Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

43-9022 Word Processors and Typists

Use word processor/computer or typewriter to type letters, reports, forms, or other material from rough draft, corrected copy, or voice recording. May perform other clerical duties as assigned. Include composing data keyers. Exclude "Data Entry Keyers" (43-9021), "Secretaries and Administrative Assistants" (43-6011 through 43-6014), "Court Reporters" (23-2091), and "Medical Transcriptionists" (31-9094).

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)
191,180 1.8 % $13.65 $28,400 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.67 $10.50 $13.05 $16.25 $20.11
Annual Wage (2) $18,030 $21,830 $27,150 $33,790 $41,830

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
Local government (OES designation) 31,110 $13.92 $28,960 1 39
State government (OES designation) 27,990 $13.36 $27,800 2 52
Employment services 25,340 $12.95 $26,940 3 63
Elementary and secondary schools 14,620 $12.61 $26,220 4 72
Business support services 11,700 $12.32 $25,620 5 85

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Basic chemical manufacturing 180 $20.50 $42,650 52 1
Pipeline transportation of natural gas 90 $20.34 $42,310 72 2
Rail transportation 130 $18.91 $39,330 59 3
Specialized design services 80 $18.77 $39,050 76 4
Legal services 10,560 $18.40 $38,270 6 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
District of Columbia 3,500 $15.16 $31,540 0.589% 326
Hawaii 2,820 $12.39 $25,780 0.510% 397
New Jersey 14,990 $14.82 $30,820 0.387% 493
New York 31,670 $14.48 $30,130 0.383% 519
Maine 1,500 $11.29 $23,480 0.255% 480

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
California 25,160 $15.73 $32,720 0.173% 486
Washington 2,050 $15.65 $32,550 0.080% 485
District of Columbia 3,500 $15.16 $31,540 0.589% 326
Massachusetts 2,930 $14.88 $30,950 0.092% 503
Rhode Island 1,040 $14.87 $30,930 0.219% 336

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
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY MSA 3,550 $13.33 $27,730 0.799%
Tallahassee, FL MSA 870 $12.19 $25,360 0.554%
Utica-Rome, NY MSA 670 $12.76 $26,540 0.536%
Honolulu, HI MSA 2,080 $12.67 $26,360 0.518%
Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, NJ PMSA 300 $12.72 $26,470 0.516%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
San Francisco, CA PMSA 1,980 $21.58 $44,890 0.203%
San Jose, CA PMSA 930 $20.12 $41,860 0.106%
Wichita Falls, TX MSA 30 $17.21 $35,800 0.054%
Newark, NJ PMSA 4,320 $17.15 $35,680 0.446%
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA PMSA 1,330 $16.60 $34,530 0.102%

About May 2003 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) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include 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 Office and Administrative Support Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004