According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median wage for workers in the United States at the end of September 2014 was $790 per week or $41,080 per year for a 40 hour work week.  Wages were 2.5% higher than at the same date for the previous year.  

However, salaries can vary significantly based on both on occupation and location. For example, people working in professional, management and related occupations, earned an average of $58,812 annually, while those working in service occupations earned only an average of $26,416 annually. Jobs in large cities which have a higher cost of living tend to pay more than jobs in more rural areas.

Average Salaries for Men and Women

The BLS reports that for third quarter of 2014, men earned an average $870 per week while women earned only $715 or 82.5% of what males earned.

Average Salary Based on Education

Workers age 25 and over without a high school degree had median weekly earnings of $488 compared with $681for high school graduates. College graduates with at least a bachelor's degree earned $1,170 per week. College graduates with advanced degrees earned an average of $1359. 

Median Salary vs. Average Salary

What's the difference between the average salary for a job and the median salary? The median salary (also called the midpoint) for a job is the wage at the middle of a range. Half of the workers earn below this level and half earn above it.

The average salary (also called the mean) for a job is an average of all the salaries for a specific job. To get the average salary, you add all the salaries for a job and divide it by the number of people working at that occupation. As mentioned above, the average salary can vary based on location, demand for the job and other factors.

How to Find the Average Salary for a Job

When you are evaluating careers or job searching, it can be useful to know what you can expect to make.

There are a variety of calculators you can use to find out what the average salary is for a job in your occupation and location of interest. In addition, you can use a cost-of-living calculator to determine how much it actually costs to live in a specific location.

<Source: jobsearch.about.com>