| When it comes to employment, one of the healthiest occupational groups is…well, healthcare. More than 7 million workers were employed in these occupations in May 2008, second only to education-related occupations. But, as data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show, there is diversity—in both employment levels and in wages—among healthcare occupations.
The chart highlights May 2008 employment and wages for selected healthcare occupations. (For example, doctors and dentists, many of whom are self-employed, are excluded.) Registered nurse was the occupation with the most jobs—more than 2.5 million. And registered nurses’ median annual wage of $62,450 was among the highest of occupations with more than a million workers. More than half the occupations shown had median annual wages above $32,390, the national median for all occupations in May 2008. Pharmacists topped the list with a median annual wage of $106,410.
As they have in the recent past, healthcare occupations will continue to grow; all of the occupations shown are projected to experience faster than average growth over the 2008–18 decade. Registered nurses are expected to add the most new jobs between 2008 and 2018, followed by home health aides.
Data in the chart come from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey. For more information, write to the Division of Occupational Employment Statistics, Suite 2135, 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE., Washington, D.C. 20212; call (202) 691-6569; or visit its Web site at www.bls.gov/oes. To learn more about the 2008–18 projections, visit www.bls.gov/emp. |
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