Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 04-46 http://www.bls.gov/cps/ For release: 10:00 A.M. EST Media contact: 691-5902 Friday, January 16, 2004 USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS: FOURTH QUARTER 2003 Median weekly earnings of the nation's 100.4 million full-time wage and salary workers were $625 in the fourth quarter of 2003, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This was 2.0 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 1.9 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period. Data on usual earnings are collected as part of the Current Population Survey, a nationwide sample survey of households in which respondents are asked, among other things, how much each wage and salary worker usually earns. (See the Explanatory Note.) Highlights from the fourth-quarter data are: --Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $561 per week, or 79.7 percent of the $704 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks (89.6 percent) and Hispanics or Latinos (87.6 percent) than among whites (79.1 percent) or Asians (73.9 percent). (See table 1.) --Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $560 per week, 76.9 percent of the median for white men ($728). The difference was less among women, as black women's median earnings ($502) were 87.2 percent of those for their white counterparts ($576). Overall, median earnings of Hispanics or Latinos who worked full time ($441) were lower than those of blacks ($522), whites ($646), and Asians ($680). --Among men, those age 55 to 64 ($841) had the highest median weekly earnings. Among women, earnings also were highest for those 55 to 64 years old ($613). (See table 2.) --Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in managerial, professional, and related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings--$1,072 for men and $766 for women. Men and women in service jobs earned the least. (See table 3.) --Full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $397, compared with $556 for high school graduates (no college) and $967 for college graduates holding at least a bachelor's degree. Among college graduates with advanced degrees (professional or master's degree and above), the highest-earning 10 percent of male workers made $2,562 or more per week, compared with $1,749 or more for their female counterparts. (See table 4.) Annual Averages for 2002 and 2003 In addition to the data for the fourth quarter, this release includes 2002 and 2003 annual average weekly earnings for major demographic, occu- pation, and education groups (tables 6, 7, and 8). Annual average data on median usual earnings for men and women by detailed occupational categories will appear in the January 2004 issue of Employment and Earnings. Explanatory Note The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides the basic information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment. The survey is conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau from a scienti- fically selected national sample of about 60,000 households, with coverage in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The earnings data are collected from one-quarter of the CPS monthly sample and are limited to wages and salaries. The data, therefore, exclude self-employment income. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339. Reliability Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsam- pling error. When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true" population values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data. For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and information on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error" section of Employment and Earnings. Definitions The principal definitions used in connection with the earnings series are described briefly below. Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before taxes and other deductions and include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips usually received (at the main job in the case of multiple jobholders.) Prior to 1994, respondents were asked how much they usually earned per week. Since January 1994, respondents have been asked to identify the easiest way for them to report earnings (hourly, weekly, biweekly, twice monthly, monthly, annually, other) and how much they usually earn in the reported time period. Earnings reported on a basis other than weekly are converted to a weekly equivalent. The term "usual" is as perceived by the respondent. If the respondent asks for a definition of usual, interviewers are instructed to define the term as more than half the weeks worked during the past 4 or 5 months. Medians (and other quantiles) of weekly earnings. The median (or upper limit of the second quartile) is the amount which divides a given earnings distribution into two equal groups, one having earnings above the median and the other having earnings below the median. Ten percent of a given distribution have earnings below the upper limit of the first decile (90 percent have higher earnings); 25 percent have earnings below the upper limit of the first quartile (75 percent have higher earnings); 75 percent have earnings below the upper limit of the third quartile (25 percent have higher earnings); and 90 percent have earnings below the upper limit of the ninth decile (10 percent have higher earnings). - 2 - The estimating procedure places each reported or calculated weekly earnings value into $50-wide intervals which are centered around multiples of $50. The actual value is estimated through the linear interpolation of the interval in which the quantile boundary lies. Over-the-year changes in the medians (and other quantile boundaries) for specific groups may not necessarily be consistent with the movements estimated for the overall quantile boundary. The most common reasons for this possible anomaly are: (1) There could be a change in the relative weights of the subgroups. For example, the medians of both 16-to-24 year olds and those 25 years and over may rise; but if the lower-earning 16-to- 24 group accounts for a greatly increased share of the total, the overall median could actually fall. (2) There could be a large change in the shape of the distribution of reported earnings, particularly near a quantile boundary. This could be caused by survey observations that are clustered at rounded values, e.g., $250, $300, $400. An estimate lying in a $50-wide centered interval containing such a cluster or "spike" tends to change more slowly than one in other intervals. Wage and salary workers. Workers who receive wages, salaries, commissions, tips, payment in kind, or piece rates. The group includes employees in both the private and public sectors but, for the purposes of the earnings series, excludes all self-employed persons, regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Full-time workers. Workers who usually work 35 hours or more per week at their sole or principal job. Part-time workers. Workers who usually work fewer than 35 hours per week at their sole or principal job. Constant dollars. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) is used to convert current dollars to constant (1982) dollars. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. This refers to persons who identified themselves in the enumeration process as being Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted Number of workers Median weekly earnings (in thousands) Characteristic In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars IV IV 2002 2003 IV IV IV IV 2002 2003 2002 2003 SEX AND AGE Total, 16 years and over.................................. 99,575 100,407 $613 $625 $326 $327 Men, 16 years and over................................. 56,029 56,459 686 704 365 368 16 to 24 years....................................... 6,111 5,851 390 409 208 214 25 years and over.................................... 49,918 50,608 737 750 393 392 Women, 16 years and over............................... 43,545 43,948 542 561 289 293 16 to 24 years....................................... 4,483 4,408 384 372 204 194 25 years and over.................................... 39,062 39,540 576 588 306 307 RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX White(1)............................................... 81,782 81,815 630 646 335 338 Men.................................................. 47,043 46,976 710 728 378 380 Women................................................ 34,740 34,839 564 576 300 301 Black or African American(1)........................... 12,075 11,977 495 522 264 273 Men.................................................. 5,769 5,773 520 560 277 293 Women................................................ 6,307 6,204 469 502 250 262 Asian(1)............................................... 4,718 4,402 667 680 355 356 Men.................................................. 2,645 2,489 756 784 402 410 Women................................................ 2,073 1,913 570 579 303 303 Hispanic or Latino..................................... 13,227 13,454 435 441 232 230 Men.................................................. 8,443 8,737 457 468 243 245 Women................................................ 4,784 4,717 408 410 217 214 1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected more than one race group only are not included. Prior to 2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they indentified as the main race. NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Beginning in January 2003, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Table 2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, fourth quarter 2003 averages, not seasonally adjusted Total Men Women Age, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity Number Number Number of Median of Median of Median workers weekly workers weekly workers weekly (in earnings (in earnings (in earnings thousands) thousands) thousands) TOTAL 16 years and over......................................... 100,407 $625 56,459 $704 43,948 $561 16 to 24 years.......................................... 10,259 395 5,851 409 4,408 372 16 to 19 years........................................ 1,409 311 830 322 580 301 20 to 24 years........................................ 8,849 409 5,021 422 3,828 390 25 years and over....................................... 90,148 667 50,608 750 39,540 588 25 to 54 years........................................ 76,625 664 43,232 741 33,393 587 25 to 34 years...................................... 24,700 596 14,379 629 10,321 547 35 to 44 years...................................... 27,219 702 15,593 791 11,626 596 45 to 54 years...................................... 24,706 718 13,260 822 11,446 606 55 years and over..................................... 13,524 690 7,376 813 6,147 593 55 to 64 years...................................... 11,732 719 6,343 841 5,389 613 65 years and over................................... 1,792 515 1,034 609 758 460 White(1) 16 years and over......................................... 81,815 646 46,976 728 34,839 576 16 to 24 years.......................................... 8,423 403 4,854 418 3,569 380 25 years and over....................................... 73,392 689 42,122 770 31,270 598 25 to 54 years........................................ 61,886 686 35,787 760 26,099 599 55 years and over..................................... 11,506 708 6,335 843 5,171 593 Black or African American(1) 16 years and over......................................... 11,977 522 5,773 560 6,204 502 16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,250 352 645 365 605 344 25 years and over....................................... 10,727 560 5,128 595 5,599 517 25 to 54 years........................................ 9,404 549 4,480 588 4,925 513 55 years and over..................................... 1,323 607 648 618 675 584 Asian(1) 16 years and over......................................... 4,402 680 2,489 784 1,913 579 16 to 24 years.......................................... 239 411 132 429 107 366 25 years and over....................................... 4,162 700 2,357 836 1,806 585 25 to 54 years........................................ 3,659 699 2,056 853 1,602 582 55 years and over..................................... 504 702 301 737 203 642 Hispanic or Latino 16 years and over......................................... 13,454 $441 8,737 468 4,717 $410 16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,953 351 1,297 373 655 321 25 years and over....................................... 11,501 466 7,440 489 4,061 426 25 to 54 years........................................ 10,514 461 6,808 485 3,706 424 55 years and over..................................... 987 503 632 546 356 457 1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected more than one race group only are not included. Prior to 2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they indentified as the main race. NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Beginning in January 2003, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted Number of workers Median weekly earnings (in thousands) Occupation and sex IV IV IV IV 2002 2003 2002 2003 TOTAL Managerial, professional, and related occupations........ 35,650 35,874 $865 $894 Management, business, and financial operations occupations........................................... 14,468 14,413 921 991 Professional and related occupations................... 21,181 21,461 837 848 Service occupations...................................... 12,828 12,826 405 409 Sales and office occupations............................. 24,527 25,213 533 549 Sales and related occupations.......................... 9,638 9,854 597 605 Office and administrative support occupations.......... 14,889 15,359 514 526 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations............................................. 11,082 11,510 594 610 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations............. 886 915 320 355 Construction and extraction occupations................ 6,100 6,062 583 613 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations...... 4,096 4,533 670 680 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations............................................. 15,488 14,985 509 523 Production occupations................................. 8,675 8,514 511 522 Transportation and material moving occupations......... 6,813 6,471 506 523 Men Managerial, professional, and related occupations........ 17,713 17,838 1,040 1,072 Management, business, and financial operations occupations........................................... 7,963 8,058 1,130 1,170 Professional and related occupations................... 9,750 9,781 994 994 Service occupations...................................... 6,584 6,531 475 475 Sales and office occupations............................. 9,229 9,429 634 675 Sales and related occupations.......................... 5,429 5,483 727 749 Office and administrative support occupations.......... 3,800 3,946 528 599 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations............................................. 10,589 11,031 598 618 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations............. 723 765 342 370 Construction and extraction occupations................ 5,944 5,924 584 618 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations...... 3,921 4,342 675 686 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations............................................. 11,915 11,630 555 576 Production occupations................................. 6,051 6,011 577 584 Transportation and material moving occupations......... 5,864 5,619 525 560 Women Managerial, professional, and related occupations........ 17,936 18,036 735 766 Management, business, and financial operations occupations........................................... 6,505 6,356 745 810 Professional and related occupations................... 11,431 11,680 730 752 Service occupations...................................... 6,244 6,295 359 372 Sales and office occupations............................. 15,298 15,783 501 504 Sales and related occupations.......................... 4,209 4,371 444 468 Office and administrative support occupations.......... 11,089 11,413 510 514 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations............................................. 494 479 455 402 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations............. 163 150 291 306 Construction and extraction occupations................ 156 138 524 499 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations...... 175 191 605 517 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations............................................. 3,573 3,355 400 410 Production occupations................................. 2,624 2,503 401 417 Transportation and material moving occupations......... 949 852 398 385 NOTE: Occupations reflect the introduction of the 2002 Census occupational classification system derived from the 2000 Standard Occupational Classification system into the Current Population Survey. Beginning in January 2003, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Table 4. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, fourth quarter 2003 averages, not seasonally adjusted Number Upper limit of: of Characteristic workers (in First First Second Third Ninth thousands) decile quartile quartile quartile decile (median) SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY Total, 16 years and over.................................. 100,407 $303 $416 $625 $956 $1,440 Men..................................................... 56,459 320 461 704 1,073 1,592 Women................................................... 43,948 288 386 561 818 1,169 White(1)................................................ 81,815 308 427 646 982 1,473 Men................................................... 46,976 328 479 728 1,111 1,653 Women................................................. 34,839 291 392 576 831 1,194 Black or African American(1)............................ 11,977 283 375 522 774 1,086 Men................................................... 5,773 292 388 560 817 1,153 Women................................................. 6,204 274 359 502 735 1,009 Asian(1)................................................ 4,402 307 421 680 1,132 1,669 Men................................................... 2,489 324 479 784 1,235 1,772 Women................................................. 1,913 291 390 579 911 1,401 Hispanic or Latino...................................... 13,454 263 315 441 653 944 Men................................................... 8,737 276 327 468 684 986 Women................................................. 4,717 247 300 410 601 857 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT Total, 25 years and over................................ 90,148 318 449 667 999 1,487 Less than a high school diploma....................... 8,530 248 302 397 551 758 High school graduates, no college..................... 27,182 302 398 556 776 1,043 Some college or associate degree...................... 24,806 340 469 648 913 1,247 Bachelor's degree and higher.......................... 29,630 471 669 967 1,451 1,970 Bachelor's degree only.............................. 19,403 443 620 901 1,351 1,879 Advanced degree..................................... 10,227 535 763 1,124 1,639 2,288 Men, 25 years and over................................ 50,608 345 499 750 1,135 1,666 Less than a high school diploma..................... 5,765 274 320 423 611 841 High school graduates, no college................... 15,418 333 457 632 869 1,152 Some college or associate degree.................... 13,155 381 535 750 1,031 1,427 Bachelor's degree and higher........................ 16,271 503 758 1,138 1,657 2,303 Bachelor's degree only............................ 10,634 482 715 1,061 1,538 2,113 Advanced degree................................... 5,637 593 855 1,317 1,893 2,562 Women, 25 years and over.............................. 39,540 298 405 588 849 1,213 Less than a high school diploma..................... 2,765 227 278 331 446 593 High school graduates, no college................... 11,764 281 355 477 630 860 Some college or associate degree.................... 11,652 313 413 566 760 1,010 Bachelor's degree and higher........................ 13,359 442 606 834 1,163 1,582 Bachelor's degree only............................ 8,770 422 582 772 1,067 1,494 Advanced degree................................... 4,589 502 722 953 1,335 1,749 1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected more than one race group only are not included. Prior to 2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they indentified as the main race. NOTE: Ten percent of all full-time wage and salary workers earn less than the upper limit of the first decile; 25 percent earn less than the upper limit of the first quartile; 50 percent earn less than the upper limit of the second quartile, or median; 75 percent earn less than the upper limit of the third quartile; and 90 percent earn less than the upper limit of the ninth decile. Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Beginning in January 2003, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Table 5. Median usual weekly earnings of part-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted Number of workers Median weekly earnings (in thousands) Characteristic IV IV IV IV 2002 2003 2002 2003 SEX AND AGE Total, 16 years and over.................................. 22,028 22,455 $186 $189 Men, 16 years and over................................. 6,824 7,082 172 174 16 to 24 years....................................... 3,609 3,689 134 139 25 years and over.................................... 3,215 3,393 239 230 Women, 16 years and over............................... 15,204 15,373 193 197 16 to 24 years....................................... 4,700 4,697 136 135 25 years and over.................................... 10,504 10,675 229 233 RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX White(1)............................................... 18,833 19,014 187 190 Men.................................................. 5,765 5,957 171 173 Women................................................ 13,068 13,057 194 198 Black or African American(1)........................... 2,048 2,022 180 174 Men.................................................. 656 634 183 169 Women................................................ 1,392 1,387 178 177 Asian(1)............................................... 934 789 196 217 Men.................................................. 343 268 167 199 Women................................................ 591 521 216 220 Hispanic or Latino..................................... 2,347 2,618 189 197 Men.................................................. 800 918 199 206 Women................................................ 1,547 1,700 185 193 1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected more than one race group only are not included. Prior to 2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they indentified as the main race. NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Beginning in January 2003, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Table 6. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, annual averages Number of workers Median weekly earnings (in thousands) Characteristic In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars 2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003 SEX AND AGE Total, 16 years and over.................................. 100,081 100,302 $608 $620 $326 $325 Men, 16 years and over.................................. 56,345 56,227 679 695 364 364 16 to 24 years......................................... 6,317 6,158 391 398 210 209 25 years and over...................................... 50,027 50,069 732 744 393 390 Women, 16 years and over................................ 43,737 44,076 529 552 284 290 16 to 24 years......................................... 4,804 4,632 367 371 197 195 25 years and over...................................... 38,933 39,444 568 584 305 306 RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX White (1)............................................... 82,324 81,916 623 636 334 334 Men................................................... 47,417 47,001 702 715 377 375 Women................................................. 34,908 34,916 547 567 294 298 Black (1)............................................... 12,109 11,887 498 514 267 269 Men................................................... 5,789 5,585 524 555 281 291 Women................................................. 6,319 6,301 473 491 254 257 Asian (1)............................................... 4,613 4,314 658 693 353 363 Men................................................... 2,556 2,442 756 772 405 405 Women................................................. 2,058 1,872 566 598 304 314 Hispanic or Latino...................................... 13,137 13,634 424 440 227 231 Men................................................... 8,272 8,677 451 464 242 243 Women................................................. 4,865 4,957 397 410 213 215 1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected more than one race group are not included. Prior to 2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they identified as their main race. NOTE: Estimates for the race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as race. Data for 2002 have been revised to incorporate changes to the class of worker status associated with the introduction of the 2002 Census industry and occupational classification systems into the Current Population Survey. Beginning in January 2003, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Table 7. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, annual averages Number of workers Median weekly earnings (in thousands) Occupation and sex 2002 2003 2002 2003 TOTAL Management, professional, and related occupations............. 35,441 35,680 $859 $887 Management, business, and financial operations occupations... 14,537 14,493 922 961 Professional and related occupations......................... 20,904 21,186 823 845 Service occupations........................................... 13,136 13,333 396 403 Sales and office occupations.................................. 24,983 25,108 527 545 Sales and related occupations................................ 9,772 9,924 592 598 Office and administrative support occupations................ 15,211 15,184 511 523 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.. 10,780 11,082 597 608 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................... 819 778 340 369 Construction and extraction occupations...................... 5,974 5,973 589 599 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............ 3,987 4,331 663 673 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations... 15,741 15,100 511 519 Production occupations....................................... 9,055 8,599 508 519 Transportation and material moving occupations............... 6,685 6,501 514 520 Men Management, professional, and related occupations............. 17,779 17,718 1,019 1,059 Management, business, and financial operations occupations... 8,122 8,047 1,098 1,143 Professional and related occupations......................... 9,657 9,671 974 1,005 Service occupations........................................... 6,738 6,708 448 463 Sales and office occupations.................................. 9,398 9,456 647 658 Sales and related occupations................................ 5,514 5,557 730 731 Office and administrative support occupations................ 3,884 3,899 570 584 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.. 10,269 10,612 603 613 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................... 631 626 362 384 Construction and extraction occupations...................... 5,829 5,831 590 602 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............ 3,809 4,155 665 675 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations... 12,160 11,733 558 570 Production occupations....................................... 6,355 6,069 574 583 Transportation and material moving occupations............... 5,805 5,664 539 547 Women Management, professional, and related occupations............. 17,662 17,962 735 758 Management, business, and financial operations occupations... 6,415 6,446 756 799 Professional and related occupations......................... 11,247 11,516 723 739 Service occupations........................................... 6,398 6,625 355 366 Sales and office occupations.................................. 15,584 15,652 488 502 Sales and related occupations................................ 4,257 4,367 430 452 Office and administrative support occupations................ 11,327 11,286 500 513 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.. 512 469 431 449 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................... 187 152 297 318 Construction and extraction occupations...................... 146 141 523 497 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............ 179 176 593 629 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations... 3,581 3,367 399 407 Production occupations....................................... 2,700 2,530 400 406 Transportation and material moving occupations............... 880 837 396 410 NOTE: Occupations reflect the introduction of the 2002 Census occupational classification system derived from the 2000 Standard Occupational Classification system into the Current Population Survey. Beginning in January 2003, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Table 8. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, 2003 annual averages Number Upper limit of: Educational attainment, of sex, race, and Hispanic workers or Latino ethnicity (in First First Second Third Ninth thousands) decile quartile quartile quartile decile (median) TOTAL Total, 25 years and over.......................... 89,513 $318 $447 $662 $994 $1,470 Less than a high school diploma................. 8,594 243 302 396 535 753 High school graduates, no college............... 27,082 301 399 554 772 1,049 Some college or associate degree................ 24,610 339 462 639 907 1,235 College graduates, total........................ 29,226 477 671 964 1,430 1,976 Bachelor's degree only........................ 19,217 447 624 900 1,330 1,879 Advanced degree............................... 10,009 578 772 1,126 1,621 2,278 Men Total, 25 years and over.......................... 50,069 352 498 744 1,131 1,655 Less than a high school diploma................. 5,755 269 324 429 599 827 High school graduates, no college............... 15,272 339 458 628 875 1,163 Some college or associate degree................ 12,891 385 524 740 1,023 1,406 College graduates, total........................ 16,151 516 755 1,131 1,636 2,293 Bachelor's degree only........................ 10,596 492 709 1,044 1,525 2,090 Advanced degree............................... 5,555 609 875 1,315 1,881 2,548 Women Total, 25 years and over.......................... 39,444 295 400 584 843 1,195 Less than a high school diploma................. 2,839 217 273 329 430 575 High school graduates, no college............... 11,810 277 351 474 631 847 Some college or associate degree................ 11,719 310 409 560 759 1,012 College graduates, total........................ 13,075 439 608 832 1,157 1,580 Bachelor's degree only........................ 8,621 412 578 767 1,061 1,472 Advanced degree............................... 4,454 526 719 953 1,324 1,800 White, total Total, 25 years and over.......................... 72,994 325 463 683 1,020 1,515 Less than a high school diploma................. 6,972 247 304 401 547 767 High school graduates, no college............... 22,054 307 409 576 794 1,079 Some college or associate degree................ 19,898 349 478 659 934 1,267 College graduates, total........................ 24,069 490 689 988 1,463 2,030 Bachelor's degree only........................ 15,794 463 641 925 1,365 1,904 Advanced degree............................... 8,275 588 792 1,139 1,647 2,299 White men Total, 25 years and over.......................... 41,811 363 511 766 1,153 1,727 Less than a high school diploma................. 4,853 272 325 432 601 833 High school graduates, no college............... 12,648 351 478 652 898 1,185 Some college or associate degree................ 10,699 397 547 761 1,054 1,434 College graduates, total........................ 13,612 544 781 1,151 1,676 2,320 Bachelor's degree only........................ 9,004 511 737 1,081 1,558 2,181 Advanced degree............................... 4,608 626 905 1,339 1,892 2,680 White women Total, 25 years and over.......................... 31,183 299 408 595 855 1,221 Less than a high school diploma................. 2,120 224 275 331 435 578 High school graduates, no college............... 9,407 281 359 484 646 856 Some college or associate degree................ 9,200 316 415 573 771 1,032 College graduates, total........................ 10,457 450 616 839 1,167 1,622 Bachelor's degree only........................ 6,790 417 584 771 1,072 1,495 Advanced degree............................... 3,667 550 728 964 1,338 1,827 Black or African American, total Total, 25 years and over.......................... 10,664 290 386 542 786 1,112 Less than a high school diploma................. 1,061 219 287 376 509 714 High school graduates, no college............... 3,719 280 357 476 652 901 Some college or associate degree................ 3,383 304 402 551 759 1,010 College graduates, total........................ 2,502 407 584 793 1,133 1,490 Bachelor's degree only........................ 1,808 393 553 762 1,054 1,413 Advanced degree............................... 693 471 665 887 1,271 1,722 Black or African American men Total, 25 years and over.......................... 4,979 310 410 588 830 1,171 Less than a high school diploma................. 565 250 316 421 606 809 High school graduates, no college............... 1,868 305 393 519 723 988 Some college or associate degree................ 1,497 322 434 609 852 1,133 College graduates, total........................ 1,049 402 587 790 1,171 1,549 Bachelor's degree only........................ 771 396 568 774 1,114 1,444 Advanced degree............................... 278 442 643 863 1,381 1,889 Black or African American women Total, 25 years and over.......................... 5,685 277 364 508 749 1,037 Less than a high school diploma................. 496 198 260 324 423 597 High school graduates, no college............... 1,851 259 326 434 582 797 Some college or associate degree................ 1,886 293 384 510 685 907 College graduates, total........................ 1,453 412 582 797 1,091 1,451 Bachelor's degree only........................ 1,037 390 545 756 1,022 1,384 Advanced degree............................... 416 482 686 893 1,230 1,604 Asian, total Total, 25 years and over.......................... 3,984 314 460 723 1,142 1,729 Less than a high school diploma................. 325 226 289 369 490 611 High school graduates, no college............... 741 283 362 491 696 993 Some college or associate degree................ 671 324 442 624 891 1,204 College graduates, total........................ 2,247 425 635 954 1,429 1,912 Bachelor's degree only........................ 1,325 395 585 847 1,221 1,732 Advanced degree............................... 922 524 757 1,153 1,726 2,280 Hispanic or Latino, total Total, 25 years and over.......................... 11,532 270 333 473 700 1,018 Less than a high school diploma................. 4,127 238 293 371 487 649 High school graduates, no college............... 3,410 280 352 485 676 907 Some college or associate degree................ 2,351 303 404 576 800 1,084 College graduates, total........................ 1,644 354 535 799 1,162 1,739 Bachelor's degree only........................ 1,190 335 502 747 1,078 1,575 Advanced degree............................... 454 437 652 949 1,426 1,905 Hispanic or Latino men Total, 25 years and over.......................... 7,292 283 355 493 730 1,083 Less than a high school diploma................. 2,975 254 306 393 510 693 High school graduates, no college............... 2,106 298 386 522 735 987 Some college or associate degree................ 1,302 324 447 623 875 1,173 College graduates, total........................ 909 364 571 879 1,351 1,906 Bachelor's degree only........................ 643 342 515 810 1,230 1,863 Advanced degree............................... 265 459 694 1,090 1,544 2,260 Hispanic or Latino women Total, 25 years and over.......................... 4,240 247 309 425 638 918 Less than a high school diploma................. 1,152 216 265 314 399 514 High school graduates, no college............... 1,304 248 311 415 584 781 Some college or associate degree................ 1,049 287 374 509 706 957 College graduates, total........................ 735 341 513 737 1,018 1,419 Bachelor's degree only........................ 546 326 492 694 959 1,381 Advanced degree............................... 189 398 616 833 1,145 1,663 NOTE: Ten percent of all full-time wage and salary workers earn less than the upper limit of the first decile; 25 percent earn less than the upper limit of the first quartile; 50 percent earn less than the upper limit of the second quartile, or median; 75 percent earn less than the upper limit of the third quartile; and 90 percent earn less than the upper limit of the ninth decile. Estimates for the race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as "Hispanic or Latino" may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as race. Beginning in January 2003, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.