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March 2002, Vol. 125, No. 3

Research summaries

John E. Buckley
Economist, Division of Compensation Data Analysis and Planning, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
E-mail: Buckley.John@bls.gov

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Excerpt from the research summary:

In 2000, pay averaged $16.66 an hour for full-time workers in private industry and State and local governments, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics National Compensation Survey. Airplane pilots and navigators averaged $95.80; physicians averaged $61.19. These two salaried occupations topped the list of 427 occupations arrayed by earnings. The average number of annual hours worked by physicians (2,175) far surpassed those of airplane pilots and navigators (1,197). As a result, the average annual salary estimate for physicians was $133,088, compared with $114,673 for airplane pilots and navigators. Because the standard error is high for each of these occupations (especially for physicians), caution must be exercised in making direct salary comparisons.

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