The short answer
Read the median rather than the mean, look at the percentile spread to understand range, adjust your expectations for geography, and remember that OEWS excludes most bonuses and benefits and describes a reference period that is already months old when published.
Median beats mean
The median is the midpoint: half of workers earn more, half earn less. The mean is pulled upward by a small number of very high earners, which is common in management and specialized technical occupations.
When a page shows a median annual wage, that is the number to anchor on. If the mean is far above the median, the occupation has a long upper tail rather than a typical high salary.
Percentiles describe your realistic range
The 10th percentile is roughly what entry level looks like in low cost areas. The 90th reflects senior roles in expensive metros, often in the highest paying industries. Your own position depends on experience, industry and location far more than on the national midpoint.
Suppressed, capped and missing values
BLS suppresses estimates that would not meet reliability or confidentiality standards, and it caps very high annual wages in some series rather than publishing an exact figure. Metro estimates for small occupations often come back empty for this reason.
When a value is not published, this site says so instead of substituting a modeled number. An empty field is honest information: it means the source did not release a reliable estimate.
What wages leave out
OEWS wages generally exclude employer paid benefits, equity, and most bonus compensation. Two occupations with identical medians can differ substantially in total compensation, and a lower median in a low cost metro can go further than a higher one in an expensive city.
Why wages do not feed the score
The Job Market Health score measures whether an occupation is hiring and expanding, not whether it pays well. Pay is shown alongside the score as context, because a healthy market you cannot afford to enter is still relevant information, but it is a separate question.
Takeaways
- Anchor on the median and use percentiles for range.
- Not published means the source suppressed it, not that the job pays nothing.
- Wages are context on this site, not a score input.
Sources behind this guide
- OEWSOccupational Employment and Wage Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- ACSAmerican Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau.
Put it to use
Look up a specific job to see its Job Market Health score, trend, wage context and outlook. Search occupations, or read how the score is built on the methodology page.
Keep reading
- How to compare local job marketsOccupational data goes local through OEWS employment and concentration. Monthly demand data mostly does not, so local comparisons need care about what is being compared.
- Projected growth vs projected annual openingsGrowth is a rate. Annual openings is a count. Large occupations can offer far more openings while growing slowly, and fast growing niches can offer very few.