1 

April 2011 

Occupational Employment

Statistics (OES) Highlights

Using Occupational Employment Statistics (OES)

Data in a Job Search

Searching for a job in a recovering economy can be a daunting task. Whether they are 

recent graduates or professionals contemplating switching careers, job seekers can ease 

this process by understanding the distinct resources available to them. More specifically, 

prospective employees can use Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) data to find the

industries and geographic areas with the highest employment and wages for occupations 

that are of interest to them. 

(See page 9 to view these data in table format.) 

-15,000 -10,000 -5,000 0 5,000 10,000 15,000

General freight trucking

Warehousing and storage

Support activities for road transportation

Cement and concrete product manufacturing

Employment services

Employment change

Chart 1. Employment change for heavy and tractor-trailer truck 

drivers in selected industries, May 2004 and May 2009
2 

Chart 1 shows how employment for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers declined 

between 2004 and 2009 in specific industries, including employment services and cement 

and concrete product manufacturing. For this occupation, the employment level in the 

employment services industry declined by 12,770. Meanwhile, other industries, such as 

general freight trucking, warehousing and storage, and support activities for road 

transportation, experienced an increase in the number of heavy and tractor-trailer truck 

drivers. The general freight trucking industry increased its employment by 12,993 

between 2004 and 2009. These data could be beneficial to heavy and tractor-trailer truck 

drivers who may have been working in an industry that experienced an employment 

decline by providing them with options for considering other industries that are 

experiencing growth in employment in their occupation.

A similar example would be individuals who have been laid off in the residential 

construction industry. Employment in the residential construction industry has declined 

since early 2006; a similar industry that has also experienced decline, although not as 

much, is the nonresidential construction industry. The nonresidential construction industry 

also tends to pay higher wages compared with the residential construction industry. Chart 

2 shows the employment levels and mean hourly wages for construction laborers in some 

of the industries with the highest employment levels. 

(See page 9 to view these data in table format.)

$15.65

$17.23

$15.56

$15.17

$17.93

$16.44

0 40,000 80,000 120,000

Other specialty trade contractors

Nonresidential building construction

Foundation structure and building exterior contractors

Residential building construction

Highway street and bridge construction

Utility system construction

Employment

Chart 2. Employment and mean hourly wages for construction 

laborers in selected industries with highest employment, May 2009
3 

 

Some occupations, such as accountants, financial managers, administrative services 

managers, clerks, sales workers, human resources specialists, and laborers, can be found 

in almost every industry. Other occupations are concentrated in a few industries, but they 

can still be found in other industries. For example, paralegals might focus their job 

searches on finding work within the legal services industry, an industry that traditionally 

employs 73 percent of paralegals. However, job seekers could broaden their searches to 

include government employers, which account for another 15 percent of jobs in this 

occupation. In other words, to maximize their potential opportunities, job seekers might 

want to examine alternative industries for employment. Different industries often pay 

different wages. As a jobseeker, if earning a higher salary is a priority, then applying to 

jobs that pay higher wages should be considered. 

Considering related occupations 

The OES website has a comprehensive list of 800 occupations, which allows individuals to 

consider related occupations. For example, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers not only 

can consider switching industries to improve their employment opportunities, but they 

also can consider related occupations under “Transportation and Material Moving 

Occupations.” Bus drivers and taxi drivers and chauffeurs are two of many driving-related 

occupations that require a very similar skill set and training to that of heavy and tractortrailer truck drivers. 

Similarly, under “Protective Service Occupations” individuals will find occupations such as 

police officers, security guards, correctional officers, and private investigators. The

occupational profiles list can be especially useful for people who would like more 

information about jobs with a similar skill set. There were an estimated 1,028,830 security 

guards employed in May 2009, and their mean hourly wage was $12.70. A comparable 

occupation that may require slightly different training is correctional officers and jailers. 

Employment in that occupation was estimated at 455,350 in May 2009, with a mean 

hourly wage of $20.49.
4 

(See page 9 to view these data in table format.) 

Contemplating a specific industry

Alternatively, if job seekers are interested in working in a particular industry, they can find 

information on the variety of jobs in that industry. For instance, jobs in the healthcare 

industry include orderlies, surgeons, and medical records technicians and jobs in 

education include teachers, school bus drivers, and education administrators. 

A jobseeker interested in working in the motion picture and sound recording industries

could work in any number of occupations involved in preproduction, production, and 

postproduction. For example, writers and authors who take an idea or existing work and 

create a screenplay or script could be considered as working in preproduction. A 

production occupation might be sound engineering technicians who supervise all sound 

generated during filming. In May 2009, sound engineering technicians earned a mean 

hourly wage of $28.08. A postproduction occupation might be a film and video editor who 

studies and assembles the footage recorded. Training requirements and job outlook for 

these and over 250 occupations are available through the Occupational Outlook 

$16.14

$12.23

$31.66

$9.85

$22.72

$20.49

$26.53

$12.70

0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000 1,000,000 1,200,000

Animal control workers

Crossing guards

Detectives and criminal investigators

Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational 

protective service workers

Fire fighters

Correctional officers and jailers

Police and sheriff's patrol officers

Security guards

Employment

Chart 3. Employment and mean hourly wages for selected occupations 

in protective services, May 2009
5 

Handbook. Selected occupations in the motion picture and sound recording industries are 

included in Chart 4 alongside their mean hourly wages. 

(See page 10 to view these data in table format.) 

Location matters

Geographically, OES produces cross-industry data for the nation as a whole, for individual

states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Employment concentration for an 

area, which can be measured by location quotients, is one important factor to consider as 

a job seeker. The national location quotient for an occupation is always one. A location 

quotient greater than 1.0 indicates more local concentration in an occupation compared 

with the national average. Job seekers interested in working as travel agents will notice 

that specific states have higher-than-average employment concentrations in this

occupation, such as Hawaii, North Dakota, Florida, and Missouri. Chart 5 details how travel 

agents are almost 2.5 times more concentrated in Hawaii compared with the national 

average, but the employment level was at 860 for May 2009. Meanwhile, Florida had a 

slightly lower location quotient, since travel agents were 1.88 times more concentrated in 

Florida compared with the national average, but the employment level for that occupation 

$13.13

$10.90

$33.70

$34.08

$47.65

$25.20

$28.08

$31.27

$41.74

$52.12

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

Office clerks, general

Motion picture projectionists

Film and video editors

Multi-media artists and animators

Actors

Camera operators, television, video, and motion picture

Sound engineering technicians

Set and exhibit designers

Writers and authors

Producers and directors

Employment

Chart 4. Employment and mean hourly wages for selected occupations

in motion picture and sound recording industries, May 2009
6 

was almost 9.5 times higher than Hawaii’s, at 8,150. When considering where to look for 

employment opportunities, job seekers can use OES data to examine both the 

employment concentration and overall level of employment for various occupations. 

(See page 10 to view these data in table format.) 

Although job seekers may be tempted to move to areas where wages are significantly 

higher, which tend to be large metropolitan areas, they should consider cost of living 

before packing up. For example, the New York metropolitan area may have higher-thanaverage wages and employment, yet the high cost of living can offset higher wages. 

Besides, not all occupations are concentrated in the largest metropolitan areas in the 

United States. For example, aspiring zoologists and wildlife biologists could search for jobs 

in Corvallis, OR; Fairbanks, AK; and Lewiston, ID, which represent some of the locations 

with high employment concentrations for this occupation. (See chart 6.) Zoologists and 

wildlife biologists are about 39 times more concentrated in Corvallis, OR; 32 times more 

concentrated in Fairbanks, AK; and 21 times more concentrated in Lewiston, ID, 

compared with the national average. Such a job seeker could also consider cities where 

employment levels are highest, some of which include Seattle, Portland, and San Diego.

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

Employment

Location Quotient

Chart 5. Employment and location quotients for states with high 

employment concentrations of travel agents, May 2009

Employment

Location Quotient
7 

The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, metropolitan area employed an estimated 920 

zoologists and wildlife biologists in May 2009. Meanwhile, the Portland-VancouverBeaverton, OR-WA, metropolitan area had employment of 710 in this occupation and the 

San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA, metropolitan area employed 340.

(See page 10 to view these data in table format.) 

Looking at wages

Wages vary for numerous reasons, including skills, experience, geographic locations, and 

industry. OES provides not only mean and median wage data, but also wage range data 

by percentiles, including the 10th, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentiles. To demonstrate the 

usefulness of these data, consider a student graduating with a degree in psychology who 

is possibly interested in becoming a public relations specialist. This job seeker may expect 

wages near the 10th percentile, at $30,520 annually, or the 25th percentile, at $38,740 

annually, since he or she is just starting a new career and may lack experience. 

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Location Quotient

Employment

Chart 6. Location quotients and employment for areas with high employment 

concentrations of zoologists and wildlife biologists, May 2009

Employment

Location 

Quotient
8 

Meanwhile, a more experienced job seeker could expect wages in the 75th percentile, at 

$72,180 annually, or the 90th percentile, at $96,630 for the same occupation.

To get started, job seekers can select occupations of interest to them from the list at

www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm to see the occupation’s profile. More information 

on employment and wages for all occupations in a particular area can be found at 

www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcma.htm, or occupations in industries of interest can be 

reviewed at www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrci.htm. Wage data for May 2010 will be 

released on May 17, 2011. Data on employment projections, including the projected 

growth and decline in the construction industry, are from the Employment Projections 

Program (www.bls.gov/ep). The Occupational Outlook Handbook is available from the 

Occupational Outlook Handbook Program (www.bls.gov/oco). This highlight was prepared 

by Claudia Calderón. For more information, please contact the OES program at 

www.bls.gov/oes/home.htm#contact.
9 

Table 1. Employment for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, May 2004 and 

May 2009 

Industry 2004 

Employment

2009 

Employment Employment 

change

General freight trucking 538,640 551,630 12,990

Warehousing and storage 23,560 33,140 9,580

Support activities for road transportation 24,160 33,310 9,150

Cement and concrete product manufacturing 71,570 61,030 -10,540

Employment services 41,580 28,810 -12,770

Table 2. Employment and mean hourly wages for construction laborers in 

selected industries, May 2009

Occupation Employment

Hourly 

mean 

wage

Annual 

mean 

wage

Other specialty trade contractors 128,400 $15.65 $32,550

Nonresidential building construction 118,840 17.23 35,840

Foundation structure and building exterior contractors 97,700 15.56 32,370

Residential building construction 91,620 15.17 31,540

Highway street and bridge construction 79,720 17.93 37,290

Utility system construction 79,390 16.44 34,190

Table 3. Employment and mean hourly wages for selected occupations in 

protective services, May 2009

Occupation Employment

Hourly 

mean 

wage

Annual 

mean 

wage

Security guards 1,028,830 $12.70 $26,430

Police and sheriff's patrol officers 641,590 26.53 55,180

Correctional officers and jailers 455,350 20.49 42,610

Fire fighters 305,500 22.72 47,270

Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service 

workers 115,640 9.85 20,490

Detectives and criminal investigators 110,380 31.66 65,860

Crossing guards 68,470 12.23 25,430

Animal control workers 15,320 16.14 33,560
10 

Table 4. Employment and mean hourly wages for selected occupations in motion 

picture and sound recording industries, May 2009

Occupation Employment Hourly mean wage

Producers and directors 24,150 $52.12

Film and video editors 11,960 33.70

Motion picture projectionists 9,830 10.90

Actors 9,750 47.65

Multi-media artists and animators 7,740 34.08

Sound engineering technicians 7,280 28.08

Camera operators, television, video, and motion picture 5,410 25.20

Office clerks, general 5,390 13.13

Writers and authors 2,190 41.74

Set and exhibit designers 1,390 31.27

Table 5. Location quotients and employment for travel agents in selected states, 

May 2009

State Location 

Quotient Employment

Hawaii 2.48 860

North Dakota 2.25 470

Florida 1.88 8,150

Missouri 1.53 2,400

Alaska 1.46 260

Massachusetts 1.41 2,640

New York 1.36 6,770

New Jersey 1.36 3,090

Arizona 1.32 1,930

Nevada 1.32 930

Table 6. Location quotients and employment for zoologists and wildlife biologists

in selected areas, May 2009

Area Location 

Quotient Employment

Corvallis, OR 38.69 160

Fairbanks, AK 31.77 150

Lewiston, ID-WA 20.85 70

Olympia, WA 19.62 240

Northwestern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 18.31 100

Coastal Oregon nonmetropolitan area 17.62 160

Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area 14.39 230

Northeastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 13.39 90

Wenatchee, WA 13.31 70

Anchorage, AK 13.08 280