Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 09-0077
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EST)
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, January 22, 2009
USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:
FOURTH QUARTER 2008
Median weekly earnings of the nation's 105.8 million full-time wage
and salary workers were $728 in the fourth quarter of 2008, the Bureau
of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.
This was 4.0 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain
of 1.6 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
over the same period.
Data on usual weekly 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 Technical Note.) Highlights
from the fourth-quarter data are:
--Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $650
per week, or 80.5 percent of the $807 median for men. The female-
to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks (92.1 percent) and
Hispanics (90.9 percent) than among whites (80.1 percent) or Asians
(79.1 percent). (See table 1.)
--Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $618
per week, 74.2 percent of the median for white men ($833). The
difference was less among women, as black women's median earnings
($569) were 85.3 percent of those for their white counterparts
($667). Overall, median earnings of Hispanics who worked full time
($535) were lower than those of blacks ($593), whites ($748), and
Asians ($889). (See table 1.)
--Among men, those age 45 to 54 had the highest median weekly earnings
($951). Among women, weekly earnings were highest for those age 45
to 54 and age 55 to 64, $714 and $711, respectively. (See table 2.)
--Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in
management, professional, and related occupations had the highest
median weekly earnings--$1,238 for men and $881 for women. Persons
employed 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 $459, compared with $619 for high school
graduates (no college) and $1,115 for those 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 $2,991 or more per week, compared with
$2,147 or more for their female counterparts. (See table 4.)
Annual Averages for 2007 and 2008
In addition to the data for the fourth quarter, this release in-
cludes 2007 and 2008 annual average weekly earnings for major demo-
graphic and occupational groups and 2008 annual average data for edu-
cational attainment 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 2009 version of Employment and
Earnings Online at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ee/home.htm.
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Technical 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 scientifically
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 nonsampling
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 de-
pending 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 informa-
tion on estimating standard errors, see the Household Data section of the
"Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error" at http://www.bls.gov/cps/eetech_
methods.pdf.
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.
- 3 -
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).
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, such as $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 busi-
nesses 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. 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.
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
2007 2008
IV IV IV IV
2007 2008 2007 2008
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over....................................... 108,318 105,774 $700 $728 $322 $330
Men, 16 years and over....................................... 60,482 58,505 774 807 356 366
16 to 24 years............................................. 6,150 5,487 459 462 211 209
25 years and over.......................................... 54,332 53,018 831 859 382 389
Women, 16 years and over..................................... 47,835 47,269 618 650 284 295
16 to 24 years............................................. 4,744 4,392 421 449 194 203
25 years and over.......................................... 43,091 42,877 649 679 298 308
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White........................................................ 87,601 85,378 722 748 332 339
Men........................................................ 50,071 48,379 800 833 368 377
Women...................................................... 37,530 36,999 632 667 291 302
Black or African American.................................... 12,959 12,593 574 593 264 269
Men........................................................ 6,100 5,833 599 618 276 280
Women...................................................... 6,859 6,760 539 569 248 258
Asian........................................................ 5,200 5,235 856 889 394 403
Men........................................................ 2,883 2,886 968 989 445 448
Women...................................................... 2,317 2,348 732 782 337 354
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity................................. 16,298 15,595 507 535 233 242
Men........................................................ 10,117 9,770 520 563 239 255
Women...................................................... 6,181 5,825 479 512 221 232
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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are
introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity,
and sex, fourth quarter 2008 averages, not seasonally adjusted
Total Men Women
Age, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity Number of Number of Number of
workers Median workers Median workers Median
(in weekly (in weekly (in weekly
thousands) earnings thousands) earnings thousands) earnings
TOTAL
16 years and over........................................... 105,774 $728 58,505 $807 47,269 $650
16 to 24 years............................................ 9,879 456 5,487 462 4,392 449
16 to 19 years.......................................... 1,320 378 808 387 512 362
20 to 24 years.......................................... 8,559 475 4,679 481 3,880 467
25 years and over......................................... 95,895 764 53,018 859 42,877 679
25 to 54 years.......................................... 78,154 758 43,523 846 34,630 678
25 to 34 years........................................ 25,395 680 14,507 715 10,888 640
35 to 44 years........................................ 26,156 801 14,824 918 11,332 689
45 to 54 years........................................ 26,602 822 14,192 951 12,410 714
55 years and over....................................... 17,741 798 9,495 913 8,247 683
55 to 64 years........................................ 14,998 827 8,012 929 6,985 711
65 years and over..................................... 2,744 644 1,482 804 1,261 553
White
16 years and over........................................... 85,378 748 48,379 833 36,999 667
16 to 24 years............................................ 7,936 466 4,489 475 3,447 454
25 years and over......................................... 77,442 786 43,891 884 33,551 698
25 to 54 years.......................................... 62,574 776 35,770 871 26,805 696
55 years and over....................................... 14,868 828 8,121 940 6,747 704
Black or African American
16 years and over........................................... 12,593 593 5,833 618 6,760 569
16 to 24 years............................................ 1,277 403 643 399 635 408
25 years and over......................................... 11,316 614 5,190 655 6,125 587
25 to 54 years.......................................... 9,561 614 4,392 652 5,168 589
55 years and over....................................... 1,755 613 798 668 957 573
Asian
16 years and over........................................... 5,235 889 2,886 989 2,348 782
16 to 24 years............................................ 319 537 180 522 139 554
25 years and over......................................... 4,916 925 2,707 1,025 2,209 808
25 to 54 years.......................................... 4,136 938 2,304 1,103 1,832 818
55 years and over....................................... 780 840 403 900 377 737
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
16 years and over........................................... 15,595 535 9,770 563 5,825 512
16 to 24 years............................................ 1,888 409 1,213 402 675 427
25 years and over......................................... 13,707 572 8,557 592 5,150 525
25 to 54 years.......................................... 12,216 574 7,692 591 4,524 527
55 years and over....................................... 1,491 539 865 593 626 516
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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
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
2007 2008 2007 2008
TOTAL
Management, professional, and related occupations................... 39,787 40,749 $1,002 $1,019
Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 16,081 16,531 1,067 1,109
Professional and related occupations.............................. 23,707 24,219 966 980
Service occupations................................................. 14,708 14,853 460 487
Sales and office occupations........................................ 25,678 24,765 596 622
Sales and related occupations..................................... 10,125 10,077 647 674
Office and administrative support occupations..................... 15,553 14,688 582 607
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations........ 12,520 11,305 689 719
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 711 714 388 428
Construction and extraction occupations........................... 7,118 6,269 660 715
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 4,691 4,322 774 769
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......... 15,624 14,101 579 591
Production occupations............................................ 8,627 7,627 587 600
Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 6,998 6,474 566 581
Men
Management, professional, and related occupations................... 19,308 19,529 1,223 1,238
Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 8,698 8,963 1,274 1,344
Professional and related occupations.............................. 10,609 10,566 1,169 1,171
Service occupations................................................. 7,292 7,389 520 539
Sales and office occupations........................................ 9,554 9,521 708 737
Sales and related occupations..................................... 5,469 5,574 813 826
Office and administrative support occupations..................... 4,085 3,947 604 652
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations........ 12,045 10,914 695 723
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 579 562 410 441
Construction and extraction occupations........................... 6,937 6,169 661 714
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 4,528 4,183 779 770
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......... 12,284 11,152 617 630
Production occupations............................................ 6,176 5,551 646 666
Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 6,108 5,602 594 602
Women
Management, professional, and related occupations................... 20,480 21,221 861 881
Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 7,382 7,568 887 926
Professional and related occupations.............................. 13,097 13,653 848 862
Service occupations................................................. 7,416 7,464 415 441
Sales and office occupations........................................ 16,124 15,244 552 583
Sales and related occupations..................................... 4,656 4,503 478 529
Office and administrative support occupations..................... 11,468 10,741 576 596
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations........ 476 390 550 596
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 132 152 339 396
Construction and extraction occupations........................... 181 100 622 769
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 163 138 674 719
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......... 3,340 2,949 433 458
Production occupations............................................ 2,450 2,077 445 458
Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 890 873 404 460
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 4. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected
characteristics, fourth quarter 2008 averages, not seasonally adjusted
Upper limit of:
Number 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....................................... 105,774 $349 $490 $728 $1,129 $1,732
Men.......................................................... 58,505 372 520 807 1,258 1,901
Women........................................................ 47,269 328 453 650 960 1,424
White........................................................ 85,378 356 499 748 1,152 1,756
Men........................................................ 48,379 378 532 833 1,288 1,915
Women...................................................... 36,999 336 464 667 978 1,443
Black or African American.................................... 12,593 309 409 593 853 1,251
Men........................................................ 5,833 326 426 618 901 1,333
Women...................................................... 6,760 297 397 569 802 1,164
Asian........................................................ 5,235 386 563 889 1,445 1,993
Men........................................................ 2,886 400 606 989 1,592 2,269
Women...................................................... 2,348 367 509 782 1,163 1,729
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity................................. 15,595 301 382 535 800 1,211
Men........................................................ 9,770 310 391 563 833 1,311
Women...................................................... 5,825 288 363 512 752 1,066
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years and over....................................... 95,895 368 513 764 1,170 1,770
Less than a high school diploma.............................. 8,220 282 341 459 632 883
High school graduates, no college (1)........................ 26,650 332 449 619 888 1,247
Some college or associate degree............................. 26,685 385 515 719 1,008 1,402
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)............................. 34,340 541 761 1,115 1,673 2,324
Bachelor's degree only..................................... 22,229 507 717 1,016 1,544 2,209
Advanced degree............................................ 12,111 639 891 1,272 1,893 2,662
Men, 25 years and over....................................... 53,018 394 575 859 1,332 1,923
Less than a high school diploma............................ 5,566 299 378 503 698 950
High school graduates, no college (1)...................... 15,673 368 501 710 1,003 1,385
Some college or associate degree........................... 13,599 427 597 826 1,165 1,596
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................... 18,180 590 860 1,297 1,902 2,717
Bachelor's degree only................................... 11,889 551 806 1,188 1,773 2,480
Advanced degree.......................................... 6,291 670 998 1,527 2,123 2,991
Women, 25 years and over..................................... 42,877 340 477 679 994 1,476
Less than a high school diploma............................ 2,654 251 301 377 502 669
High school graduates, no college (1)...................... 10,977 305 395 525 704 961
Some college or associate degree........................... 13,087 353 477 634 860 1,155
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................... 16,160 507 705 960 1,396 1,909
Bachelor's degree only................................... 10,340 480 644 878 1,268 1,770
Advanced degree.......................................... 5,819 613 817 1,109 1,562 2,147
1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
2 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
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
2007 2008 2007 2008
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over............................................ 22,140 22,913 $214 $218
Men, 16 years and over............................................ 7,191 7,528 206 212
16 to 24 years.................................................. 3,556 3,601 165 164
25 years and over............................................... 3,635 3,927 266 279
Women, 16 years and over.......................................... 14,949 15,385 218 221
16 to 24 years.................................................. 4,589 4,614 151 157
25 years and over............................................... 10,360 10,770 259 261
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White............................................................. 18,630 19,158 216 219
Men............................................................. 5,881 6,200 205 211
Women........................................................... 12,749 12,958 224 222
Black or African American......................................... 2,092 2,250 204 210
Men............................................................. 792 812 226 218
Women........................................................... 1,300 1,438 191 207
Asian............................................................. 847 901 204 240
Men............................................................. 288 285 185 211
Women........................................................... 559 616 213 256
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity...................................... 2,736 2,886 209 221
Men............................................................. 1,038 1,088 227 243
Women........................................................... 1,697 1,799 197 211
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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population
controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
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
2007 2008
2007 2008 2007 2008
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 107,339 106,648 $695 $722 $323 $323
Men, 16 years and over.................................. 60,298 59,439 766 798 356 358
16 to 24 years........................................ 6,458 5,996 443 461 206 207
25 years and over..................................... 53,840 53,444 823 857 383 384
Women, 16 years and over................................ 47,041 47,209 614 638 286 286
16 to 24 years........................................ 4,792 4,625 409 420 190 188
25 years and over..................................... 42,249 42,584 646 670 301 300
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White................................................... 86,653 86,022 716 742 333 333
Men................................................... 49,889 49,082 788 825 367 370
Women................................................. 36,764 36,940 626 654 291 293
Black or African American............................... 13,061 12,821 569 589 265 264
Men................................................... 6,186 6,031 600 620 279 278
Women................................................. 6,874 6,790 533 554 248 248
Asian................................................... 5,155 5,266 830 861 386 386
Men................................................... 2,858 2,919 936 966 435 433
Women................................................. 2,297 2,347 731 753 340 337
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity............................ 16,201 15,807 503 529 234 237
Men................................................... 10,248 9,961 520 559 242 251
Women................................................. 5,953 5,846 473 501 220 225
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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population
controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
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
2007 2008 2007 2008
TOTAL
Management, professional, and related occupations................... 39,147 40,154 $996 $1,025
Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 15,977 16,310 1,080 1,128
Professional and related occupations.............................. 23,170 23,845 951 980
Service occupations................................................. 14,716 14,814 454 475
Sales and office occupations........................................ 25,702 25,232 598 614
Sales and related occupations..................................... 10,448 10,113 643 656
Office and administrative support occupations..................... 15,253 15,119 581 601
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations........ 12,486 11,609 670 702
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 739 756 372 420
Construction and extraction occupations........................... 7,227 6,432 646 688
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 4,520 4,420 749 774
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......... 15,289 14,840 577 594
Production occupations............................................ 8,389 8,008 581 595
Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 6,900 6,832 570 593
Men
Management, professional, and related occupations................... 19,222 19,619 1,187 1,238
Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 8,684 8,847 1,261 1,343
Professional and related occupations.............................. 10,538 10,773 1,148 1,169
Service occupations................................................. 7,371 7,355 515 537
Sales and office occupations........................................ 9,725 9,597 714 733
Sales and related occupations..................................... 5,773 5,594 791 796
Office and administrative support occupations..................... 3,952 4,003 619 651
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations........ 12,028 11,159 674 705
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 601 612 382 427
Construction and extraction occupations........................... 7,071 6,293 648 688
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 4,357 4,253 750 774
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......... 11,951 11,709 616 637
Production occupations............................................ 5,992 5,763 641 659
Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 5,959 5,946 596 615
Women
Management, professional, and related occupations................... 19,924 20,535 858 892
Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 7,293 7,463 908 941
Professional and related occupations.............................. 12,632 13,072 835 867
Service occupations................................................. 7,345 7,458 406 418
Sales and office occupations........................................ 15,976 15,635 550 578
Sales and related occupations..................................... 4,675 4,518 493 516
Office and administrative support occupations..................... 11,301 11,117 570 590
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations........ 457 450 539 607
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 138 144 348 392
Construction and extraction occupations........................... 156 139 573 747
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 163 167 726 779
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......... 3,338 3,131 437 462
Production occupations............................................ 2,396 2,245 443 464
Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 942 886 424 455
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 8. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics,
2008 annual averages
Upper limit of:
Number of
Characteristic workers
(in First First Second Third Ninth
thousands) decile quartile quartile quartile decile
(median)
TOTAL
Total, 25 years and over.................................. 96,027 $369 $511 $761 $1,167 $1,758
Less than a high school diploma......................... 8,120 282 342 453 618 873
High school graduates, no college (1)................... 27,392 335 445 618 886 1,229
Some college or associate degree........................ 26,526 383 513 722 1,023 1,421
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................ 33,990 550 758 1,115 1,649 2,314
Bachelor's degree only................................ 22,033 510 710 1,012 1,524 2,112
Advanced degree....................................... 11,957 640 890 1,287 1,883 2,719
Men
Total, 25 years and over.................................. 53,444 397 574 857 1,326 1,914
Less than a high school diploma......................... 5,554 298 377 497 683 935
High school graduates, no college (1)................... 15,941 378 504 709 997 1,369
Some college or associate degree........................ 13,770 426 592 830 1,172 1,590
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................ 18,178 599 861 1,285 1,891 2,719
Bachelor's degree only................................ 11,831 572 798 1,172 1,753 2,406
Advanced degree....................................... 6,347 692 993 1,512 2,116 3,113
Women
Total, 25 years and over.................................. 42,584 338 470 670 994 1,456
Less than a high school diploma......................... 2,566 252 303 378 497 646
High school graduates, no college (1)................... 11,451 304 392 520 711 966
Some college or associate degree........................ 12,756 349 470 628 870 1,171
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................ 15,812 506 688 955 1,369 1,888
Bachelor's degree only................................ 10,202 478 636 878 1,250 1,755
Advanced degree....................................... 5,610 609 817 1,128 1,544 2,111
White, total
Total, 25 years and over.................................. 77,431 379 524 784 1,199 1,802
Less than a high school diploma......................... 6,650 285 348 466 631 895
High school graduates, no college (1)................... 22,046 345 467 643 918 1,269
Some college or associate degree........................ 21,249 393 529 746 1,066 1,461
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................ 27,487 566 769 1,133 1,689 2,392
Bachelor's degree only................................ 17,850 521 726 1,035 1,557 2,201
Advanced degree....................................... 9,637 651 898 1,293 1,893 2,796
White men
Total, 25 years and over.................................. 44,148 406 589 883 1,352 1,952
Less than a high school diploma......................... 4,770 301 380 502 693 957
High school graduates, no college (1)................... 13,132 389 522 738 1,028 1,407
Some college or associate degree........................ 11,328 443 612 866 1,212 1,636
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................ 14,917 610 879 1,329 1,905 2,876
Bachelor's degree only................................ 9,816 585 830 1,223 1,826 2,499
Advanced degree....................................... 5,101 705 1,001 1,527 2,202 3,197
White women
Total, 25 years and over.................................. 33,283 346 481 688 1,013 1,474
Less than a high school diploma......................... 1,879 253 304 378 497 647
High school graduates, no college (1)................... 8,914 311 401 535 727 985
Some college or associate degree........................ 9,920 358 479 644 891 1,199
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................ 12,569 515 697 961 1,375 1,898
Bachelor's degree only................................ 8,034 483 642 883 1,256 1,764
Advanced degree....................................... 4,535 622 828 1,130 1,549 2,156
Black or African American, total
Total, 25 years and over.................................. 11,511 324 432 611 901 1,314
Less than a high school diploma......................... 885 260 319 408 547 698
High school graduates, no college (1)................... 3,918 301 387 515 712 980
Some college or associate degree........................ 3,705 337 458 608 844 1,143
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................ 3,004 471 644 912 1,338 1,831
Bachelor's degree only................................ 2,077 438 613 842 1,231 1,665
Advanced degree....................................... 927 581 764 1,127 1,536 2,010
Black or African American men
Total, 25 years and over.................................. 5,360 342 476 654 954 1,383
Less than a high school diploma......................... 453 $277 $353 $449 $600 $747
High school graduates, no college (1)................... 1,989 325 422 581 784 1,046
Some college or associate degree........................ 1,611 370 497 665 925 1,244
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................ 1,307 477 674 966 1,420 1,994
Bachelor's degree only................................ 904 437 637 886 1,294 1,779
Advanced degree....................................... 403 597 868 1,235 1,732 2,286
Black or African American women
Total, 25 years and over.................................. 6,151 310 408 582 843 1,240
Less than a high school diploma......................... 432 251 302 382 490 615
High school graduates, no college (1)................... 1,929 283 361 480 626 888
Some college or associate degree........................ 2,094 323 422 576 777 1,029
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................ 1,697 468 621 862 1,260 1,680
Bachelor's degree only................................ 1,173 439 599 804 1,187 1,564
Advanced degree....................................... 524 564 737 1,026 1,389 1,858
Asian, total
Total, 25 years and over.................................. 4,923 380 561 895 1,430 1,958
Less than a high school diploma......................... 341 248 323 419 603 813
High school graduates, no college (1)................... 822 310 410 568 765 1,114
Some college or associate degree........................ 795 356 490 695 989 1,453
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................ 2,964 527 788 1,167 1,738 2,308
Bachelor's degree only................................ 1,737 493 718 1,027 1,508 1,994
Advanced degree....................................... 1,228 642 943 1,438 1,909 2,774
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, total
Total, 25 years and over.................................. 13,773 305 395 568 840 1,256
Less than a high school diploma......................... 4,308 281 332 422 577 773
High school graduates, no college (1)................... 4,227 309 397 553 775 1,084
Some college or associate degree........................ 3,047 359 483 663 943 1,340
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................ 2,192 444 641 945 1,399 2,003
Bachelor's degree only................................ 1,541 430 608 872 1,256 1,886
Advanced degree....................................... 650 494 783 1,147 1,699 2,387
Hispanic or Latino men
Total, 25 years and over.................................. 8,674 320 412 591 887 1,335
Less than a high school diploma......................... 3,151 293 358 472 610 822
High school graduates, no college (1)................... 2,704 333 426 603 850 1,172
Some college or associate degree........................ 1,678 388 516 724 1,042 1,482
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................ 1,141 452 694 1,059 1,638 2,318
Bachelor's degree only................................ 793 434 646 990 1,435 2,200
Advanced degree....................................... 348 499 856 1,378 1,895 2,886
Hispanic or Latino women
Total, 25 years and over.................................. 5,099 288 365 518 767 1,131
Less than a high school diploma (1)..................... 1,156 247 296 360 465 599
High school graduates, no college....................... 1,523 287 354 479 654 874
Some college or associate degree........................ 1,369 326 440 601 805 1,121
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................ 1,051 436 610 852 1,184 1,613
Bachelor's degree only................................ 749 427 580 802 1,097 1,487
Advanced degree....................................... 302 489 734 1,007 1,421 1,909
1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
2 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population
controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
United States Department of Labor
