The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program produces employment and wage estimates for over 800 occupations. These are estimates of the number of people employed in certain occupations, and estimates of the wages paid to them. Self-employed persons are not included in the estimates. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual States, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas; national occupational estimates for specific industries are also available.

NOTICE The May 2011 OES estimates were released on Tuesday, March 27th (HTML) (PDF)

On This Page

 

OES Data Highlights

Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Highlights:

Architecture and Engineering Occupations

February 2012

Architecture and engineering occupations are at the forefront of technological progress. Among the many possible tasks that workers in these jobs may perform are designing ships, aircraft, or computers; researching, developing, and evaluating medical devices; and devising improved processes for manufacturing products. Workers may use technical knowledge to design improved methods for extracting natural resources or to collect and analyze geographic information. Architecture and engineering jobs are highly skilled and high paying: nearly all of the occupations in this group pay above-average wages and typically require postsecondary education, often a bachelor’s degree or higher. This highlight provides an overview of employment and wages for architecture and engineering occupations, including information on industries in which architecture and engineering jobs are likely to be found and geographic areas in which these jobs are concentrated.

There were 2.3 million architecture and engineering jobs in 2010, representing about 2 percent of U.S. employment. By comparison, the two largest occupations, retail salespersons and cashiers, had employment of 4.2 and 3.4 million, respectively, more than all the architecture and engineering occupations combined. The largest architecture and engineering occupations were civil engineers, with employment of 249,120, mechanical engineers (234,400), and industrial engineers (202,900). Agricultural engineers (2,520), marine engineers and naval architects (5,720), and mining and geological engineers (6,270) were the smallest architecture and engineering occupations. (See chart 1.)

Chart 1. Employment for the largest and smallest architecture and engineering occupations, May 2010

Although architecture and engineering was one of the smaller occupational groups, it was also one of the highest paying. More...
(HTML) (PDF)

Previous OES Highlights
  • Occupational Employment and Wage Patterns in Nonmetropolitan Areas (HTML) (PDF)
  • How Jobseekers and Employers Can Use Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Data during Wage and Salary Discussions (HTML) (PDF)
More OES Highlights

Latest OES News Release

Occupational Employment and Wages

March 27, 2012

2011 employment levels in retail salespersons (4.3 million) and cashiers (3.3 million) occupations combined for nearly 6 percent of total U.S. employment. The highest paying occupational groups were management, legal, computer and mathematical, and architecture and engineering occupations. More...
(HTML) (PDF)

Current

Archived

 

OES Databases

Databases

Database Name Special
Notice		 Top
Picks		 One
Screen		 Multi-
Screen		 Tables Text Files
Employment and Wages from Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey
       Multi Screen Data Search Tables Text Files

 

More Tools

 

OES Tables

Featured Tables: May 2011 estimates

Current Tables: May 2011 estimates

Archived Tables

Documentation

 

OES Publications

 

OES Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What does the OES program produce?
  2. What are the OES data used for?
  3. What basic concepts are essential to understanding the OES survey?
  4. What are the differences between the Bureau's Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) wage estimates and National Compensation Survey (NCS) wage estimates?
  5. Does the BLS have OES estimates for specific industries?
  6. Does the BLS have OES estimates for individual States?
  7. Does the BLS have OES estimates for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas?

All OES FAQs »

 

OES Special Notices

  • Notice about wage estimates for teaching occupations in New York for November 2003 to May 2006

  • Upcoming Reduction in Sample Size of Occupational Employment Statistics Survey

    Due to budget constraints, Occupational Employment Statistics has reduced the sample size of the May 2008 panel by 20 percent. Because OES estimates are produced from three years of pooled data, this one-time sample reduction will affect estimates for May 2008, May 2009, and May 2010. This reduction is expected to decrease the number of published employment estimates by at least five percent, or about 25,000 estimates, and will decrease the accuracy of the remaining estimates. The number and quality of wage estimates are also expected to decline. These cutbacks are being implemented in response to a reduction in funding to the BLS that resulted from The 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act enacted on December 26, 2007.

  • With the issuance of data for May 2005, the OES program has incorporated redefined metropolitan areas as designated by the Office of Management and Budget. OES data are available for 375 metropolitan statistical areas and 34 metropolitan divisions.

  • Change in Occupational Employment Statistics Publication Schedule
    Due to budget constraints in the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program, beginning with the release of the May 2005 estimates in the Spring of 2006, OES will return to once a year publication. Estimates for November 2005 will not be published.

  • The Bureau of Labor Statistics is able to produce the occupational employment and wage estimates displayed on this website because of the timely co-operation of employers throughout the United States. If your workplace received an Occupational Employment Statistics survey form please complete it and return it to the State employment security agency that sent it to you. If you have returned a completed survey form, Thank you!

 

OES Related Links

 

Contact Us

Contacts

For additional information concerning the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Survey, contact an OES staff member at:

  • Email: Contact us
  • Telephone number: 202-691-6569
  • Fax number: 202-691-6444
  • Mail address: Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, Suite 2135, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Washington DC 20212-0001

 

All OES CONTACT INFORMATION »