Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Data tables for the overview of May 2023 occupational employment and wages

Employment for the largest office and administrative support occupations, May 2023

Occupation

Employment

Customer service representatives

2,858,710

Office clerks, general

2,496,370

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

1,785,430

First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers

1,504,570

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

1,501,910

Receptionists and information clerks

1,003,820

Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks

844,120

Medical secretaries and administrative assistants

749,500

Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

483,570

Billing and posting clerks

430,220
Highest and lowest paying office and administrative support occupations, May 2023

Occupation

Annual mean wage

Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

$73,680

First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers

68,620

All occupations

65,470

Brokerage clerks

63,130

Postal service mail carriers

59,340

Postal service clerks

59,240

All office and administrative support occupations

47,940

Couriers and messengers

38,350

Gambling cage workers

36,750

Receptionists and information clerks

36,590

Library assistants, clerical

35,970

Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks

32,570
Major occupational groups as a percentage of total employment, May 2023
Occupational groupPercent

Office and administrative support

12.2

Transportation and material moving

9.1

Sales and related

8.8

Food preparation and serving related

8.7

Management

6.9

Business and financial operations

6.6

Healthcare practitioners and technical

6.1

Production

5.8

Educational instruction and library

5.8

Healthcare support

4.7

Construction and extraction

4.1

Installation, maintenance, and repair

3.9

Computer and mathematical

3.4

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

2.9

Protective service

2.3

Personal care and service

2.0

Architecture and engineering

1.7

Community and social service

1.6

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media

1.4

Life, physical, and social science

0.9

Legal

0.8

Farming, fishing, and forestry

0.3
Industries with the highest employment of office and administrative support occupations, May 2023

Industry

Employment

Local government, excluding schools and hospitals

961,360

Credit intermediation and related activities (5221 and 5223 only)

842,450

Offices of physicians

759,630

General medical and surgical hospitals

614,320

Postal service

552,400

Management of companies and enterprises

547,900

Elementary and secondary schools

508,760

Employment services

495,420

Business support services

446,280

Agencies, brokerages, and other insurance related activities

428,630
Highest and lowest paying industries for office and administrative support occupations, May 2023

Industry

Annual mean wage

Pipeline transportation of crude oil

$79,030

Other pipeline transportation

76,920

Natural gas distribution

70,650

Metal ore mining

70,000

Support activities for water transportation

68,340

All industries

47,940

Traveler accommodation

36,110

Gasoline stations

35,740

Other amusement and recreation industries

34,770

Rooming and boarding houses, dormitories, and workers' camps

34,540

Personal care services

33,440
Highest and lowest paying states for customer service representatives, May 2023

State

Annual mean wage

District of Columbia

$56,140

Washington

52,690

Massachusetts

50,450

New York

50,100

California

49,950

United States

43,520

Kentucky

38,420

South Carolina

38,420

Arkansas

37,980

Alabama

37,760

Louisiana

37,480

Mississippi

34,680
Employment for the largest food preparation and serving related occupations, May 2023

Occupation

Employment

Fast food and counter workers

3,676,580

Waiters and waitresses

2,237,850

Cooks, restaurant

1,412,350

First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers

1,176,540

Food preparation workers

879,610

Bartenders

711,140

Cooks, fast food

673,490

Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers

483,390

Dishwashers

463,940

Cooks, institution and cafeteria

435,640
Highest and lowest paying food preparation and serving related occupations, May 2023

Occupation

Annual mean wage

All occupations

$65,470

Chefs and head cooks

62,640

Cooks, private household

49,790

First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers

43,310

Cooks, all other

37,610

Bartenders

37,090

All food preparation and serving related occupations

34,490

Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers

32,730

Dishwashers

31,650

Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop

30,750

Fast food and counter workers

30,110

Cooks, fast food

29,760
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentrations of food preparation and serving related occupations, May 2023

Metropolitan area

Percent

Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI

18.1

Ocean City, NJ

17.9

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC

17.7

Flagstaff, AZ

16.3

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC

15.9

Jacksonville, NC

15.3

Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV

14.8

Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL

14.6

Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL

14.5

Brunswick, GA

14.4

United States

8.7
Highest and lowest paying metropolitan areas for food preparation and serving related occupations, May 2023

Metropolitan area

Annual mean wage

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

$47,490

Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI

47,200

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

45,390

Burlington-South Burlington, VT

44,410

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

44,070

United States

34,490

Monroe, LA

25,100

Dothan, AL

25,080

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX

25,060

Gadsden, AL

24,770

Hattiesburg, MS

24,480
Employment for the largest life, physical, and social science occupations, May 2023

Occupation

Employment

Medical scientists, except epidemiologists

136,620

Occupational health and safety specialists

122,300

Chemists

83,530

Environmental scientists and specialists, including health

80,730

Biological technicians

76,990

Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other

72,230

Clinical and counseling psychologists

71,730

School psychologists

62,790

Biological scientists, all other

61,220

Chemical technicians

55,880
Highest and lowest paying life, physical, and social science occupations, May 2023

Occupation

Annual mean wage

Physicists

$158,270

Industrial-organizational psychologists

154,380

Economists

132,650

Political scientists

132,020

Astronomers

128,940

All life, physical, and social science occupations

87,870

All occupations

65,470

Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

57,470

Biological technicians

56,540

Forest and conservation technicians

54,260

Food science technicians

54,000

Agricultural technicians

46,810
Industries with the highest employment of life, physical, and social science occupations, May 2023

Industry

Employment

Scientific research and development services

213,600

Federal executive branch

148,200

Colleges, universities, and professional schools

119,480

Local government, excluding schools and hospitals

98,520

State government, excluding schools and hospitals

91,840

Architectural, engineering, and related services

79,180

Management, scientific, and technical consulting services

68,970

Elementary and secondary schools

55,280

Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing

49,080

General medical and surgical hospitals

48,380
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentrations of life, physical, and social science occupations, May 2023

Metropolitan area

Percent

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

3.9

Fairbanks, AK

3.3

Ames, IA

3.2

Charlottesville, VA

3.2

Midland, MI

3.1

Boulder, CO

3.1

Iowa City, IA

2.9

Kennewick-Richland, WA

2.7

Fort Collins, CO

2.6

Corvallis, OR

2.6

United States

0.9
Employment for the largest occupations, May 2023
OccupationEmployment (millions)

Home health and personal care aides

3.7

Retail salespersons

3.7

Fast food and counter workers

3.7

General and operations managers

3.5

Cashiers

3.3

Registered nurses

3.2

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

3.0

Stockers and order fillers

2.9

Customer service representatives

2.9

Office clerks, general

2.5
Annual mean wages for the largest occupations, May 2023
OccupationAnnual mean wage

General and operations managers

$129,330

Registered nurses

94,480

All occupations

65,470

Office clerks, general

43,560

Customer service representatives

43,520

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

39,760

Stockers and order fillers

37,990

Retail salespersons

36,690

Home health and personal care aides

33,380

Cashiers

30,710

Fast food and counter workers

30,110
Occupations with the largest employment in the public sector, May 2023

Occupation

Employment

Elementary school teachers, except special education

1,254,040

Teaching assistants, except postsecondary

1,033,460

Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education

898,000

Police and sheriff's patrol officers

640,320

Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education

553,390

Registered nurses

526,150

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

491,130

Office clerks, general

467,110

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

461,920

Substitute teachers, short-term

353,450

 

Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024