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The occupations with the largest employment in May 2014 were retail salespersons and cashiers. These two occupations combined made up nearly 6 percent of total U.S. employment. There were 4.6 million retail salespersons and 3.4 million cashiers employed in May 2014.
The 10 largest occupations accounted for 21 percent of total employment in May 2014. The largest occupations also included combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food; general office clerks; registered nurses; customer service representatives; and waiters and waitresses. Of these occupations, only registered nurses had an average wage above the average for all occupations in the United States. The average wage for registered nurses was $69,790 per year, compared with the average of $47,230 for all occupations.
Employment and mean annual wages for the largest occupations in the United States, May 2014
Occupation
Employment
Mean annual wage
Retail salespersons
4,562,160
$25,760
Cashiers
3,398,330
$20,640
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food
3,131,390
$19,110
Office clerks, general
2,889,970
$30,820
Registered nurses
2,687,310
$69,790
Customer service representatives
2,511,130
$33,890
Waiters and waitresses
2,445,230
$21,640
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
2,400,490
$27,180
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive
2,207,220
$34,500
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
2,137,730
$25,460
Most of the largest occupations were relatively low paying. Excluding registered nurses, annual mean wages for the rest of the 10 largest occupations ranged from $19,110 for combined food preparation and serving workers to $34,500 for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive. Combined food preparation and serving workers also was one of the lowest-paying occupations overall.
Within every occupation, some workers earn more than the average wage and some earn less. We show these differences with wage percentiles. At the 50th percentile, also called the median, 50 percent of workers earned more than that amount and 50 percent earned less. At the 90th percentile, 10 percent of workers earned more than that amount, and 90 percent earned less. In May 2014, management occupations had the highest median annual wage, $97,230. Computer and mathematical, legal, and architecture and engineering occupations also had median annual wages above $75,000. The median wage in sales and related occupations was $25,360; the highest-paid sales workers, those at the 90th percentile, earned $75,280, close to the median for workers in legal and architecture and engineering occupations.
(1) At least 10 percent of workers in this occupation have wages above $187,200 per year. The OES program can not estimate percentile wages above $187,200.
United States Department of Labor
