American Employment Wages and Expenses Infographic

The Modern Overview AMERICAN WORKER Number of workers in the USA: In August 2011, 153.6 million Americans held some form of employment, while 14 million were unemployed. About 6 million of those have been unemployed for more than 27 weeks. Here we find out what the most popular jobs are, and how much they pay. Ratio of CEO to average worker pay: Most popular jobs A study was conducted into the increasing gap between the wage of a CEO and the wage of an average worker. In 2005, the average CEO earned 262 times that of the average worker. Most corporations paid their CEOS more in salary than the company paid in federal taxes. The largest occupations in the US are retail salespersons and cashiers, employing 6% of the total population in 2010. These are also 2 of the lowest paying jobs in the US, demonstrating a growing concentration of low-paid employment. 300 250 200 150 25% America's 15 most popular jobs 50 account for more than 25% of total US employment. Yet only 3 of these 15 jobs pay above the average yearly wage in the US. 1965 1978 1989 2000 2002 2005 (Year) The top 5 jobs Top jobs Number employed Salary Requirements Retail $24,630 High school diploma preferred for entry-level. 4.21 million Salespeople #2 Training Cashiers 3.44 million $19,030 On-the-job training. #3 Office Clerks 327,700 High school diploma plus word processing, computer and proofreading skills. 2.81 million # 4 Tranihe On-the-job training, customer-service skills and multitasking. Combined Food 2.69 million $18,120 Preparation and Service Workers #5 Registered 2.58 million $66,530 Bachelor's of Science in Nurses nursing, Associate degree in nursing, or a diploma. Least common jobs Mean wage: Prosthodontists (-660 employed) a Private Household Cooks (-400 employed) In 2010, the mean wage was $21.35 per hour or $44, 410 per year. Average household income $2.0M Before Taxes Top 1% $1.5M Top 20% Second 20% Third 20% $1.0M Fourth 20% Bottom 20% -S05M 2007 US Dollars Congressional Budget Office 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 Wages for the average worker From 1947 to 1979, the rising value of goods and services increased the pay level of workers. But from 1980 onwards, the relationship between productivity and wages became skewed. +80% Productivity Today the average American works 80% more +119% +7% than 30 years ago for only 7% more pay. +72% Average wage Those at the top eam more, while those at the bottom earn less. 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Expenses broken down A consumer unit can consist of a family, financially independent singles living alone or with roommates, or two or more people who live together and share expenses. Here's a look at the average consumer unit's expenditures in 2009, and how much those costs changed from 2008. Average annual expenditures: $49,067 Income before taxes: $62,857 Average age of reference person: 49-4 Average persons in consumer unit: 2.5 Average earners in consumer unit: 1.3 Average number of vehicles per unit: 2.0 A Housing: $16,895 Housing accounts for about a third of a consumer's budget. -1.3% O Apparel & Services: $1,725 Food: $6,372 Most folks cut back in this area when they face a drop in income. This cost may be influenced by not going out to eat as frequently or purchasing lower-priced food items. -4.2% -1.1% O Transportation: $7,658 ? %24 These costs fell when Other Expenditures $5,127 gasoline prices dropped from 2008 to 2009, Miscellaneous expenditures rose only slightly between 2008 and 2009. according to the Consumer Price Index. -11.0% + 0.3% Insurance Pensions: $5,471 S Entertainment: $2,693 Healthcare: $3,126 A drop in income lessened contributions made toward A drop in entertainment spending reflected the weaker economy during that period. Healthcare spending has increased due to an increase in health insurance pensions. insurance costs. -2.4% -5.0% + 5.0% Sources Information provided by: http://www.businessinsurance.org/ BusinessinsuranceQuotes Sources: bls.gov, msn.careerbuilder.com, blogs.wsj.com, curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com, epi.org, addictinginfo.org, bls.gov, research.stlouisfed.org, nytimes.com