# How can I tell if my profession is relatively better off financially than in the past? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 10, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-tell-if-my-profession-is-relatively-better-off-financially-than-in-the-past/615398 "2012-03-10T18:36:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lazy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc29f/32.png) [@Lazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazy)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-tell-if-my-profession-is-relatively-better-off-financially-than-in-the-past/615398/1 "2012-03-10T18:36:33Z")
Is there any reasonably quick and convenient way to find out how well a profession is doing financially, compared with in the last few decades? I would be interested in comparisons with other professions or average wages, but I am also curious if there are other reasonable ways to assess it. Maybe, for example, the income of the average worker in that profession as a percentage of GDP per capita? I am specifically curious about when Ontario teachers had it best (financially), but I also wonder what problems arise, in general, when trying to make such comparisons with the past. ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-tell-if-my-profession-is-relatively-better-off-financially-than-in-the-past/615398/2 "2012-03-10T22:58:52Z")
In the US, you can check the BLS site. Since they compile the [Occupational Outlook handbook](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/www.bls.gov/oco/) annually, they should also have the historical info you want. Can’t help you with Canada.