Sources
Every dataset behind the figures on this site, when it was released, what we use it for and the terms that allow it.
Datasets
| Dataset | Release | Used for | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026; national releases May 2015 to May 2024 for trends | Employment, mean and percentile wages (hourly and annual) for the nation, states, metro areas, industries and private and government employers | U.S. government work, public domain |
| Employment Projections U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | 2025–2035 projections, released September 2026 | Projected growth, openings, self-employment, typical entry education, work experience, on-the-job training and factors affecting each occupation | U.S. government work, public domain |
| Occupational Outlook Handbook U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | 2025–35 edition | Background for job duties and entry paths, rewritten and checked against the bodies that set requirements | U.S. government work, public domain |
| O*NET 31.0 Database U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration | Version 31.0 | Job tasks, reported and alternate job titles, related occupations, education levels reported by workers, skills and knowledge | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0); see attribution below |
| College Scorecard U.S. Department of Education | Most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15 | Programs by field and credential, published tuition and fees, median federal loan debt and graduates’ earnings | U.S. government work, public domain |
| CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk National Center for Education Statistics and BLS | CIP 2020 / SOC 2018 | Matching training programs to occupations | U.S. government work, public domain |
| Regional Price Parities U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis | 2024 (released December 2025) | Cost-of-living adjustment for states and metro areas | U.S. government work, public domain |
| Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | May 2015 to May 2025, US city average, not seasonally adjusted | Expressing past medians in May 2025 dollars | U.S. government work, public domain |
| Standard Occupational Classification crosswalk U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | 2010 to 2018 SOC | Keeping pay trends comparable across the 2018 classification change | U.S. government work, public domain |
| Revenue Procedure 2025-32 and Publication 15 (2026) Internal Revenue Service | Tax year 2026 | Federal brackets, standard deduction, Social Security and Medicare | U.S. government work, public domain |
| State tax laws and forms State revenue departments | Tax year 2026 | State income tax and employee payroll taxes in the calculator and hourly pages | Government publications |
| CareerOneStop License Finder U.S. Department of Labor | Live tool | Linked from every guide for state licensing rules | Linked, not copied |
O*NET attribution
This site includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Careers and Salaries has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources cited in the how-to-become guides
The 150 guides cite 1407 sources in total, each listed at the end of its guide with the date it was checked. These are mostly the organizations that set requirements: certification and exam bodies, program accreditors, state licensing boards and federal agencies. The most cited sites:
- bls.gov (173)
- careeronestop.org (131)
- collegescorecard.ed.gov (127)
- ecfr.gov (69)
- onetonline.org (30)
- ncees.org (28)
- students-residents.aamc.org (23)
- nclex.com (15)
- arrt.org (15)
- praxis.ets.org (13)
- nbome.org (12)
- abet.org (12)
- aacnnursing.org (11)
- nursecompact.com (8)
- usmle.org (8)
- nremt.org (8)
- tsa.gov (8)
- aapc.com (7)
- apprenticeship.gov (7)
- ase.com (7)
- comptia.org (7)
- finra.org (7)
- shrm.org (7)
- acgme.org (6)
- inteleos.org (6)
- fsbpt.org (6)
- asha.org (6)
- abp.org (6)
- abos.org (6)
- tdlr.texas.gov (6)
- jcnde.ada.org (5)
- coda.ada.org (5)
- nbme.org (5)
- ncsbn.org (5)
- americanmedtech.org (5)
- ahima.org (5)
- myhspa.org (5)
- nccpa.net (5)
- abpn.org (5)
- abog.org (5)
Not used
We do not use salary figures from job boards, self-reported salary sites or compensation-data companies, because they measure different things and cannot be checked (see why salary sites disagree). Specialty pages never quote specialty pay from such sources. Not affiliated with the Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency.