Technical information: (202) 691-6569 USDL 02-619 http://www.bls.gov/oes/ For release: 10:00 A.M. EST Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Wednesday, November 6, 2002 OCCUPATIONAL EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES, 2001 Management and legal occupations were the highest paying occupations in 2001, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. (See chart 1.) These estimates for wage and salary workers are from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey, a federal-state coopera- tive program between BLS and State Employment Security Agencies (SESAs). The OES survey provides estimates of employment, average (mean) and median hourly wages, and mean annual wages for 770 detailed occupations and for 22 major occupational groups, as defined by the Standard Occupational Classifi- cation (SOC) system. (See Technical Note.) Table A displays the number of detailed occupations within each major occupational group, as well as the level and distribution of employment and the mean hourly wage for each occupational group. The major group with the largest employment in 2001 was office and administrative support occupations, with 18 percent of total employment. The next largest groups were sales and related occupations and production occupations, with 10 and 9 percent of total employment, respectively. The smallest occupational groups in terms of employment were the farming, fishing, and forestry occupations, legal occupations, and life, physical, and social science occupations. The highest paying major groups of occupations in 2001 were the management occupations and the legal occupations. More than one-fourth 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 the food prepara- tion and serving related occupations, farming, fishing, and forestry occupa- tions, building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations, and personal care and service occupations. Nearly half or more of all workers in each of these four lowest-paying groups earned less than $8.50 per hour. Major occupational groups whose wages were concentrated in the middle three wage ranges 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. The OES survey is designed to estimate employment and wages with a desired level of reliability based on a sample collected over a 3-year period. The OES survey estimates for 2001 are based on responses from establishments col- lected for 1999, 2000, and 2001. - 2 - Table A. Employment and wages by major occupational group, 2001 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Occupations | Employment | Mean Major occupational group |------------------|--------------------|hourly | | Percent | |Percent | wage | Number | of total| Number |of total| ----------------------------|--------|---------|-----------|--------|------ | | | | | Total..................| 770 | 100.0 |127,980,430| 100.0 | Management..................| 30 | 3.9 | 7,212,130| 5.6 |$34.04 Business and financial | | | | | operations................| 28 | 3.6 | 4,676,690| 3.7 | 24.32 Computer and mathematical...| 16 | 2.1 | 2,825,820| 2.2 | 29.02 Architecture and | | | | | engineering...............| 35 | 4.5 | 2,489,040| 1.9 | 27.08 Life, physical, and social | | | | | science...................| 39 | 5.1 | 1,067,750| .8 | 23.90 Community and social | | | | | services..................| 14 | 1.8 | 1,523,940| 1.2 | 16.44 Legal ......................| 9 | 1.2 | 909,360| .7 | 33.19 Education, training, and | | | | | library...................| 58 | 7.5 | 7,658,800| 6.0 | 18.81 Arts, design, entertainment,| | | | | sports, and media.........| 37 | 4.8 | 1,508,730| 1.2 | 19.12 Healthcare practitioner and | | | | | technical.................| 46 | 6.0 | 6,118,880| 4.8 | 24.01 Healthcare support..........| 15 | 1.9 | 3,123,160| 2.4 | 10.53 Protective service .........| 20 | 2.6 | 2,958,050| 2.3 | 15.64 Food preparation and serving| | | | | related...................| 16 | 2.1 | 9,917,790| 7.7 | 8.04 Building and grounds | | | | | cleaning and maintenance..| 9 | 1.2 | 4,275,660| 3.3 | 9.80 Personal care and service...| 33 | 4.3 | 2,801,640| 2.2 | 10.10 Sales and related...........| 21 | 2.7 | 13,418,770| 10.5 | 13.91 Office and administrative | | | | | support...................| 56 | 7.3 | 22,798,460| 17.8 | 13.09 Farming, fishing, and | | | | | forestry..................| 13 | 1.7 | 453,010| .4 | 9.44 Construction and extraction.| 58 | 7.5 | 6,239,250| 4.9 | 17.05 Installation, maintenance, | | | | | and repair................| 53 | 6.9 | 5,322,980| 4.2 | 16.81 Production..................| 112 | 14.5 | 11,270,180| 8.8 | 13.27 Transportation and | | | | | material moving ..........| 52 | 6.8 | 9,410,340| 7.4 | 12.77 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The OES survey estimates presented in this release are benchmarked to a fourth-quarter 2001 reference period. The 1999 and 2000 wage data have been adjusted to the 2001 reference period by using the over-the-year wage changes in the most applicable national Employment Cost Index series. For further details, see the Technical Note beginning on page 4. The 2001 OES data for states and metropolitan areas will be available on the BLS Web site in late November. The national employment and wage data by industry also will be available on the Web site in late November. - 3 - Table B. Wage distribution by major occupational group, 2001 (Percent distribution) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | Wage range Major |------------------------------------------------------------ occupational |Under|$8.50 |$10.75|$13.50|$17.00|$21.50|$27.25|$34.50|Over group |$8.50| to | to | to | to | to | to | to |$43.75 |Over | |$10.74|$13.49|$16.99|$21.49|$27.24|$34.49|$43.74| ----------------|------------------------------------------------------------ Management.......| 1.7| 2.0| 4.1| 7.6| 11.3| 14.9| 16.3| 15.7| 26.4 Business and | | | | | | | | | financial | | | | | | | | | operations.....| 2.1| 2.9| 7.5| 14.9| 20.6| 20.9| 15.7| 8.8| 6.6 Computer and | | | | | | | | | mathematical...| .9| 1.9| 4.1| 8.2| 13.8| 19.5| 21.6| 17.7| 12.3 Architecture and | | | | | | | | | engineering....| .8| 2.2| 5.0| 9.7| 16.2| 21.6| 21.0| 15.0| 8.6 Life, physical, | | | | | | | | | and social | | | | | | | | | science .......| 3.0| 4.7| 8.8| 14.8| 18.5| 18.8| 14.8| 9.2| 7.3 Community and | | | | | | | | | social | | | | | | | | | services.......| 8.5| 12.3| 18.9| 21.4| 18.3| 12.5| 5.7| 1.7| .8 Legal............| 1.7| 3.1| 7.2| 11.8| 14.3| 12.4| 10.2| 11.0| 28.4 Education, | | | | | | | | | training, and | | | | | | | | | library........| 13.3| 9.0| 10.3| 15.6| 18.6| 16.3| 9.9| 4.4| 2.6 Arts, design, | | | | | | | | | entertainment, | | | | | | | | | sports, and | | | | | | | | | media..........| 15.5| 10.7| 12.4| 14.9| 15.0| 13.2| 8.5| 4.8| 5.0 Healthcare | | | | | | | | | practitioner | | | | | | | | | and technical..| 3.5| 5.8| 9.3| 14.9| 20.8| 19.7| 11.3| 5.6| 9.0 Healthcare | | | | | | | | | support........| 31.3| 30.3| 21.1| 11.3| 4.5| 1.0| .3| .1| .1 Protective | | | | | | | | | service........| 20.3| 14.7| 14.3| 14.2| 14.4| 12.0| 6.9| 2.5| .7 Food preparation | | | | | | | | | and serving | | | | | | | | | related........| 71.3| 15.5| 7.7| 3.4| 1.4| .4| .1| -| - Building and | | | | | | | | | grounds clean- | | | | | | | | | ing and | | | | | | | | | maintenance....| 46.9| 23.4| 14.7| 8.7| 4.4| 1.3| .4| .1| - Personal care | | | | | | | | | and service....| 53.3| 20.0| 10.4| 6.7| 4.8| 2.5| 1.1| .7| .5 Sales and | | | | | | | | | related .......| 41.4| 15.3| 10.7| 9.2| 7.7| 5.7| 3.9| 2.6| 3.4 Office and | | | | | | | | | administrative | | | | | | | | | support........| 17.6| 21.2| 22.7| 18.6| 12.9| 4.8| 1.6| .5| .2 Farming, fishing,| | | | | | | | | and forestry...| 60.0| 15.8| 10.1| 6.9| 4.3| 1.8| .7| .3| .1 Construction and | | | | | | | | | extraction.....| 8.4| 13.2| 17.2| 18.7| 17.4| 14.0| 8.1| 2.5| .7 Installation, | | | | | | | | | maintenance, | | | | | | | | | and repair.....| 8.5| 11.8| 16.0| 19.7| 20.5| 15.4| 6.1| 1.5| .4 Production.......| 20.8| 20.7| 20.1| 16.6| 11.1| 7.2| 2.5| .7| .2 Transportation | | | | | | | | | and material | | | | | | | | | moving.........| 28.9| 19.5| 17.4| 14.5| 10.8| 5.6| 1.9| .6| .9 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - 4 - Technical Note Scope of the survey The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey is an annual mail survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments, by industry. The OES survey samples and contacts approximately 400,000 establishments each year and, over 3 years, contacts approximately 1.2 million establishments. The reference period for each year's survey is the fourth quarter of that year. The nationwide response rate for the 2001 survey was 78 percent for establishment units and 71 percent for employment. While estimates can be made from a single year or 2 years of data, achieving the desired precision for OES survey estimates requires the full 3 years of sample. (See Estimation methodology section.) The full sample allows the production of estimates at fine levels of geographical, industrial, and occupational detail. Estimates from the 2001 survey are based on data collected from establishments for 1999, 2000, and 2001 using the Standard Occupational Classification system. A brief description of this classification system is provided below. The Occupational Classification System for 2001. In 1999, the OES survey began using the Office of Management and Budget's occupational classification system--the Standard Occupational Classification system (SOC). The SOC system is the first OMB-required occupational classification system for federal agencies. The OES survey categorizes workers in one of about 770 detailed occupations. Together, these detailed occupations comprise 22 major occupa- tional groups. The major groups of the SOC system are as follows: Management occupations Business and financial operations occupations Computer and mathematical 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). For more information about the SOC system, please see the BLS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/soc/soc_home.htm. 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 and 2- and 3-digit Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) industry estimates for the nation, states, and metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). BLS releases all cross industry and national estimates, and the SESAs release industry estimates at the state and MSA levels. - 5 - 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. The survey excludes the self employed, owners/partners of unincorporated firms, and unpaid family workers. Employees are reported in the occupation in which they are working, not necessarily for which they were trained. The OES survey currently uses the Standard Industrial Classification system to classify all establishments. 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 scope of the survey includes establishments in SIC codes 07, 10, 12 to 17, 20 to 42, 44 to 65, 67, 70, 72, 73, 75, 76, 78 to 84, 86, 87, and 89 and state and local government. This scope covers agricultural services; mining; construction; manufacturing; transportation and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; services; and government workers. Data for the Postal Service (SIC code 43) and federal government are universe counts obtained from the Postal Service and the Office of Personnel Management, respectively. Beginning with the 2002 estimates, the OES survey will be using the North American Industry Class- ification System as the basis for industry classification. States' 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 nonmanufacturing 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: Size class Number of employees _____________________________________ 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 _____________________________________ UI reporting units with 250 or more employees are sampled with virtual certainty across a 3-year period. Generally, one-third of the certainty units are sampled each year in each state. There are some states that sample more than one-third of their certainty units during one survey year. Concepts Employment is the estimate of total wage and salary employment in an occupation across the industries in which it was reported. The OES survey form sent to an establishment contains between 50 and 225 SOC occupations selected on the basis of the industry classification and size class of the sampled establishments. To reduce paperwork and respondent burden, no survey form contains every SOC occupation. Thus, data for specific occupations are collected primarily from establishments within industries that are the predominant employers of labor in these occupations. Each survey form is structured, however, to allow a respondent to provide information for each detailed occupation employed at the establishment; that is, unlisted occupations can be added to the survey form. - 6 - 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, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost of supplementary benefits, and tuition reimburse- ments. The OES survey collects wage data in 12 intervals. Employers report the number of employees in an occupation per each wage range. The wage intervals used for the 2001 survey are as follows: ---------------------------------------------------------- | Wages Interval |------------------------------------------- | Hourly | 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 ---------------------------------------------------------- Mean wage is the estimated total wages for an occupation divided by its weighted survey employment. With the exception of the upper open-ended wage interval, interval L ($70.00 an hour and over), a mean wage value is calculated for each wage interval based on occupational wage data collected by the BLS Office of Compensation and Working Conditions. The mean wage value for the upper open-ended wage interval is its lower bound (Winsorized mean). These interval mean wage values are then attributed to all workers reported in the interval. For each occupation, total weighted wages in each interval are summed across all intervals and divided by the occupation's weighted survey employment. Annual wage. Many employees are paid at an hourly rate by their employers and may work less than or more 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" hours figure of 2,080 hours per year (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. There are workers in some occupations who are paid based on an annual amount, but generally do not work the usual 2,080 hours per year. Since the survey does not collect the actual 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 wage estimates are reported 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 rates are constructed by multiplying the hourly wage rate for the interval by the typical work year of 2,080 hours. In reporting, the respondent can reference either the hourly or the annual rate, but is instructed to report the hourly rate for part-time workers. - 7 - Estimation methodology The OES survey samples approximately 400,000 establishments each year and, over a 3-year period, contacts approximately 1.2 million establishments. Each single-year sample represents a one-third sample of both the certainty and non-certainty strata for the full 3-year sample plan. While estimates can be made from a single year or 2 years of data, the OES survey has been designed to produce estimates with a desired precision using the full 3 years of data. The full 3-year sample allows the production of estimates at fine levels of geographical, industrial, and occupational detail. 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 the certainty strata (that is, large employers with 250 or more employment). Starting with the 1997 estimates, the OES program has used the over-the- year fourth-quarter wage changes from the Bureau's Employment Cost Index (ECI) to adjust prior year survey data before combining it with the current year 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--and this may not be the case. The Bureau has con- ducted research over the past several years on the accuracy of the ECI wage- updating method versus other modeling approaches. Current research results support the continued use of the ECI wage-updating methodology. 2001 OES survey estimates. The 2001 OES survey estimates are based on data collected from establishments for 1999, 2000, and 2001. The 2001 estimates use the wage-updating methodology introduced in 1997, which uses the over-the-year fourth-quarter wage changes from the Employment Cost Index to adjust prior years' data before combining them with data from the current year. In addition, the 2001 estimates use the estimation methodology intro- duced in 1997, which uses a "nearest neighbor" imputation approach for non- respondents and applies employment benchmarks at a detailed MSA by 3-digit industry and broad 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 we were to repeat the sampling and estimation process using the same survey design, 90 percent of the intervals from the sample estimate minus 1.6 SE to the sample estimate plus 1.6 SE 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 the user with a - 8 - 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 Bureau's 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 2001 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 2001 cross industry data for states and metropolitan areas will be available on the BLS Web site in late November. Industry staffing patterns at the 2- and 3-digit SIC levels also will be available from the Internet beginning in late November. These data will include industry-specific occupational employment and wage data. BLS also plans to release a bulletin displaying 2001 occupational employment and wage data for selected industries and areas in the spring of 2003. For additional information, contact the Office of Employment and Unemploy- ment 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, 2001 Mean wages Occupation Employment Median hourly Hourly Average(1) wages Management occupations Chief executives 455,950 $51.77 $107,670 $57.91 General and operations managers 2,064,130 35.37 73,570 31.25 Legislators 67,400 13.54 28,170 7.05 Advertising and promotions managers 85,860 31.23 64,950 26.89 Marketing managers 189,150 37.70 78,410 35.75 Sales managers 317,430 37.02 77,000 34.43 Public relations managers 64,930 30.90 64,280 27.50 Administrative services managers 311,600 26.67 55,470 23.95 Computer and information systems managers 267,320 40.33 83,890 39.65 Financial managers 570,080 36.26 75,430 33.76 Human resources managers 194,470 31.89 66,330 29.75 Industrial production managers 183,040 32.84 68,310 31.01 Purchasing managers 107,100 29.45 61,260 27.25 Transportation, storage, and distribution managers 108,600 29.48 61,320 27.52 Farm, ranch, and other agricultural managers 5,720 22.41 46,610 20.27 Construction managers 213,910 31.82 66,190 29.35 Education administrators, preschool and child care center/program 52,650 17.78 36,980 15.32 Education administrators, elementary and secondary school 200,430 (2) 71,130 (2) Education administrators, postsecondary 94,120 32.09 66,750 29.66 Engineering managers 214,780 42.74 88,900 42.06 Food service managers 260,790 18.41 38,290 16.17 Funeral directors 25,300 23.27 48,410 20.20 Gaming managers 3,470 28.38 59,020 25.70 Lodging managers 31,040 17.70 36,820 15.80 Medical and health services managers 227,370 31.03 64,550 28.47 Natural sciences managers 42,650 39.88 82,940 38.66 Postmasters and mail superintendents 26,640 22.50 46,810 21.39 Property, real estate, and community association managers 156,190 21.19 44,080 17.45 Social and community service managers 100,810 21.42 44,540 19.84 Business and financial operations occupations Agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes 10,270 30.04 62,480 26.71 Purchasing agents and buyers, farm products 17,640 21.70 45,130 18.60 Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products 131,640 21.25 44,200 18.55 Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products 228,360 22.16 46,090 20.78 Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators 200,490 21.80 45,350 20.40 Insurance appraisers, auto damage 12,110 20.37 42,360 20.10 Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation 136,580 22.23 46,250 20.50 Cost estimators 188,830 24.25 50,450 22.58 Emergency management specialists 10,720 21.76 45,260 20.08 Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists 173,960 21.31 44,320 18.27 Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists 81,440 22.09 45,950 20.83 Training and development specialists 186,790 21.54 44,790 20.08 Management analysts 363,890 31.00 64,470 27.87 Meeting and convention planners 29,570 19.08 39,680 17.57 Accountants and auditors 881,380 24.37 50,700 21.82 Appraisers and assessors of real estate 59,630 20.39 42,420 18.72 Budget analysts 60,620 25.50 53,040 24.29 Credit analysts 66,690 22.68 47,170 20.02 Financial analysts 157,760 30.02 62,440 26.50 Personal financial advisors 83,830 33.32 69,300 27.74 Insurance underwriters 92,780 23.45 48,770 21.19 Financial examiners 24,570 28.78 59,860 26.46 Loan counselors 29,710 17.19 35,760 15.13 Loan officers 213,480 24.07 50,060 20.78 Tax examiners, collectors, and revenue agents 68,780 21.72 45,180 20.61 Tax preparers 59,520 15.73 32,710 13.31 Computer and mathematical operations occupations Computer and information scientists, research 25,620 37.00 76,970 36.12 Computer programmers 501,580 30.23 62,890 28.90 Computer software engineers, applications 361,660 34.79 72,370 33.76 Computer software engineers, systems software 261,520 35.81 74,490 35.23 Computer support specialists 493,230 20.16 41,920 18.54 Computer systems analysts 448,260 30.63 63,710 29.80 Database administrators 104,250 28.08 58,420 26.37 Network and computer systems administrators 227,830 27.14 56,440 25.85 Network systems and data communications analysts 126,060 28.99 60,300 27.63 Actuaries 13,210 35.93 74,720 32.75 Mathematicians 3,080 35.21 73,230 35.96 Operations research analysts 57,510 28.50 59,270 26.67 Statisticians 17,040 27.44 57,080 25.98 Mathematical technicians 1,720 21.35 44,410 17.58 Architecture and engineering occupations Architects, except landscape and naval 84,970 28.65 59,590 26.67 Landscape architects 17,970 24.83 51,640 22.46 Cartographers and photogrammetrists 7,810 20.84 43,350 19.95 Surveyors 54,640 19.96 41,510 18.87 Aerospace engineers 74,380 34.32 71,380 33.83 Agricultural engineers 2,550 26.11 54,300 23.59 Biomedical engineers 6,960 30.45 63,330 28.75 Chemical engineers 31,710 34.99 72,780 33.74 Civil engineers 205,340 29.33 61,000 28.09 Computer hardware engineers 67,590 35.72 74,310 34.40 Electrical engineers 151,310 32.99 68,630 32.16 Electronics engineers, except computer 123,210 33.52 69,710 32.86 Environmental engineers 48,730 30.11 62,630 29.45 Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors 36,420 28.41 59,090 27.67 Industrial engineers 161,550 29.78 61,940 29.22 Marine engineers and naval architects 4,850 32.19 66,960 32.13 Materials engineers 22,920 30.21 62,840 29.45 Mechanical engineers 204,300 30.54 63,530 29.54 Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers 6,090 31.43 65,370 29.89 Nuclear engineers 14,180 38.56 80,200 38.50 Petroleum engineers 11,420 39.33 81,800 39.14 Architectural and civil drafters 99,140 18.55 38,580 17.79 Electrical and electronics drafters 39,300 20.77 43,200 19.27 Mechanical drafters 69,140 20.07 41,750 19.05 Aerospace engineering and operations technicians 15,570 24.75 51,470 24.27 Civil engineering technicians 85,910 18.54 38,560 17.98 Electrical and electronic engineering technicians 220,810 20.78 43,220 20.26 Electro-mechanical technicians 42,150 19.18 39,900 18.34 Environmental engineering technicians 17,970 18.82 39,140 17.59 Industrial engineering technicians 59,500 21.15 43,980 19.70 Mechanical engineering technicians 54,440 20.51 42,650 19.67 Surveying and mapping technicians 56,440 14.81 30,810 13.56 Life, physical, and social science occupations Agricultural and food scientists 13,480 25.14 52,290 23.27 Biochemists and biophysicists 16,130 29.66 61,680 27.45 Microbiologists 15,520 26.20 54,500 23.98 Zoologists and wildlife biologists 12,940 22.79 47,410 22.22 Conservation scientists 12,750 23.78 49,460 23.54 Foresters 10,480 22.65 47,110 22.16 Epidemiologists 3,970 26.72 55,590 25.34 Medical scientists, except epidemiologists 46,430 30.12 62,650 26.90 Astronomers 900 36.73 76,390 37.29 Physicists 10,880 40.26 83,750 40.23 Atmospheric and space scientists 6,770 29.55 61,470 29.58 Chemists 84,870 26.86 55,880 24.93 Materials scientists 8,360 31.18 64,850 30.17 Environmental scientists and specialists, including health 57,430 24.37 50,700 22.75 Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers 23,020 30.83 64,130 28.02 Hydrologists 7,330 28.16 58,570 27.12 Economists 13,390 34.78 72,350 32.24 Market research analysts 108,930 27.99 58,230 25.70 Survey researchers 20,690 15.70 32,660 11.17 Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists 95,640 25.72 53,500 24.24 Industrial-organizational psychologists 1,380 33.63 69,950 31.74 Sociologists 1,820 27.20 56,580 26.39 Urban and regional planners 31,130 24.24 50,430 23.33 Anthropologists and archeologists 4,190 20.10 41,800 18.70 Geographers 760 24.10 50,120 23.27 Historians 2,010 21.56 44,850 20.64 Political scientists 4,220 37.94 78,920 39.11 Agricultural and food science technicians 17,310 14.30 29,750 13.24 Biological technicians 43,570 16.36 34,030 15.52 Chemical technicians 71,010 18.20 37,850 17.40 Geological and petroleum technicians 11,930 19.85 41,300 18.53 Nuclear technicians 5,240 29.56 61,490 28.70 Environmental science and protection technicians, including health 25,750 17.62 36,650 16.68 Forensic science technicians 6,730 19.38 40,300 18.45 Forest and conservation technicians 16,430 15.44 32,110 14.64 Community and social service occupations Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors 61,570 15.09 31,390 14.36 Educational, vocational, and school counselors 201,520 21.89 45,540 20.90 Marriage and family therapists 20,370 16.94 35,230 15.73 Mental health counselors 72,590 15.37 31,970 13.97 Rehabilitation counselors 105,400 13.74 28,570 12.32 Child, family, and school social workers 257,150 16.91 35,180 15.84 Medical and public health social workers 103,480 18.29 38,050 17.50 Mental health and substance abuse social workers 85,550 16.34 33,980 15.42 Health educators 43,900 18.29 38,040 16.94 Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists 78,640 19.74 41,070 18.64 Social and human service assistants 283,060 11.85 24,660 11.09 Clergy 32,940 17.46 36,320 16.27 Directors, religious activities and education 12,120 15.09 31,400 13.18 Legal occupations Lawyers 490,010 44.19 91,920 42.68 Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers 30,520 27.30 56,780 24.14 Arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators 5,060 26.12 54,340 22.43 Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates 27,890 38.24 79,540 41.95 Paralegals and legal assistants 183,530 18.86 39,220 17.63 Court reporters 15,300 20.45 42,530 19.43 Law clerks 40,340 15.52 32,280 14.51 Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers 42,720 17.12 35,610 15.28 Education, training, and library occupations Business teachers, postsecondary 65,050 (2) 59,090 (2) Computer science teachers, postsecondary 29,690 (2) 53,790 (2) Mathematical science teachers, postsecondary 38,480 (2) 53,770 (2) Architecture teachers, postsecondary 4,960 (2) 58,070 (2) Engineering teachers, postsecondary 28,360 (2) 69,620 (2) Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary 11,590 (2) 65,080 (2) Biological science teachers, postsecondary 38,560 (2) 64,410 (2) Forestry and conservation science teachers, postsecondary 1,950 (2) 65,190 (2) Atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences teachers, postsecondary 7,620 (2) 64,210 (2) Chemistry teachers, postsecondary 16,610 (2) 58,400 (2) Environmental science teachers, postsecondary 3,630 (2) 61,240 (2) Physics teachers, postsecondary 11,830 (2) 65,050 (2) Anthropology and archeology teachers, postsecondary 4,240 (2) 61,230 (2) Area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary 5,050 (2) 59,700 (2) Economics teachers, postsecondary 11,600 (2) 65,620 (2) Geography teachers, postsecondary 3,600 (2) 58,210 (2) Political science teachers, postsecondary 11,230 (2) 59,110 (2) Psychology teachers, postsecondary 24,850 (2) 57,140 (2) Sociology teachers, postsecondary 12,890 (2) 54,600 (2) Health specialties teachers, postsecondary 85,220 (2) 66,850 (2) Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary 34,390 (2) 51,290 (2) Education teachers, postsecondary 40,490 (2) 50,680 (2) Library science teachers, postsecondary 4,040 (2) 53,520 (2) Criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary 8,050 (2) 47,720 (2) Law teachers, postsecondary 9,660 (2) 79,130 (2) Social work teachers, postsecondary 6,250 (2) 53,480 (2) Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary 55,540 (2) 51,100 (2) Communications teachers, postsecondary 18,110 (2) 50,460 (2) English language and literature teachers, postsecondary 51,360 (2) 49,770 (2) Foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary 18,590 (2) 49,130 (2) History teachers, postsecondary 16,710 (2) 54,010 (2) Philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary 14,000 (2) 52,080 (2) Graduate teaching assistants 133,690 (2) 24,360 (2) Home economics teachers, postsecondary 4,350 (2) 51,730 (2) Recreation and fitness studies teachers, postsecondary 14,700 (2) 44,310 (2) Vocational education teachers, postsecondary 116,910 20.05 41,710 18.53 Preschool teachers, except special education 377,490 10.07 20,940 8.96 Kindergarten teachers, except special education 161,620 (2) 41,100 (2) Elementary school teachers, except special education 1,452,310 (2) 43,320 (2) Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education 571,090 (2) 43,580 (2) Vocational education teachers, middle school 18,530 (2) 43,340 (2) Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education 980,600 (2) 45,370 (2) Vocational education teachers, secondary school 107,670 (2) 45,050 (2) Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school 211,380 (2) 44,890 (2) Special education teachers, middle school 87,330 (2) 43,040 (2) Special education teachers, secondary school 123,570 (2) 45,670 (2) Adult literacy, remedial education, and GED teachers and instructors 58,310 19.34 40,230 16.93 Self-enrichment education teachers 130,470 15.47 32,180 13.89 Archivists, curators, and museum technicians 19,970 18.35 38,160 16.44 Librarians 150,280 21.04 43,750 20.52 Library technicians 108,620 12.05 25,060 11.44 Audio-visual collections specialists 10,320 16.23 33,750 14.35 Farm and home management advisors 12,540 19.74 41,060 19.05 Instructional coordinators 88,340 23.39 48,650 22.41 Teacher assistants 1,189,080 (2) 19,430 (2) Art, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations Art directors 20,880 31.52 65,570 28.75 Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators 9,710 18.43 38,330 15.80 Multi-media artists and animators 30,530 22.45 46,700 20.32 Commercial and industrial designers 33,610 25.20 52,410 23.95 Fashion designers 8,890 27.09 56,340 23.81 Floral designers 69,630 9.85 20,480 9.27 Graphic designers 136,490 19.07 39,670 17.32 Interior designers 39,330 20.71 43,080 19.03 Merchandise displayers and window trimmers 49,510 11.81 24,570 10.52 Set and exhibit designers 7,840 17.29 35,960 16.08 Actors 94,470 (2) 36,790 (2) Producers and directors 52,130 (2) 57,160 (2) Athletes and sports competitors 10,520 (2) 71,070 (2) Coaches and scouts 68,630 (2) 34,680 (2) Umpires, referees, and other sports officials 8,750 (2) 26,600 (2) Dancers 17,010 13.83 28,770 11.11 Choreographers 12,660 15.75 32,750 13.78 Music directors and composers 7,020 (2) 39,330 (2) Musicians and singers 55,110 (2) 46,690 (2) Announcers 50,410 13.27 27,590 9.74 News analysts, reporters and correspondents 64,130 18.18 37,800 14.45 Public relations specialists 132,390 21.75 45,240 19.72 Editors 105,140 21.59 44,910 19.21 Technical writers 45,890 24.83 51,650 23.73 Writers and authors 40,970 23.14 48,120 20.41 Interpreters and translators 18,900 16.68 34,680 15.38 Audio and video equipment technicians 32,960 17.16 35,690 14.50 Broadcast technicians 31,100 16.13 33,550 13.34 Radio operators 3,260 16.84 35,040 15.36 Sound engineering technicians 9,350 20.34 42,310 16.89 Photographers 61,260 13.43 27,940 11.08 Camera operators, television, video, and motion picture 22,040 16.43 34,180 13.93 Film and video editors 13,750 20.20 42,020 17.74 Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations Chiropractors 18,050 36.96 76,870 32.90 Dentists 87,770 53.28 110,820 61.97 Dietitians and nutritionists 43,190 19.75 41,070 19.43 Optometrists 24,190 42.35 88,100 41.18 Pharmacists 223,610 35.02 72,830 36.00 Anesthesiologists 24,700 63.31 131,680 (3) Family and general practitioners 135,280 52.89 110,020 56.92 Internists, general 53,310 61.03 126,940 (3) Obstetricians and gynecologists 17,230 64.15 133,430 (3) Pediatricians, general 24,150 56.03 116,550 60.79 Psychiatrists 21,620 54.60 113,570 60.80 Surgeons 48,930 65.89 137,050 (3) Physician assistants 56,190 30.00 62,410 30.75 Podiatrists 7,620 45.43 94,500 45.86 Registered nurses 2,217,980 23.19 48,240 22.44 Audiologists 11,040 23.89 49,700 22.55 Occupational therapists 77,080 25.10 52,210 24.70 Physical therapists 126,490 28.43 59,120 27.20 Radiation therapists 13,450 25.72 53,500 23.58 Recreational therapists 26,830 14.92 31,020 14.44 Respiratory therapists 82,930 19.17 39,870 18.93 Speech-language pathologists 83,080 24.20 50,340 23.33 Veterinarians 41,240 33.24 69,150 29.81 Medical and clinical laboratory technologists 145,400 20.70 43,060 20.31 Medical and clinical laboratory technicians 146,890 14.52 30,200 13.85 Dental hygienists 149,900 27.29 56,770 26.30 Cardiovascular technologists and technicians 40,990 17.55 36,510 16.83 Diagnostic medical sonographers 32,990 23.08 48,010 22.59 Nuclear medicine technologists 17,360 24.65 51,270 22.79 Radiologic technologists and technicians 168,250 18.68 38,860 18.12 Emergency medical technicians and paramedics 170,670 12.24 25,450 11.14 Dietetic technicians 28,940 11.23 23,360 10.48 Pharmacy technicians 207,130 10.82 22,510 10.40 Psychiatric technicians 59,770 12.94 26,910 12.16 Respiratory therapy technicians 28,700 16.93 35,220 16.27 Surgical technologists 67,460 14.77 30,710 14.47 Veterinary technologists and technicians 51,770 11.36 23,630 10.78 Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses 683,830 15.14 31,490 14.75 Medical records and health information technicians 142,170 12.20 25,370 11.31 Opticians, dispensing 63,150 13.49 28,060 12.55 Orthotists and prosthetists 4,480 24.77 51,520 22.65 Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians 38,790 22.21 46,190 21.56 Athletic trainers 12,580 (2) 35,380 (2) Healthcare support ocupations Home health aides 560,290 8.90 18,510 8.46 Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants 1,307,680 9.54 19,850 9.27 Psychiatric aides 59,650 11.42 23,760 11.08 Occupational therapist assistants 17,520 17.39 36,170 17.23 Occupational therapist aides 7,560 11.71 24,350 10.37 Physical therapist assistants 47,830 17.18 35,740 16.96 Physical therapist aides 35,260 10.45 21,730 9.76 Massage therapists 26,430 15.93 33,130 13.48 Dental assistants 267,850 13.29 27,640 12.85 Medical assistants 345,880 11.71 24,360 11.35 Medical equipment preparers 33,540 11.29 23,490 10.81 Medical transcriptionists 94,110 12.99 27,020 12.72 Pharmacy aides 58,140 9.22 19,170 8.66 Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers 60,110 8.93 18,570 8.40 Protective service occupations First-line supervisors/managers of correctional officers 32,090 22.13 46,030 21.46 First-line supervisors/managers of police and detectives 113,970 28.82 59,940 28.51 First-line supervisors/managers of fire fighting and prevention workers 61,260 26.38 54,880 25.68 Fire fighters 275,490 17.25 35,880 16.67 Fire inspectors and investigators 12,160 21.18 44,050 20.61 Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists 1,030 17.19 35,760 16.88 Bailiffs 16,330 15.67 32,590 15.09 Correctional officers and jailers 401,290 16.23 33,770 15.39 Detectives and criminal investigators 87,040 25.07 52,150 24.50 Fish and game wardens 7,790 22.68 47,180 19.82 Parking enforcement workers 9,160 13.21 27,480 12.89 Police and sheriff's patrol officers 599,550 20.17 41,950 19.70 Transit and railroad police 6,750 21.63 44,990 20.72 Animal control workers 9,360 12.34 25,670 11.66 Private detectives and investigators 31,320 15.61 32,470 13.64 Gaming surveillance officers and gaming investigators 9,470 11.27 23,430 10.64 Security guards 995,560 9.84 20,460 8.94 Crossing guards 69,990 9.63 20,020 8.55 Food preparation and serving related occupations Chefs and head cooks 114,890 14.58 30,330 12.88 First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers 659,360 12.47 25,930 11.35 Cooks, fast food 601,610 6.99 14,530 6.70 Cooks, institution and cafeteria 418,080 9.02 18,760 8.53 Cooks, restaurant 674,110 9.24 19,230 8.88 Cooks, short order 228,720 7.98 16,590 7.57 Food preparation workers 855,820 8.07 16,780 7.65 Bartenders 427,030 7.96 16,550 7.03 Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food 2,054,520 7.13 14,830 6.79 Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop 428,690 7.50 15,610 7.10 Waiters and waitresses 1,981,950 7.36 15,310 6.60 Food servers, nonrestaurant 191,000 8.06 16,760 7.36 Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers 389,550 7.21 15,000 6.80 Dishwashers 488,080 7.25 15,080 6.98 Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop 286,720 7.57 15,750 7.17 Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations First-line supervisors/managers of housekeeping and janitorial workers 202,860 14.18 29,500 13.08 First-line supervisors/managers of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers 94,930 16.82 34,990 15.43 Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners 2,072,060 9.52 19,800 8.61 Maids and housekeeping cleaners 918,060 8.12 16,900 7.71 Pest control workers 56,570 12.03 25,020 11.13 Landscaping and groundskeeping workers 772,870 10.04 20,880 9.19 Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation 22,120 12.19 25,360 11.62 Tree trimmers and pruners 44,850 12.43 25,860 11.51 Personal care and service occupations Gaming supervisors 25,100 19.21 39,960 18.87 Slot key persons 12,580 11.66 24,250 10.82 First-line supervisors/managers of personal service workers 98,700 15.09 31,390 13.48 Animal trainers 6,860 13.12 27,280 11.19 Nonfarm animal caretakers 86,220 8.79 18,270 7.97 Gaming dealers 77,540 7.71 16,040 6.58 Gaming and sports book writers and runners 11,310 9.60 19,970 8.77 Motion picture projectionists 10,270 9.33 19,410 7.84 Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers 101,680 7.71 16,030 6.78 Amusement and recreation attendants 211,940 7.68 15,970 7.02 Costume attendants 3,540 12.45 25,890 11.33 Locker room, coatroom, and dressing room attendants 19,860 8.28 17,230 7.90 Embalmers 7,980 16.70 34,730 15.88 Funeral attendants 28,960 9.23 19,200 8.48 Barbers 12,290 10.19 21,190 8.89 Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists 329,930 10.27 21,360 8.78 Makeup artists, theatrical and performance 1,240 15.41 32,050 14.54 Manicurists and pedicurists 30,420 8.64 17,980 8.03 Shampooers 15,230 6.98 14,510 6.60 Skin care specialists 14,470 12.17 25,310 10.61 Baggage porters and bellhops 58,020 10.59 22,030 8.33 Concierges 16,180 11.03 22,940 10.12 Tour guides and escorts 28,690 9.78 20,340 8.83 Travel guides 5,480 15.00 31,210 13.07 Flight attendants 115,750 (2) 46,880 (2) Transportation attendants, except flight attendants and baggage porters 25,910 9.85 20,480 8.69 Child care workers 418,610 8.16 16,980 7.71 Personal and home care aides 407,900 8.00 16,640 7.76 Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors 160,490 14.08 29,290 11.22 Recreation workers 263,470 9.75 20,270 8.58 Residential advisors 53,870 10.20 21,220 9.46 Sales and related occupations First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers 1,252,450 15.95 33,170 13.74 First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers 309,460 28.53 59,350 24.75 Cashiers 3,387,690 7.81 16,240 7.19 Gaming change persons and booth cashiers 33,670 9.42 19,580 9.13 Counter and rental clerks 434,230 9.26 19,250 8.05 Parts salespersons 244,390 12.47 25,940 11.20 Retail salespersons 3,917,230 10.06 20,920 8.24 Advertising sales agents 144,820 21.97 45,700 17.58 Insurance sales agents 269,040 23.35 48,560 18.70 Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents 270,730 35.30 73,430 28.70 Travel agents 111,300 13.09 27,230 12.30 Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products 370,340 29.10 60,520 26.13 Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products 1,352,750 23.19 48,240 19.96 Demonstrators and product promoters 96,670 12.45 25,910 9.95 Models 2,930 10.87 22,600 9.14 Real estate brokers 38,540 31.45 65,410 24.70 Real estate sales agents 118,770 18.48 38,430 13.73 Sales engineers 82,850 31.01 64,490 28.71 Telemarketers 437,840 10.50 21,840 9.24 Door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers 28,080 14.30 29,740 11.94 Office and administrative support occupations First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers 1,417,660 19.67 40,920 18.26 Switchboard operators, including answering service 227,650 10.29 21,410 9.93 Telephone operators 57,500 14.15 29,440 14.20 Bill and account collectors 385,790 13.17 27,390 12.48 Billing and posting clerks and machine operators 480,620 12.66 26,340 12.19 Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks 1,697,990 13.38 27,820 12.76 Gaming cage workers 17,140 10.72 22,290 10.36 Payroll and timekeeping clerks 188,570 14.09 29,300 13.58 Procurement clerks 74,740 14.17 29,480 13.84 Tellers 532,700 9.69 20,150 9.54 Brokerage clerks 82,740 16.78 34,900 15.61 Correspondence clerks 34,190 12.66 26,330 12.13 Court, municipal, and license clerks 104,060 13.91 28,930 13.02 Credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks 78,450 13.40 27,870 12.44 Customer service representatives 1,875,440 13.20 27,450 12.23 Eligibility interviewers, government programs 97,240 15.16 31,530 14.43 File clerks 249,970 9.90 20,590 9.37 Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks 177,000 8.48 17,640 8.13 Interviewers, except eligibility and loan 171,640 11.17 23,240 10.52 Library assistants, clerical 106,350 9.66 20,090 8.93 Loan interviewers and clerks 157,710 13.70 28,500 13.01 New accounts clerks 99,780 12.47 25,940 11.86 Order clerks 338,420 12.39 25,770 11.66 Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping 164,700 14.70 30,570 14.17 Receptionists and information clerks 1,046,620 10.31 21,450 9.93 Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks 183,280 13.26 27,570 11.58 Cargo and freight agents 60,530 15.53 32,300 14.73 Couriers and messengers 121,670 9.89 20,560 9.20 Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers 88,570 13.30 27,670 12.83 Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance 170,070 15.55 32,340 14.46 Meter readers, utilities 52,130 14.40 29,950 13.64 Postal service clerks 80,760 18.37 38,210 18.78 Postal service mail carriers 355,120 18.20 37,860 18.61 Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators 201,150 15.48 32,190 16.95 Production, planning, and expediting clerks 302,440 16.38 34,070 15.59 Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks 802,610 11.64 24,220 10.92 Stock clerks and order fillers 1,680,550 10.33 21,480 9.16 Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers, recordkeeping 78,600 13.10 27,240 11.87 Executive secretaries and administrative assistants 1,384,170 16.34 33,980 15.57 Legal secretaries 263,600 17.29 35,970 16.64 Medical secretaries 334,270 12.50 26,000 11.86 Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive 1,800,910 12.36 25,710 11.85 Computer operators 177,990 14.80 30,780 13.88 Data entry keyers 404,970 10.93 22,740 10.56 Word processors and typists 229,010 12.92 26,870 12.50 Desktop publishers 34,860 16.05 33,380 15.00 Insurance claims and policy processing clerks 258,090 14.77 30,730 13.69 Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service 166,030 10.37 21,560 9.91 Office clerks, general 2,791,380 11.06 23,000 10.47 Office machine operators, except computer 90,220 11.28 23,470 10.45 Proofreaders and copy markers 25,190 12.41 25,810 11.47 Statistical assistants 25,850 14.60 30,370 13.94 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations First-line supervisors/managers of farming, fishing, and forestry workers 22,170 17.33 36,040 16.02 Farm labor contractors 6,450 9.53 19,810 7.10 Agricultural inspectors 13,980 14.24 29,630 13.17 Animal breeders 1,630 12.71 26,430 10.89 Graders and sorters, agricultural products 54,100 8.26 17,190 7.42 Agricultural equipment operators 26,570 8.94 18,600 8.00 Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse 211,030 7.56 15,730 6.97 Farmworkers, farm and ranch animals 34,590 8.56 17,810 7.93 Forest and conservation workers 12,750 10.31 21,440 9.13 Fallers 9,780 15.66 32,570 12.86 Logging equipment operators 30,900 13.10 27,240 12.57 Log graders and scalers 4,960 13.75 28,610 12.97 Construction and extraction occupations First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers 514,720 23.77 49,430 22.39 Boilermakers 24,390 19.50 40,570 19.06 Brickmasons and blockmasons 109,830 20.36 42,350 20.00 Stonemasons 11,870 16.26 33,820 15.61 Carpenters 851,530 17.36 36,110 16.09 Carpet installers 36,350 16.49 34,290 15.13 Floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles 13,570 16.42 34,160 15.14 Floor sanders and finishers 8,230 13.75 28,590 12.47 Tile and marble setters 30,390 18.17 37,790 17.02 Cement masons and concrete finishers 176,580 15.67 32,600 14.25 Terrazzo workers and finishers 5,800 15.02 31,240 13.79 Construction laborers 825,320 13.36 27,790 11.57 Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators 57,880 15.27 31,760 13.60 Pile-driver operators 4,950 20.59 42,820 19.86 Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators 353,690 17.86 37,150 16.42 Drywall and ceiling tile installers 121,460 17.06 35,490 15.87 Tapers 37,910 18.86 39,230 18.20 Electricians 625,570 20.75 43,160 19.60 Glaziers 46,960 16.11 33,510 14.68 Insulation workers 54,290 15.04 31,280 13.46 Painters, construction and maintenance 256,190 14.83 30,850 13.66 Paperhangers 9,330 15.76 32,780 15.06 Pipelayers 56,200 14.94 31,080 13.55 Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters 438,280 19.78 41,140 18.61 Plasterers and stucco masons 53,800 16.97 35,310 15.79 Reinforcing iron and rebar workers 29,610 18.33 38,130 16.71 Roofers 118,170 15.55 32,350 14.16 Sheet metal workers 207,960 17.48 36,350 15.97 Structural iron and steel workers 78,700 19.55 40,660 18.72 Helpers--brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters 64,700 12.79 26,590 11.35 Helpers--carpenters 99,500 10.69 22,240 10.19 Helpers--electricians 108,090 11.38 23,680 10.65 Helpers--painters, paperhangers, plasterers, and stucco masons 29,760 10.47 21,770 9.36 Helpers--pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters 79,950 11.10 23,100 10.50 Helpers--roofers 24,200 10.09 20,980 9.59 Construction and building inspectors 72,200 19.81 41,200 19.32 Elevator installers and repairers 26,450 24.39 50,730 24.82 Fence erectors 20,550 12.06 25,090 10.50 Hazardous materials removal workers 36,660 16.59 34,510 15.29 Highway maintenance workers 148,370 13.70 28,490 13.23 Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators 11,680 16.40 34,110 16.30 Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners 16,200 13.74 28,590 13.11 Segmental pavers 2,670 13.58 28,240 12.58 Derrick operators, oil and gas 15,150 14.84 30,870 13.70 Rotary drill operators, oil and gas 15,560 17.14 35,640 15.87 Service unit operators, oil, gas, and mining 13,320 14.47 30,100 13.11 Earth drillers, except oil and gas 19,630 16.28 33,870 15.38 Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters 4,790 16.79 34,920 16.32 Continuous mining machine operators 9,560 16.50 34,320 16.17 Mine cutting and channeling machine operators 5,860 17.19 35,760 16.99 Rock splitters, quarry 2,710 13.92 28,940 12.95 Roof bolters, mining 3,990 17.83 37,080 18.02 Roustabouts, oil and gas 37,010 11.25 23,400 10.16 Helpers--extraction workers 30,920 12.46 25,910 11.75 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers 441,710 23.32 48,510 22.27 Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers 143,810 16.40 34,120 15.81 Radio mechanics 6,550 17.36 36,120 16.36 Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers 210,660 21.33 44,360 22.30 Avionics technicians 16,340 20.06 41,720 19.93 Electric motor, power tool, and related repairers 29,240 15.85 32,970 14.91 Electrical and electronics installers and repairers, transportation equipment 16,650 18.21 37,870 18.23 Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment 77,770 18.80 39,110 18.65 Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay 19,700 23.30 48,460 24.24 Electronic equipment installers and repairers, motor vehicles 13,210 12.85 26,740 12.14 Electronic home entertainment equipment installers and repairers 29,780 13.80 28,710 12.96 Security and fire alarm systems installers 42,050 15.77 32,790 14.66 Aircraft mechanics and service technicians 135,260 20.41 42,460 20.19 Automotive body and related repairers 168,610 16.82 34,980 15.62 Automotive glass installers and repairers 21,550 13.52 28,120 13.06 Automotive service technicians and mechanics 701,080 15.32 31,870 14.19 Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists 254,430 16.62 34,570 16.14 Farm equipment mechanics 35,390 13.08 27,200 12.67 Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines 116,290 17.26 35,900 16.92 Rail car repairers 11,860 17.90 37,220 18.46 Motorboat mechanics 18,370 14.13 29,390 13.56 Motorcycle mechanics 13,290 13.51 28,090 12.69 Outdoor power equipment and other small engine mechanics 27,240 12.15 25,270 11.63 Bicycle repairers 7,720 9.46 19,670 9.05 Recreational vehicle service technicians 11,830 13.36 27,780 12.70 Tire repairers and changers 86,210 10.16 21,140 9.48 Mechanical door repairers 10,510 15.18 31,570 13.83 Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door 37,740 20.49 42,610 20.65 Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers 201,850 17.08 35,520 16.36 Home appliance repairers 33,650 15.10 31,420 14.22 Industrial machinery mechanics 187,770 18.69 38,880 18.08 Maintenance and repair workers, general 1,232,250 14.54 30,230 13.82 Maintenance workers, machinery 98,280 15.88 33,030 15.36 Millwrights 69,810 20.34 42,300 20.17 Refractory materials repairers, except brickmasons 3,350 17.03 35,420 16.89 Electrical power-line installers and repairers 99,120 22.04 45,830 22.70 Telecommunications line installers and repairers 168,240 18.76 39,030 18.85 Camera and photographic equipment repairers 5,580 15.11 31,430 14.46 Medical equipment repairers 22,070 18.07 37,570 17.09 Musical instrument repairers and tuners 4,520 15.73 32,710 14.15 Watch repairers 3,680 13.58 28,240 12.47 Coin, vending, and amusement machine servicers and repairers 33,100 13.19 27,440 12.75 Commercial divers 3,050 19.54 40,640 15.76 Fabric menders, except garment 2,080 13.13 27,310 11.40 Locksmiths and safe repairers 13,450 14.56 30,290 13.94 Manufactured building and mobile home installers 14,150 11.46 23,840 11.03 Riggers 15,350 16.42 34,150 15.72 Signal and track switch repairers 8,550 20.61 42,860 20.38 Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers 148,360 11.16 23,220 10.20 Production occupations First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers 733,430 21.51 44,740 20.19 Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers 33,620 17.53 36,460 17.88 Coil winders, tapers, and finishers 43,910 11.41 23,740 10.62 Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers 302,500 11.49 23,900 10.71 Electromechanical equipment assemblers 63,930 12.54 26,080 11.87 Engine and other machine assemblers 55,840 14.24 29,610 13.51 Structural metal fabricators and fitters 90,490 14.06 29,240 13.46 Fiberglass laminators and fabricators 41,500 12.14 25,260 11.45 Team assemblers 1,189,930 11.66 24,250 10.70 Timing device assemblers, adjusters, and calibrators 8,550 12.33 25,640 11.32 Bakers 154,370 10.49 21,830 9.83 Butchers and meat cutters 135,600 12.74 26,510 11.92 Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers 156,690 8.80 18,310 8.34 Slaughterers and meat packers 117,500 9.62 20,010 9.60 Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders 18,720 12.24 25,450 11.16 Food batchmakers 70,540 11.10 23,090 10.43 Food cooking machine operators and tenders 34,910 10.93 22,730 10.30 Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic 140,570 14.26 29,670 13.65 Numerical tool and process control programmers 20,800 18.67 38,830 17.93 Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 102,320 12.44 25,870 12.10 Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 49,760 13.57 28,230 12.44 Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators and tenders, 45,090 13.86 28,830 13.30 metal and plastic 96,070 12.17 25,320 11.58 Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 58,050 13.64 28,360 12.82 Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, 107,310 13.03 27,110 12.28 and tenders Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 75,640 14.73 30,630 14.24 Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 32,680 14.44 30,030 13.82 Machinists 390,070 15.81 32,880 15.43 Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders 19,060 14.86 30,910 14.37 Pourers and casters, metal 14,580 14.01 29,130 13.27 Model makers, metal and plastic 8,990 18.05 37,540 17.68 Patternmakers, metal and plastic 6,840 16.66 34,650 15.74 Foundry mold and coremakers 26,170 12.99 27,020 12.29 Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 148,990 11.78 24,500 10.74 Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 101,500 14.58 30,320 13.42 Tool and die makers 112,960 20.40 42,430 20.01 Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers 382,430 14.55 30,260 13.70 Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders 60,820 14.80 30,780 13.57 Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 32,490 13.87 28,840 13.24 Lay-out workers, metal and plastic 14,100 15.66 32,570 14.70 Plating and coating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic 45,940 12.50 25,990 11.93 Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners 25,410 14.52 30,200 13.76 Bindery workers 93,230 11.37 23,650 10.33 Bookbinders 7,500 13.25 27,550 11.86 Job printers 55,210 14.93 31,050 14.05 Prepress technicians and workers 96,580 15.54 32,320 14.80 Printing machine operators 198,720 14.81 30,800 13.95 Laundry and dry-cleaning workers 214,520 8.29 17,240 7.86 Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials 92,730 8.33 17,330 7.98 Sewing machine operators 308,430 8.68 18,050 8.08 Shoe and leather workers and repairers 9,880 9.45 19,660 8.70 Shoe machine operators and tenders 6,520 9.53 19,820 9.22 Sewers, hand 22,560 9.29 19,320 8.43 Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers 31,580 11.38 23,670 10.38 Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders 31,650 9.88 20,560 9.78 Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders 37,220 9.92 20,630 9.31 Textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders 57,830 10.91 22,690 10.81 Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders 68,530 10.65 22,150 10.25 Extruding and forming machine setters, operators, and tenders, synthetic and glass fibers 30,370 13.15 27,340 13.04 Fabric and apparel patternmakers 12,580 14.63 30,440 11.99 Upholsterers 39,770 12.62 26,240 11.80 Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters 127,520 12.08 25,120 11.30 Furniture finishers 32,130 11.40 23,700 10.74 Model makers, wood 4,320 13.59 28,270 12.02 Patternmakers, wood 4,280 14.76 30,690 13.79 Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood 52,720 10.97 22,810 10.45 Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing 91,600 10.84 22,540 10.39 Nuclear power reactor operators 3,310 29.13 60,590 28.93 Power distributors and dispatchers 12,850 25.33 52,680 25.10 Power plant operators 35,020 22.95 47,740 23.35 Stationary engineers and boiler operators 54,340 20.43 42,490 19.94 Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators 98,450 16.23 33,760 15.66 Chemical plant and system operators 60,360 20.09 41,790 20.19 Gas plant operators 12,600 22.63 47,060 22.56 Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers 34,540 22.41 46,610 23.06 Chemical equipment operators and tenders 53,930 17.91 37,250 17.70 Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, 35,370 14.52 30,200 14.04 operators, and tenders Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders 46,470 13.02 27,080 12.34 Grinding and polishing workers, hand 44,040 11.88 24,700 10.84 Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders 111,600 13.36 27,790 12.91 Cutters and trimmers, hand 31,430 11.70 24,340 10.46 Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders 76,370 12.50 26,000 11.99 Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders 76,630 13.04 27,110 12.40 Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders 30,020 14.02 29,170 13.46 Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers 525,510 14.04 29,210 12.83 Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers 29,030 14.37 29,900 13.08 Dental laboratory technicians 39,750 14.69 30,550 13.45 Medical appliance technicians 12,410 13.95 29,010 12.43 Ophthalmic laboratory technicians 34,490 10.87 22,610 10.26 Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders 379,740 10.92 22,720 9.98 Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders 94,080 12.56 26,120 11.88 Painters, transportation equipment 44,120 16.64 34,620 15.54 Painting, coating, and decorating workers 31,760 10.79 22,440 9.88 Photographic process workers 25,440 10.80 22,460 9.44 Photographic processing machine operators 54,520 9.77 20,320 8.80 Semiconductor processors 51,070 13.54 28,170 12.73 Cementing and gluing machine operators and tenders 29,200 11.48 23,880 10.85 Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders 18,060 11.70 24,340 10.77 Cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders 7,320 11.26 23,410 10.15 Etchers and engravers 10,330 11.98 24,910 10.63 Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic 39,430 12.55 26,100 11.86 Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders 120,870 13.84 28,780 13.35 Tire builders 13,410 17.23 35,840 18.38 Helpers--production workers 459,460 9.81 20,410 9.13 Transportation and material moving occupations Aircraft cargo handling supervisors 9,070 19.58 40,720 17.95 First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand 147,490 18.39 38,250 17.35 First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators 197,480 21.25 44,210 19.78 Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers 88,800 (2) 99,400 (2) Commercial pilots 18,370 (2) 55,930 (2) Air traffic controllers 22,990 40.07 83,350 42.27 Airfield operations specialists 5,390 19.15 39,830 16.93 Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians 17,610 10.06 20,910 9.08 Bus drivers, transit and intercity 190,550 14.15 29,420 13.49 Bus drivers, school 469,040 10.84 22,540 10.57 Driver/sales workers 378,200 11.22 23,340 9.70 Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer 1,548,350 16.20 33,690 15.66 Truck drivers, light or delivery services 996,020 12.32 25,630 11.22 Taxi drivers and chauffeurs 125,860 9.51 19,780 8.62 Locomotive engineers 30,730 22.74 47,300 22.38 Locomotive firers 730 21.22 44,140 23.40 Rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers 4,830 19.30 40,130 18.32 Railroad brake, signal, and switch operators 17,070 22.57 46,940 21.60 Railroad conductors and yardmasters 40,910 22.10 45,970 20.59 Sailors and marine oilers 28,650 14.55 30,270 13.77 Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels 22,180 23.87 49,660 23.40 Motorboat operators 3,410 15.12 31,450 14.30 Ship engineers 7,470 24.56 51,080 24.04 Bridge and lock tenders 4,500 14.81 30,800 16.05 Parking lot attendants 109,930 7.99 16,610 7.54 Service station attendants 107,620 8.31 17,290 7.75 Traffic technicians 5,090 16.41 34,140 15.11 Transportation inspectors 27,670 22.37 46,530 22.75 Conveyor operators and tenders 61,590 11.97 24,900 11.25 Crane and tower operators 51,650 17.68 36,770 16.64 Dredge operators 2,920 14.64 30,450 13.27 Excavating and loading machine and dragline orators 70,280 16.57 34,470 15.39 Loading machine operators, underground mining 3,370 14.73 30,630 14.58 Hoist and winch operators 9,960 17.37 36,140 15.56 Industrial truck and tractor operators 591,800 13.00 27,040 12.19 Cleaners of vehicles and equipment 304,510 8.78 18,260 7.93 Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand 2,098,130 10.18 21,170 9.35 Machine feeders and offbearers 190,080 10.92 22,720 10.17 Packers and packagers, hand 951,910 8.52 17,730 7.83 Gas compressor and gas pumping station operators 6,070 20.71 43,090 20.84 Pump operators, except wellhead pumpers 12,920 18.34 38,140 17.33 Wellhead pumpers 9,560 15.86 33,000 15.45 Refuse and recyclable material collectors 125,580 12.22 25,430 11.47 Shuttle car operators 3,020 17.46 36,310 18.01 Tank car, truck, and ship loaders 19,430 16.29 33,880 15.00 (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. (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