Wages By Occupation: Why The Poor Are Getting Poorer

CHANGE IN MEAN HOURLY WAGES from 2007 to 2012, adjusted for inflation 15M UNDERSTANDING THE CHART The size of the circle indicates the number of people employed in that industry in the U.S. 5M If the circle lies to the left of the y-axis and is colored red, it means that the mean hourly wage for jobs in that industry has declined since 2007, adjusted for inflation, and vice versa. The further down the chart a professions is, the higher its mean hourly wage. Right on top is a marker indicating the federal minimum wage, followed by low-paying jobs, and so on. $7.25/HR -6% -4% -2% 0% 4% $10.28/HR -1% Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations 3.64 Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations $11.65/HR Personal Care and Service Occupations $11.80/HR $12.34/HR Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations $13.36/HR 22% Healthcare Support Occupations 14% Transportation and Material Moving Occupations $16.15/HR $16.54/HR 07 Office and Administrative Support Occupations $16.59/HR 0.7 Production Occupations $18.26/HR 2.9 Sales and Related Occupations Protective Service Occupations 0.1% $20.70/HR $21.09/HR Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations $21.27/HR $21.61/HR 1.74 Community'and Social Service Occupations 0.34 Construction and Extraction Occupations $24.62/HR Education, Training, and Library Occupations $26.20/HR Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations -0.74 Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations $32.87/HR, $33.44/HR Business and Financial Operations Occupations Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Ocupations (1.9% $35.35/HR Architecture and Engineering Ocupations $37.98/HR $38.55/HR Computer and Mathematical Occupations (06% $47.39/HR Legal Occupations 0.4% $52 20/HR Management Ocupations 1.% By Lisa Mahapatra INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2012 and May 2007 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates