November 23, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Lowest paid jobs in 2000

The occupational group with the lowest mean wage in 2000 was the food preparation and serving related occupations at $7.72. Fully three-quarters of workers in these jobs earn less than $8.50 per hour from their employers.

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The next lowest paying occupations were farming, fishing, and forestry occupations, building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations, and personal care and service occupations. Mean hourly wages for these occupational groups were $9.07, $9.41, and $9.86, respectively.

These four occupational groups taken together account for 13.5 percent of employment.

The data on employment and wages by occupation are a product of the Occupational Employment Statistics program. Find out more in news release USDL 01-415, "Occupational Employment and Wages, 2000."