Occupational Employment and Wages, 2002

15-1041 Computer Support Specialists

Provide technical assistance to computer system users. Answer questions or resolve computer problems for clients in person, via telephone or from remote location. May provide assistance concerning the use of computer hardware and software, including printing, installation, word processing, electronic mail, and operating systems. Exclude "Network and Computer Systems Administrators" (15-1071).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
478,560 1.3 % $20.35 $42,320 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $11.08 $14.31 $18.80 $24.85 $32.47
Annual Wage (2) $23,060 $29,760 $39,100 $51,680 $67,550

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Computer systems design and related services 82,520 $21.39 $44,480 1 70
Management of companies and enterprises 24,030 $21.44 $44,600 2 66
Elementary and secondary schools 23,230 $17.03 $35,430 3 231
Commercial equip. merchant wholesalers 19,840 $25.42 $52,880 4 10
Software publishers 19,630 $22.60 $47,010 5 40

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Other heavy construction 110 $27.16 $56,500 200 1
Federal government (OES designation) 120 $26.92 $55,990 187 2
Power generation and supply 1,550 $26.66 $55,460 46 3
Semiconductor and electronic component mfg. 4,460 $26.52 $55,160 24 4
Oil and gas extraction 570 $26.32 $54,750 81 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Delaware 2,950 $22.62 $47,050 0.735% 146
Colorado 12,190 $21.38 $44,460 0.572% 200
South Dakota 2,030 $14.31 $29,760 0.558% 224
Washington 14,160 $21.58 $44,880 0.552% 257
Arizona 12,400 $20.16 $41,920 0.552% 185

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Massachusetts 15,190 $24.10 $50,120 0.475% 191
New York 27,930 $23.41 $48,700 0.337% 233
New Jersey 18,420 $23.10 $48,060 0.478% 242
California 54,890 $22.78 $47,380 0.380% 256
Delaware 2,950 $22.62 $47,050 0.735% 146

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Olympia, WA PMSA 1,060 $21.77 $45,290 1.244%
Boulder-Longmont, CO PMSA 1,830 $20.95 $43,580 1.152%
San Jose, CA PMSA 8,200 $28.83 $59,960 0.918%
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc, CA MSA 1,400 $17.08 $35,530 0.859%
Wilmington-Newark, DE-MD PMSA 2,450 $23.42 $48,720 0.806%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
San Jose, CA PMSA 8,200 $28.83 $59,960 0.918%
Lowell, MA-NH PMSA 760 $26.41 $54,940 0.608%
San Francisco, CA PMSA 4,790 $26.18 $54,460 0.480%
New Bedford, MA PMSA 80 $25.98 $54,040 0.123%
New York, NY PMSA 15,150 $25.67 $53,390 0.379%

About 2002 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Data for detailed occupations does not sum to the totals because the totals include data for occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

All Computer and Mathematical Science Occupations

2002 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download 2002 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 26, 2003