...................................................................................................................... 4,960 14.25 29,640 12.55

Flight attendants................................................................................................................. 104,360 (2) 50,460 (2)

Transportation attendants, except flight attendants and baggage porters......................... 26,580 10.07 20,940 9.00

Child care workers.............................................................................................................. 456,260 8.32 17,310 7.86

Personal and home care aides.......................................................................................... 451,040 8.07 16,790 7.81

Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors........................................................................... 169,920 14.38 29,910 11.51

Recreation workers............................................................................................................ 267,930 9.89 20,580 8.69

Residential advisors........................................................................................................... 48,530 10.77 22,410 9.95

Sales and related occupations

First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers..................................................... 1,197,190 16.72 34,770 14.28

First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers.............................................. 325,450 30.90 64,270 25.49

Cashiers............................................................................................................................. 3,375,510 8.02 16,680 7.41

Gaming change persons and booth cashiers..................................................................... 32,930 9.66 20,090 9.42

Counter and rental clerks................................................................................................... 425,380 9.64 20,040 8.31

Parts salespersons............................................................................................................. 243,170 12.82 26,670 11.51

Retail salespersons............................................................................................................ 3,894,760 10.46 21,750 8.51

Advertising sales agents.................................................................................................... 141,360 22.89 47,610 18.11

Insurance sales agents...................................................................................................... 274,830 25.86 53,800 19.59

Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents........................................... 254,600 41.21 85,710 29.32

Travel agents...................................................................................................................... 104,550 13.64 28,370 12.80

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific 

 products....................................................................................................................... 371,580 30.51 63,460 26.80

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical 

 and scientific products................................................................................................. 1,375,380 24.58 51,130 20.54

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, 20023⁄4 

Continued

Mean wages

Occupation
Hourly Annual1

Sales and related occupations 3⁄4 Continued

Demonstrators and product promoters.............................................................................. 101,420 $12.19 $25,360 $9.80

Models................................................................................................................................ 2,260 12.15 25,280 10.29

Real estate brokers............................................................................................................ 40,810 34.68 72,130 24.20

Real estate sales agents.................................................................................................... 125,960 20.42 42,470 14.87

Sales engineers.................................................................................................................. 79,300 33.27 69,200 30.61

Telemarketers.................................................................................................................... 419,740 10.74 22,330 9.40

Door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers..................... 25,780 14.48 30,120 12.18

Office and administrative support occupations

First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers.................. 1,400,240 20.22 42,060 18.66

Switchboard operators, including answering service......................................................... 226,890 10.56 21,970 10.19

Telephone operators.......................................................................................................... 46,420 14.11 29,340 13.75

Bill and account collectors.................................................................................................. 407,280 13.62 28,330 12.88

Billing and posting clerks and machine operators.............................................................. 491,000 13.04 27,120 12.55

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks................................................................... 1,728,730 13.77 28,650 13.16

Gaming cage workers........................................................................................................ 18,320 10.77 22,400 10.47

Payroll and timekeeping clerks.......................................................................................... 191,500 14.50 30,150 13.94

Procurement clerks............................................................................................................ 73,570 14.61 30,380 14.23

Tellers................................................................................................................................. 526,750 9.97 20,750 9.81

Brokerage clerks................................................................................................................ 75,480 17.09 35,540 15.97

Correspondence clerks...................................................................................................... 32,160 13.01 27,060 12.48

Court, municipal, and license clerks................................................................................... 99,010 14.04 29,210 13.12

Credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks............................................................................ 79,400 13.92 28,960 12.83

Customer service representatives...................................................................................... 1,854,750 13.58 28,240 12.62

Eligibility interviewers, government programs.................................................................... 89,400 15.59 32,440 14.91

File clerks........................................................................................................................... 258,680 10.19 21,190 9.63

Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks................................................................................... 176,140 8.71 18,110 8.35

Interviewers, except eligibility and loan.............................................................................. 190,390 11.07 23,020 10.43

Library assistants, clerical.................................................................................................. 113,760 10.04 20,880 9.35

Loan interviewers and clerks.............................................................................................. 163,660 14.09 29,300 13.38

New accounts clerks.......................................................................................................... 97,770 12.80 26,620 12.11

Order clerks........................................................................................................................ 327,120 12.67 26,350 11.93

Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping.......................................... 167,480 15.16 31,530 14.62

Receptionists and information clerks................................................................................. 1,063,020 10.56 21,970 10.17

Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks.......................................... 174,170 13.78 28,670 12.19

Cargo and freight agents.................................................................................................... 59,440 16.03 33,350 15.10

Couriers and messengers.................................................................................................. 120,900 9.96 20,720 9.32

Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers............................................................................ 89,280 13.89 28,900 13.30

Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance................................................................ 168,380 15.70 32,660 14.56

Meter readers, utilities........................................................................................................ 52,510 14.74 30,660 13.86

Postal service clerks.......................................................................................................... 79,760 18.72 38,930 19.08

Postal service mail carriers................................................................................................ 347,420 18.80 39,110 19.00

Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators.................... 262,440 16.86 35,080 18.34

Production, planning, and expediting clerks....................................................................... 279,640 16.87 35,080 16.18

Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks................................................................................. 792,470 12.02 24,990 11.26

Stock clerks and order fillers.............................................................................................. 1,608,230 10.21 21,240 9.26

Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers, recordkeeping........................................ 77,050 12.85 26,740 11.62

Executive secretaries and administrative assistants.......................................................... 1,407,950 16.85 35,050 16.06

Legal secretaries................................................................................................................ 259,010 17.59 36,580 16.84

Medical secretaries............................................................................................................ 336,200 12.83 26,690 12.23

Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive............................................................. 1,796,480 12.69 26,390 12.16

Computer operators........................................................................................................... 172,640 15.21 31,640 14.26

Data entry keyers............................................................................................................... 376,970 11.15 23,190 10.77

Word processors and typists.............................................................................................. 209,200 13.38 27,830 12.85

Desktop publishers............................................................................................................. 34,280 16.21 33,730 15.20

Insurance claims and policy processing clerks.................................................................. 252,590 14.95 31,090 13.88

Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service......................................... 161,850 10.64 22,130 10.19

Office clerks, general......................................................................................................... 2,857,300 11.32 23,540 10.71

Office machine operators, except computer...................................................................... 93,340 11.25 23,400 10.47

Proofreaders and copy markers......................................................................................... 25,310 12.62 26,240 11.68

Statistical assistants........................................................................................................... 22,330 15.00 31,190 14.17

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

First-line supervisors/managers of farming, fishing, and forestry workers......................... 20,910 17.78 36,970 16.43

Farm labor contractors....................................................................................................... 5,830 12.61 26,220 7.39

Agricultural inspectors........................................................................................................ 13,760 15.09 31,380 13.76

Animal breeders................................................................................................................. 1,590 14.11 29,340 12.06

Graders and sorters, agricultural products......................................................................... 54,500 8.50 17,670 7.67

Agricultural equipment operators....................................................................................... 21,830 9.25 19,240 8.31

Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse.............................................. 218,020 7.86 16,340 7.24

See footnotes at end of table.

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, 20023⁄4 

Continued

Median hourly 

wages

Occupation Employment

Mean wages
Hourly Annual1

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations 3⁄4 Continued

Farmworkers, farm and ranch animals............................................................................... 38,260 $8.93 $18,560 $8.22

Forest and conservation workers....................................................................................... 9,140 10.93 22,730 9.12

Fallers................................................................................................................................. 10,180 15.43 32,090 13.54

Logging equipment operators............................................................................................ 29,060 13.39 27,850 12.88

Log graders and scalers..................................................................................................... 4,730 13.87 28,840 13.08

Construction and extraction occupations

First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers................ 508,620 24.50 50,960 22.92

Boilermakers...................................................................................................................... 24,560 20.46 42,550 20.17

Brickmasons and blockmasons......................................................................................... 109,900 20.48 42,600 20.11

Stonemasons..................................................................................................................... 12,870 17.08 35,530 16.36

Carpenters.......................................................................................................................... 856,750 17.71 36,840 16.44

Carpet installers................................................................................................................. 38,320 16.79 34,920 15.67

Floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles............................................................... 14,840 16.82 34,990 16.15

Floor sanders and finishers................................................................................................ 7,740 14.51 30,180 13.22

Tile and marble setters....................................................................................................... 33,550 18.15 37,740 17.20

Cement masons and concrete finishers............................................................................. 177,930 16.25 33,800 14.74

Terrazzo workers and finishers.......................................................................................... 6,130 14.82 30,830 13.42

Construction laborers......................................................................................................... 830,860 13.73 28,570 11.90

Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators........................................................ 58,760 15.62 32,490 13.87

Pile-driver operators........................................................................................................... 4,670 22.10 45,980 21.84

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators.................................... 343,710 18.42 38,320 16.94

Drywall and ceiling tile installers......................................................................................... 111,600 17.48 36,350 16.21

Tapers................................................................................................................................ 33,320 19.49 40,550 18.75

Electricians......................................................................................................................... 593,010 21.11 43,910 19.90

Glaziers.............................................................................................................................. 46,950 16.67 34,660 15.20

Insulation workers.............................................................................................................. 51,740 15.63 32,500 13.91

Painters, construction and maintenance............................................................................ 257,140 15.20 31,620 13.98

Paperhangers..................................................................................................................... 9,450 16.21 33,720 15.22

Pipelayers........................................................................................................................... 52,380 15.26 31,740 13.70

Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters............................................................................... 438,560 20.49 42,630 19.31

Plasterers and stucco masons........................................................................................... 54,290 17.07 35,500 15.91

Reinforcing iron and rebar workers.................................................................................... 29,540 19.54 40,640 17.66

Roofers............................................................................................................................... 117,140 15.88 33,020 14.51

Sheet metal workers.......................................................................................................... 197,110 18.08 37,620 16.62

Structural iron and steel workers........................................................................................ 74,700 20.37 42,360 19.55

Helpers--brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters............. 60,740 13.06 27,170 11.73

Helpers--carpenters............................................................................................................ 97,900 10.90 22,670 10.34

Helpers--electricians........................................................................................................... 97,690 11.80 24,540 11.10

Helpers--painters, paperhangers, plasterers, and stucco masons..................................... 31,320 10.70 22,260 9.66

Helpers--pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters.............................................. 78,570 11.30 23,510 10.69

Helpers--roofers................................................................................................................. 21,940 10.47 21,780 9.85

Construction and building inspectors................................................................................. 75,190 20.71 43,070 20.01

Elevator installers and repairers......................................................................................... 20,920 25.74 53,540 25.99

Fence erectors................................................................................................................... 21,730 12.10 25,170 10.65

Hazardous materials removal workers............................................................................... 37,350 17.12 35,610 15.61

Highway maintenance workers.......................................................................................... 146,290 14.06 29,250 13.65

Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators................................................... 10,450 16.75 34,840 16.90

Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners.................................................................. 15,530 14.30 29,750 13.43

Segmental pavers.............................................................................................................. 2,100 14.25 29,630 12.95

Derrick operators, oil and gas............................................................................................ 14,120 15.28 31,780 14.34

Rotary drill operators, oil and gas....................................................................................... 13,110 17.46 36,320 16.23

Service unit operators, oil, gas, and mining....................................................................... 12,310 15.13 31,480 13.78

Earth drillers, except oil and gas........................................................................................ 19,830 16.56 34,450 15.62

Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters........................................... 4,850 17.33 36,050 16.88

Continuous mining machine operators............................................................................... 8,100 17.06 35,490 16.75

Mine cutting and channeling machine operators................................................................ 5,060 18.02 37,490 18.07

Rock splitters, quarry.......................................................................................................... 2,610 13.49 28,070 12.58

Roof bolters, mining........................................................................................................... 3,980 18.28 38,020 18.47

Roustabouts, oil and gas.................................................................................................... 31,960 11.62 24,160 10.71

Helpers--extraction workers............................................................................................... 28,690 12.86 26,750 12.12

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers........................... 433,640 24.05 50,030 22.87

Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers................................................ 135,380 16.73 34,810 15.98

Radio mechanics................................................................................................................ 6,960 18.37 38,210 17.42

Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers................ 195,680 21.90 45,550 22.78

Avionics technicians........................................................................................................... 21,710 20.39 42,410 20.21

Electric motor, power tool, and related repairers................................................................ 28,720 16.36 34,030 15.49

Electrical and electronics installers and repairers, transportation equipment.................... 17,320 18.56 38,590 18.56

Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment....................... 82,320 19.60 40,760 19.77

See footnotes at end of table.

Occupation

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, 20023⁄4 

Continued

Median hourly 

wages

Employment

Mean wages
Hourly Annual1

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations 3⁄4 Continued

Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay............................ 20,040 $24.02 $49,970 $24.85

Electronic equipment installers and repairers, motor vehicles........................................... 15,200 13.27 27,600 12.51

Electronic home entertainment equipment installers and repairers................................... 30,600 14.01 29,150 13.08

Security and fire alarm systems installers.......................................................................... 43,310 16.53 34,390 15.56

Aircraft mechanics and service technicians....................................................................... 125,850 20.97 43,620 20.71

Automotive body and related repairers.............................................................................. 175,370 16.93 35,200 15.71

Automotive glass installers and repairers.......................................................................... 19,710 13.49 28,050 12.93

Automotive service technicians and mechanics................................................................ 687,380 15.79 32,830 14.71

Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists.................................................... 254,470 17.01 35,380 16.53

Farm equipment mechanics............................................................................................... 32,330 13.44 27,950 13.03

Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines........................................................ 113,340 17.69 36,790 17.29

Rail car repairers................................................................................................................ 13,520 18.35 38,170 18.78

Motorboat mechanics......................................................................................................... 18,550 14.57 30,310 13.97

Motorcycle mechanics........................................................................................................ 13,030 13.80 28,690 13.03

Outdoor power equipment and other small engine mechanics.......................................... 25,170 12.47 25,950 11.93

Bicycle repairers................................................................................................................. 7,000 9.62 20,000 9.25

Recreational vehicle service technicians........................................................................... 12,490 13.72 28,530 13.02

Tire repairers and changers............................................................................................... 81,560 10.45 21,730 9.69

Mechanical door repairers.................................................................................................. 10,730 15.42 32,080 14.03

Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door.................................. 36,720 20.54 42,730 20.90

Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers................................ 206,870 17.51 36,430 16.78

Home appliance repairers.................................................................................................. 34,750 15.47 32,180 14.61

Industrial machinery mechanics......................................................................................... 179,640 18.95 39,410 18.26

Maintenance and repair workers, general.......................................................................... 1,212,620 14.91 31,010 14.12

Maintenance workers, machinery....................................................................................... 90,500 16.23 33,750 15.63

Millwrights........................................................................................................................... 67,900 20.50 42,630 20.19

Refractory materials repairers, except brickmasons.......................................................... 3,330 17.43 36,240 16.88

Electrical power-line installers and repairers...................................................................... 96,040 22.68 47,170 23.33

Telecommunications line installers and repairers.............................................................. 156,160 19.02 39,560 19.06

Camera and photographic equipment repairers................................................................. 5,220 15.57 32,390 15.09

Medical equipment repairers.............................................................................................. 21,770 18.39 38,250 17.49

Musical instrument repairers and tuners............................................................................ 4,870 15.97 33,210 14.15

Watch repairers.................................................................................................................. 3,710 14.09 29,310 12.77

Coin, vending, and amusement machine servicers and repairers..................................... 33,520 13.58 28,250 13.16

Commercial divers............................................................................................................. 2,930 21.93 45,620 16.69

Fabric menders, except garment....................................................................................... 2,030 13.74 28,580 12.35

Locksmiths and safe repairers........................................................................................... 18,970 14.54 30,250 13.67

Manufactured building and mobile home installers............................................................ 13,780 11.51 23,940 11.14

Riggers............................................................................................................................... 13,770 17.03 35,420 16.25

Signal and track switch repairers....................................................................................... 7,990 20.98 43,640 20.85

Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers..................................................... 148,770 11.33 23,560 10.31

Production occupations

First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers............................... 700,490 22.08 45,920 20.64

Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers........................................... 25,690 18.18 37,810 18.71

Coil winders, tapers, and finishers..................................................................................... 34,710 11.88 24,700 11.07

Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers................................................................ 267,030 11.84 24,640 11.03

Electromechanical equipment assemblers........................................................................ 57,500 12.75 26,510 12.15

Engine and other machine assemblers.............................................................................. 49,280 14.93 31,050 14.02

Structural metal fabricators and fitters............................................................................... 87,020 14.42 29,990 13.76

Fiberglass laminators and fabricators................................................................................ 36,470 12.61 26,220 11.83

Team assemblers............................................................................................................... 1,139,360 11.88 24,710 10.90

Timing device assemblers, adjusters, and calibrators....................................................... 6,230 12.58 26,160 11.63

Bakers................................................................................................................................ 161,820 10.64 22,120 9.89

Butchers and meat cutters................................................................................................. 129,840 13.06 27,160 12.26

Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers...................................................................... 150,920 9.03 18,790 8.57

Slaughterers and meat packers......................................................................................... 126,460 9.81 20,410 9.79

Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders.............. 19,180 12.06 25,080 11.18

Food batchmakers............................................................................................................. 71,930 11.17 23,240 10.54

Food cooking machine operators and tenders................................................................... 34,140 11.13 23,160 10.51

Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic........................................ 128,400 14.57 30,310 13.97

Numerical tool and process control programmers............................................................. 18,910 18.80 39,100 18.04

Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic.......... 96,270 12.83 26,690 12.44

Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic................................. 44,920 13.90 28,910 12.64

Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic................................... 42,270 14.19 29,510 13.62

Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders,

 metal and plastic......................................................................................................... 277,410 12.47 25,940 11.81

Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic.......... 51,730 14.14 29,400 13.23

Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, 

 metal and plastic......................................................................................................... 99,580 13.49 28,070 12.56

Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic........... 72,270 15.12 31,450 14.55

See footnotes at end of table.

Employment

Mean wages

Occupation

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, 20023⁄4 

Continued

Median hourly 

wages
Hourly Annual1

Production occupations 3⁄4 Continued

Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic................ 30,340 $14.57 $30,300 $14.04

Machinists.......................................................................................................................... 368,320 16.06 33,410 15.66

Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders.................................................................... 17,120 15.37 31,970 14.79

Pourers and casters, metal................................................................................................ 12,900 14.05 29,230 13.40

Model makers, metal and plastic........................................................................................ 8,360 18.92 39,360 18.27

Patternmakers, metal and plastic....................................................................................... 6,300 17.03 35,420 16.09

Foundry mold and coremakers.......................................................................................... 21,960 13.14 27,340 12.55

Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders,

 metal and plastic......................................................................................................... 147,060 12.12 25,200 11.17

Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic.......................... 96,560 14.93 31,050 13.79

Tool and die makers........................................................................................................... 105,210 20.98 43,630 20.54

Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers........................................................................... 361,970 14.82 30,820 14.02

Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders........................ 56,280 15.20 31,620 13.90

Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic...................... 28,410 14.35 29,860 13.56

Lay-out workers, metal and plastic..................................................................................... 12,490 15.67 32,600 14.79

Plating and coating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic............... 41,580 12.87 26,780 12.22

Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners.................................................................................. 22,700 14.94 31,080 14.14

Bindery workers.................................................................................................................. 88,740 11.53 23,970 10.51

Bookbinders....................................................................................................................... 7,170 14.27 29,680 13.31

Job printers......................................................................................................................... 49,080 15.34 31,910 14.47

Prepress technicians and workers..................................................................................... 89,370 15.88 33,040 14.98

Printing machine operators................................................................................................ 189,590 14.80 30,780 13.95

Laundry and dry-cleaning workers..................................................................................... 213,840 8.53 17,750 8.07

Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials............................................................... 87,130 8.54 17,770 8.21

Sewing machine operators................................................................................................. 277,800 8.99 18,710 8.39

Shoe and leather workers and repairers............................................................................ 9,860 9.84 20,460 9.14

Shoe machine operators and tenders................................................................................ 6,320 10.19 21,180 9.90

Sewers, hand..................................................................................................................... 19,180 9.91 20,610 8.69

Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers......................................................................... 29,560 11.75 24,450 10.68

Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders........................................... 25,950 10.21 21,230 10.00

Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders.................................................... 32,970 10.35 21,530 9.77

Textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders.............................. 49,410 11.16 23,210 11.05

Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders......... 62,800 10.96 22,810 10.54

Extruding and forming machine setters, operators, and tenders, synthetic 

 and glass fibers........................................................................................................... 26,620 13.32 27,710 13.22

Fabric and apparel patternmakers..................................................................................... 10,800 15.33 31,890 12.67

Upholsterers....................................................................................................................... 40,380 12.78 26,580 11.86

Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters............................................................................... 125,220 12.32 25,630 11.54

Furniture finishers............................................................................................................... 30,110 11.59 24,110 10.92

Model makers, wood.......................................................................................................... 4,350 13.35 27,770 11.90

Patternmakers, wood......................................................................................................... 4,130 14.99 31,170 14.32

Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood ................................................... 53,520 11.12 23,130 10.62

Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing............................ 89,860 11.13 23,160 10.59

Nuclear power reactor operators........................................................................................ 3,400 29.76 61,910 29.36

Power distributors and dispatchers.................................................................................... 11,670 26.08 54,240 26.02

Power plant operators........................................................................................................ 34,390 23.61 49,110 24.00

Stationary engineers and boiler operators......................................................................... 52,510 21.26 44,220 20.79

Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators.......................................... 96,970 16.64 34,620 16.05

Chemical plant and system operators................................................................................ 55,910 21.00 43,680 21.12

Gas plant operators............................................................................................................ 11,940 23.24 48,340 23.24

Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers................................ 38,500 22.85 47,520 23.69

Chemical equipment operators and tenders...................................................................... 56,610 18.29 38,040 18.00

Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, 

 and tenders................................................................................................................. 35,550 15.39 32,010 14.59

Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders...................... 44,370 13.46 28,000 12.83

Grinding and polishing workers, hand................................................................................ 43,370 11.99 24,940 11.04

Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders........................................... 103,940 13.70 28,500 13.23

Cutters and trimmers, hand................................................................................................ 30,910 11.84 24,630 10.59

Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders............................................. 75,430 12.86 26,760 12.35

Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders.. 71,500 13.49 28,070 12.76

Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders.............................................. 29,400 14.27 29,690 13.56

Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers......................................................... 500,250 14.31 29,760 13.01

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers............................................................... 28,970 14.11 29,350 12.63

Dental laboratory technicians............................................................................................. 40,440 15.17 31,560 13.70

Medical appliance technicians........................................................................................... 11,870 15.07 31,340 13.31

Ophthalmic laboratory technicians..................................................................................... 32,920 11.18 23,260 10.46

Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders....................................................... 390,380 11.18 23,260 10.20

Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders......................... 91,950 12.85 26,730 12.16

Painters, transportation equipment.................................................................................... 45,670 17.17 35,700 16.13

Painting, coating, and decorating workers......................................................................... 30,830 11.07 23,020 10.19

See footnotes at end of table.

Occupation Employment

Mean wages

Median hourly 

wages

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, 20023⁄4 

Continued
Hourly Annual1

Production occupations 3⁄4 Continued

Photographic process workers........................................................................................... 27,360 $11.07 $23,020 $9.72

Photographic processing machine operators..................................................................... 52,290 10.13 21,080 9.05

Semiconductor processors................................................................................................. 43,630 14.01 29,140 13.14

Cementing and gluing machine operators and tenders..................................................... 26,880 11.81 24,560 11.15

Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders......................... 18,010 11.91 24,780 10.99

Cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders.................................................... 7,280 11.41 23,730 10.21

Etchers and engravers....................................................................................................... 9,130 12.15 25,270 10.79

Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic.................................................. 36,240 12.65 26,320 11.87

Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders...................................................... 114,390 14.07 29,260 13.59

Tire builders........................................................................................................................ 13,020 17.30 35,990 18.67

Helpers--production workers.............................................................................................. 464,390 9.97 20,730 9.25

Transportation and material moving occupations

Aircraft cargo handling supervisors.................................................................................... 8,920 19.82 41,220 17.90

First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand............ 147,180 18.96 39,430 17.87

First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine

 and vehicle operators.................................................................................................. 207,280 21.96 45,670 20.63

Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers........................................................................ 78,810 (2) 122,230 (2)

Commercial pilots............................................................................................................... 19,570 (2) 58,000 (2)

Air traffic controllers............................................................................................................ 23,410 42.35 88,090 44.04

Airfield operations specialists............................................................................................. 5,910 19.64 40,850 17.31

Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians..................... 17,280 10.02 20,840 9.18

Bus drivers, transit and intercity......................................................................................... 197,090 14.81 30,810 14.22

Bus drivers, school............................................................................................................. 468,790 11.01 22,890 10.77

Driver/sales workers........................................................................................................... 368,730 11.43 23,780 9.92

Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer............................................................................... 1,520,880 16.52 34,350 15.97

Truck drivers, light or delivery services.............................................................................. 977,920 12.65 26,320 11.48

Taxi drivers and chauffeurs................................................................................................ 125,720 10.01 20,830 8.91

Locomotive engineers........................................................................................................ 28,250 24.66 51,280 23.28

Locomotive firers................................................................................................................ 710 21.58 44,880 22.02

Rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers.......................................................... 4,600 19.52 40,600 18.07

Railroad brake, signal, and switch operators..................................................................... 15,030 21.99 45,750 20.93

Railroad conductors and yardmasters................................................................................ 38,070 23.69 49,280 21.39

Subway and streetcar operators......................................................................................... 7,250 22.51 46,810 23.54

Sailors and marine oilers.................................................................................................... 25,360 14.69 30,550 13.64

Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels..................................................................... 22,530 24.73 51,430 23.97

Motorboat operators........................................................................................................... 3,600 14.71 30,590 12.71

Ship engineers................................................................................................................... 8,020 25.09 52,190 24.61

Bridge and lock tenders..................................................................................................... 3,900 15.17 31,560 16.98

Parking lot attendants........................................................................................................ 108,460 8.30 17,270 7.84

Service station attendants.................................................................................................. 102,550 8.54 17,770 7.97

Traffic technicians.............................................................................................................. 5,370 16.50 34,320 15.22

Transportation inspectors................................................................................................... 28,340 23.06 47,970 23.30

Conveyor operators and tenders........................................................................................ 59,240 12.40 25,790 11.66

Crane and tower operators................................................................................................. 49,060 18.42 38,320 17.47

Dredge operators............................................................................................................... 2,850 14.30 29,740 13.33

Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators.................................................. 67,210 16.77 34,880 15.58

Loading machine operators, underground mining.............................................................. 3,200 15.62 32,480 15.35

Hoist and winch operators.................................................................................................. 8,970 17.29 35,960 15.09

Industrial truck and tractor operators.................................................................................. 586,660 13.34 27,740 12.54

Cleaners of vehicles and equipment.................................................................................. 311,070 9.05 18,830 8.20

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand.................................................... 2,217,590 10.32 21,460 9.48

Machine feeders and offbearers......................................................................................... 162,670 11.23 23,360 10.50

Packers and packagers, hand............................................................................................ 927,740 8.73 18,160 8.03

Gas compressor and gas pumping station operators........................................................ 6,920 20.64 42,920 20.44

Pump operators, except wellhead pumpers....................................................................... 12,360 18.58 38,640 17.53

Wellhead pumpers............................................................................................................. 10,280 16.48 34,290 16.24

Refuse and recyclable material collectors.......................................................................... 132,290 12.55 26,090 11.60

Shuttle car operators.......................................................................................................... 3,070 17.81 37,050 18.44

Tank car, truck, and ship loaders....................................................................................... 16,960 17.03 35,420 15.63

2 Hourly wage rates for occupations where workers typically work fewer than 2,080 hours per year are not available.

3 Represents a wage above $70.01 per hour.

NOTE: Data do not include Guam, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

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

Employment Median hourly 

wages

Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey by occupation, 20023⁄4 

Continued