IncomeLookup

Methodology and data sources

IncomeLookup publishes one thing: wage statistics for occupations in the United States. There are no estimates, projections or editorial guesses in the numbers.

The source

All figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, May 2025 national estimates. OEWS is a semiannual survey of employers that collects wage data for about 800 detailed occupations across the country.

For each occupation we publish the annual 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th and 90th percentiles, the mean, the equivalent hourly figures, and total employment.

The May 2025 national workbook lists 830 detailed occupations. The BLS withholds a median for 5 of them (Actors; Dancers; Musicians and Singers; Disc Jockeys, Except Radio; Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers, All Other), so this site publishes pages for the 825 occupations with a published median. Group medians and employment totals still include the withheld jobs.

What the figures cover

OEWS covers wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments. It excludes self-employed workers, owners of unincorporated businesses, and some workers in private households and on farms. Employment counts jobs, not people: a worker holding two jobs is counted twice.

Wages include base pay, cost-of-living allowances and guaranteed pay, plus production bonuses, commissions and tips. Overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses are excluded.

What they do not cover

These are national estimates, not job offers. Pay in a specific city, at a specific employer, or at a specific experience level will differ, sometimes substantially.

Percentiles are rounded. In the May 2025 release the BLS published an exact median for every occupation that has one, including medians above the old $239,200 top code; 5 occupations have no published median at all.

Corrections

If a figure on this site disagrees with the published BLS release, the BLS release is correct. Report discrepancies through the contact page and they will be checked against the source file.

The release

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 national estimates, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Source file: national_M2025_dl.xlsx.

All-occupation median: $50,980, based on 155,495,730 jobs.