Making sense of occupational data isn't always easy. But the task is less daunting when the data are well organized. For Federal occupational statistics, the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system establishes that organization. And a recent revision to the SOC means that the data will be current, in addition to being well organized. The…

This report looks at the distribution of earnings by occupation for all workers and separately for men and women as reported on the Census 2000 long form. Earnings include wages, salaries, and self-employment income (see Text Box: What is "Earnings"? for more details). Whereas income questions have been asked on the decennial census only since…

In 1994, a committee was formed to revise the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system to meet the needs of the 21st century. The committee, which was chartered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of the Census, included representatives from eight public agencies using occupational information. The SOC revision process…