Occupations: what each one pays

830 detailed occupations in 22 groups, each with its hourly and annual 10th, 25th, median, 75th and 90th percentile wages, mean, employment, the states and metros that pay most, and the full state table. Across all occupations the US median is $50,980 a year (155,495,730 jobs, May 2025).

Looking for one area? The wage explorer shows every state and metro row for an occupation in your browser, and the state profiles rank occupations within a state.

The 22 occupation groups

Group (SOC)OccupationsGroup median (annual)EmploymentHighest medianLargest employment
Management 1137$126,52011,132,700Chief Executives ($213,990)General and Operations Managers (3,503,020)
Business and Financial Operations 1332$82,66010,537,240Financial Risk Specialists ($117,330)Accountants and Auditors (1,449,500)
Computer and Mathematical 1521$109,2805,260,110Computer and Information Research Scientists ($140,300)Software Developers (1,687,890)
Architecture and Engineering 1736$99,5202,617,130Computer Hardware Engineers ($161,740)Civil Engineers (367,840)
Life, Physical, and Social Science 1948$82,5301,473,260Industrial-Organizational Psychologists ($193,950)Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists (172,340)
Community and Social Service 2117$58,3002,668,680Social Workers, All Other ($71,900)Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors (491,930)
Legal 238$102,5001,305,620Lawyers ($159,670)Lawyers (754,500)
Educational Instruction and Library 2564$60,5709,100,570Law Teachers, Postsecondary ($128,500)Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary (1,420,350)
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 2741$62,7502,046,290Art Directors ($114,850)Public Relations Specialists (283,380)
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical 2971$86,5309,823,860Pediatric Surgeons ($559,030)Registered Nurses (3,379,720)
Healthcare Support 3117$38,3407,901,670Occupational Therapy Assistants ($72,300)Home Health and Personal Care Aides (4,305,810)
Protective Service 3324$50,0803,776,610First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives ($106,040)Security Guards (1,283,470)
Food Preparation and Serving Related 3517$35,05013,680,750Chefs and Head Cooks ($62,470)Fast Food and Counter Workers (3,854,050)
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance 3710$37,6804,548,260First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers ($58,430)Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (2,209,760)
Personal Care and Service 3932$36,4103,255,790Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance ($97,150)Childcare Workers (518,910)
Sales and Related 4122$38,53013,424,300Sales Engineers ($124,900)Retail Salespersons (3,897,860)
Office and Administrative Support 4354$47,45017,753,430Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants ($76,590)Customer Service Representatives (2,595,750)
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 4513$36,630435,200First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers ($59,320)Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse (265,500)
Construction and Extraction 4760$59,5406,425,160Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers ($109,910)Construction Laborers (1,096,780)
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 4951$59,6206,086,190Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay ($103,020)Maintenance and Repair Workers, General (1,529,700)
Production 51105$46,9908,565,760Nuclear Power Reactor Operators ($122,890)Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators (1,405,030)
Transportation and Material Moving 5350$44,35013,677,150Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($232,140)Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand (2,950,280)

Group medians are BLS's own aggregate rows, not an average of the members. "Highest median" compares annual medians, so hourly-only occupations (actors, musicians) are not candidates.

Source and notes

Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: National OEWS estimates.

  • Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
  • Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.