November 2003 Occupational Employment and Wages — 2004-11-12

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations such as specialist physicians and dentists accounted for 8 out of the 10 highest-paying occupations in November 2003, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The average hourly wages for these health- related occupations ranged from $87.83 for surgeons to $62.04 for dentists. The lowest-paying occupation was fast food cooks who earned $7.28 per hour. Five of the six lowest-paying occupations were related to food preparation and serving. Retail salespersons and cashiers were the largest occupations in the United States, with about 4.1 million and 3.4 million employees, respec- tively. Other occupations with more than 2 million workers included general office clerks; hand laborers and material movers; registered nurses; waiters and waitresses; janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners; and combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food.