# Earning Potential **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 17, 2006, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earning-potential/345024 "2006-02-17T23:18:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earning-potential/345024/1 "2006-02-17T23:18:16Z")
I’m teaching a 5th Grade Junior Achievement class and one of the things I need to cover is a comparison of common occupations in the US and their expected compensation. JA provides a lot of good information, but they didn’t provide me with this. :rolleyes: I tried googling but I can’t find a comprehensive chart that includes professional careers, such as a doctor and lawyer, and also non-professional careers, such as retail clerk or mechanic. I know this data must exist somewhere. I don’t care if the information is from any particular state or region… as long as it’s from the US and was gathered sometime in the past 5 years. I want to show these kids how going to college dramatically increases their earning potential. Any idea where I should look? I’m running out of time… ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earning-potential/345024/2 "2006-02-17T23:23:41Z")
I’ll see if I can find a more friendly chart but if you want to dig and put numbers together this seems to have it all. [http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm](http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm) ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earning-potential/345024/3 "2006-02-17T23:33:16Z")
I can work with that… thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earning-potential/345024/4 "2006-02-17T23:38:32Z")
[www.salary.com](http://www.salary.com) is generally accurate and lets you break things down more specifically and by area if you choose.