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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Data tables for the overview of May 2021 occupational employment and wages

Employment for the largest healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, May 2021
Occupation Employment

Registered nurses

3,047,530

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

641,240

Pharmacy technicians

436,630

Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians

318,780

Pharmacists

312,550

Physicians, all other

256,670

Nurse practitioners

234,690

Physical therapists

225,350

Radiologic technologists and technicians

216,380

Dental hygienists

207,190
Highest and lowest paying healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, May 2021
Occupation Annual mean wage

Cardiologists

$353,970

Anesthesiologists

331,190

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons

311,460

Emergency medicine physicians

310,640

Orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric

306,220

All healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

91,100

All occupations

58,260

Veterinary technologists and technicians

38,250

Psychiatric technicians

38,000

Pharmacy technicians

37,970

Emergency medical technicians

36,690

Dietetic technicians

34,160
Industries with the largest employment of healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, May 2021
Industry Employment

General medical and surgical hospitals

3,205,390

Offices of physicians

1,188,560

Outpatient care centers

408,420

Health and personal care stores

380,930

Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities)

365,870

Offices of other health practitioners

354,430

Home health care services

329,460

Offices of dentists

316,710

Federal executive branch

221,660

Other professional, scientific, and technical services

184,930
Highest and lowest paying states for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, May 2021
State Annual mean wage

California

$115,220

Hawaii

113,370

New Jersey

112,860

District of Columbia

106,340

Alaska

105,660

United States

91,100

West Virginia

75,670

South Dakota

75,120

Louisiana

74,320

Alabama

71,790

Mississippi

69,660
Employment for the largest transportation and material moving occupations, May 2021
Occupation Employment

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

2,729,010

Stockers and order fillers

2,451,430

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

1,903,420

Light truck drivers

1,010,040

Industrial truck and tractor operators

758,290

Packers and packagers, hand

585,270

First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors

549,260

Driver/sales workers

477,020

Bus drivers, school

361,420

Cleaners of vehicles and equipment

351,960
Highest and lowest paying transportation and material moving occupations, May 2021
Occupation Annual mean wage

Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers

$198,190

Air traffic controllers

127,920

Commercial pilots

115,080

Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels

98,330

Ship engineers

96,910

All occupations

58,260

All transportation and material moving occupations

41,340

Packers and packagers, hand

30,950

Cleaners of vehicles and equipment

30,550

Taxi drivers

30,050

Automotive and watercraft service attendants

29,960

Parking attendants

29,210
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentrations of transportation and material moving occupations, May 2021
Area Percent

Stockton-Lodi, CA

20.3

Memphis, TN-MS-AR

17.4

Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA

16.8

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

16.6

Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL

16.1

Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV

14.8

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA

14.6

Houma-Thibodaux, LA

14.4

Danville, IL

14.4

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

14.3

United States

9.0
Employment for the largest protective service occupations, May 2021
Occupation Employment

Security guards

1,057,100

Police and sheriff's patrol officers

665,380

Correctional officers and jailers

392,600

Firefighters

317,310

First-line supervisors of police and detectives

128,230

Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers

114,320

Detectives and criminal investigators

107,890

Protective service workers, all other

100,110

Crossing guards and flaggers

82,690

First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers

80,890
Highest and lowest paying protective service occupations, May 2021
Occupation Annual mean wage

First-line supervisors of police and detectives

$98,760

Detectives and criminal investigators

90,370

First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers

83,270

Police and sheriff's patrol officers

70,750

First-line supervisors of correctional officers

69,750

All occupations

58,260

All protective service occupations

53,420

Gambling surveillance officers and gambling investigators

38,080

Security guards

35,830

Crossing guards and flaggers

35,670

School bus monitors

30,220

Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers

27,320
Highest and lowest paying states for security guards, May 2021
State Annual mean wage

District of Columbia

$52,840

Alaska

49,040

Washington

43,720

New York

41,810

Idaho

40,970

United States

35,830

South Carolina

29,920

West Virginia

28,290

Kentucky

27,950

Alabama

27,670

Mississippi

27,650
Industries with the highest employment of protective service occupations, May 2021
Industry Employment

Local government, excluding schools and hospitals

1,402,270

Investigation and security services

721,420

State government, excluding schools and hospitals

381,880

Federal executive branch

141,530

Elementary and secondary schools

119,860

Other support services

50,760

General medical and surgical hospitals

48,090

Colleges, universities, and professional schools

42,340

Traveler accommodation

39,630

Other amusement and recreation industries

33,120
Employment for the largest occupations, May 2021
Occupation Employment (millions)

Retail salespersons

3.7

Home health and personal care aides

3.4

Cashiers

3.3

Fast food and counter workers

3.1

Registered nurses

3.0

General and operations managers

3.0

Customer service representatives

2.8

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

2.7

Office clerks, general

2.6

Stockers and order fillers

2.5
Annual mean wages for the largest occupations, May 2021
Occupation Annual mean wage

General and operations managers

$115,250

Registered nurses

82,750

All occupations

58,260

Customer service representatives

39,070

Office clerks, general

38,990

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

34,950

Stockers and order fillers

33,020

Retail salespersons

31,920

Home health and personal care aides

29,260

Cashiers

26,770

Fast food and counter workers

26,060
Major occupational groups as a percentage of total employment, May 2021
Occupational group Percent

Office and administrative support

13.0

Sales and related

9.4

Transportation and material moving

9.0

Food preparation and serving related

8.0

Business and financial operations

6.4

Management

6.3

Healthcare practitioners and technical

6.2

Production

6.0

Educational instruction and library

5.8

Healthcare support

4.7

Construction and extraction

4.2

Installation, maintenance, and repair

4.0

Computer and mathematical

3.3

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

2.9

Protective service

2.4

Personal care and service

1.8

Architecture and engineering

1.7

Community and social service

1.6

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media

1.3

Life, physical, and social science

0.9

Legal

0.8

Farming, fishing, and forestry

0.3
Occupations with the largest employment in the public sector, May 2021
Occupation Employment

Elementary school teachers, except special education

1,196,370

Teaching assistants, except postsecondary

952,910

Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education

877,700

Police and sheriff's patrol officers

659,050

Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education

527,110

Registered nurses

522,500

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

469,960

Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive

465,560

Office clerks, general

459,780

Correctional officers and jailers

372,470
Employment by typical entry-level educational requirement as a percentage of total employment, May 2021
Typical entry-level educational requirement Percent

Doctoral or professional degree

2.6

Master's degree

1.8

Bachelor's degree

24.2

Associate's degree

2.2

Postsecondary nondegree award

6.2

Some college, no degree

2.7

High school diploma or equivalent

38.6

No formal educational credential

21.7
Largest occupations typically requiring an associate's degree for entry, May 2021
Occupation Employment

Preschool teachers, except special education

391,670

Paralegals and legal assistants

336,250

Radiologic technologists and technicians

216,380

Dental hygienists

207,190

Computer network support specialists

176,200

Respiratory therapists

133,410

Veterinary technologists and technicians

118,670

Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

102,770

Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

101,450

Architectural and civil drafters

101,310
Annual mean wages by typical entry-level educational requirement, May 2021
Typical entry-level educational requirement Annual mean wage

Doctoral or professional degree

$144,210

Master's degree

86,990

Bachelor's degree

93,590

Associate's degree

60,180

Postsecondary nondegree award

46,610

Some college, no degree

42,970

High school diploma or equivalent

46,760

No formal educational credential

31,810

All occupations

58,260
Highest paying occupations typically requiring an associate's degree for entry, May 2021
Occupation Annual mean wage

Air traffic controllers

$127,920

Nuclear technicians

95,200

Radiation therapists

94,000

Nuclear medicine technologists

84,850

Funeral home managers

82,900

Dental hygienists

81,360

Diagnostic medical sonographers

80,680

Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

77,820

Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians

73,510

Legal support workers, all other

73,000

All associate's degree occupations

60,180

All occupations

58,260
Employment for the largest STEM occupations, May 2021
Occupation Employment

Software developers

1,364,180

Computer user support specialists

654,310

Computer systems analysts

505,150

Computer and information systems managers

485,190

Computer occupations, all other

370,190

Network and computer systems administrators

316,760

Civil engineers

304,310

Industrial engineers

293,950

Mechanical engineers

278,240

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products

266,160
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment shares of STEM occupations, May 2021
Metropolitan area Percent

California-Lexington Park, MD

24.4

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

22.1

Boulder, CO

17.8

Huntsville, AL

17.6

Bloomington, IL

14.7

Corvallis, OR

13.8

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

13.4

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

13.1

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

12.9

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

12.4

United States

6.6
Industries with the highest employment shares of STEM occupations, May 2021
Industry Percent

Computer systems design and related services

62.5

Architectural, engineering, and related services

61.1

Software publishers

57.1

Scientific research and development services

56.6

Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing

49.1

Data processing, hosting, and related services

46.9

Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing

39.4

Other information services

36.3

Communications equipment manufacturing

34.3

Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing

32.9

All industries

6.6
Highest and lowest paying STEM occupations, May 2021
Occupation Annual mean wage

Computer and information systems managers

$162,930

Architectural and engineering managers

158,970

Natural sciences managers

156,110

Physicists

151,580

Petroleum engineers

145,720

All STEM occupations

100,900

All occupations

58,260

Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

50,550

Surveying and mapping technicians

49,810

Food science technicians

47,870

Agricultural technicians

44,850

Forest and conservation technicians

43,420

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022