February 2010 

Occupational Employment 

Statistics (OES) Highlights

An Occupational Analysis of Industries with 

Employment Gains 

Although most industry sectors have lost jobs during the current downturn, there 

have been some bright spots in the economy: educational services, and health care 

and social assistance, have gained employment over the past two years. This 

highlight looks at occupational employment and wages for several industries in these 

sectors as of May 2008, several months into the recession. In addition to strong 

employment growth, all but one of the selected industries had average wages above 

the national average of $20.32 per hour or $42,270 annually. 

Chart 1: Largest occupations and their mean annual wages in colleges, universities,  and

professional schools, May 2008

$65,960 $60,430 $97,040 $25,880

$32,390 $109,620 $41,450

$31,560

$26,720 $73,890

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

Postsecondary teachers, all other

Office clerks, general

Graduate teaching assistants

Health specialtiesteachers, postsecondary

Executive secretaries and administrative

assistants

Secretaries, except legal, medical, and

executive

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and

housekeeping cleaners

Education administrators, postsecondary

Business operationsspecialists, all other

Art, drama, and music teachers,

postsecondary

Employment
Even in growing industries, not all occupations will experience employment 

increases; however, this analysis illustrates the types of jobs that are most common 

in these industries and that may benefit from positive overall employment trends. 

Between December 2007 and December 2009, state, local, and private sector 

education gained a combined total of nearly 180,000 jobs, an increase of about 1.3 

percent. This employment increase occurred primarily in state government and 

private sector education, which have most of their employment in colleges and 

universities; employment in local government education, which is concentrated in 

elementary and secondary schools, edged down over this period. 

Chart 1 shows the largest occupations in colleges, universities, and professional 

schools. (See page 8 to view the data from chart 1 in table format.) Colleges and 

universities employed a total of over 825,000 postsecondary teachers, including the 

three postsecondary teaching occupations shown in the chart; collectively, 

postsecondary teachers accounted for about 30 percent of industry employment. 

Two other large occupations, graduate teaching assistants (employment of 118,650) 

and postsecondary education administrators (70,860), were directly related to the 

provision of educational services. The remaining occupations shown in the chart were 

involved in office and administrative, facilities, or business operations support 

functions. These occupations included general office clerks (employment of 

162,380); janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners (75,900); 

and business operations specialists, all other (61,480). 

Colleges and universities were relatively high paying overall, with an average wage 

of $26.68 per hour or $55,490 annually. The largest occupations in colleges and 

universities included a mix of high- and low-paying jobs. The high concentration of 

postsecondary teaching jobs is one factor contributing to this industry’s high average 

wage. Annual mean wages in this industry for all postsecondary teaching occupations 

were above the U.S. average of $42,270, ranging from $51,470 for postsecondary 

vocational education teachers to $103,750 for postsecondary law teachers and 

$109,620 for postsecondary health specialties teachers. Postsecondary education 

2 
administrators also received wages significantly above the U.S. average, with an 

annual mean salary of $97,040. On the other hand, several other large occupations 

in this industry were relatively low paying, including janitors and cleaners ($12.44 

per hour); general office clerks ($12.85); and secretaries, except medical, legal, and 

executive ($15.57). 

The health care and social assistance industry sector experienced the largest 

employment increase between December 2007 and December 2009, gaining about 

758,000 private sector jobs, an increase of approximately 4.9 percent. Over 83 

percent of this employment growth was in health care industries, with social 

assistance accounting for the remaining 17 percent. This relatively strong 

performance may be due partly to the nature of the services provided by this sector. 

To the extent that health care is viewed as a necessity rather than an optional 

expenditure, demand for health care services may be less affected by an economic 

downturn, while the need for social services may tend to increase during recessions. 

While offices of physicians and home health care services accounted for about 20 

percent of December 2007 employment in the health care and social assistance 

sector, they accounted for nearly one-third of the sector’s job gains over the past 

two years. Chart 2 shows the largest occupations for offices of physicians, which 

together represented more than 60 percent of employment in this industry. The 

largest occupation in the industry, medical assistants, had employment of 294,380. 

Registered nurses were the second largest occupation, with employment of 218,110. 

The other large occupations were concentrated in two occupational groups: 

healthcare practitioner and technical occupations (physicians and surgeons, all other; 

licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses; and family and general 

practitioners) and office and administrative support occupations (receptionists and 

information clerks, medical secretaries, billing and posting clerks and machine 

operators, first-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support 

workers, and general office clerks). 

3 
Chart 2: Largest occupations and their mean hourly wages in offices of physicians, May 2008

$14.10

$31.28

$12.42 $14.41

$93.16

$17.28 $15.56

$22.63 $12.35 $80.75

0

40,000

80,000

120,000

160,000

200,000

240,000

280,000

320,000

Medical assistants

Registered nurses

Receptionists and

information clerks

Medical secretaries

Physicians and

surgeons, all other

Licensed practical and

licensed vocational

nurses

Billing and posting

clerks and machine

operators

First‐line

supervisors/managers,

office/admin support

workers

Office clerks, general

Family and general

practitioners

Employment

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

The average wage for offices of physicians was $30.31 per hour or $63,040 annually. 

Among the occupations shown in chart 2, the highest paid were physicians and 

surgeons, all other, with an average hourly wage of $93.16; and family and general 

practitioners, with an average hourly wage of $80.75. Registered nurses earned an 

average of $31.28 per hour in this industry. However, most of the remaining 

occupations shown in chart 2, including medical assistants ($14.10) and several of 

the office and administrative support occupations, had mean wages significantly 

below the U.S. average. 

Chart 3 shows some of the largest occupations in home health care services, 

representing more than 85 percent of employment in the industry. The two largest 

occupations—home health aides and personal and home care aides—represented 

more than half of total jobs in this industry, with employment of 281,840 and 

225,370, respectively. Nationally, home health care services were one of the largest 

4 
employers of both occupations, employing about 32 percent of home health aides 

and 37 percent of personal and home care aides. 

Chart 3: Largest occupations and their mean hourly wages in home health care services,

May 2008

$10.17

$8.48

$29.56

$19.91

$10.83

$39.36 $12.45 $39.50 $24.09 $42.68

0

40,000

80,000

120,000

160,000

200,000

240,000

280,000

320,000

Home health aides

Personal and home

care aides

Registered nurses

Licensed practical

and licensed

vocational nurses

Nursing aides,

orderlies, and

attendants

Physical therapists

Office clerks, general

Medical and health

services managers

Medical and public

health social workers

General and

operations managers

Employment

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

While most of the largest jobs in offices of physicians were concentrated in two 

occupational groups, the occupational composition of the home health care services 

industry was somewhat more diversified. In addition to the two occupations 

discussed above, the other large occupations in this industry included three 

healthcare practitioner and technical occupations (registered nurses, licensed 

practical and licensed vocational nurses, and physical therapists), two management 

occupations (medical and health services managers and general and operations 

managers), and one occupation each from the healthcare support, office and 

administrative support, and community and social services groups. 

Of the industries discussed in this highlight, only home health care services had an 

average wage below the U.S. mean. This industry’s low hourly mean of $16.27 is due 

5 
in part to the high concentration of two very low paying occupations: average wages 

for home health aides and personal and home care aides were $10.17 and $8.48, 

respectively. In addition, several of the largest occupations received lower wages in 

this industry than in other industries. For example, the mean wages for general and 

operations managers and medical and health services managers were $9.23 and 

$3.17 below their respective U.S. averages. 

Chart 4: Largest occupations and their mean hourly wages in hospitals, May 2008

$31.97

$12.53

$18.95 $25.88 $10.83 $14.79 $45.22 $13.75 $26.41 $14.07

0

250,000

500,000

750,000

1,000,000

1,250,000

1,500,000

1,750,000

Registered nurses

Nursing aides,

orderlies, and

attendants

Licensed practical

and licensed

vocational nurses

Radiologic

technologists and

technicians

Maids and

housekeeping

cleaners

Medical secretaries

Medical and health

services managers

Office clerks, general

Medical and clinical

laboratory

technologists

Interviewers, except

eligibility and loan

Employment

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

Public and private sector hospitals have gained approximately a quarter of a million 

jobs since December 2007. Chart 4 shows the largest occupations in hospitals, 

representing more than half of employment in this industry. Of the 10 large 

occupations shown in the chart, four were healthcare practitioner and technical 

occupations: registered nurses, licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, 

radiologic technologists and technicians, and medical and clinical laboratory 

technologists. The largest of these occupations was registered nurses, with 

employment of 1,535,440. Nationally, hospitals were the primary employer of 

registered nurses, radiologic technologists and technicians, and medical and clinical 

6 
laboratory technologists, accounting for over 60 percent of employment in each of 

these occupations. Among the other large occupations in this industry were three 

office and administrative support occupations (medical secretaries; general office 

clerks; and interviewers, except eligibility and loan); nursing aides, orderlies, and 

attendants; maids and housekeeping cleaners; and medical and health services 

managers. 

The average hourly wage in hospitals was $24.44, approximately $4.12 above the 

U.S. mean wage for all occupations. Of the occupations shown in chart 4, only 

medical and health services managers, with an hourly mean of $45.22, earned more 

than twice the U.S. average, while maids and housekeeping cleaners, nursing aides, 

and all three office support occupations had average wages below $15.00 per hour. 

However, the high employment concentration of registered nurses, which had an 

above average hourly mean wage of $31.97, helped to push up average wages for 

this industry. In addition, although most of the differences were relatively small, the 

majority of occupations shown in the chart had higher wages in hospitals than across 

all industries. For example, wages for medical and health services managers and 

maids and housekeeping cleaners exceeded their respective U.S. averages by $2.55 

and $1.07, respectively. 

Employment changes by industry are based primarily on seasonally adjusted data 

from the Current Employment Statistics program (www.bls.gov/ces/), with the 

exception of hospitals, for which data are not seasonally adjusted. CES data for 

November and December 2009 are preliminary. Private sector, state government, 

and local government education employment by detailed industry are derived from 

the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (www.bls.gov/cew/). Detailed 

occupational employment and wage data, including complete data for the industries 

featured in this highlight, are available from the OES home page at 

www.bls.gov/oes/. This highlight was prepared by Fatemeh Hajiha and Audrey 

Watson. For more information, please contact the OES program at 

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

7 
Table 1. Employment and mean wages for the largest occupations in 

colleges, universities, and professional schools, May 2008 

Occupation Employment Percent of 

total 

industry 

employment 

Mean 

hourly 

wage 

Mean 

annual 

wage 

Postsecondary teachers, all other 168,810 6.1 (1) $73,890

Office clerks, general 162,380 5.9 12.85 26,720

Graduate teaching assistants 118,650 4.3 (1) 31,560

Health specialties teachers, 

postsecondary 

96,840 3.5 (1) 109,620

Executive secretaries and 

administrative assistants 

95,120 3.4 19.93 41,450

Secretaries, except legal, medical, and 

executive 

91,210 3.3 15.57 32,390

Janitors and cleaners, except maids 

and housekeeping cleaners 

75,900 2.8 12.44 25,880

Education administrators, 

postsecondary 

70,860 2.6 46.66 97,040

Business operations specialists, all 

other 

61,480 2.2 29.05 60,430

Art, drama, and music teachers, 

postsecondary 

53,280 1.9 (1) 65,960

Total, these occupations 994,530 36.0

Industry total 2,764,870 26.68 55,490

(1) Wages for some occupations that do not generally work year-round, full time, are reported 

either as hourly wages or annual salaries, depending on how they are typically paid. 

8 
Table 2. Employment and mean wages for the largest occupations in 

offices of physicians, May 2008 

Occupation Employment Percent of 

total 

industry 

employment 

Mean 

hourly 

wage 

Mean 

annual 

wage 

Medical assistants 294,380 13.2 $14.10 $29,330

Registered nurses 218,110 9.8 31.28 65,070

Receptionists and information clerks 177,700 7.9 12.42 25,830

Medical secretaries 172,700 7.7 14.41 29,960

Physicians and surgeons, all other 133,530 6.0 93.16 193,780

Licensed practical and licensed 

vocational nurses 

91,170 4.1 17.28 35,940

Billing and posting clerks and machine 

operators 

89,820 4.0 15.56 32,360

First-line supervisors/managers, office 

and administrative support workers 

73,410 3.3 22.63 47,060

Office clerks, general 70,320 3.1 12.35 25,680

Family and general practitioners 69,140 3.1 80.75 167,970

Total, these occupations 1,390,280 62.1

Industry total 2,237,800 30.31 63,040

Table 3. Employment and mean wages for the largest occupations in home 

health care services, May 2008 

Occupation Employment Percent of 

total 

industry 

employment 

Mean 

hourly 

wage 

Mean 

annual 

wage 

Home health aides 281,840 29.8 $10.17 $21,150

Personal and home care aides 225,370 23.8 8.48 17,640

Registered nurses 130,860 13.8 29.56 61,490

Licensed practical and licensed 

vocational nurses 

61,340 6.5 19.91 41,410

Nursing aides, orderlies, and 

attendants 

38,690 4.1 10.83 22,520

Physical therapists 17,840 1.9 39.36 81,870

Office clerks, general 14,680 1.6 12.45 25,890

Medical and health services managers 13,810 1.5 39.50 82,170

Medical and public health social 

workers 

13,680 1.4 24.09 50,100

General and operations managers 8,570 0.9 42.68 88,780

Total, these occupations 806,680 85.2

Industry total 946,930 16.27 33,840

9 
Table 4. Employment and mean wages for the largest occupations in 

hospitals, May 2008 

Occupation Employment Percent of 

total 

industry 

employment 

Mean 

hourly 

wage 

Mean 

annual 

wage 

Registered nurses 1,535,440 27.7 $31.97 $66,490

Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants 421,850 7.6 12.53 26,060

Licensed practical and licensed 

vocational nurses 

180,930 3.3 18.95 39,410

Radiologic technologists and 

technicians 

128,060 2.3 25.88 53,820

Maids and housekeeping cleaners 125,490 2.3 10.83 22,520

Medical secretaries 114,180 2.1 14.79 30,760

Medical and health services managers 105,870 1.9 45.22 94,060

Office clerks, general 105,870 1.9 13.75 28,600

Medical and clinical laboratory 

technologists 

102,390 1.9 26.41 54,930

Interviewers, except eligibility and loan 93,040 1.7 14.07 29,270

Total, these occupations 2,913,120 52.6

Industry total 5,536,100 24.44 50,840

10