The Work State · Data & decision tools
Career Comparison Lab
Compare the pay distribution, size and projected openings of two US occupations. Then price a transition using your own confirmed figures, keeping national statistics separate from an actual offer.
This lab covers 51 detailed occupations already discussed in our guides. It is a curated subset, not a ranking of the whole US market. SOC codes identify the national occupations; a commercial job title can have a different scope.
1. Compare two national occupations
These are reference populations, not offers. Select a role by its full occupational title and SOC code.
Electricians have about 17.3 times the projected annual openings of solar photovoltaic installers. This is a comparison of occupations, not a hiring probability.
| Measure | Solar photovoltaic installers | Electricians |
|---|---|---|
| 10th-percentile annual wage | $41,600 | $42,640 |
| 25th-percentile annual wage | $46,700 | $49,430 |
| Median annual wage | $53,140 | $63,190 |
| 75th-percentile annual wage | $62,870 | $83,940 |
| 90th-percentile annual wage | $79,970 | $108,510 |
| Employment, 2025 | 31,100 | 821,000 |
| Projected employment, 2035 | 42,400 | 896,900 |
| Net employment change, 2025–2035 | 11,300 | 75,900 |
| Employment change, 2025–2035 | 36.5% | 9.2% |
| Projected annual openings | 4,200 | 72,700 |
| Typical entry education | High school diploma or equivalent | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Typical related work experience | None | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training | Apprenticeship |
The middle half of wages falls between the 25th and 75th percentiles. Those percentiles do not identify experience levels. Openings include replacement and are not live vacancies.
Download this comparison (CSV)2. Price the transition separately
A gap between occupational medians is not an expected pay rise. Enter a stated scenario using training costs, lost earnings and an assumed annual net improvement. These figures are never filled from the national wage table.
Fictional starting example: $4,000 ÷ $3,000 × 12 = 16.0 months to recover the stated costs.
Model: recovery months = 12 × (one-time costs + net earnings forgone) ÷ assumed annual net improvement. It assumes improvement begins immediately after the transition and stays constant. It ignores discounting, financing interest, uncertainty, taxes not already reflected in your net inputs, and the probability or timing of an offer. With no positive improvement there is no finite recovery of a positive cost in this model. This is scenario arithmetic, not a forecast or training recommendation.
View the 51-occupation data without the interactive controls
| Occupation (SOC) | Median annual wage, May 2025 | Change 2025–2035 | Annual openings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accountants and auditors (13-2011) | $83,680 | 5.0% | 115,300 |
| Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels (53-5021) | $92,460 | 4.0% | 3,800 |
| Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators (13-1031) | $78,000 | -5.5% | 20,900 |
| Coaches and scouts (27-2022) | $47,320 | 6.1% | 36,400 |
| Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists (13-1141) | $78,210 | 6.0% | 9,000 |
| Computer user support specialists (15-1232) | $61,860 | -3.5% | 39,700 |
| Data entry keyers (43-9021) | $41,340 | -25.5% | 7,700 |
| Data scientists (15-2051) | $120,230 | 34.6% | 24,800 |
| Education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare (11-9031) | $59,300 | -3.1% | 5,200 |
| Electricians (47-2111) | $63,190 | 9.2% | 72,700 |
| Epidemiologists (19-1041) | $87,220 | 18.7% | 800 |
| Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants (43-6011) | $76,590 | 0.0% | 43,300 |
| Financial and investment analysts (13-2051) | $102,740 | 7.2% | 24,700 |
| First-line supervisors of retail sales workers (41-1011) | $48,520 | -3.7% | 113,500 |
| Graphic designers (27-1024) | $62,960 | -1.7% | 16,000 |
| Healthcare social workers (21-1022) | $67,880 | 8.5% | 16,900 |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers (49-9021) | $61,010 | 10.9% | 40,600 |
| Human resources managers (11-3121) | $149,280 | 5.5% | 16,800 |
| Human resources specialists (13-1071) | $75,940 | 6.4% | 73,700 |
| Information security analysts (15-1212) | $129,180 | 21.0% | 14,100 |
| Instructional coordinators (25-9031) | $77,440 | 1.6% | 23,100 |
| Interpreters and translators (27-3091) | $60,170 | 2.0% | 6,000 |
| Legal secretaries and administrative assistants (43-6012) | $55,570 | -5.2% | 18,100 |
| Logisticians (13-1081) | $82,320 | 17.6% | 26,600 |
| Market research analysts and marketing specialists (13-1161) | $78,760 | 7.0% | 82,000 |
| Marketing managers (11-2021) | $166,790 | 6.9% | 34,000 |
| Medical and health services managers (11-9111) | $123,860 | 24.2% | 62,300 |
| Medical secretaries and administrative assistants (43-6013) | $45,930 | 4.8% | 89,200 |
| Network and computer systems administrators (15-1244) | $99,130 | -4.1% | 13,400 |
| Nurse practitioners (29-1171) | $132,300 | 41.0% | 29,400 |
| Occupational therapists (29-1122) | $100,330 | 14.8% | 10,000 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance (47-2141) | $49,400 | 3.0% | 24,900 |
| Paralegals and legal assistants (23-2011) | $62,890 | -0.3% | 40,800 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks (43-3051) | $58,260 | -15.9% | 11,400 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (47-2152) | $63,800 | 6.8% | 42,000 |
| Power plant operators (51-8013) | $102,040 | -5.1% | 2,300 |
| Public relations managers (11-2032) | $146,910 | 5.7% | 6,100 |
| Public relations specialists (27-3031) | $74,750 | 1.8% | 23,000 |
| Registered nurses (29-1141) | $97,550 | 5.6% | 180,800 |
| Respiratory therapists (29-1126) | $82,280 | 8.5% | 8,600 |
| Sales managers (11-2022) | $148,270 | 4.5% | 47,300 |
| Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive (43-6014) | $47,540 | -6.0% | 163,900 |
| Software developers (15-1252) | $135,980 | 10.2% | 95,300 |
| Solar photovoltaic installers (47-2231) | $53,140 | 36.5% | 4,200 |
| Speech-language pathologists (29-1127) | $97,870 | 16.6% | 12,500 |
| Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors (21-1018) | $59,350 | 18.4% | 50,500 |
| Teaching assistants, except postsecondary (25-9045) | $36,780 | -0.3% | 176,200 |
| Training and development specialists (13-1151) | $69,280 | 10.8% | 46,000 |
| Transportation, storage, and distribution managers (11-3071) | $107,230 | 6.1% | 18,300 |
| Web and digital interface designers (15-1255) | $104,000 | 6.0% | 8,300 |
| Wind turbine service technicians (49-9081) | $64,120 | 29.5% | 1,500 |
What a growth ranking can hide
Solar photovoltaic installers are projected to grow 36.5%, compared with 9.2% for electricians. The order reverses when asking about the number of projected annual openings: 4,200 for solar installers and 72,700 for electricians. In this pair, electricians have about 17.3 times as many annual openings. The comparison is 72,700 ÷ 4,200; it is not a measure of an applicant’s hiring chances.
The starting populations differ: 31,100 solar installers versus 821,000 electricians. Their projected net changes are 11,300 and 75,900 over the decade. Growth percentage, net change and annual openings answer different questions. They should remain separate when discussing training, local opportunities or a career switch.
The occupations also have different typical training routes: the BLS table lists moderate-term on-the-job training for solar installers and an apprenticeship for electricians. These are national classifications, not confirmation that a course qualifies you for a license or a particular employer.
Rounded growth can hide a small decline
For executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants, the source table shows 0.0% growth after rounding, but a net change of −100 jobs. It also projects 43,300 annual openings. A rounded zero is not proof that the headcount is exactly unchanged, and a decline does not mean hiring ceases. Try this occupation alongside medical secretaries to see the distinct measures.
Use a question, not a “best career” score
If growth attracts you to an occupation, next check its starting size and openings. If a median wage attracts you, check the full distribution and what an actual offer pays. If a training program attracts you, verify eligibility, total cost and supervised practice requirements. This lab deliberately does not combine these different measures into a career recommendation.
Download the data and reproduce the comparison
Download all 51 occupations (CSV) · Download data and metadata (JSON)
Wage data come from the original BLS May 2025 national OEWS workbook. Projection rows come from BLS Table 1.2 for 2025–2035. We joined detailed occupations by their exact SOC code, retained all five wage percentiles, and converted projection employment and openings from thousands to people by multiplying by 1,000. Figures retain the source’s rounding; subtracting two rounded employment levels may differ slightly from the published net change.
The set includes occupations referenced in our reviewed guides that have both a matching wage row and a projection row in the source extract. One wage-only occupation in the reviewed set, roustabouts (47-5071), is omitted because a matching projection row was not available in that extract. This is a coverage limitation of our extract, not a claim that BLS publishes no projection for that occupation.
OEWS measures employee wage rates and excludes the self-employed. It is not total compensation: overtime premium pay, shift differentials and employer benefit costs are excluded, while some incentive pay is included. Annual wage rates do not establish the paid calendar in a particular offer. Projections have a different scope and include self-employment where applicable; their employment counts should not be subtracted from OEWS counts.
Percentiles do not represent starting pay, guaranteed career steps or maximum pay. The middle 50% lies between the 25th and 75th percentiles, but it is not a promised offer range. Annual openings are projected averages, including replacement needs, and are not a count of current advertisements. Typical education and training describe occupations, not universal employer requirements or legal eligibility.
Version 2026-10-23.1. The source data are for the reference periods above, not wages observed in October 2026. Our work is the selected dataset, calculations, comparison interface and interpretation. The national estimates are BLS data. The Work State is not affiliated with or endorsed by BLS. Research, drafting and computational checks used AI assistance; no individual professional credential is claimed.
CSV columns and units
- p10, p25, median, p75, p90: annual employee wage percentiles in nominal US dollars, May 2025.
- employment / employment_projected: projected-series headcounts in 2025 / 2035.
- net_change: published numeric change over the full decade, people.
- growth: published change over the full decade, percent; not annual growth.
- openings: projected annual-average openings, people, including replacement.
- education, experience, training: BLS typical entry or preparation categories.
- code: exact SOC code; the rows are detailed occupations, not broad occupational groups.
CSV SHA-256: ceeb3f43f415862a8156468c798ff75f90f8c310325660918ad7f2730aa7acf6