Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

13-1022 Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products

Buy merchandise or commodities, other than farm products, for resale to consumers at the wholesale or retail level, including both durable and nondurable goods. Analyze past buying trends, sales records, price, and quality of merchandise to determine value and yield. Select, order, and authorize payment for merchandise according to contractual agreements. May conduct meetings with sales personnel and introduce new products. Includes assistant wholesale and retail buyers of nonfarm products.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic 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)
105,610 1.5 % $27.31 $56,810 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $14.21 $18.50 $24.27 $32.72 $43.63
Annual Wage (2) $29,570 $38,490 $50,490 $68,060 $90,740


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Management of Companies and Enterprises 18,110 0.95 $30.54 $63,520
Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers 5,850 0.82 $28.10 $58,460
Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers 5,500 0.66 $28.51 $59,300
Grocery Stores 4,290 0.17 $21.59 $44,910
Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 4,240 0.69 $26.06 $54,200

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Apparel, Piece Goods, and Notions Merchant Wholesalers 1,970 1.43 $30.01 $62,420
Paper and Paper Product Merchant Wholesalers 1,700 1.38 $25.35 $52,730
Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses 3,340 1.30 $26.73 $55,600
Miscellaneous Durable Goods Merchant Wholesalers 3,540 1.23 $27.34 $56,880
Hardware, and Plumbing and Heating Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 2,690 1.22 $26.30 $54,710

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Petroleum and Petroleum Products Merchant Wholesalers 300 0.33 $38.41 $79,890
Insurance Carriers 50 (7) $37.45 $77,890
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 160 0.04 $36.35 $75,600
Other Telecommunications 80 0.07 $35.79 $74,450
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 70 0.03 $35.66 $74,160


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 14,010 1.00 1.21 $27.09 $56,340
New York 8,490 1.01 1.22 $31.99 $66,540
Texas 7,880 0.76 0.93 $27.33 $56,840
Pennsylvania 5,570 1.00 1.22 $26.92 $55,990
New Jersey 4,530 1.20 1.46 $33.27 $69,210




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Arkansas 2,130 1.87 2.27 $29.99 $62,370
Hawaii 800 1.38 1.68 $21.56 $44,840
Oregon 2,120 1.34 1.63 $22.87 $47,580
Wisconsin 3,290 1.24 1.51 $25.03 $52,050
New Jersey 4,530 1.20 1.46 $33.27 $69,210




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Connecticut 1,090 0.68 0.82 $44.61 $92,790
New Jersey 4,530 1.20 1.46 $33.27 $69,210
New York 8,490 1.01 1.22 $31.99 $66,540
Washington 3,010 1.11 1.34 $30.29 $63,010
Minnesota 2,650 1.02 1.24 $30.01 $62,410





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 6,160 1.22 1.48 $34.75 $72,280
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 4,590 1.20 1.46 $26.69 $55,510
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 2,510 1.23 1.49 $30.45 $63,330
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 2,320 0.65 0.79 $24.47 $50,890
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 2,190 1.28 1.56 $31.13 $64,750
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 2,130 0.84 1.02 $26.68 $55,500
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 2,050 1.49 1.81 $33.53 $69,730
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 1,970 1.09 1.32 $27.31 $56,810
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 1,610 1.33 1.62 $32.12 $66,800
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 1,580 0.71 0.86 $30.51 $63,450




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 190 2.33 2.83 $22.28 $46,350
Green Bay, WI 360 2.20 2.67 $24.49 $50,950
Medford, OR 160 2.12 2.57 $22.32 $46,430
Eugene-Springfield, OR 270 1.96 2.38 $19.46 $40,470
Taunton-Norton-Raynham, MA NECTA Division 80 1.87 2.28 $34.21 $71,160
Framingham, MA NECTA Division 250 1.61 1.95 $32.40 $67,390
Springfield, MA-CT 450 1.56 1.89 $21.15 $43,990
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 2,050 1.49 1.81 $33.53 $69,730
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC 1,230 1.49 1.81 $26.63 $55,390
Honolulu, HI 620 1.47 1.78 $21.50 $44,710




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Morgantown, WV 30 0.53 0.64 $43.78 $91,070
Newark-Union, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division 800 0.84 1.02 $35.59 $74,030
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 260 0.48 0.58 $35.56 $73,970
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 6,160 1.22 1.48 $34.75 $72,280
Taunton-Norton-Raynham, MA NECTA Division 80 1.87 2.28 $34.21 $71,160
Trenton-Ewing, NJ 120 0.55 0.66 $34.17 $71,070
Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, NJ 30 0.56 0.68 $33.70 $70,100
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 2,050 1.49 1.81 $33.53 $69,730
Reno-Sparks, NV 220 1.17 1.42 $33.29 $69,240
Portsmouth, NH-ME 50 0.98 1.18 $32.84 $68,310

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Western Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 390 1.60 1.95 $25.85 $53,760
Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 270 1.49 1.81 $24.61 $51,190
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 170 1.15 1.39 $21.78 $45,310
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 160 0.72 0.88 $22.30 $46,380
East Central Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 150 0.63 0.76 $20.56 $42,760

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Upper Eastern Shore nonmetropolitan area 110 1.66 2.02 $25.47 $52,980
Western Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 390 1.60 1.95 $25.85 $53,760
Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area 90 1.51 1.84 $24.81 $51,600
Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 270 1.49 1.81 $24.61 $51,190
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 140 1.37 1.66 $23.30 $48,460

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $40.77 $84,810
South Georgia nonmetropolitan area 70 0.39 0.47 $30.78 $64,020
Southwestern Washington nonmetropolitan area 40 0.70 0.85 $29.52 $61,400
Southwestern New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 50 1.29 1.56 $29.30 $60,940
Central Texas nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $28.68 $59,650


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. 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.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012