June 2011 

Occupational Employment

Statistics (OES) Highlights

An Overview of U.S. Occupational Employment 

and Wages in 2010

Ten occupations accounted for more than 1 out of every 5 U.S. jobs in May 2010. 

Retail salespersons and cashiers were the two largest occupations, with employment 

of 4.2 and 3.4 million, respectively. The largest occupations also included registered 

nurses; janitors; and laborers and hand freight, stock, and material movers.

(See page 12 to view these data in table format.)

$32,000

$25,710

$24,560

$32,780

$20,790

$67,720

$18,610

$28,240

$19,810

$25,000

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, 

Medical, and Executive

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand

Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping 

Cleaners

Customer Service Representatives

Waiters and Waitresses

Registered Nurses

Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Inc. 

Fast Food

Office Clerks, General

Cashiers

Retail Salespersons

Employment (millions)

Chart 1. Employment and Annual Mean Wages for the Largest U.S. 

Occupations, May 2010
2 

The majority of these occupations had low wages: of the 10 largest occupations, only 

registered nurses, with an annual mean wage of $67,720, had an average wage 

above the U.S. all-occupations mean of $44,410. Annual mean wages for the 

remaining largest occupations ranged from $18,610 for combined food preparation 

and serving workers to $32,780 for customer service representatives. (See chart 1.)

(See page 12 to view these data in table format.)

Three of the 10 largest occupations were office and administrative support jobs: 

general office clerks, with employment of 2.8 million; customer service 

representatives (2.1 million); and secretaries and administrative assistants, except 

legal, medical, and executive (1.8 million). Together with other office and 

administrative support occupations, this was the largest occupational group, making 

up about 1 out of every 6 U.S. jobs. (See chart 2.) Other large occupations in this 

group included stock clerks and order fillers and bookkeeping, accounting, and 

auditing clerks. 

0.8%

0.8%

1.4%

1.5%

1.8%

2.5%

6.5%

6.7%

6.7%

8.7%

10.6%

16.9%

0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00

Legal

Life, physical, and social science

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media

Community and social service

Architecture and engineering

Protective service

Production

Education, training, and library

Transportation and material moving

Food preparation and serving related

Sales and related

Office and administrative support

Employment (millions)

Chart 2. Employment and percent of total employment for the 

largest and smallest occupational groups, May 2010

Note: Darker bars indicate largest occupational groups and lighter bars indicate smallest occupational groups. 

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations were excluded because OES does not cover the majority of the 

agricultural sector.
3 

Sales and related occupations and food preparation and serving related occupations 

were the second and third largest occupational groups, making up about 11 and 9 

percent of U.S. employment, respectively. In addition to retail salespersons and 

cashiers, the largest sales occupations included first-line supervisors of retail sales 

workers and sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical 

and scientific products. The largest food preparation and serving related occupations 

were combined food preparation and serving workers and waiters and waitresses—

both among the 10 largest occupations—as well as restaurant cooks and food 

preparation workers. The smallest occupational groups included legal occupations 

and life, physical, and social science occupations, each making up less than 1 

percent of total employment.

(See page 13 to view these data in table format.)

The occupations with the highest private sector employment are shown in chart 3. 

These are very similar to the largest occupations overall shown in chart 1: eight out 

$114,430

$23,520

$25,600

$32,720

$67,870

$27,790

$20,790

$18,400

$19,710

$24,990

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5

General and Operations Managers

Stock Clerks and Order Fillers

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand

Customer Service Representatives

Registered Nurses

Office Clerks, General

Waiters and Waitresses

Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, 

Including Fast Food

Cashiers

Retail Salespersons

Private sector employment (millions)

Chart 3. Employment and Annual Mean Wages for the Largest 

Occupations in the Private Sector, May 2010
4 

of the 10 occupations are the same in both charts, with stock clerks and order fillers 

and general and operations managers rounding out the largest private sector 

occupations.

(See page 13 to view these data in table format.)

Teachers and teacher assistants made up half of the 10 largest occupations in the 

public sector, with the largest individual occupation, elementary school teachers, 

having employment of nearly 1.4 million. (See chart 4.) These teaching occupations 

were found primarily in local government. Correctional officers and jailers was the 

largest occupation in state government, with employment of 256,570. Registered 

nurses, police and sheriff’s patrol officers, janitors, general office clerks, and 

secretaries and administrative assistants were among the largest occupations in both 

state and local government. Other large occupations in local government included 

firefighters and school or special client bus drivers, while graduate teaching 

assistants and postsecondary health specialities teachers were among the largest 

$67,040

$34,320

$28,930

$37,200

$29,990

$55,510

$55,670

$56,600

$25,330

$55,350

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4

Registered Nurses

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except 

Legal, Medical, and Executive

Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping 

Cleaners

Teachers and Instructors, All Other

Office Clerks, General

Middle School Teachers, Except Special and 

Career/Technical Education

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and 

Career/Technical Education

Teacher Assistants

Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education

Public sector employment (millions)

Chart 4. Employment and Annual Mean Wages for the Largest 

Occupations in the Public Sector, May 2010
5 

state government occupations. Four occupations specific to the U.S. Postal Service 

made up about 21 percent of federal government employment; aside from these 

occupations, the largest occupations in federal government included all other 

business operations specialists, registered nurses, compliance officers, and 

management analysts.

(See page 14 to view these data in table format.)

Organizations providing health care and social assistance, such as hospitals, 

residential care facilities, and child day care services and preschools, accounted for

about 14 percent of U.S. jobs, more than any other type of employer. Over half of 

employment in this sector was in healthcare-related occupations, including the two 

largest occupations, registered nurses, with sector employment of nearly 2.3 million, 

and nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants, with employment of 1.3 million. (See 

chart 5.) Home health aides, licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, 

medical assistants, and dental assistants also were among the largest healthcare-

$25,770

$34,080

$20,150

$27,860

$26,820

$31,780

$29,860

$41,140

$20,200

$21,440

$24,880

$67,750

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

Dental Assistants

Childcare Workers

Office Clerks, General

Receptionists and Information Clerks

Medical Secretaries

Medical Assistants

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

Personal Care Aides

Home Health Aides

Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants

Registered Nurses

Chart 5. Employment and Annual Mean Wages for the Largest 

Occupations in Health Care and Social Assistance, May 2010

Employment in health care and social assistance

sector (millions)
6 

related occupations in this sector; other large occupations included personal care 

aides, medical secretaries, childcare workers, and preschool teachers.

Retail trade was the second-largest industry sector, accounting for about 13 percent 

of overall employment. Over 60 percent of retail trade jobs were in just four

occupations: retail salespersons, cashiers, stock clerks and order fillers, and first-line 

supervisors of retail salesworkers. Providers of educational services, manufacturers, 

and accommodation and food service establishments also were among the largest 

employers, with each of these three industry sectors accounting for 9 to 10 percent 

of U.S. employment. Education, training, and library occupations—including teacher 

assistants and elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers—made up 59 

percent of employment in the educational services sector. Production occupations 

such as team assemblers and machinists made up about half of manufacturing 

employment, while 80 percent of jobs in the accommodation and food services sector 

were in food preparation and serving related occupations.

The U.S. mean wage across all occupations was $21.35 per hour or $44,410 per year 

in May 2010, but wages for individual occupations and occupational groups varied 

greatly around that average. The highest paying occupational groups—management 

and legal occupations—had annual mean wages more than double the alloccupations average, while annual mean wages for computer and mathematical 

occupations and architecture and engineering occupations were more than $30,000 

above the U.S. average. (See chart 6.) Healthcare practitioners and technical 

occupations paid an average of $71,280 per year; although this group contained 

many of the highest-paying individual occupations, including specialist physicians 

and dentists, it also contained occupations with more moderate wages, such as 

medical and clinical laboratory technicians ($38,190) and recreational therapists 

($41,440). The lowest paying occupational groups—food preparation and serving 

related; farming, fishing, and forestry; and personal care and service—had annual 

mean wages of less than $25,000.
7 

(See page 14 to view these data in table format.)

Median wages for selected occupations, along with percentile wages across all 

occupations, are shown in chart 7. Ten percent of jobs in the economy had wages at 

or below the 10th percentile wage of $17,690 per year. Because these low-paying 

jobs were in a variety of occupations, and because each occupation had a variety of 

wages, no individual occupation had a median wage below the 10 percentile; 

however, the lowest paying occupations had median wages only slightly above this 

level. Most of the lowest paying occupations were related to food preparation and 

serving or personal care and service, including fast food cooks, with an annual 

median wage of $18,100; dishwashers ($18,150); shampooers ($18,270); and 

amusement and recreation attendants ($18,450). Other relatively low paying 

occupations included cashiers ($18,500), graders and sorters of agricultural products 

($19,180), childcare workers, and maids and housekeeping cleaners (both $19,300).

$21,240

$24,330

$24,590

$25,300

$26,920

$32,660

$67,690

$71,280

$75,550

$77,230

$96,940

$105,440

$0 $25,000 $50,000 $75,000 $100,000 $125,000

Food preparation and serving related

Farming, fishing, and forestry

Personal care and service

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

Healthcare support

Transportation and material moving

Business and financial operations

Healthcare practitioners and technical

Architecture and engineering

Computer and mathematical 

Legal

Management

Hourly Mean Wage

Chart 6. Annual Mean Wages for the Highest- and Lowest-Paying 

Occupational Groups, May 2010

Note: Darker bars indicate highest paying occupational groups and lighter bars indicate lowest 

paying occupational groups.
8

(See page 15 to view these data in table format.)

About half of jobs paid above and half below the U.S. all-occupations median wage of 

$33,840 annually. Occupations with median wages close to the all-occupations 

median included a number of office and administrative support, construction and 

extraction, and production occupations. For example, semiconductor processors, with 

an annual median wage of $33,130; printing press operators ($33,680); and 

welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers ($35,450) were some of the production 

occupations with median wages within 5 percent of the U.S. all-occupations median, 

while loan interviewers and clerks ($33,970); bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing 

clerks ($34,030); roofers ($34,220); and highway maintenance workers ($34,780) 

were some of the office support and construction occupations with wages in this 

range. Outside of these occupational groups, occupations with median wages near 

$0 $25,000 $50,000 $75,000 $100,000 $125,000

Cooks, Fast Food

Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

Home Health Aides

Stock Clerks and Order Fillers

Team Assemblers

Medical Secretaries

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

Dental Assistants

Carpenters

Sheet Metal Workers

Healthcare Social Workers

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

Accountants and Auditors

Materials engineers

Financial Managers

Pharmacists

Annual median wage

Chart 7. Annual Median Wages for Selected Occupations and All-Occupations

Percentile Wages, May 2010

90th 

percentile

wage, all 

occupations: 

$83,140

Median 

wage, all 

occupations: 

$33,840

10th percentile 

wage, all 

occupations: 

$17,690
9 

the all-occupations median included rehabilitation counselors ($32,350), dental 

assistants ($33,470), and parking enforcement workers ($35,390). (See chart 7.)

The highest-paid 10 percent of jobs had median wages of $83,140 or higher. Most of 

the occupations with median wages above this level were healthcare practitioners, 

such as pharmacists ($111,570) and general dentists ($141,040), or management 

occupations, such as human resources managers ($99,180) and financial managers 

($103,910). Several computer, engineering, and science occupations also had 

median wages above the all-occupations 90th percentile, as did some higher-paying 

postsecondary teaching occupations such as postsecondary law teachers ($94,260). 

Architecture and engineering, science, postsecondary teaching, and healthcare 

practitioners and technical occupations also were prevalent among the occupations 

with median wages below the 90th percentile but above the all-occupations 75th

percentile of $54,250; several business and financial operations occupations also had 

median wages in this range, including accountants and auditors ($61,690) and 

management analysts ($78,160).

California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois were the states with the highest 

total employment, accounting for more than one-third of U.S. jobs. These and other 

states with high overall employment also had the highest employment of many 

individual occupations. However, smaller states often had higher shares of their 

employment in specific jobs, in part because of factors like geographical 

characteristics and industry mix. For example, Louisiana, a medium-sized state in 

terms of total employment, and Alaska, a smaller state, had among the highest 

employment concentrations of several water transportation occupations, such as 

sailors and marine oilers; captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels; and ship 

engineers. Nebraska and Idaho had some of the highest concentrations of food 

scientists and technologists, while South Dakota had high concentrations of animal 

scientists and soil and plant scientists.
10 

(See page 15 to view these data in table format.)

Metropolitan areas and divisions with the highest total employment included New 

York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J.; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.; 

Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.; and Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas. As at the 

state level, these large metropolitan areas also tended to have high employment of 

many individual occupations, although smaller areas often had higher shares of their 

employment in a given occupation. 

In some cases, both overall employment size and an above-average employment 

concentration contributed to an area’s high employment of a particular occupation. 

Employment and employment concentrations of computer hardware engineers in 

selected areas, as well as total area employment, are shown in chart 8. In 2010, 

computer hardware engineers made up about .5 jobs per 1,000 in the United States 

WashingtonArlingtonAlexandria, DC-VAMD-WV Metro 

Division

Boston-CambridgeQuincy, MA NECTA 

Division

San DiegoCarlsbad-San 

Marcos, CA

San JoseSunnyvale-Santa 

Clara, CA

Huntsville, AL

Fort CollinsLoveland, CO

Lowell-BillericaChelmsford, MANH NECTA Divsion

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Total area employment (millions)

Computer hardware engineers per 1,000 area jobs

Chart 8. Employment and employment concentrations of computer 

hardware engineers and total area employment for selected 

metropolitan areas and divisions, May 2010

Note: bubble size indicates employment of computer hardware engineers.
11 

as a whole. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, had the highest employment 

concentration of computer hardware engineers—over 9 jobs per thousand—as well as 

relatively high total employment; both of these factors helped give San Jose the 

highest employment of this occupation. 

The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, metropolitan division; the 

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH, NECTA division; and San Diego-CarlsbadSan Marcos, CA, also had some of the highest employment levels for computer 

hardware engineers. In part, this resulted from somewhat above-average 

employment concentrations in this occupation, but these also were large areas 

overall, with total employment ranging from 1.2 million in San Diego to 2.3 million in 

the Washington metropolitan division. On the other hand, Huntsville, AL; Fort 

Collins-Loveland, CO; and the Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH, NECTA

division had some of the highest concentrations of computer hardware engineers, 

ranging from 4.6 to 5.6 per 1,000 jobs. This did not always translate into high 

employment levels: for example, Fort Collins-Loveland employed about 700 

computer hardware engineers, compared with over 3,400 in the much larger 

Washington, DC, metropolitan division. Wages for computer hardware engineers in 

the areas shown ranged from $90,720 in San Diego to $118,970 in San Jose.

Complete Occupational Employment Statistics data for May 2010 are available from 

the OES home page at www.bls.gov/oes. This highlight was prepared by Audrey 

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

www.bls.gov/oes/home.htm#contact.
12 

Table 1. Employment and mean wages for the largest U.S. occupations, 

May 2010

Occupation Employment

Percent of 

total U.S. 

employment

Hourly 

mean 

wage

Annual 

mean 

wage

Retail salespersons 4,155,190 3.3 $12.02 $25,000

Cashiers 3,354,170 2.6 9.52 19,810

Office clerks, general 2,789,590 2.2 13.58 28,240

Combined food preparation and serving 

workers, including fast food

2,692,170 2.1 8.95 18,610

Registered nurses 2,655,020 2.1 32.56 67,720

Waiters and waitresses 2,244,480 1.8 9.99 20,790

Customer service representatives 2,146,120 1.7 15.76 32,780

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and 

housekeeping cleaners

2,058,610 1.6 11.81 24,560

Laborers and freight, stock, and material 

movers, hand

2,024,180 1.6 12.36 25,710

Secretaries and administrative 

assistants, except legal, medical, and 

executive

1,841,020 1.4 15.38 32,000

Table 2. Employment and percent of total employment for the largest and 

smallest occupational groups, May 2010

Occupational group Employment

Percent of 

total 

employment

Largest groups:

Office and administrative support 21,503,800 16.9

Sales and related 13,437,980 10.6

Food preparation and serving related 11,027,340 8.7

Transportation and material moving 8,547,980 6.7

Education, training, and library 8,457,870 6.7

Production 8,236,340 6.5

Smallest groups:

Protective service 3,187,810 2.5

Architecture and engineering 2,305,530 1.8

Community and social service 1,901,180 1.5

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media 1,716,640 1.4

Life, physical, and social science 1,064,510 .8

Legal 992,650 .8
13 

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

private sector, May 2010

Occupation Employment, 

private 

sector

Hourly 

mean 

wage, 

private 

sector

Annual 

mean 

wage, 

private 

sector

Retail salespersons 4,143,330 $12.02 $24,990

Cashiers 3,311,000 9.47 19,710

Combined food preparation and serving workers, including 

fast food

2,547,480 8.85 18,400

Waiters and waitresses 2,234,880 9.99 20,790

Office clerks, general 2,215,470 13.36 27,790

Registered nurses 2,183,420 32.63 67,870

Customer service representatives 2,075,510 15.73 32,720

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand 1,961,690 12.31 25,600

Stock clerks and order fillers 1,756,840 11.31 23,520

General and operations managers 1,570,180 55.01 114,430

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

public sector, May 2010

Occupation Employment, 

public sector

Hourly 

mean 

wage, 

public 

sector

Annual 

mean 

wage, 

public 

sector

Elementary school teachers, except special education 1,355,990 (1) $55,350

Teacher assistants 992,730 (1) 25,330

Secondary school teachers, except special and 

career/technical education

951,690 (1) 56,600

Police and sheriff’s patrol officers 639,520 26.77 55,670

Middle school teachers, except special and 

career/technical education

602,480 (1) 55,510

Office clerks, general 574,120 14.42 29,990

Teachers and instructors, all other 542,490 (1) 37,200

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping 

cleaners

533,980 13.91 28,930

Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, 

medical and executive

474,760 16.50 34,320

Registered nurses 471,610 32.23 67,040

(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.
14 

Table 5. Employment and mean wages for the largest occupations in health 

care and social assistance (NAICS 62), May 2010

Occupation Employment, 

health care 

and social 

assistance 

Hourly 

mean 

wage, 

health 

care and 

social 

assistance

Annual 

mean 

wage, 

health 

care and 

social 

assistance

Registered nurses 2,296,070 $32.57 $67,750

Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants 1,337,810 11.96 24,880

Home health aides 921,870 10.31 21,440

Personal care aides 624,230 9.71 20,200

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses 623,450 19.78 41,140

Medical assistants 493,200 14.36 29,860

Medical secretaries 473,200 15.28 31,780

Receptionists and information clerks 412,080 12.89 26,820

Office clerks, general 368,750 13.40 27,860

Childcare workers 342,190 9.69 20,150

Dental assistants 282,010 16.38 34,080

Preschool teachers, except special education 268,700 12.39 25,770

Table 6. Mean wages for the highest- and lowest-paying occupational groups, 

May 2010

Occupational group Hourly mean 

wage

Annual 

mean wage

Highest paying groups:

Management $50.69 $105,440

Legal 46.60 96,940

Computer and mathematical 37.13 77,230

Architecture and engineering 36.32 75,550

Healthcare practitioners and technical 34.27 71,280

Business and financial operations 32.54 67,690

Lowest paying groups:

Transportation and material moving $15.70 $32,660

Healthcare support 12.94 26,920

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance 12.16 25,300

Personal care and service 11.82 24,590

Farming, fishing, and forestry 11.70 24,330

Food preparation and serving related 10.21 21,240

Note: Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations were excluded because OES does not cover the 

majority of the agricultural sector.
15 

Table 7. Median wages for selected occupations and all-occupations 

percentile wages, May 2010

Occupation

Hourly 

median/percentile 

wage

Annual 

median/percentile 

wage

Pharmacists $53.64 $111,570

Financial managers 49.96 103,910

90th percentile, all occupations 39.97 83,140

Materials engineers 39.96 83,120

Accountants and auditors 29.66 61,690

Police and sheriff’s patrol officers 25.74 53,540

Healthcare social workers 22.71 47,230

Sheet metal workers 20.05 41,710

Carpenters 19.00 39,530

Median (50th percentile), all occupations 16.27 33,840

Dental assistants 16.09 33,470

Refuse and recyclable materials collectors 15.69 32,640

Medical secretaries 14.68 30,530

Team assemblers 13.07 27,180

Stock clerks and order fillers 10.24 21,290

Home health aides 9.89 20,560

Maids and housekeeping cleaners 9.28 19,300

Cooks, fast food 8.70 18,100

10th percentile, all occupations 8.51 17,690

Table 8. Employment and employment concentrations of computer hardware 

engineers and total area employment for selected metropolitan areas and divisions, 

May 2010

Metropolitan area or division Employment

of computer 

hardware 

engineers 

Employment 

concentration of 

computer 

hardware 

engineers 

(employment per 

1,000 jobs)

Total area 

employment

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 7,990 9.3 857,160

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 

Metropolitan Division

3,410 1.5 2,289,200

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 2,200 1.3 1,658,000

San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 1,760 1.4 1,238,720

Huntsville, AL 1,120 5.5 202,410

Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 700 5.6 125,100

Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH NECTA 

Division

520 4.6 113,630