“This Spotlight on Statistics provides an overview of occupational employment and wages in May 2013, with an emphasis on STEM jobs and occupational data by required entry-level education.” Published August 2014.

“United States workers held over 130 million jobs in May 2013—but what kind of jobs were they? Over 21 million were office and administrative support jobs, including 2.8 million general office clerks and 2.4 million customer service representatives. Another 14 million jobs were in sales occupations, primarily retail salespersons and cashiers, and nearly 12 million jobs were in food service occupations. Although most of the largest occupations were low paying, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) jobs and other occupations requiring postsecondary education often had much higher wages. This Spotlight on Statistics uses data from the Occupational Employment Statistics program to provide an overview of occupational employment and wages in May 2013, with an emphasis on STEM jobs and occupational data by typical entry-level education required.”