For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, July 27, 2010 USDL-10-1045
Technical information: (202) 691-6569 * oesinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/oes
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
OCCUPATIONAL EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES BY OWNERSHIP -- MAY 2009
Retail salespersons and cashiers were the two largest occupations in the pri-
vate sector in May 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
Postal service mail carriers; correctional officers and jailers; and elementary
school teachers, except special education, had the highest employment among all
occupations in federal, state, and local government, respectively.
These data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program, which
provides employment and wage estimates for wage and salary workers in 22 major
occupational groups and 801 detailed occupations. In May 2010, OES released
2009 cross-ownership data by occupation for the nation, states, metropolitan
areas, metropolitan divisions, and nonmetropolitan areas, and by occupation
and industry for the nation. While OES has previously released occupational em-
ployment and wage estimates at the federal, state, and local government levels,
these data did not include state and local government schools and hospitals.
To meet user demand, in 2006 BLS began work necessary to produce OES data for
private ownership and at a more detailed level for state and local government.
In particular, new state and local government estimates consist of all state
and local government establishments, including schools and hospitals, which
before were only included with the estimates of privately owned schools and
hospitals. Data by ownership are available from the OES homepage at www.bls.
gov/oes.
Occupational Employment and Wages by Ownership
--Retail salespersons and cashiers combined represented almost 7 percent
of total employment in the private sector, with an employment level of
4.2 and 3.4 million, respectively. The third largest occupation, combined
food preparation and serving workers, accounted for slightly more than 2 per-
cent of total employment in the private sector. (See table 1.)
--Four occupations specific to the U.S. Postal Service accounted for 23 per-
cent of federal employment. (See table 2.)
--Aside from occupations specific to the U.S. Postal Service, the largest oc-
cupations in federal government included: management analysts; detectives
and criminal investigators; purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail,
and farm products; all other business operations specialists; and compli-
ance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and
transportation. (See table 2.)
--Employment in state government was more widely distributed by occupation
than employment in federal and local government. Although correctional of-
ficers and jailers was the largest occupation, with an employment level
of 257,280, it accounted for only about 6 percent of state government em-
ployment. With the exception of general office clerks that accounted for
around 5 percent of total employment, all the remaining occupations in
state government each represented less than 3 percent of total employment.
(See table 3.)
--Employment in local government was concentrated in teaching occupations.
Three of the largest--elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers,
except special education--accounted for 20 percent of employment. Other
large occupations were protective service occupations such as police and
sheriff's patrol officers and fire fighters. (See table 4.)
--Many of the largest occupations in the private sector were relatively low
paying, including waiters and waitresses with a mean hourly wage of $9.80.
Some occupations, however, paid significantly more on average, such as reg-
istered nurses ($32.07) and general and operations managers ($53.77). (See
table 1.)
Occupational Employment and Wages in Elementary and Secondary Schools
by Ownership
--Local government-owned schools employed 1.4 million, 609,070, and 977,150
elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers, except special education,
respectively. (See table 5.)
--Wages for most of the largest occupations in elementary and secondary schools
were higher in state and local government-owned schools than in privately owned
schools. For example, the annual mean wages for elementary school teachers, except
special education, in local and state government-owned schools were $54,110 and
$53,400, respectively, compared with $42,320 in privately owned schools.
--Special education teachers accounted for a higher share of employment in local
and state government-owned schools than in privately owned schools. For example,
secondary school special education teachers accounted for 1.7 and 2.2 percent
of employment in local and state government-owned schools, and 1.2 percent of
employment in privately owned schools.
--School bus drivers accounted for 2.9 percent of employment in local government-
owned schools, and less than 1 percent of employment in private schools.
--Education administrators accounted for 3.5 percent of employment in privately
owned schools and 2.4 percent of employment in local government-owned schools.
Occupational Employment and Wages in General Medical and Surgical Hospitals by Ownership
--Wages for almost all of the largest occupations in general medical and surgical
hospitals were lowest in local government-owned establishments. (See table 6.)
--Staffing patterns of hospitals were similar among different ownerships.
Some of the largest differences were among the nursing occupations. Registered
nurses accounted for 29.4 percent of employment in privately owned hospitals,
26.2 percent in local and 24.2 percent of employment in state government-owned
hospitals.
--Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants and licensed practical and licensed vo-
cational nurses accounted for a slightly higher share of employment in local
government-owned hospitals than in privately owned and state government-owned
hospitals.
Additional Information
The Occupational Employment Statistics program produces cross-industry occupational
employment and wage estimates nationwide and for all states, 377 metropolitan areas,
34 metropolitan divisions, and 174 nonmetropolitan areas. OES also publishes national
industry-specific occupational employment and wage estimates for NAICS sectors and
3-, 4-, and selected 5-digit industries. In addition to mean hourly and annual wages,
available wage data include 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th, and 90th percentile
wages, which can be used to show the distribution of wages within an occupation or
industry. OES data are produced by a cooperative effort between BLS and State Work-
force Agencies, and are based on a sample of 1.2 million business establishments,
collected in 6 semiannual panels over a 3-year period. State and federal government
estimates are based on an annual census, while local government estimates are based
on a probability sample. For more information about OES concepts and methodology,
visit www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_tec.htm. Complete May 2009 Occupational Employment
Statistics data are available from the OES Web site at www.bls.gov/oes.
Frequently Asked Questions about OES Estimates
How are the numbers in this release different from other OES estimates?
Previously released data did not include separate tabulations by owner-
ship. Up until now, BLS was not able to produce estimates of total pri-
vate, state, or local employment. That is because state and local govern-
ment-owned schools and hospitals were included in their respective NAICS
code with private schools and hospitals. Following changes in method-
ology introduced in 2006 (and now applied to a full 3-year sample rota-
tion), these newly released data separate school and hospital data by
ownership category. As a result, the new state and local government
data include state and local government-owned schools and hospitals,
while private-sector estimates do not include them.
Can the OES data be used to compare private and government pay for
similar work?
Occupational wages in the different ownership groups (the private sec-
tor, and state, local, and federal governments) are influenced by many
factors that the OES measures cannot take into account. Thus, while
one can obtain OES data that compare estimates of mean and median
wages paid in a wide range of detailed occupations across ownership
groups, those comparisons do not explain why they might be different.
Among the many reasons are:
--Level of work performed. Workers may have different levels of
responsibility, despite being in the same occupation.
--Age and experience. More experienced workers tend to have higher
wages. (As an example, data from the Current Population Survey
show that federal workers, on average, are older and have far
more work experience with their employer than the typical
private-sector worker.)
--Cost of living. Workers concentrated in large urban areas with
higher costs of living are more likely to have higher wages than
those working elsewhere.
--Establishment size. Workers in large establishments generally have
higher wages than workers in small establishments.
--Work schedules. Full-time workers tend to earn higher hourly wages
than part-time workers in the same occupation. (The OES annual wage
estimates assume a full-time, year-round schedule of 2,080 hours.)
--Unionization. Workers in unionized establishments may have different
wages than non-union establishments.
OES data are not designed for use in comparing federal and private sector pay
because the OES data do not contain information about pay according to the
level of work performed. BLS conducts a separate survey, the National Compen-
sation Survey, which provides data by level of work for use by the President's
Pay Agent. The President's Pay Agent, (the Directors of the Office of Person-
nel Management and the Office of Management and Budget, and the Secretary of
Labor), is charged by law with recommending federal pay adjustments to the
President. Questions about federal pay comparability should be directed to
the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Are data tabulated by industry and ownership available for different geo-
graphic detail?
BLS publishes estimates by industry and ownership at the national level
only.
Table 1. Largest occupations in the private sector, May 2009
Percent Mean wage
Employment of
Occupations private Hourly Annual
sector
employment
Retail salespersons ......................................................... 4,197,760 3.86 $11.84 $24,630
Cashiers .................................................................... 3,396,180 3.13 9.10 18,930
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food .......... 2,539,750 2.34 8.61 17,910
Waiters and waitresses ...................................................... 2,292,170 2.11 9.80 20,380
Office clerks, general ...................................................... 2,239,540 2.06 13.08 27,210
Customer service representatives ............................................ 2,126,190 1.96 15.55 32,350
Registered nurses ........................................................... 2,124,540 1.96 32.07 66,700
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand ...................... 2,074,060 1.91 12.11 25,190
Stock clerks and order fillers .............................................. 1,823,910 1.68 11.15 23,180
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks ................................ 1,574,240 1.45 16.62 34,570
General and operations managers ............................................. 1,561,600 1.44 53.77 111,840
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners ............... 1,545,110 1.42 10.85 22,570
Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer .................................... 1,519,880 1.40 18.88 39,270
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and
scientific products ........................................................ 1,409,170 1.30 29.52 61,410
Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive ........................... 1,339,180 1.23 14.53 30,230
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants .................................... 1,283,500 1.18 11.89 24,730
First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers 1,232,770 1.13 23.89 49,690
First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers ..................... 1,156,580 1.06 18.80 39,110
Executive secretaries and administrative assistants ......................... 1,092,590 1.01 21.26 44,220
Maintenance and repair workers, general ..................................... 1,036,410 .95 17.32 36,020
Team assemblers ............................................................. 997,020 .92 13.87 28,840
Receptionists and information clerks ........................................ 991,750 .91 12.45 25,900
Accountants and auditors .................................................... 977,400 .90 32.79 68,200
Security guards ............................................................. 928,940 .85 12.42 25,840
Home health aides ........................................................... 923,710 .85 10.25 21,330
Cooks, restaurant ........................................................... 894,550 .82 11.11 23,100
Maids and housekeeping cleaners ............................................. 852,440 .78 10.00 20,790
Truck drivers, light or delivery services ................................... 821,190 .76 14.93 31,060
Construction laborers ....................................................... 816,150 .75 15.91 33,100
Food preparation workers .................................................... 759,840 .70 9.67 20,120
Table 2. Largest occupations in federal government, May 2009
Percent Mean wage
Employment of
Occupations federal Hourly Annual
employment
Postal service mail carriers .................................................. 339,030 12.73 $23.53 $48,940
Business operations specialists, all other .................................... 170,450 6.40 36.71 76,350
Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators ..... 162,860 6.12 23.20 48,260
Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and
transportation .............................................................. 99,570 3.74 25.00 51,990
All other information and record clerks ....................................... 84,450 3.17 19.01 39,530
Postal service clerks ......................................................... 73,050 2.74 24.96 51,920
Computer specialists, all other ............................................... 64,540 2.42 42.75 88,920
Registered nurses ............................................................. 62,920 2.36 37.39 77,780
Management analysts ........................................................... 50,310 1.89 40.53 84,290
Managers, all other ........................................................... 47,720 1.79 49.96 103,910
Detectives and criminal investigators ......................................... 43,380 1.63 36.32 75,550
Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators ................................ 42,510 1.60 31.73 66,000
Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products ................ 32,030 1.20 36.58 76,090
Lawyers ....................................................................... 31,570 1.19 61.30 127,490
Tax examiners, collectors, and revenue agents ................................. 29,680 1.11 30.87 64,210
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners ................. 27,820 1.04 19.70 40,980
Physicians and surgeons, all other ............................................ 27,000 1.01 83.37 173,400
Eligibility interviewers, government programs ................................. 26,860 1.01 21.73 45,190
Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other ......... 25,800 .97 37.80 78,620
Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive ............................. 25,090 .94 22.35 46,490
Postmasters and mail superintendents .......................................... 24,890 .93 28.65 59,600
Logisticians .................................................................. 24,730 .93 37.90 78,820
Forest and conservation technicians ........................................... 24,400 .92 17.36 36,110
General and operations managers ............................................... 23,410 .88 56.01 116,500
Accountants and auditors ...................................................... 23,360 .88 42.28 87,940
Engineers, all other .......................................................... 23,220 .87 51.47 107,060
Air traffic controllers ....................................................... 22,020 .83 52.49 109,170
Financial specialists, all other .............................................. 21,170 .80 36.56 76,040
Maintenance and repair workers, general ....................................... 21,020 .79 24.19 50,320
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks .................................. 19,560 .73 20.84 43,340
Table 3. Largest occupations in state government, May 2009
Percent Mean wage
Employment of state
Occupations government Hourly Annual
employment
Correctional officers and jailers ........................................... 257,280 5.63 $21.02 $43,720
Office clerks, general ...................................................... 208,970 4.57 14.15 29,430
Registered nurses ........................................................... 128,080 2.80 31.26 65,020
Executive secretaries and administrative assistants ......................... 117,160 2.56 19.54 40,630
Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive ........................... 110,600 2.42 15.99 33,260
Business operations specialists, all other .................................. 106,740 2.33 27.89 58,020
Graduate teaching assistants ................................................ 86,600 1.89 n.a. 31,800
Postsecondary teachers, all other ........................................... 77,410 1.69 n.a. 68,240
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners ............... 76,750 1.68 12.39 25,780
Police and sheriff's patrol officers ........................................ 67,850 1.48 27.59 57,380
Child, family, and school social workers .................................... 64,490 1.41 20.90 43,480
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary .................................. 59,110 1.29 n.a. 105,210
First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers 57,860 1.27 25.14 52,280
Accountants and auditors .................................................... 51,320 1.12 25.84 53,750
Teachers and instructors, all other ......................................... 51,240 1.12 n.a. 55,130
Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists ................... 50,360 1.10 24.75 51,480
Education administrators, postsecondary ..................................... 49,150 1.07 48.05 99,940
Social and human service assistants ......................................... 48,230 1.05 17.18 35,740
Maintenance and repair workers, general ..................................... 47,900 1.05 16.73 34,800
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks ................................ 46,380 1.01 16.94 35,240
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants .................................... 43,330 .95 13.25 27,570
Psychiatric technicians ..................................................... 42,470 .93 15.45 32,130
Management analysts ......................................................... 41,250 .90 27.69 57,590
Office and administrative support workers, all other ........................ 39,790 .87 14.77 30,710
General and operations managers ............................................. 37,810 .83 40.33 83,880
Lawyers ..................................................................... 37,020 .81 40.10 83,410
Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety,
and transportation ........................................................ 36,360 .80 23.89 49,680
Civil engineers ............................................................. 34,900 .76 36.22 75,350
Managers, all other ......................................................... 33,950 .74 38.10 79,250
Computer systems analysts ................................................... 33,620 .74 31.53 65,570
n.a. = Not available.
Table 4. Largest occupations in local government, May 2009
Percent Mean wage
Employment of local
Occupations government Hourly Annual
employment
Elementary school teachers, except special education ....................... 1,403,250 9.52 n.a. $54,110
Teacher assistants ......................................................... 980,160 6.65 n.a. 24,580
Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education ......... 979,120 6.64 n.a. 55,740
Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education ............ 609,590 4.13 n.a. 54,220
Police and sheriff's patrol officers ....................................... 556,420 3.77 $26.47 55,070
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners .............. 440,720 2.99 13.57 28,230
Teachers and instructors, all other ........................................ 385,580 2.62 n.a. 36,380
Office clerks, general ..................................................... 351,170 2.38 14.12 29,380
Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive .......................... 322,800 2.19 15.66 32,560
Fire fighters .............................................................. 279,530 1.90 23.01 47,860
Bus drivers, school ........................................................ 270,310 1.83 13.37 27,810
Registered nurses .......................................................... 268,230 1.82 30.44 63,310
Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school . 201,520 1.37 n.a. 54,700
Education administrators, elementary and secondary school .................. 190,310 1.29 n.a. 88,650
Maintenance and repair workers, general .................................... 163,600 1.11 18.44 38,360
Correctional officers and jailers .......................................... 160,400 1.09 19.89 41,360
Kindergarten teachers, except special education ............................ 152,980 1.04 n.a. 52,670
Executive secretaries and administrative assistants ........................ 150,140 1.02 21.66 45,060
Educational, vocational, and school counselors ............................. 146,660 .99 29.34 61,030
Child care workers ......................................................... 145,870 .99 11.33 23,560
Cooks, institution and cafeteria ........................................... 142,090 .96 10.95 22,770
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food ......... 137,630 .93 10.05 20,900
Special education teachers, secondary school ............................... 133,240 .90 n.a. 56,790
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks ............................... 117,690 .80 17.13 35,630
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers ..................................... 105,280 .71 14.30 29,740
Librarians ................................................................. 104,050 .71 26.61 55,350
Highway maintenance workers ................................................ 103,140 .70 16.81 34,960
Recreation workers ......................................................... 102,940 .70 12.25 25,470
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants ................................... 99,040 .67 12.43 25,860
Special education teachers, middle school .................................. 96,260 .65 n.a. 55,040
n.a. = Not available.
Table 5. Largest occupations in elementary and secondary schools, by ownership, May 2009
Occupations Private ownership Local government State government
Employment Percent of Annual Employment Percent of Annual Employment Percent of Annual
employment mean employment mean employment mean
wage wage wage
Elementary school teachers, except special education .......... 119,380 17.30 $42,320 1,401,530 17.93 $54,110 10,790 16.22 $53,400
Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational
education ................................................... 96,890 14.04 50,100 977,150 12.50 55,760 8,160 12.27 50,470
Teacher assistants ............................................ 69,640 10.09 23,920 947,190 12.12 24,530 6,350 9.55 25,780
Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education 50,710 7.35 46,150 609,070 7.79 54,220 1,280 1.93 44,230
Teachers and instructors, all other ........................... 15,700 2.28 36,510 355,870 4.55 34,790 7,610 11.44 52,840
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners . 18,530 2.69 27,340 333,320 4.26 28,180 2,700 4.06 30,160
Bus drivers, school ........................................... 5,340 .77 27,860 228,360 2.92 27,360 190 .28 29,070
Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive ............. 15,050 2.18 31,050 201,470 2.58 31,940 940 1.42 35,930
Education administrators, elementary and secondary school ..... 24,170 3.50 78,760 189,280 2.42 88,630 1,620 2.44 89,890
Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and
elementary school ........................................... 12,320 1.78 49,480 199,290 2.55 54,760 2,030 3.06 47,290
Kindergarten teachers, except special education ............... 17,360 2.52 40,380 152,690 1.95 52,690 200 .31 46,610
Child care workers ............................................ 16,590 2.40 22,540 125,680 1.61 23,690 1,410 2.13 21,460
Special education teachers, secondary school .................. 8,540 1.24 53,110 132,470 1.69 56,820 1,430 2.15 53,770
Educational, vocational, and school counselors ................ 8,230 1.19 54,730 129,290 1.65 61,640 1,160 1.74 57,920
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast
food ........................................................ 4,780 .69 20,500 129,950 1.66 20,790 100 .15 20,850
Cooks, institution and cafeteria .............................. 4,910 .71 23,330 117,740 1.51 22,210 630 .95 28,020
Office clerks, general ........................................ 11,070 1.60 26,420 104,800 1.34 27,870 1,300 1.96 29,460
Special education teachers, middle school ..................... 4,570 .66 50,230 95,910 1.23 55,050 800 1.20 50,820
Vocational education teachers, secondary school ............... 1,420 .21 47,830 86,760 1.11 54,660 1,540 2.32 58,740
Food preparation workers ...................................... 2,940 .43 21,600 61,890 .79 23,230 740 1.12 24,250
Table 6. Largest occupations in general medical and surgical hospitals, by ownership, May 2009
Occupations Private ownership Local government State government
Employment Percent of Annual Employment Percent of Annual Employment Percent of Annual
employment mean employment mean employment mean
wage wage wage
Registered nurses ............................................. 1,273,970 29.44 $67,960 172,560 26.17 $66,280 45,470 24.18 $66,990
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants ...................... 326,560 7.55 26,750 57,280 8.69 25,040 12,520 6.65 27,960
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses ............. 126,340 2.92 40,500 27,870 4.23 37,300 4,170 2.22 42,020
Radiologic technologists and technicians ...................... 108,770 2.51 55,190 15,730 2.39 51,690 3,320 1.77 55,530
Maids and housekeeping cleaners ............................... 97,720 2.26 23,160 16,910 2.57 21,410 3,050 1.62 23,040
Medical secretaries ........................................... 98,060 2.27 31,740 13,250 2.01 28,540 4,890 2.60 35,340
Medical and health services managers .......................... 86,580 2.00 97,760 13,240 2.01 90,730 2,960 1.57 91,030
Medical and clinical laboratory technologists ................. 82,300 1.90 56,400 11,200 1.70 54,230 5,650 3.00 60,780
Office clerks, general ........................................ 73,840 1.71 29,370 17,730 2.69 29,640 7,210 3.83 29,200
Interviewers, except eligibility and loan ..................... 74,670 1.73 30,040 13,070 1.98 28,570 2,380 1.27 31,390
Respiratory therapists ........................................ 70,690 1.63 54,230 9,940 1.51 51,610 2,500 1.33 55,460
Physicians and surgeons, all other ............................ 56,900 1.32 129,540 10,580 1.60 109,730 4,210 2.24 98,680
Medical and clinical laboratory technicians ................... 57,930 1.34 38,930 8,530 1.29 37,180 3,040 1.61 41,220
Healthcare support workers, all other ......................... 56,700 1.31 30,510 6,780 1.03 27,460 1,730 .92 31,380
Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive ............. 56,240 1.30 33,390 6,080 .92 30,660 2,500 1.33 35,480
Surgical technologists ........................................ 54,860 1.27 40,810 7,280 1.10 36,800 1,760 .94 40,140
Medical records and health information technicians ............ 52,590 1.22 35,990 8,910 1.35 34,680 2,110 1.12 37,900
Medical assistants ............................................ 50,170 1.16 30,890 8,120 1.23 29,740 2,620 1.39 32,880
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners . 49,730 1.15 25,670 7,610 1.15 24,690 2,850 1.52 24,870
Pharmacists ................................................... 47,960 1.11 105,920 6,740 1.02 109,510 2,540 1.35 102,920
United States Department of Labor
