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mostly a question about evidence: what a survey measured, how wide the spread really is, and which published figure is out of date.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
• Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors 3 min read
• Advertising Sales Agents 3 min read
• Aerospace Engineers 3 min read
• Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians 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
• Art Directors 3 min read
• Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary 3 min read
• Athletic Trainers 3 min read
• Audio and Video Technicians 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
• Baggage Porters and Bellhops 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
• Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary 3 min read
• Biological Scientists, All Other 3 min read
• Biological Technicians 3 min read
• Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 3 min read
• Brickmasons and Blockmasons 3 min read
• Budget Analysts 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
• Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity 3 min read
• Business Operations Specialists, All Other 3 min read
• Business Teachers, Postsecondary 3 min read
• Butchers and Meat Cutters 3 min read
• Buyers and Purchasing Agents 3 min read
• Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters 3 min read
• Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians 3 min read
• Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary 3 min read
• Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School 3 min read
• Cargo and Freight Agents 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
• Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders 3 min read
• Chemical Technicians 3 min read
• Chemists 3 min read
• Chief Executives 3 min read
• Child, Family, and School Social Workers 3 min read
• Childcare Workers 3 min read
• Chiropractors 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
• Clergy 3 min read
• Clinical and Counseling Psychologists 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
• Coin, Vending, and Amusement Machine Servicers and Repairers 3 min read
• Commercial Pilots 3 min read
• Commission, Tips and Piece Rates: Jobs Where Base Pay Misleads 6 min read
• Communications Teachers, Postsecondary 3 min read
• Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other 3 min read
• Community Health Workers 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 Hardware Engineers 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 Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers 3 min read
• Computer Occupations, All Other 3 min read
• Computer Programmers 3 min read
• Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary 3 min read
• Computer Systems Analysts 3 min read
• Computer User Support Specialists 3 min read
• Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers 3 min read
• Concierges 3 min read
• Conservation Scientists 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
• Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door 3 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
• Couriers and Messengers 3 min read
• Court, Municipal, and License Clerks 3 min read
• Crane and Tower Operators 3 min read
• Credit Analysts 3 min read
• Credit Counselors 3 min read
• Cross-Border and International Hiring Trends 5 min read
• Crossing Guards and Flaggers 3 min read
• Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 3 min read
• Customer Service Representatives 3 min read
• Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 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
• Database Administrators 3 min read
• Database Architects 3 min read
• Demonstrators and Product Promoters 3 min read
• Dental Assistants 3 min read
• Dental Hygienists 3 min read
• Dental Laboratory Technicians 3 min read
• Dentists, General 3 min read
• Detectives and Criminal Investigators 3 min read
• Diagnostic Medical Sonographers 3 min read
• Dietetic Technicians 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
• Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers 3 min read
• Editors 3 min read
• Education Administrators, All Other 3 min read
• Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary 3 min read
• Education Administrators, Postsecondary 3 min read
• Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare 3 min read
• Education Teachers, 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 and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment 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
• Electronics Engineers, Except Computer 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
• Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary 3 min read
• Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other 3 min read
• Engineers, All Other 3 min read
• English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary 3 min read
• Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling 3 min read
• Entry-Level Pay by Occupation: What a Starting Salary Really Means 6 min read
• Environmental Engineers 3 min read
• Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health 3 min read
• Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health 3 min read
• Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining 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
• Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 3 min read
• Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 3 min read
• Facilities Managers 3 min read
• Family Medicine Physicians 3 min read
• Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians 3 min read
• Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse 3 min read
• Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals 3 min read
• Fast Food and Counter Workers 3 min read
• Fastest Growth and Most New Jobs Are Two Different Lists 5 min read
• File Clerks 3 min read
• Financial and Investment Analysts 3 min read
• Financial Examiners 3 min read
• Financial Managers 3 min read
• Financial Risk Specialists 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 Correctional Officers 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers 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 Protective Service Workers, All Other 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers 3 min read
• First-Line Supervisors of Security 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
• Floral Designers 3 min read
• Food Batchmakers 3 min read
• Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other 3 min read
• Food Preparation Workers 3 min read
• Food Processing Workers, All Other 3 min read
• Food Servers, Nonrestaurant 3 min read
• Food Service Managers 3 min read
• Fundraisers 3 min read
• Fundraising Managers 3 min read
• Funeral Attendants 3 min read
• General and Operations Managers 3 min read
• General Internal Medicine Physicians 3 min read
• Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers 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
• Glaziers 3 min read
• Graphic Designers 3 min read
• Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 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
• Hazardous Materials Removal Workers 3 min read
• Health Education Specialists 3 min read
• Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars 3 min read
• Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary 3 min read
• Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other 3 min read
• Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, 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–Electricians 3 min read
• Helpers–Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers 3 min read
• Helpers–Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters 3 min read
• Helpers–Production Workers 3 min read
• Highway Maintenance Workers 3 min read
• Home Appliance Repairers 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 Engineering Technologists and Technicians 3 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
• Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall 3 min read
• Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks 3 min read
• Insurance Sales Agents 3 min read
• Insurance Underwriters 3 min read
• Interior Designers 3 min read
• Internal Promotion or External Hire: Which Pays Better 6 min read
• Interpreters and Translators 3 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
• Labor Relations Specialists 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
• Legal Support Workers, All Other 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
• Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other 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
• Lodging Managers 3 min read
• Logisticians 3 min read
• Machine Feeders and Offbearers 3 min read