Tough Jobs, and What They Pay
A new report looks at some of the toughest jobs in America, and lists what they pay on average. This eye-opening tally should make us all think about what we really value in this society.
Staffing firm CareerBuilder and its Emsi employment data business recently set out to analyze some of the toughest jobs in the U.S.
These included hard but vital occupations such as farming, construction labor, EMTs, Nurses, Military jobs and others.
Here’s what they found out about what these jobs pay:
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers
Number employed: 675,939
Median income: $60,466
Firefighters
Number employed: 314,928
Median income: $48,859
EMTs, Paramedics and Ambulance Drivers
Number employed: 266,853
Median income: $32,510
Registered Nurses
Number employed: 2,870,340
Median income: $69,077
Military Occupations
Number employed: 2,098,652
Median income: $35,194
Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers
Number employed: 494,879
Median income: $30,597
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
Number employed: 113,370
Median income: $45,968
Teachers
Number employed: 4,031,658
Median income: $55,557
Construction Laborers
Number employed: 1,335,944
Median income: $31,658
Electrical and Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
Number employed: 238,922
Median income: $60,965
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Number employed: 134,250
Median income: $34,258
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
Number employed: 1,926,886
Median income: $39,312
Some of these jobs are dangerous, and some even involve genuine heroism. But all of them are tough, and all of them are necessary.
What they also have in common is relatively low pay. When you think of all the less-than-necessary jobs that pay much more it really makes you think about what we value as a society.
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