Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics - Help and Information

Welcome to the step-by-step guide on how to use the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey one-screen query system

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics database contains annual employment and wage estimates for: the nation as a whole, individual states, and metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas; national occupational estimates for specific industries are also available.

This tool lets users query the BLS databases for specific data series. As you make your selection, the remaining characteristics will filter to show only choices where data are available. After you've finished finding the data series you need, click the “Submit" button. An HTML table or XLSX file (depending on your selection) containing the estimates will display. Note: Users may not retrieve more than 1,000 data series in one query.

Helpful hints for selecting multiple series:

• Click and drag your mouse across consecutive items
• Hold down CTRL while selecting multiple items
• Click on the first item then hold down SHIFT while clicking on another item to select all items between the two
• Press CTRL-A to select all items in a list

1. Select one or more States

Scroll down or begin typing the state name in the search box. The contents of the box will filter to only show areas that contain the search string. Your choice will then filter box 2 so that it only contains the corresponding available areas.

2. Select one or more Areas

Scroll down or begin typing the area name in the search box. The contents of the box will filter to only show areas that contain the search string. Your choice will then filter box 3 so that it only contains the corresponding available industries.

3. Select one or more Industries

Scroll down or begin typing the industry name in the search box. The contents of the box will filter to only show industries that contain the search string. Your choice will then filter box 4 so that it only contains the corresponding available occupations.

4. Select one or more Occupations

Scroll down or begin typing the occupation name in the search box. The contents of the box will filter to only show occupations that contain the search string. Your choice will then filter box 5 so that it only contains the corresponding available data types.

5. Select one or more Data Types

Choose a data type by clicking on one. To select multiple options, hold the Ctrl/Command button, and click the desired options. Your choice will then filter box 6 so that it only contains the corresponding available years.

6. Select a Year

Click on the year you would like to view. Viewing multiple years of data will require separate queries for each year. Please note that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison over time. For more information, see our FAQ page.

7. Select an Output Type

Choose either HTML or XLSX.

8. Click the Submit button

Last modified date: May 15, 2026