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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Data tables for the overview of May 2020 occupational employment and wages

Employment for the largest healthcare support occupations, May 2020
Occupation Employment

Home health and personal care aides

3,211,590

Nursing assistants

1,371,050

Medical assistants

710,200

Dental assistants

312,140

Phlebotomists

128,020

Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers

98,810

Healthcare support workers, all other

96,720

Physical therapist assistants

92,740

Massage therapists

85,040

Medical equipment preparers

56,870
Highest paying healthcare support occupations, May 2020
Occupation Annual mean wage

Occupational therapy assistants

$63,420

Physical therapist assistants

59,440

All occupations

56,310

Massage therapists

47,350

Dental assistants

42,310

Healthcare support workers, all other

41,430

Medical equipment preparers

41,070

Medical transcriptionists

37,310

Phlebotomists

37,280

Medical assistants

36,930

Occupational therapy aides

34,160

All healthcare support occupations

32,250
Industries with the largest employment of healthcare support occupations, May 2020
Industry Employment

Individual and family services

1,521,420

Home health care services

959,870

General medical and surgical hospitals

702,320

Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities)

630,550

Offices of physicians

479,710

Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly

422,640

Residential intellectual and developmental disability, mental health, and substance abuse facilities

321,840

Offices of dentists

287,780

Offices of other health practitioners

195,720

Outpatient care centers

106,590
Highest and lowest paying states for healthcare support occupations, May 2020
State Annual mean wage

Alaska

$42,080

Washington

38,330

Massachusetts

37,180

Oregon

37,020

Hawaii

36,150

United States

32,250

Texas

27,370

West Virginia

26,910

Alabama

26,760

Mississippi

25,240

Louisiana

25,110
Employment for the largest educational instruction and library occupations, May 2020
Occupation Employment

Elementary school teachers, except special education

1,364,870

Teaching assistants, except postsecondary

1,272,840

Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education

991,000

Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education

599,520

Substitute teachers, short-term

512,030

Preschool teachers, except special education

370,940

Tutors and teachers and instructors, all other

309,220

Self-enrichment teachers

222,700

Health specialties teachers, postsecondary

200,040

Postsecondary teachers, all other

194,740
Highest and lowest paying educational instruction and library occupations, May 2020
Occupation Annual mean wage

Law teachers, postsecondary

$134,760

Health specialties teachers, postsecondary

124,890

Economics teachers, postsecondary

123,720

Engineering teachers, postsecondary

114,130

Business teachers, postsecondary

107,270

All educational instruction and library occupations

59,810

All occupations

56,310

Library technicians

39,630

Teaching assistants, postsecondary

39,460

Preschool teachers, except special education

36,550

Substitute teachers, short-term

36,090

Teaching assistants, except postsecondary

30,630
Highest and lowest paying states for elementary school teachers, except special education, May 2020
State Annual mean wage

California

$85,110

Massachusetts

84,810

New York

84,380

Connecticut

79,610

District of Columbia

78,840

United States

65,420

Oklahoma

48,570

Arizona

47,910

West Virginia

47,780

South Dakota

44,790

Mississippi

43,280
Employment for the largest food preparation and serving related occupations, May 2020
Occupation Employment

Fast food and counter workers

3,450,120

Waiters and waitresses

1,944,240

Cooks, restaurant

1,109,650

First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers

891,540

Food preparation workers

793,590

Cooks, fast food

544,420

Bartenders

486,720

Dishwashers

395,660

Cooks, institution and cafeteria

387,300

Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers

374,940
Highest paying food preparation and serving related occupations, May 2020
Occupation Annual mean wage

Chefs and head cooks

$58,740

All occupations

56,310

Cooks, private household

46,810

First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers

37,880

Cooks, all other

32,350

Cooks, institution and cafeteria

29,940

Cooks, restaurant

29,530

Bartenders

28,910

Food preparation and serving related workers, all other

27,880

All food preparation and serving related occupations

27,650

Waiters and waitresses

27,470

Food servers, nonrestaurant

27,460
Industries with the highest employment of food preparation and serving related occupations, May 2020
Industry Employment

Restaurants and other eating places

8,078,870

Special food services

447,500

Food and beverage stores (4451 and 4452 only)

401,770

Traveler accommodation

366,310

Elementary and secondary schools

334,190

Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)

242,770

Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly

168,170

Other amusement and recreation industries

166,610

Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities)

149,350

General medical and surgical hospitals

117,220
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentrations of food preparation and serving related occupations, May 2020
Area Percent

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

16.7

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC

15.5

Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI

15.5

Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL

15.3

Flagstaff, AZ

15.0

Brunswick, GA

14.4

Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL

14.1

Ocean City, NJ

14.1

Jacksonville, NC

13.9

Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL

13.9

United States

8.1
Employment for the largest STEM occupations, May 2020
Occupation Employment

Software developers and software quality assurance analysts and testers

1,476,800

Computer user support specialists

634,820

Computer systems analysts

574,450

Computer and information systems managers

457,290

Computer occupations, all other

362,580

Network and computer systems administrators

339,560

Civil engineers

300,850

Mechanical engineers

293,960

Industrial engineers

290,190

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products

288,150
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment shares of STEM occupations, May 2020
Metropolitan area Percent

California-Lexington Park, MD

26.0

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

22.2

Boulder, CO

18.4

Huntsville, AL

17.7

Bloomington, IL

16.3

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

13.8

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

13.7

Columbus, IN

12.9

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

12.6

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

12.6

United States

6.7
Industries with the highest employment shares of STEM occupations, May 2020
Industry Percent

Computer systems design and related services

63.9

Architectural, engineering, and related services

63.2

Software publishers

59.1

Scientific research and development services

55.3

Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing

52.8

Data processing, hosting, and related services

47.9

Communications equipment manufacturing

41.4

Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing

39.8

Aerospace product and parts manufacturing

35.0

Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing

34.9

United States

6.7
Highest and lowest paying STEM occupations, May 2020
Occupation Annual mean wage

Computer and information systems managers

$161,730

Architectural and engineering managers

158,100

Natural sciences managers

154,930

Petroleum engineers

154,330

Physicists

137,700

All STEM occupations

98,340

All occupations

56,310

Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

50,960

Surveying and mapping technicians

49,770

Biological technicians

49,490

Agricultural and food science technicians

45,920

Forest and conservation technicians

42,780
Employment for the largest occupations, May 2020
Occupation Employment (millions)

Retail salespersons

3.7

Fast food and counter workers

3.5

Cashiers

3.3

Home health and personal care aides

3.2

Registered nurses

3.0

Customer service representatives

2.8

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

2.8

Office clerks, general

2.8

General and operations managers

2.3

Stockers and order fillers

2.2
Annual mean wages for the largest occupations, May 2020
Occupation Annual mean wage

General and operations managers

$125,740

Registered nurses

80,010

All occupations

56,310

Customer service representatives

38,510

Office clerks, general

37,770

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

33,710

Stockers and order fillers

31,010

Retail salespersons

30,940

Home health and personal care aides

28,060

Cashiers

25,710

Fast food and counter workers

24,540
Major occupational groups as a percentage of total employment, May 2020
Occupational group Percent

Office and administrative support

13.3

Sales and related

9.4

Transportation and material moving

8.7

Food preparation and serving related

8.1

Healthcare practitioners and technical

6.2

Production

6.1

Educational instruction and library

6.1

Business and financial operations

6.0

Management

5.7

Healthcare support

4.6

Construction and extraction

4.3

Installation, maintenance, and repair

3.9

Computer and mathematical

3.3

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

2.9

Protective service

2.4

Personal care and service

1.9

Architecture and engineering

1.8

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 highest employment in the public sector, May 2020
Occupation Employment

Elementary school teachers, except special education

1,207,730

Teaching assistants, except postsecondary

1,001,700

Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education

856,990

Police and sheriff's patrol officers

648,040

Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education

531,970

Registered nurses

508,420

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

483,020

Office clerks, general

481,610

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

471,820

Substitute teachers, short-term

428,340
Employment by typical entry-level educational requirement, as a percentage of total employment, May 2020
Typical entry-level educational requirement Percent

Doctoral or professional degree

2.6

Master's degree

1.7

Bachelor's degree

23.5

Associate's degree

2.3

Postsecondary nondegree award

6.2

Some college, no degree

2.6

High school diploma or equivalent

38.4

No formal educational credential

22.6
Annual mean wages by typical entry-level educational requirement, May 2020
Typical entry-level educational requirement Annual mean wage

Doctoral or professional degree

$134,500

Master's degree

85,700

Bachelor's degree

91,140

Associate's degree

60,430

Postsecondary nondegree award

45,640

Some college, no degree

41,420

High school diploma or equivalent

45,630

No formal educational credential

30,590

All occupations

56,310
Highest paying occupations that typically require a high school diploma or equivalent for entry, May 2020
Occupation Annual mean wage

Commercial pilots

$110,830

Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

105,100

Nuclear power reactor operators

104,470

First-line supervisors of police and detectives

97,180

Power distributors and dispatchers

93,260

First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers

90,120

Detectives and criminal investigators

89,300

Elevator and escalator installers and repairers

86,200

Gambling managers

85,440

Power plant operators

81,890

All occupations

56,310

All high school diploma or equivalent occupations

45,630

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021