May 25, 2006 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Earnings of workers in occupations with the largest number of employees

Among occupations with more than 2 million workers in May 2005, registered nurses had the highest average hourly earnings—$27.35.

Average hourly earnings, occupations with employment of over 2 million, May 2005
[Chart data—TXT]

For the other large occupations, average hourly earnings ranged from $7.48 for combined food preparation and serving workers (including fast food) to $14.27 for customer service representatives.

The occupations with the largest number of employees were retail salespersons and cashiers.

Other occupations with more than 2 million workers were general office clerks; laborers and freight, stock, and material movers; waiters and waitresses; and janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners.

These data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics program. To learn more, see Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2005 (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 06-896.

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