Overview of BLS Statistics by Occupation
Workers are classified into occupational categories based upon work performed, skills, education, training, and credentials. Two examples of occupations are accountants and auditors and janitors and cleaners. Some occupations are found in just one or two industries; however, many occupations are found in a large number of industries.
Most BLS occupation data use the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) System. However, some National Compensation Survey data are still based an older occupational classification system. The BLS conversion to the SOC is expected to be completed by 2011. (See the SOC Implementation Schedule for more information.)
BLS publishes a large amount of information by occupation, including career information, employment levels and projections, and various types of data on earnings and working conditions.
Information about careers and work-related topics:
This publication describes, for a wide range of occupations,
the nature of the work, working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects.
This periodical provides practical information on jobs and careers. It
contains articles covering a wide variety of career and work-related topics, such as new and emerging occupations, training opportunities, and salary trends.
Data on the number of people employed in specific occupations:
BLS conducts an annual mail survey of establishments that provides data on employment and wages by occupation and industry for
over 800 occupations and for about 400 industries throughout the Nation, and similar data for all States and selected metropolitan areas.
Wages by Area and Occupation:
Wage data are available by occupation for the Nation, regions, States, and many metropolitan areas.
Wage data by area and occupation are from the National Compensation Survey, Occupational Employment Statistics Survey, or the Current Population Survey. See Wages by Area and Occupation to determine which information suits your needs.
More information: Wages by Area and Occupation.
Additional Data by Occupation:
This program provides data on illnesses and injuries on the job and data on worker fatalities, by occupation and by other worker characteristics.
This program provides estimates of the labor market 10 years into the future and other career information.
BLS data on workers with hourly earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage are described on the Overview of BLS Data on Minimum Wage Workers page.
Last Modified Date: May 28, 2010
