October 09, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Management of companies and enterprises has top pay

The highest average annual pay for 2001 was in the management of companies and enterprises industry—$69,069. Workers within management of companies and enterprises received pay that was 91 percent greater than the national average for all private sector workers in 2001.

[Chart data—TXT]

The next highest pay level was in utilities ($65,582), which was 81 percent higher than the average pay for all private industry workers. The lowest pay level in 2001 occurred in accommodation and food services ($13,669). The pay level of workers in this industry was 62 percent below the national average for all private industry workers.

The BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program produced these data. Pay data presented here are for all workers covered by State and Federal unemployment insurance programs. Data for 2001 are preliminary and subject to revision. Find more information on pay in 2001 in "Average Annual Pay By State and Industry, 2001," news release USDL 02-540.   

Note: These data are based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).  The NAICS-based industry data for 2001 from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program are not comparable to the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)-based data for earlier years. The management of companies and enterprises industry is generally made up of establishments that are headquarters and managing offices for firms with operations in another industry or industries. For more information, see http://www.bls.gov/cew/cewnaics.htm.