Every year the U.S. Department of Labor conducts national surveys of wage data by occupation in every state and in all industry divisions. These surveys are conducted through the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program.

The statistics collected for one year are published the next fall. For example, 2013 wage information was published in the fall of 2014.

There are over 800 occupations in the surveys, and these occupations cover the entire U.S. labor market. The surveys ask for reports in a scale of ranges for both hourly wages and annual wages.

In many cases, these occupations are broad enough to cover many more detailed specialties of an occupation. A specific occupation may be included in a broader occupational category for which labor market data is available. When you look at the statistics for a broad category, be aware that the salary data for a specific career may differ.

For more details about how wage information is collected and calculated by the U.S. Department of Labor, visit their website at http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm.

Every year the U.S. Department of Labor conducts a national survey of over 400,000 employers in every state and in all industry divisions. This survey is conducted through the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program. Every other year the department publishes outlook information based on these surveys.

Each outlook period covers 10 years. For example, in 2003 the outlook information was published for 2004-2014. Employers are asked to report the number of employees in about 770 different occupations that cover the entire U.S. labor market.

From this information, staffing patterns for different industries are established. Industry growth is projected into the future based on past trends and current economic conditions. Industry staffing patterns are then applied to the industry projections to obtain occupational projections.

In many cases, these occupations are broad enough to cover many more detailed specialties of an occupation. A specific occupation may be included in a broader occupational category for which labor market data is available. When you look at the statistics for a broad category, be aware that the employment data for a specific field may differ.

For more details about how employment information is collected and calculated by the U.S. Department of Labor, visit their website at http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.