Hourly Wage by Occupation: BLS Median Pay Reference Hub
Registered nurses earned a median of about $43/hour nationally in recent BLS data — roughly $89,000/year at full-time hours. Use the tables below to benchmark your field, then convert with our calculators.
What this page helps you do
- Look up BLS median hourly wages for common U.S. occupations
- Compare entry, mid (median) and high wage tiers before you negotiate
- Convert any benchmark to annual pay and model overtime in trades
Reading time: about 7 minutes. Figures are rounded national medians from BLS OEWS — not a job offer or payroll quote.
What Is the BLS Median Hourly Wage?
The median is the middle of the pay distribution — not the average and not a starting wage. In BLS OEWS data, half of workers in an occupation earn less than the median hourly rate and half earn more.
That matters when you read headlines about “average salary.” A few very high earners pull averages up; medians better represent what a typical worker makes. Employers, unions and career sites often cite medians because they resist outliers.
BLS publishes wages as hourly or annual figures depending on the occupation. We show hourly here because it maps directly to job postings and union scales. Always check whether a listing is base rate only or includes bonuses — OEWS base wages generally exclude overtime premiums and irregular bonuses.
What Are Median Hourly Wages by Occupation?
The table below lists national median hourly rates for selected occupations (May 2024 OEWS release, rounded). Annual column uses 2,080 full-time hours.
| Occupation | Median hourly | Median annual (2,080 hrs) | Convert |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software developers | ~$63.75 | ~$132,600 | Hourly to salary |
| Registered nurses | ~$43.00 | ~$89,440 | Calculator |
| Accountants and auditors | ~$38.00 | ~$79,040 | Salary to hourly |
| Electricians | ~$29.50 | ~$61,360 | Overtime calc |
| Retail sales workers | ~$15.50 | ~$32,240 | Hourly to salary |
| Customer service reps | ~$19.50 | ~$40,560 | Take-home pay |
| Truck drivers (heavy) | ~$26.00 | ~$54,080 | Calculator |
| Elementary school teachers | ~$31.00 | ~$64,480 | Raise calculator |
| Construction laborers | ~$21.00 | ~$43,680 | Overtime calc |
| Food service managers | ~$29.00 | ~$60,320 | Total comp |
| Medical and health services managers | ~$58.00 | ~$120,640 | Take-home |
| Warehouse workers (stockers) | ~$17.50 | ~$36,400 | Weekly wage |
Medians vary by metro, industry and experience. Check BLS national OEWS tables for official figures. For state-level take-home differences, see Salary Calculator by State.
What Are Entry, Mid and High Wage Tiers by Occupation?
BLS publishes 10th, 50th (median) and 90th percentiles — think of them as entry, typical and experienced bands. New hires often start near the 10th percentile; the median is what a mid-career worker earns; top earners approach the 90th.
| Occupation | Entry (~10th %ile) | Mid (median) | High (~90th %ile) | Annual at median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software developers | ~$38/hr | ~$64/hr | ~$98/hr | ~$132,600 |
| Registered nurses | ~$32/hr | ~$43/hr | ~$58/hr | ~$89,440 |
| Electricians | ~$18/hr | ~$30/hr | ~$46/hr | ~$61,360 |
| Accountants | ~$24/hr | ~$38/hr | ~$58/hr | ~$79,040 |
| Heavy truck drivers | ~$17/hr | ~$26/hr | ~$36/hr | ~$54,080 |
| Retail sales workers | ~$11/hr | ~$16/hr | ~$22/hr | ~$32,240 |
If your offer sits between entry and median with five years of experience, you may be underpaid relative to peers. If you are at the 90th percentile in a low-cost metro, you are likely well positioned — but verify against local OEWS, not only national tiers.
How Do You Convert Hourly Wage to Annual Salary?
Annual salary = hourly rate × hours per week × weeks per year. Full-time standard uses 2,080 hours (40 × 52).
Worked example: electrician median $29.50/hour
- $29.50 × 40 × 52 = $61,360 gross annual at full-time hours
- Monthly gross: $61,360 ÷ 12 ≈ $5,113
- Biweekly: $61,360 ÷ 26 ≈ $2,360
Part-time, seasonal or four-day schedules need your real hours — see Part-Time Annual Salary and the Biweekly Pay Calculator. For after-tax cash, run the same hourly rate through the Take-Home Pay Calculator.
How Do BLS Medians Vary by Metro Area?
The same occupation can pay 20–40% more in a high-cost metro than the national median. BLS publishes separate tables for nearly 400 metropolitan areas.
Software developers illustrate the spread: national medians near $64/hour can exceed $70/hour in San Jose or Seattle and sit closer to $50/hour in smaller metros. Nurses, electricians and accountants show similar geographic dispersion tied to cost of living, licensing demand and union density.
When relocating, compare three numbers: metro OEWS median, your offer, and take-home after state tax via Take-Home Pay by State. A higher gross in California or New York does not always beat a moderate wage in Texas or Florida after tax and housing — use Cost of Living comparisons alongside wage data.
Download metro tables at bls.gov/oes/tables.htm and search your MSA name plus occupation title.
How Does Overtime Affect Trades and Hourly Occupations?
BLS medians reflect base rates; overtime can push real annual cash well above the median equivalent. Under the FLSA, non-exempt workers earn 1.5× base pay after 40 hours in a workweek (double time only where contract or state law requires it).
Example: electrician at $29.50 base with 5 OT hours/week
- Regular: 40 × $29.50 × 52 = $61,360
- OT: 5 × $44.25 (1.5×) × 52 = $11,505
- Combined ≈ $72,865 — about 19% above the median-only annual figure
Construction laborers, truck drivers and warehouse roles follow the same pattern: always model your actual OT, night differential and per-diem separately. Use our Overtime Calculator and Weekly Wage Calculator instead of assuming 2,080 flat hours.
How Do You Compare Your Job Offer to the Median Wage?
Convert your offer to hourly, pick the right geography and percentile, then check total compensation. A $95,000 salaried offer for accountants sounds strong nationally (median near $79,000) but may be average in NYC after tax.
- Normalize the offer to hourly (salary ÷ 2,080, or use stated wage).
- Pull BLS 10th / 50th / 90th for your metro from OEWS.
- Add benefits, bonus, equity and shift pay — HR Salary Calculator and Total Compensation vs Salary.
- Estimate net pay with Take-Home Pay and state rules.
- Run side-by-side offers on the Offer Comparison Calculator.
Contractors should compare W-2 medians to a freelance equivalent using the Freelance Rate Calculator — a $45/hour 1099 rate is not the same buying power as $45/hour W-2 after self-employment tax.
Which Calculators Help After You Know the Median?
Hourly Wage by Occupation FAQs
It is the 50th percentile hourly pay for an occupation in the OEWS survey — half earn less, half earn more. It is not an average starting wage.
Multiply by 2,080 for full-time (40×52). $43/hour × 2,080 ≈ $89,440 per year before tax and benefits.
Metro pay, experience and premiums raise wages above the U.S. median. Compare to your MSA’s OEWS table and the 90th percentile if you are senior.
Generally no — base rates only. Trades with steady OT often take home more than the median annual equivalent; use the Overtime Calculator.
They map to BLS 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles. New hires cluster near entry; mid is the median; high reflects experienced/top-quartile workers.
BLS OEWS at bls.gov/oes — national and metro downloads. Convert any figure with our Hourly to Salary tools.