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For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Thursday, April 15, 2010 USDL-10-0468 Technical information: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS FIRST QUARTER 2010 Median weekly earnings of the nation's 96.8 million full-time wage and salary workers were $754 in the first quarter of 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta- tistics reported today. This was 2.2 percent higher than a year earlier, com- pared with a gain of 2.4 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Con- sumers (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 first-quarter data are: --Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $665 per week, or 78.8 percent of the $844 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks (92.0 percent) and Hispanics (85.6 per- cent) than among whites (78.0 percent) or Asians (81.6 percent). (See table 1.) --Among the major race and ethnicity groups, median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $635 per week, 73.1 percent of the median for white men ($869). The difference was less among women, as black women's median earnings ($584) were 86.1 percent of those for white women ($678). Overall, median earnings of Hispanics who worked full time ($554) were lower than those of blacks ($610), whites ($772), and Asians ($859). (See table 1.) --Usual weekly earnings of full-time workers varied by age. Among men, those age 45 to 54 and age 55 to 64 had the highest median weekly earnings, $972 and $980, respectively. Among women, weekly earnings also were highest for those two age groups, $736 and $733, respectively. (See table 2.) --Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in manage- ment, possessional, and related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings--$1,268 for men and $915 for women. Persons employed in service jobs earned the least. (See table 3.) --By educational attainment, full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $448, compared with $624 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,140 for those holding at least a bachelor's degree. Among college graduates with advanced degrees (profes- sional or master's degree and above), the highest earning 10 percent of male workers made $3,319 or more per week, compared with $2,277 or more for their female counterparts. (See table 4.) _____________________________________________________________________________ | | | Upcoming Changes to the Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage | | and Salary Workers News Release | | | |Effective with the release of data for the second quarter of 2010 on July 20,| |the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will introduce seasonally adjusted data | |in the Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers news release. A new | |table will provide seasonally adjusted data for the number of full-time wage | |and salary workers, median weekly earnings in current dollars, and median | |weekly earnings in constant (1982-84) dollars. These data will be available | |for total (both sexes), men, and women. The new table will appear as table 1 | |in the news release; the existing tables will be renumbered. | | | |_____________________________________________________________________________|
Technical Note The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current Pop- ulation 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 house- holds, 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; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339. Reliability Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and non- sampling 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 errors 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 on a timely basis, mistakes made by respondents, 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 Household Data section of the "Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error" available on the BLS Web site 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 in- structed 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). 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 re- lative 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, com- missions, tips, payment in kind, or piece rates. The group includes em- ployees 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. 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.
Characteristic | Number of workers (in thousands) |
Median weekly earnings | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st 2009 |
1st 2010 |
In current dollars | In constant (1982) dollars | |||
1st 2009 |
1st 2010 |
1st 2009 |
1st 2010 |
|||
SEX AND AGE |
||||||
Total, 16 years and over |
100,370 | 96,821 | $738 | $754 | $336 | $335 |
Men, 16 years and over |
55,231 | 53,028 | 823 | 844 | 375 | 375 |
16 to 24 years |
5,009 | 4,209 | 461 | 473 | 210 | 210 |
25 years and over |
50,222 | 48,818 | 879 | 887 | 400 | 394 |
Women, 16 years and over |
45,139 | 43,794 | 649 | 665 | 295 | 296 |
16 to 24 years |
4,010 | 3,558 | 448 | 422 | 204 | 188 |
25 years and over |
41,128 | 40,236 | 679 | 698 | 309 | 311 |
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX |
||||||
White |
81,201 | 78,418 | 758 | 772 | 345 | 343 |
Men |
45,882 | 44,040 | 855 | 869 | 389 | 386 |
Women |
35,319 | 34,378 | 666 | 678 | 303 | 301 |
Black or African American |
12,023 | 11,375 | 577 | 610 | 263 | 271 |
Men |
5,448 | 5,140 | 595 | 635 | 271 | 282 |
Women |
6,575 | 6,235 | 559 | 584 | 254 | 260 |
Asian |
4,828 | 4,802 | 869 | 859 | 396 | 382 |
Men |
2,662 | 2,670 | 951 | 940 | 433 | 418 |
Women |
2,166 | 2,132 | 773 | 767 | 352 | 341 |
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity |
14,497 | 14,319 | 545 | 554 | 248 | 246 |
Men |
9,125 | 8,875 | 577 | 589 | 263 | 262 |
Women |
5,372 | 5,444 | 510 | 504 | 232 | 224 |
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. |
Age, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity | Total | Men | Women | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of workers (in thousands) |
Median weekly earnings |
Number of workers (in thousands) |
Median weekly earnings |
Number of workers (in thousands) |
Median weekly earnings |
|
TOTAL |
||||||
16 years and over |
96,821 | $754 | 53,028 | $844 | 43,794 | $665 |
16 to 24 years |
7,767 | 443 | 4,209 | 473 | 3,558 | 422 |
16 to 19 years |
715 | 356 | 423 | 349 | 293 | 377 |
20 to 24 years |
7,052 | 457 | 3,787 | 489 | 3,265 | 427 |
25 years and over |
89,054 | 787 | 48,818 | 887 | 40,236 | 698 |
25 to 54 years |
71,752 | 778 | 39,640 | 869 | 32,112 | 698 |
25 to 34 years |
23,424 | 691 | 13,084 | 739 | 10,339 | 641 |
35 to 44 years |
23,338 | 826 | 13,247 | 928 | 10,091 | 726 |
45 to 54 years |
24,991 | 852 | 13,310 | 972 | 11,682 | 736 |
55 years and over |
17,302 | 834 | 9,178 | 964 | 8,124 | 701 |
55 to 64 years |
14,760 | 866 | 7,808 | 980 | 6,952 | 733 |
65 years and over |
2,541 | 662 | 1,370 | 820 | 1,171 | 566 |
White |
||||||
16 years and over |
78,418 | 772 | 44,040 | 869 | 34,378 | 678 |
16 to 24 years |
6,316 | 455 | 3,517 | 484 | 2,799 | 428 |
25 years and over |
72,102 | 813 | 40,523 | 913 | 31,579 | 716 |
25 to 54 years |
57,530 | 803 | 32,639 | 893 | 24,891 | 717 |
55 years and over |
14,573 | 866 | 7,884 | 990 | 6,689 | 712 |
Black or African American |
||||||
16 years and over |
11,375 | 610 | 5,140 | 635 | 6,235 | 584 |
16 to 24 years |
965 | 395 | 426 | 403 | 539 | 380 |
25 years and over |
10,410 | 635 | 4,714 | 661 | 5,697 | 611 |
25 to 54 years |
8,705 | 628 | 3,950 | 651 | 4,755 | 607 |
55 years and over |
1,705 | 679 | 764 | 736 | 941 | 633 |
Asian |
||||||
16 years and over |
4,802 | 859 | 2,670 | 940 | 2,132 | 767 |
16 to 24 years |
243 | 424 | 131 | 496 | 112 | 412 |
25 years and over |
4,559 | 882 | 2,539 | 955 | 2,019 | 789 |
25 to 54 years |
3,827 | 896 | 2,149 | 971 | 1,678 | 791 |
55 years and over |
732 | 785 | 390 | 790 | 342 | 783 |
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity |
||||||
16 years and over |
14,319 | 554 | 8,875 | 589 | 5,444 | 504 |
16 to 24 years |
1,538 | 390 | 970 | 387 | 568 | 396 |
25 years and over |
12,781 | 583 | 7,905 | 611 | 4,876 | 522 |
25 to 54 years |
11,213 | 581 | 6,977 | 606 | 4,236 | 521 |
55 years and over |
1,568 | 598 | 928 | 664 | 640 | 526 |
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. |
Occupation and sex | Number of workers (in thousands) |
Median weekly earnings | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1st 2009 |
1st 2010 |
1st 2009 |
1st 2010 |
|
TOTAL |
||||
Management, professional, and related occupations |
39,353 | 39,105 | $1,046 | $1,068 |
Management, business, and financial operations occupations |
16,373 | 15,593 | 1,146 | 1,167 |
Professional and related occupations |
22,981 | 23,512 | 990 | 1,007 |
Service occupations |
13,967 | 13,906 | 457 | 476 |
Sales and office occupations |
23,566 | 22,274 | 622 | 632 |
Sales and related occupations |
9,386 | 8,713 | 666 | 674 |
Office and administrative support occupations |
14,180 | 13,561 | 611 | 619 |
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations |
10,329 | 9,342 | 730 | 736 |
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
623 | 611 | 411 | 403 |
Construction and extraction occupations |
5,293 | 4,832 | 720 | 719 |
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
4,413 | 3,900 | 790 | 796 |
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations |
13,154 | 12,194 | 597 | 600 |
Production occupations |
6,817 | 6,299 | 590 | 602 |
Transportation and material moving occupations |
6,338 | 5,894 | 603 | 598 |
Men |
||||
Management, professional, and related occupations |
19,073 | 18,874 | 1,258 | 1,268 |
Management, business, and financial operations occupations |
8,884 | 8,469 | 1,358 | 1,407 |
Professional and related occupations |
10,189 | 10,405 | 1,183 | 1,176 |
Service occupations |
6,737 | 6,825 | 516 | 558 |
Sales and office occupations |
8,926 | 8,469 | 748 | 743 |
Sales and related occupations |
5,173 | 4,848 | 834 | 832 |
Office and administrative support occupations |
3,753 | 3,621 | 664 | 651 |
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations |
9,930 | 8,926 | 736 | 742 |
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
499 | 484 | 413 | 427 |
Construction and extraction occupations |
5,186 | 4,722 | 720 | 717 |
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
4,245 | 3,720 | 791 | 798 |
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations |
10,566 | 9,933 | 643 | 637 |
Production occupations |
5,026 | 4,778 | 657 | 670 |
Transportation and material moving occupations |
5,540 | 5,155 | 625 | 611 |
Women |
||||
Management, professional, and related occupations |
20,281 | 20,231 | 907 | 915 |
Management, business, and financial operations occupations |
7,489 | 7,124 | 952 | 974 |
Professional and related occupations |
12,792 | 13,107 | 879 | 887 |
Service occupations |
7,230 | 7,081 | 411 | 420 |
Sales and office occupations |
14,640 | 13,804 | 587 | 594 |
Sales and related occupations |
4,213 | 3,864 | 513 | 508 |
Office and administrative support occupations |
10,427 | 9,940 | 601 | 612 |
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations |
399 | 416 | 566 | 632 |
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
124 | 127 | 404 | 342 |
Construction and extraction occupations |
107 | 109 | 696 | 828 |
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
168 | 180 | 743 | 744 |
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations |
2,588 | 2,261 | 452 | 481 |
Production occupations |
1,790 | 1,522 | 450 | 482 |
Transportation and material moving occupations |
798 | 739 | 456 | 480 |
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. |
Characteristic | Number of workers (in thousands) |
Upper limit of: | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First decile | First quartile |
Second quartile (median) |
Third quartile |
Ninth decile |
||
SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY |
||||||
Total, 16 years and over |
96,821 | $356 | $499 | $754 | $1,161 | $1,774 |
Men |
53,028 | 382 | 545 | 844 | 1,327 | 1,990 |
Women |
43,794 | 333 | 458 | 665 | 999 | 1,459 |
White |
78,418 | 363 | 511 | 772 | 1,188 | 1,851 |
Men |
44,040 | 389 | 568 | 869 | 1,362 | 2,065 |
Women |
34,378 | 336 | 470 | 678 | 1,019 | 1,477 |
Black or African American |
11,375 | 326 | 427 | 610 | 911 | 1,290 |
Men |
5,140 | 340 | 452 | 635 | 983 | 1,400 |
Women |
6,235 | 316 | 415 | 584 | 853 | 1,215 |
Asian |
4,802 | 375 | 538 | 859 | 1,395 | 2,004 |
Men |
2,670 | 382 | 592 | 940 | 1,571 | 2,283 |
Women |
2,132 | 364 | 492 | 767 | 1,205 | 1,744 |
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity |
14,319 | 298 | 383 | 554 | 825 | 1,235 |
Men |
8,875 | 310 | 398 | 589 | 893 | 1,380 |
Women |
5,444 | 282 | 357 | 504 | 737 | 1,044 |
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT |
||||||
Total, 25 years and over |
89,054 | 377 | 523 | 787 | 1,207 | 1,859 |
Less than a high school diploma |
6,762 | 271 | 338 | 448 | 608 | 822 |
High school graduates, no college(1) |
24,601 | 344 | 453 | 624 | 897 | 1,242 |
Some college or associate degree |
24,076 | 386 | 522 | 738 | 1,044 | 1,442 |
Bachelor's degree and higher(2) |
33,615 | 550 | 777 | 1,140 | 1,729 | 2,478 |
Bachelor's degree only |
21,714 | 510 | 725 | 1,024 | 1,535 | 2,163 |
Advanced degree |
11,900 | 667 | 929 | 1,361 | 1,918 | 2,898 |
Men, 25 years and over |
48,818 | 402 | 584 | 887 | 1,379 | 2,075 |
Less than a high school diploma |
4,422 | 294 | 372 | 494 | 680 | 908 |
High school graduates, no college(1) |
14,191 | 377 | 501 | 710 | 1,001 | 1,427 |
Some college or associate degree |
12,376 | 437 | 601 | 850 | 1,169 | 1,616 |
Bachelor's degree and higher(2) |
17,829 | 612 | 887 | 1,333 | 1,916 | 2,890 |
Bachelor's degree only |
11,445 | 573 | 824 | 1,168 | 1,801 | 2,503 |
Advanced degree |
6,384 | 740 | 1,059 | 1,570 | 2,295 | 3,319 |
Women, 25 years and over |
40,236 | 347 | 483 | 698 | 1,038 | 1,501 |
Less than a high school diploma |
2,340 | 231 | 297 | 383 | 501 | 633 |
High school graduates, no college(1) |
10,410 | 317 | 408 | 551 | 739 | 997 |
Some college or associate degree |
11,700 | 355 | 479 | 642 | 892 | 1,202 |
Bachelor's degree and higher(2) |
15,786 | 502 | 701 | 978 | 1,405 | 1,902 |
Bachelor's degree only |
10,269 | 477 | 641 | 895 | 1,265 | 1,760 |
Advanced degree |
5,516 | 598 | 840 | 1,160 | 1,611 | 2,277 |
Footnotes |
||||||
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. |
Characteristic | Number of workers (in thousands) |
Median weekly earnings | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1st 2009 |
1st 2010 |
1st 2009 |
1st 2010 |
|
SEX AND AGE |
||||
Total, 16 years and over |
24,180 | 25,242 | $222 | $228 |
Men, 16 years and over |
8,007 | 8,673 | 218 | 224 |
16 to 24 years |
3,429 | 3,593 | 165 | 169 |
25 years and over |
4,578 | 5,080 | 272 | 281 |
Women, 16 years and over |
16,173 | 16,569 | 225 | 231 |
16 to 24 years |
4,671 | 4,632 | 156 | 161 |
25 years and over |
11,502 | 11,937 | 269 | 269 |
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX |
||||
White |
20,264 | 20,982 | 223 | 229 |
Men |
6,532 | 7,092 | 217 | 224 |
Women |
13,732 | 13,890 | 226 | 231 |
Black or African American |
2,342 | 2,568 | 221 | 224 |
Men |
858 | 982 | 219 | 221 |
Women |
1,484 | 1,586 | 222 | 227 |
Asian |
954 | 919 | 234 | 257 |
Men |
365 | 329 | 255 | 261 |
Women |
589 | 590 | 221 | 254 |
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity |
3,296 | 3,732 | 224 | 228 |
Men |
1,189 | 1,529 | 244 | 237 |
Women |
2,108 | 2,204 | 212 | 222 |
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. |