About 2000 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

The National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates are calculated from data collected in a national survey of employers. Data on occupational employment and wages are collected from employers of every size, in every State, in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, in all industry divisions. These estimates are cross-industry estimates; each occupation's employment and wage estimates are calculated from data collected from employers in all industry divisions. Self-employed persons are not included in the survey or estimates. Since 1999 the OES program has used the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system.

The National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates consist of the following:

• SOC Code Number: the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system's unique, six-digit (plus hyphen) numerical identifier for each occupation. When the SOC code is a link, clicking on it leads to a page that contains the occupational definition and national cross-industry estimates.
• Occupation Title: a descriptive title that corresponds to the SOC code.
• Employment: the estimated total occupational employment (not including self-employed).
• Median Hourly Wage: the estimated 50th percentile of the distribution of wages based on data collected from employers in all industries; 50 percent of workers in an occupation earn less than the median wage, and 50 percent earn more than the median wage.
• Mean Hourly Wage: the estimated total hourly wages of an occupation divided by its estimated employment, i.e., the average hourly wage.
• Mean Annual Wage: the estimated total annual wages of an occupation divided by its estimated employment, i.e., the average annual wage.
• Mean RSE : the Relative Standard Error of the mean wage estimates, a measure of the reliability or precision of the mean wage estimates. The relative standard error is defined as the ratio of the standard error to the survey estimate. For example, a relative standard error of 10 percent implies that the standard error is one-tenth as large as the survey estimate.
• Employment RSE : the Relative Standard Error of the employment estimate, a measure of the reliability or precision of the employment estimate. The relative standard error is defined as the ratio of the standard error to the survey estimate. For example, a relative standard error of 10 percent implies that the standard error is one-tenth as large as the survey estimate.
• Percentile Wage Estimates : (National estimates only) A percentile wage estimate shows what percentage of workers in an occupation earn less than a given wage and what percentage earn more. For example, a 25th percentile wage of $15.00 indicates that 25% of workers (in a given occupation in a given area) earn less than $15.00; therefore 75% of workers earn more than $15.00. More about percentile wages.

For more information about the OES program and estimates, see the Frequently Asked Questions

2000 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2000 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2000 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2000 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Technical Notes

Last Modified Date: November 15, 2001