BLS: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Source:

1. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Survey
The primary data source is the OEWS survey, conducted by the BLS in partnership with state workforce agencies.
The survey collects employment and wage information from approximately 1.2 million business establishments over a three-year rolling period.

2. Employer-Provided Data
The businesses selected for the OEWS survey provide:

• Employment counts by occupation
• Wages paid (hourly or annual) for each occupation

These businesses cover all non-farm industries across the 50 states, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

3. Sampling Methodology
The BLS uses a probability-based stratified sampling design, drawing from:

• The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) database
• This ensures a representative sample across industries, regions, and establishment sizes.

4. Data Collected

The OEWS program produces wage estimates for:

• Over 800 individual occupations
• At national, state, metropolitan area, and industry levels

The wages reported include:

• Mean and median wages
• Percentile wage distributions
• Hourly and annual wage data

5. Data Confidentiality
All employer-provided data is confidential and protected under federal law.

The BLS aggregates the data to prevent identification of individual employers or employees.

Click here to for more information on how data is sourced.

Available from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics