July 21, 2005 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Earnings and educational attainment: second quarter of 2005

Median weekly earnings of the nation's 103.3 million full-time wage and salary workers were $643 in the second quarter of 2005.

Median weekly earnings, full-time wage and salary workers age 25 and over, by educational attainment, 2005 Q2, not seasonally adjusted
[Chart data—TXT]

Full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $412, compared with $584 for high school graduates (no college) and $996 for college graduates holding at least a bachelor's degree.

Median weekly earnings of women with less than a high school diploma were $343. Women who had only a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $491, while women who were college graduates (bachelor’s degrees or higher) earned $873.

Men without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $456; those with a high school diploma, but no college, earned $654. Men who had at least a bachelor’s degree had median weekly earnings of $1,150.

These data on weekly earnings are from the Current Population Survey. Find more information on earnings in "Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers: Second Quarter 2005" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 05-1297.

Of interest

Spotlight on Statistics: The Recession of 2007–2009

The most recent recession in the United States began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009, though many of the statistics that describe the U.S. economy have yet to return to their pre-recession values. In this Spotlight, we present BLS data that compare the recent recession to previous recessions. Read more »