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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

49-9092 Commercial Divers

Work below surface of water, using surface-supplied air or scuba equipment to inspect, repair, remove, or install equipment and structures. May use a variety of power and hand tools, such as drills, sledgehammers, torches, and welding equipment. May conduct tests or experiments, rig explosives, or photograph structures or marine life. Excludes "Athletes and Sports Competitors" (27-2021), "Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers" (33-3051), and "Fishing and Hunting Workers" (45-3031).


National estimates for Commercial Divers
Industry profile for Commercial Divers
Geographic profile for Commercial Divers

National estimates for Commercial Divers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Commercial Divers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
3,460 13.8 % $ 34.54 $ 71,850 5.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for Commercial Divers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 17.40 $ 20.95 $ 26.35 $ 37.12 $ 53.43
Annual Wage (2) $ 36,200 $ 43,570 $ 54,800 $ 77,220 $ 111,130


Industry profile for Commercial Divers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Commercial Divers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Commercial Divers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Commercial Divers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 1,560 1.29 $ 33.93 $ 70,570
Other Support Services 1,260 0.42 $ 38.60 $ 80,290
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions 110 0.07 $ 19.39 $ 40,330
Support Activities for Water Transportation 80 0.09 $ 27.71 $ 57,630
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 70 0.00 $ 34.30 $ 71,340

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Commercial Divers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 1,560 1.29 $ 33.93 $ 70,570
Other Support Services 1,260 0.42 $ 38.60 $ 80,290
Support Activities for Water Transportation 80 0.09 $ 27.71 $ 57,630
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions 110 0.07 $ 19.39 $ 40,330
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 70 0.00 $ 34.30 $ 71,340

Top paying industries for Commercial Divers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Support Services 1,260 0.42 $ 38.60 $ 80,290
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 70 (7) $ 34.30 $ 71,340
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (8) (8) $ 34.17 $ 71,070
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 1,560 1.29 $ 33.93 $ 70,570
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 30 (7) $ 33.41 $ 69,500


Geographic profile for Commercial Divers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Commercial Divers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Commercial Divers, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in Commercial Divers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Florida 380 0.05 1.83 $ 24.21 $ 50,360
Tennessee 250 0.08 3.42 $ 25.51 $ 53,060
Louisiana 230 0.13 5.04 $ 30.22 $ 62,860
Texas 220 0.02 0.71 $ 28.86 $ 60,030
Virginia 180 0.05 1.93 (8) (8)




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Commercial Divers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 40 0.13 5.20 $ 48.14 $ 100,140
Louisiana 230 0.13 5.04 $ 30.22 $ 62,860
Vermont 30 0.11 4.62 $ 28.49 $ 59,260
Tennessee 250 0.08 3.42 $ 25.51 $ 53,060
Virginia 180 0.05 1.93 (8) (8)




Top paying states for Commercial Divers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Washington 70 0.02 0.94 $ 63.66 $ 132,410
California (8) (8) (8) $ 56.12 $ 116,720
Alaska 40 0.13 5.20 $ 48.14 $ 100,140
New Jersey 90 0.02 0.93 $ 41.81 $ 86,960
New Hampshire (8) (8) (8) $ 37.24 $ 77,460





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Commercial Divers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 190 0.02 0.85 $ 37.05 $ 77,070
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 140 0.05 2.19 $ 21.36 $ 44,430
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 90 0.07 2.63 (8) (8)
Jacksonville, FL 70 0.11 4.33 $ 22.13 $ 46,030
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 40 0.02 0.65 (8) (8)
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 40 0.17 6.80 $ 87.66 $ 182,340
Mobile, AL 30 0.20 8.13 $ 33.62 $ 69,930




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Commercial Divers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Mobile, AL 30 0.20 8.13 $ 33.62 $ 69,930
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 40 0.17 6.80 $ 87.66 $ 182,340
Jacksonville, FL 70 0.11 4.33 $ 22.13 $ 46,030
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 90 0.07 2.63 (8) (8)
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 140 0.05 2.19 $ 21.36 $ 44,430
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 190 0.02 0.85 $ 37.05 $ 77,070
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 40 0.02 0.65 (8) (8)




Top paying metropolitan areas for Commercial Divers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 40 0.17 6.80 $ 87.66 $ 182,340
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (8) (8) (8) $ 54.00 $ 112,310
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 190 0.02 0.85 $ 37.05 $ 77,070
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (8) (8) (8) $ 35.83 $ 74,520
Austin-Round Rock, TX (8) (8) (8) $ 33.68 $ 70,050
Mobile, AL 30 0.20 8.13 $ 33.62 $ 69,930
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL (8) (8) (8) $ 30.55 $ 63,550
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC (8) (8) (8) $ 30.33 $ 63,080
New Orleans-Metairie, LA (8) (8) (8) $ 27.48 $ 57,150
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (8) (8) (8) $ 23.71 $ 49,320


About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) 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 wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021