Charles Slocs

Charles Slocs builds the data side of this site — pulling the federal wage and employment series, matching job titles to occupation codes, and working out what the numbers do and do not support. He writes the pages that are mostly a question about evidence: what a survey measured, how wide the spread really is, and which published figure is out of date.

300 articles by Charles Slocs

• Accountants and Auditors 3 min read
• Administrative Services Managers 3 min read
• Amusement and Recreation Attendants 3 min read
• Animal Caretakers 3 min read
• Answering the Salary Expectations Question 6 min read
• Architects, Except Landscape and Naval 3 min read
• Architectural and Civil Drafters 3 min read
• Architectural and Engineering Managers 3 min read
• Automation and the Pay Spread Inside an Occupation 5 min read
• Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants 3 min read
• Automotive Body and Related Repairers 3 min read
• Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics 3 min read
• Bakers 3 min read
• Bartenders 3 min read
• Base Pay, Gross Pay and Take-Home Are Three Different Numbers 6 min read
• Bill and Account Collectors 3 min read
• Billing and Posting Clerks 3 min read
• Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 3 min read
• Building the Case for a Raise With Numbers 5 min read
• Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists 3 min read
• Bus Drivers, School 3 min read
• Business Operations Specialists, All Other 3 min read
• Butchers and Meat Cutters 3 min read
• Buyers and Purchasing Agents 3 min read
• Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary 3 min read
• Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School 3 min read
• Carpenters 3 min read
• Cashiers 3 min read
• Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers 3 min read
• Certifications That Change Pay, and Ones That Do Not 6 min read
• Chefs and Head Cooks 3 min read
• Chief Executives 3 min read
• Child, Family, and School Social Workers 3 min read
• Childcare Workers 3 min read
• Choosing Where to Live Around Where the Work Is 5 min read
• Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians 3 min read
• Civil Engineers 3 min read
• Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators 3 min read
• Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment 3 min read
• Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians 3 min read
• Coaches and Scouts 3 min read
• Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 3 min read
• Commission, Tips and Piece Rates: Jobs Where Base Pay Misleads 6 min read
• Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other 3 min read
• Company Towns: When One Employer Dominates a Local Market 5 min read
• Comparing a Startup Offer to an Established Employer’s 6 min read
• Comparing Salaries Across Countries Without Getting It Wrong 6 min read
• Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists 3 min read
• Compliance Officers 3 min read
• Computer and Information Systems Managers 3 min read
• Computer Network Architects 3 min read
• Computer Network Support Specialists 3 min read
• Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators 3 min read
• Computer Occupations, All Other 3 min read
• Computer Systems Analysts 3 min read
• Computer User Support Specialists 3 min read
• Construction and Building Inspectors 3 min read
• Construction Laborers 3 min read
• Construction Managers 3 min read
• Contract, Contract-to-Hire and W-2: Comparing Across Employment Types 6 min read
• Cooks, Fast Food 3 min read
• Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria 3 min read
• Cooks, Restaurant 3 min read
• Cooks, Short Order 3 min read
• Correctional Officers and Jailers 3 min read
• Cost Estimators 3 min read
• Cost-of-Living Increases and Merit Increases Are Not the Same 5 min read
• Counter and Rental Clerks 3 min read
• Court, Municipal, and License Clerks 3 min read
• Cross-Border and International Hiring Trends 5 min read
• Customer Service Representatives 3 min read
• Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 3 min read
• Data Entry Keyers 3 min read
• Data Scientists 3 min read
• Dental Assistants 3 min read
• Dental Hygienists 3 min read
• Dentists, General 3 min read
• Detectives and Criminal Investigators 3 min read
• Diagnostic Medical Sonographers 3 min read
• Dietitians and Nutritionists 3 min read
• Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers 3 min read
• Dishwashers 3 min read
• Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance 3 min read
• Driver/Sales Workers 3 min read
• Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary 3 min read
• Education Administrators, Postsecondary 3 min read
• Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other 3 min read
• Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors 3 min read
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians 3 min read
• Electrical Engineers 3 min read
• Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers 3 min read
• Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers 3 min read
• Electricians 3 min read
• Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education 3 min read
• Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs 3 min read
• Emergency Medical Technicians 3 min read
• Engineers, All Other 3 min read
• Entry-Level Pay by Occupation: What a Starting Salary Really Means 6 min read
• Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health 3 min read
• Exchange Rates or Purchasing Power: The Right Way to Convert 5 min read
• Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants 3 min read
• Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors 3 min read
• Exposure and Displacement Are Not the Same Thing 5 min read
• Facilities Managers 3 min read
• Family Medicine Physicians 3 min read
• Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse 3 min read
• Fast Food and Counter Workers 3 min read
• Fastest Growth and Most New Jobs Are Two Different Lists 5 min read
• Financial and Investment Analysts 3 min read
• Financial Managers 3 min read
• Financial Specialists, All Other 3 min read
• Firefighters 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors 3 min read
• Food Batchmakers 3 min read
• Food Preparation Workers 3 min read
• Food Servers, Nonrestaurant 3 min read
• Food Service Managers 3 min read
• Fundraisers 3 min read
• General and Operations Managers 3 min read
• Getting Paid for the Job You Are Already Doing 5 min read
• Ghost Jobs and Postings That Are Not Real Openings 5 min read
• Graphic Designers 3 min read
• Gross Pay Means Different Things in Different Countries 5 min read
• Growing Fields That Still Pay Poorly 5 min read
• Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists 3 min read
• Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary 3 min read
• Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other 3 min read
• Healthcare Social Workers 3 min read
• Healthcare Support Workers, All Other 3 min read
• Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers 3 min read
• Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 3 min read
• Helpers–Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers 3 min read
• Helpers–Production Workers 3 min read
• Highway Maintenance Workers 3 min read
• Home Health and Personal Care Aides 3 min read
• Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop 3 min read
• Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks 3 min read
• Hourly or Salaried: Which Occupations Pay Which Way 5 min read
• How an Aging Workforce Creates Openings 5 min read
• How Employer Social Contributions Change What You Really Cost 5 min read
• How Long Job Searches Actually Take 5 min read
• How Old Is the Salary Figure You Just Read? 6 min read
• How Recruiters Are Paid, and Why It Matters to You 6 min read
• How to Assess Your Own Role’s Exposure 5 min read
• How to Build a Pay Case From Published Data 5 min read
• How to Check a Salary Claim Against a Primary Source 5 min read
• How to Read a Wage Percentile Table 5 min read
• How to Value a Job Offer as One Number 5 min read
• Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping 3 min read
• Human Resources Managers 3 min read
• Human Resources Specialists 3 min read
• Indicators Worth Watching Before You Start a Job Hunt 5 min read
• Industrial Engineers 3 min read
• Industrial Machinery Mechanics 3 min read
• Industrial Production Managers 3 min read
• Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators 3 min read
• Information and Record Clerks, All Other 3 min read
• Information Security Analysts 3 min read
• Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers 3 min read
• Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other 3 min read
• Instructional Coordinators 3 min read
• Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks 3 min read
• Insurance Sales Agents 3 min read
• Internal Promotion or External Hire: Which Pays Better 6 min read
• Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan 3 min read
• Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 3 min read
• Job Density and Why It Beats Job Count 5 min read
• Job Titles Are Not Job Codes: Matching Your Role to the Data 5 min read
• Jobs Automation Has Reshaped Rather Than Removed 5 min read
• Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education 3 min read
• Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 3 min read
• Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers 3 min read
• Late-Career Pay: Plateau, Decline, or Neither 6 min read
• Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers 3 min read
• Lawyers 3 min read
• Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 3 min read
• Librarians and Media Collections Specialists 3 min read
• Library Assistants, Clerical 3 min read
• Library Technicians 3 min read
• Licensed Occupations and the Pay Premium They Carry 5 min read
• Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses 3 min read
• Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers 3 min read
• Light Truck Drivers 3 min read
• Loan Interviewers and Clerks 3 min read
• Loan Officers 3 min read
• Logisticians 3 min read
• Machinists 3 min read
• Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 3 min read
• Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 3 min read
• Management Analysts 3 min read
• Manager or Individual Contributor: The Pay Fork 5 min read
• Managers, All Other 3 min read
• Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists 3 min read
• Marketing Managers 3 min read
• Mechanical Engineers 3 min read
• Median vs Average Salary: Why the Gap Matters 6 min read
• Medical and Health Services Managers 3 min read
• Medical Assistants 3 min read
• Medical Equipment Preparers 3 min read
• Medical Records Specialists 3 min read
• Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 3 min read
• Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners 3 min read
• Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers 3 min read
• Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers 3 min read
• Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 3 min read
• Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 3 min read
• Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 3 min read
• Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines 3 min read
• Naming a Number First: What the Research Says 6 min read
• Negotiating Against a Posted Range 5 min read
• Negotiating When You Have No Competing Offer 5 min read
• Negotiating Your First Job Out of School 6 min read
• Network and Computer Systems Administrators 3 min read
• Nurse Practitioners 3 min read
• Nursing Assistants 3 min read
• Occupational Health and Safety Specialists 3 min read
• Occupational Therapists 3 min read
• Occupations Most Exposed to Generative AI 5 min read
• Occupations Projected to Lose the Most Jobs 5 min read
• Occupations That Grew Against Their Own Forecast 5 min read
• Occupations Where Employer Type Moves Pay More Than Skill Does 5 min read
• Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other 3 min read
• Office Clerks, General 3 min read
• Openings, Hires and Quits: What Each Number Tells You 5 min read
• Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators 3 min read
• Opticians, Dispensing 3 min read
• Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders 3 min read
• Packers and Packagers, Hand 3 min read
• Painters, Construction and Maintenance 3 min read
• Paralegals and Legal Assistants 3 min read
• Paramedics 3 min read
• Parts Salespersons 3 min read
• Pay After a Career Break: What the Data Shows 6 min read
• Pay Compression: When New Hires Earn More Than You 5 min read
• Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks 3 min read
• Personal Financial Advisors 3 min read
• Pest Control Workers 3 min read
• Pharmacists 3 min read
• Pharmacy Technicians 3 min read
• Phlebotomists 3 min read
• Physical Therapist Assistants 3 min read
• Physical Therapists 3 min read
• Physician Assistants 3 min read
• Physicians, All Other 3 min read
• Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters 3 min read
• Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers 3 min read
• Postal Service Clerks 3 min read
• Postal Service Mail Carriers 3 min read
• Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education 3 min read
• Printing Press Operators 3 min read
• Production Workers, All Other 3 min read
• Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks 3 min read
• Project Management Specialists 3 min read
• Promotion Without a Raise: How Often It Happens 5 min read
• Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers 3 min read
• Psychiatric Technicians 3 min read
• Public Relations Specialists 3 min read
• Public Safety Telecommunicators 3 min read
• Radiologic Technologists and Technicians 3 min read
• Reading an Occupational Outlook Entry Properly 5 min read
• Reading an Offer Letter for What It Does Not Say 6 min read
• Real Estate Sales Agents 3 min read
• Receptionists and Information Clerks 3 min read
• Recreation Workers 3 min read
• Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors 3 min read
• Regions Where Your Skills Are Scarce 6 min read
• Registered Nurses 3 min read
• Rehabilitation Counselors 3 min read
• Reopening Pay After You Have Already Accepted 6 min read
• Replacement Demand: The Openings Nobody Talks About 6 min read
• Residential Advisors 3 min read
• Respiratory Therapists 3 min read
• Retail Salespersons 3 min read
• Retention Offers and Whether to Take One 6 min read
• Retraining Programs and What the Evidence Says 5 min read
• Roofers 3 min read
• Sales Managers 3 min read
• Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel 3 min read
• Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products 3 min read
• Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products 3 min read
• Seasonal Hiring Patterns by Industry 5 min read
• Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 3 min read
• Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 3 min read
• Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents 3 min read
• Security Guards 3 min read
• Self-Enrichment Teachers 3 min read