- Some occupations could be at a higher risk of catching the coronavirus than others.
- In particular, those who are helping patients infected by the coronavirus or who work in a job where they cannot work from home and have a lot of direct contact with the public could face a greater risk of exposure.
- We looked at Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the annual salaries of Americans working in jobs at risk of exposure during the coronavirus outbreak.
- 20 of the 29 occupations on our list earned less than $51,960, the annual average salary of US workers in May 2018.
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There are over 1,800 confirmed cases and 41 deaths related to the novel coronavirus outbreak in the US. Although some companies have told their employees to work from home, not all jobs are as flexible or allow workers to complete their job responsibilities remotely.
Business Insider recently took an in-depth look at the kind of jobs that have a high probability of being at risk to the coronavirus based on different measures, such as jobs with high exposure to disease. Not only are people working in medical fields potentially at risk, but also people in service occupations like food service, barbers, and sales workers.
We created a list of the salaries of 29 occupations that could face a higher risk of exposure to the coronavirus.
We used the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics program to get data about the occupations' average annual salaries and estimated number of workers as of May 2018, the most recent period available. Our list included nurses, food workers, retail salespersons, and bus drivers among other jobs where people work in close contact with the public, cannot work remotely, or are medical professionals.
The average salaries ranged from $20,130 a year for barbers to $196,490 a year for general internists. Many of the occupations have relatively low average pay. 12 of the occupations on the list make less than $30,000 a year on average, such as taxi drivers and retail workers. 20 of the 29 occupations on average earn less than the annual average salary in May 2018 of $51,960.
The following are 29 occupations that are likely to be at risk from coronavirus, ranked from highest to lowest average salary.
29. General internists earn an average of $196,490 a year.
There are 37,820 general internists employed in the US.
28. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers an average of $169,560 a year.
There are 82,890 airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers employed in the US.
27. Nurse practitioners earn an average of $110,030 a year.
There are 179,650 nurse practitioners employed in the US.
26. Epidemiologists earn an average of $75,690 a year.
There are 7,060 epidemiologists employed in the US.
25. Registered nurses earn an average of $75,510 a year.
There are 2,951,960 registered nurses employed in the US.
24. Subway and streetcar operators earn an average of $62,970 a year.
There are 8,850 subway and streetcar operators employed in the US.
23. Respiratory therapists earn an average of $62,500 a year.
There are 129,600 respiratory therapists employed in the US.
22. Flight attendants earn an average of $56,630 a year.
There are 118,770 flight attendants employed in the YS.
21. Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians earn an average of $53,880 a year.
There are 321,220 clinical laboratory technologists and technicians employed in the US.
20. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers earn an average of $45,080 a year.
There are 1,181,530 first-line supervisors of retail sales workers employed in the US.
19. Transit and intercity bus drivers earn an average of $44,650 a year.
There are 174,110 transit and intercity bus drivers employed in the US.
18. Medical equipment preparers earn an average of $37,990 a year.
There are 55,610 medical equipment preparers in the US.
17. EMTs and paramedics earn an average of $37,760 a year.
There are 257,210 EMTs and paramedics employed in the US.
16. Light truck or delivery services drivers earn an average of $36,920 a year.
There are 915,310 light truck or delivery services drivers employed in the US.
15. School or special client bus drivers earn an average of $33,390 a year.
There are 504,150 school or special client bus drivers employed in the US.
14. Couriers and messengers earn an average of $30,620 a year.
There are 75,720 couriers and messengers employed in the US.
13. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists earn an average of $30,190 a year.
There are 377,210 hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists employed in the US.
12. Orderlies earn an average of $29,840 a year.
There are 50,100 orderlies employed in the US.
11. Driver/sales workers earn an average of $29,610 a year.
There are 414,860 driver/sales workers employed in the US.
10. Nursing assistants earn an average of $29,580 a year.
There are 1,450,960 nursing assistants employed in the US.
9. Taxi drivers and chauffeurs earn an average of $28,450 a year.
There are 207,920 taxi drivers and chauffeurs employed in the US.
8. Retail salespersons earn an average of $28,310 a year.
There are 4,448,120 retail salespersons employed in the US.
7. Bartenders earn an average of $26,780 a year.
There are 631,480 bartenders employed in the US.
6. Waiters and waitresses earn an average of $25,830 a year.
There are 2,582,410 waiters and waitresses employed in the US.
5. Home health aides earn an average of $25,330 a year.
There are 797,670 home health aides employed in the US.
4. Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop workers earn an average of $23,240 a year.
There are 473,860 counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop workers employed in the US.
3. Cashiers earn an average of $23,240 a year.
There are 3,635,550 cashiers employed in the US.
2. Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food workers, earn an average of $22,140 a year.
There are 3,676,180 food preparation and server workers employed in the US.
1. Barbers earn an average of $20,130 a year.
There are 33,220 barbers employed in the US.