May 20, 2011 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
Retail salespersons: occupation with highest employment in 2010
Occupations with the highest employment in the United States, May 2010
| Occupation |
Total
employment |
Percent of
total employment |
Total employment in all other occupations |
101,136,610 |
79.6 |
Total employment, top 10 occupations |
25,960,550 |
20.4 |
Secretaries & admin. assistants, except legal, medical, & executive |
1,841,020 |
1.4 |
Laborers & freight, stock, & material movers, hand |
2,024,180 |
1.6 |
Janitors & cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners |
2,058,610 |
1.6 |
Customer service representatives |
2,146,120 |
1.7 |
Waiters and waitresses |
2,244,480 |
1.8 |
Registered nurses |
2,655,020 |
2.1 |
Combined food prep. & serving workers, incl. fast food |
2,692,170 |
2.1 |
General office clerks |
2,789,590 |
2.2 |
Cashiers |
3,354,170 |
2.6 |
Retail salespersons |
4,155,190 |
3.3 |
These data are featured in the TED article, Retail salespersons: occupation with highest employment in 2010.
Percent of total employment and mean hourly wage, selected major occupational groups, May 2010
| Occupational group |
Percent of
total employment |
Mean
hourly wage |
Percent employed
in private sector |
Office & admin. support |
16.9 |
$16.09 |
84.0 |
Sales & related |
10.6 |
$17.69 |
99.3 |
Food prep. & serving related |
8.7 |
$10.21 |
94.9 |
Education, training, & library |
6.7 |
$24.25 |
22.6 |
Healthcare practitioners & technical |
5.8 |
$34.27 |
84.1 |
Management |
4.7 |
$50.69 |
83.3 |
Protective service |
2.5 |
$20.43 |
35.7 |
Community & social service |
1.5 |
$20.76 |
60.0 |
Life, physical & social science |
0.8 |
$31.92 |
57.9 |
Legal |
0.8 |
$46.60 |
74.1 |
These data are featured in the TED article, Retail salespersons: occupation with highest employment in 2010.
OF INTEREST
Recent editions of Spotlight on Statistics
- Fatal Injuries to Foreign-Born Hispanic or Latino Workers
Explores the industries, occupations, and events related to these fatalities.
- For-Profit, Nonprofit, and Government Sector Jobs in 2022
Compares the labor force characteristics and experiences of workers in the for-profit, nonprofit, government, and self-employed sectors.
- Union Membership, Activity, and Compensation in 2022
Focuses on trends in union membership, work stoppages, and pay and benefits among union members.
- A Look at a Neat Industry: Distilleries
Examines trends in employment, establishments, wages, and consumer prices for distilleries.
- Healthcare Occupations: Characteristics of the Employed
Compares the demographic characteristics of workers in healthcare occupations.
United States Department of Labor
