One of the biggest decisions most of us have to make is which industry to look for work. Compensation matters, but it also matters whether pay is rising or falling. The following table gives the annual average pay in five major industries for 2007 and 2017 (the figures include the pay of all workers, including top managers).

Average Annual Wages and Salaries (Dollars)*
Industry	2007	2017	% Change (a)	Real % Change (b)
Manufacturers	55,239	69,437
Retail trade	30,695	36,891
Finance and insurance	88,771	109,600
Computer systems design and programming	93,843	119,263
Hospitals	52,006	66,994