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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003


13-1022 Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products

Buy merchandise or commodities, other than farm products, for resale to consumers at the wholesale or retail level, including both durable and nondurable goods. Analyze past buying trends, sales records, price, and quality of merchandise to determine value and yield. Select, order, and authorize payment for merchandise according to contractual agreements. May conduct meetings with sales personnel and introduce new products. Include assistant buyers.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation


National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
138,630 1.6 % $23.72 $49,350 1.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $11.71 $14.96 $20.28 $27.69 $38.80
Annual Wage (2) $24,350 $31,110 $42,170 $57,600 $80,690


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Management of companies and enterprises 16,810 $26.53 $55,180 1 25
Grocery and Related Product Wholesalers 7,990 $23.20 $48,260 2 55
Machinery and supply merchant wholesalers 5,860 $21.94 $45,630 3 78
Electronic markets and agents and brokers 5,770 $38.18 $79,410 4 2
Building material and supplies dealers 5,660 $19.80 $41,190 5 98

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Nonresidential building construction (6) $43.57 $90,630 (6) 1
Electronic markets and agents and brokers 5,770 $38.18 $79,410 4 2
Scientific research and development services 70 $37.09 $77,150 92 3
Securities and commodity contracts brokerage (6) $34.86 $72,500 (6) 4
Power generation and supply 380 $33.24 $69,130 51 5


State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Oregon 3,000 $21.67 $45,070 0.195% 191
Vermont 550 $23.50 $48,890 0.189% 112
Washington 4,420 $23.33 $48,520 0.173% 240
Maine 940 $17.82 $37,060 0.160% 242
Connecticut 2,560 $28.29 $58,840 0.156% 138

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
New Jersey 4,890 $29.52 $61,390 0.126% 140
Connecticut 2,560 $28.29 $58,840 0.156% 138
New York 8,440 $26.59 $55,310 0.102% 196
Texas 9,130 $25.65 $53,340 0.099% 143
California 18,620 $24.68 $51,340 0.128% 254


Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Decatur, IL MSA 140 $24.91 $51,820 0.257%
Bergen-Passaic, NJ PMSA 1,640 $32.78 $68,180 0.257%
Portland-Vancouver, OR-WA PMSA 2,340 $23.14 $48,140 0.253%
Stamford-Norwalk, CT PMSA 490 $30.59 $63,620 0.245%
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA PMSA 220 $19.92 $41,430 0.242%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Atlanta, GA MSA 3,550 $46.71 $97,150 0.167%
Odessa-Midland, TX MSA 60 $41.03 $85,340 0.059%
Waterbury, CT PMSA 40 $39.37 $81,890 0.048%
New Haven-Meriden, CT PMSA 400 $36.77 $76,490 0.158%
Bergen-Passaic, NJ PMSA 1,640 $32.78 $68,180 0.257%

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates


To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:


These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Business and Financial Operations Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004

 

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