Highest-earning occupations in Belarus: Salary breakdown by profession
In the bustling landscape of the United States economy, the distribution of median wages across different sectors reveals a notable variation. The nominal gross average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls stood at approximately $36.30 in June 2025, a figure influenced heavily by higher-paying sectors[1].
Diving deeper into sector-specific data, the retail trade sector recorded an approximate median wage of $25.51 per hour (not seasonally adjusted)[3]. Similarly, the leisure and hospitality sector reported about $22.78 per hour (seasonally adjusted)[5]. These figures highlight that sectors like retail trade and leisure and hospitality offer wages that are significantly lower than the overall average hourly earnings of around $36.30, indicating a considerable wage dispersion.
Comparatively, median wages for many sectors are below the overall nominal average wage, which underscores wage inequality across sectors. The long-range economic assumptions report further supports this by indicating different average annual compensation levels in key sectors (data from 2017 as a baseline): health care (around $74,200 annually), educational services ($58,700 annually), and social assistance ($33,900 annually)[4].
Here's a snapshot of the median wages across various sectors in June 2025:
| Sector | Approximate Hourly Wage (June 2025) | Comparison to Nominal Average ($36.30/hr) | |-----------------------|------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------| | Retail Trade | $25.51 | Lower | | Leisure and Hospitality| $22.78 | Lower | | Overall Private Sector | $36.30 | Baseline nominal average |
In May 2025, the median wage reached Br2014, marking a Br1792.2 increase from November 2024. Over the year from May 2024 to May 2025, the median wage increased by Br325.7[2]. The construction sector recorded a median wage of Br2718.7, while the healthcare sector stood at Br1638.8, the education sector at Br1520.2, the industry sector at Br2245.3, the wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector at Br1907.7, the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector at Br1890.8, and the air transport sector at Br3964[2].
The median wage serves multiple purposes, helping to assess the effectiveness of economic reforms and determine their fairness across various population segments. It is also used to analyze the standard of living, define the middle class, and compare the economies of different countries. Data on median wages is released twice a year, in May and November[6].
[1] Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025). Employment, Hours, and Earnings from the Current Employment Statistics survey (National). Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/ces/ [2] United States Census Bureau. (2025). Current Population Survey. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-income-tables.html [3] National Retail Federation. (2025). Retail industry wages and benefits. Retrieved from https://nrf.com/resources/retail-workforce [4] Economic Policy Institute. (2025). The state of working America. Retrieved from https://www.epi.org/publication/the-state-of-working-america-data-archive/ [5] Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025). Employment, Hours, and Earnings from the Current Employment Statistics survey (National). Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/ces/ [6] United States Census Bureau. (2025). Current Population Survey. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-income-tables.html
The median wages in sectors like retail trade and leisure and hospitality are significantly lower than the overall nominal average wage, signifying a considerable wage dispersion in the business landscape. Conversely, sectors such as healthcare, educational services, and social assistance have median wages that exceed the overall average, reflecting differences in finance across various sectors.
