Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 09-0390
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, April 16, 2009
USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:
FIRST QUARTER 2009
Median weekly earnings of the nation's 100.4 million full-time wage
and salary workers were $738 in the first quarter of 2009, the Bureau
of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.
This was 2.6 percent higher than a year earlier. The Consumer Price
Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was unchanged 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 $649
per week, or 78.9 percent of the $823 median for men. The fe-
male-to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks (93.9 per-
cent) and Hispanics (88.4 percent) than among whites (77.9 per-
cent) or Asians (81.3 percent). (See table 1.)
--Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $595
per week, 69.6 percent of the median for white men ($855). The
difference was less among women, as black women's median earnings
($559) were 83.9 percent of those for their white counterparts
($666). Overall, median earnings of Hispanics who worked full
time ($545) were lower than those of blacks ($577), whites ($758),
and Asians ($869). (See table 1.)
--Among men, those age 45 to 54 and age 55 to 64 had the highest
median weekly earnings, $994 and $962, respectively. Among women,
weekly earnings also were highest for those age 45 to 54 and age
55 to 64, $705 and $728, 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--$1,258 for men and $907 for women. Per-
sons 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 $450, compared with $620 for high
school graduates (no college) and $1,138 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 $3,224 or more per week,
compared with $2,092 or more for their female counterparts. (See
table 4.)
- 2 -
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;
TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339.
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.
- 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 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.
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
I I
2008 2009
I I I I
2008 2009 2008 2009
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over....................................... 106,507 100,370 $719 $738 $327 $336
Men, 16 years and over....................................... 59,324 55,231 790 823 360 375
16 to 24 years............................................. 5,888 5,009 466 461 212 210
25 years and over.......................................... 53,436 50,222 848 879 386 400
Women, 16 years and over..................................... 47,182 45,139 637 649 290 295
16 to 24 years............................................. 4,531 4,010 419 448 191 204
25 years and over.......................................... 42,652 41,128 666 679 303 309
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White........................................................ 85,721 81,201 742 758 338 345
Men........................................................ 48,810 45,882 822 855 374 389
Women...................................................... 36,911 35,319 652 666 297 303
Black or African American.................................... 12,922 12,023 582 577 265 263
Men........................................................ 6,101 5,448 604 595 275 271
Women...................................................... 6,821 6,575 556 559 253 254
Asian........................................................ 5,297 4,828 842 869 383 396
Men........................................................ 2,981 2,662 939 951 427 433
Women...................................................... 2,316 2,166 754 773 343 352
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity................................. 15,588 14,497 520 545 237 248
Men........................................................ 9,819 9,125 538 577 245 263
Women...................................................... 5,769 5,372 501 510 228 232
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, first quarter 2009 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........................................... 100,370 $738 55,231 $823 45,139 $649
16 to 24 years............................................ 9,020 456 5,009 461 4,010 448
16 to 19 years.......................................... 978 364 612 370 366 350
20 to 24 years.......................................... 8,042 472 4,398 476 3,644 464
25 years and over......................................... 91,350 772 50,222 879 41,128 679
25 to 54 years.......................................... 74,082 767 40,981 865 33,101 672
25 to 34 years........................................ 23,802 674 13,369 716 10,433 619
35 to 44 years........................................ 24,733 803 13,824 914 10,910 696
45 to 54 years........................................ 25,547 851 13,789 994 11,758 705
55 years and over....................................... 17,268 807 9,241 942 8,027 707
55 to 64 years........................................ 14,669 835 7,815 962 6,854 728
65 years and over..................................... 2,599 683 1,426 787 1,173 593
White
16 years and over........................................... 81,201 758 45,882 855 35,319 666
16 to 24 years............................................ 7,328 460 4,184 455 3,144 467
25 years and over......................................... 73,873 801 41,698 912 32,175 697
25 to 54 years.......................................... 59,353 793 33,762 898 25,591 690
55 years and over....................................... 14,520 836 7,937 961 6,584 721
Black or African American
16 years and over........................................... 12,023 577 5,448 595 6,575 559
16 to 24 years............................................ 1,125 411 537 457 588 388
25 years and over......................................... 10,897 596 4,911 616 5,986 581
25 to 54 years.......................................... 9,136 587 4,104 597 5,031 579
55 years and over....................................... 1,762 663 807 760 955 591
Asian
16 years and over........................................... 4,828 869 2,662 951 2,166 773
16 to 24 years............................................ 275 505 138 511 138 493
25 years and over......................................... 4,553 891 2,524 968 2,028 817
25 to 54 years.......................................... 3,861 918 2,182 989 1,679 828
55 years and over....................................... 692 729 342 711 350 745
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
16 years and over........................................... 14,497 545 9,125 577 5,372 510
16 to 24 years............................................ 1,626 404 1,055 401 571 412
25 years and over......................................... 12,871 578 8,071 605 4,801 522
25 to 54 years.......................................... 11,277 580 7,081 608 4,196 520
55 years and over....................................... 1,595 553 990 556 605 548
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
I I I I
2008 2009 2008 2009
TOTAL
Management, professional, and related occupations................... 39,815 39,353 $1,018 $1,046
Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 16,313 16,373 1,127 1,146
Professional and related occupations.............................. 23,502 22,981 967 990
Service occupations................................................. 14,227 13,967 464 457
Sales and office occupations........................................ 25,574 23,566 614 622
Sales and related occupations..................................... 10,320 9,386 650 666
Office and administrative support occupations..................... 15,253 14,180 601 611
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations........ 11,633 10,329 699 730
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 688 623 400 411
Construction and extraction occupations........................... 6,374 5,293 676 720
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 4,571 4,413 772 790
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......... 15,259 13,154 595 597
Production occupations............................................ 8,369 6,817 594 590
Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 6,890 6,338 596 603
Men
Management, professional, and related occupations................... 19,388 19,073 1,236 1,258
Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 8,810 8,884 1,341 1,358
Professional and related occupations.............................. 10,578 10,189 1,170 1,183
Service occupations................................................. 7,141 6,737 529 516
Sales and office occupations........................................ 9,651 8,926 737 748
Sales and related occupations..................................... 5,645 5,173 788 834
Office and administrative support occupations..................... 4,006 3,753 651 664
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations........ 11,138 9,930 701 736
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 560 499 407 413
Construction and extraction occupations........................... 6,209 5,186 675 720
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 4,369 4,245 772 791
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......... 12,007 10,566 632 643
Production occupations............................................ 5,908 5,026 660 657
Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 6,099 5,540 612 625
Women
Management, professional, and related occupations................... 20,427 20,281 890 907
Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 7,503 7,489 954 952
Professional and related occupations.............................. 12,924 12,792 859 879
Service occupations................................................. 7,086 7,230 408 411
Sales and office occupations........................................ 15,923 14,640 578 587
Sales and related occupations..................................... 4,675 4,213 508 513
Office and administrative support occupations..................... 11,248 10,427 591 601
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations........ 495 399 609 566
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 128 124 363 404
Construction and extraction occupations........................... 165 107 740 696
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 202 168 774 743
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......... 3,252 2,588 469 452
Production occupations............................................ 2,461 1,790 462 450
Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 791 798 486 456
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, first quarter 2009 averages, not seasonally adjusted
Number of Upper limit of:
workers
Characteristic (in
thousands) First First Second Third Ninth
decile quartile quartile quartile decile
(median)
SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
Total, 16 years and over....................................... 100,370 $349 $489 $738 $1,151 $1,748
Men.......................................................... 55,231 377 524 823 1,305 1,919
Women........................................................ 45,139 326 446 649 974 1,422
White........................................................ 81,201 359 503 758 1,175 1,793
Men........................................................ 45,882 383 552 855 1,341 1,988
Women...................................................... 35,319 332 463 666 995 1,449
Black or African American.................................... 12,023 311 406 577 871 1,270
Men........................................................ 5,448 312 421 595 917 1,403
Women...................................................... 6,575 310 395 559 831 1,192
Asian........................................................ 4,828 362 535 869 1,378 1,923
Men........................................................ 2,662 391 608 951 1,548 2,223
Women...................................................... 2,166 330 494 773 1,155 1,671
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity................................. 14,497 293 381 545 813 1,233
Men........................................................ 9,125 305 394 577 874 1,328
Women...................................................... 5,372 278 356 510 738 1,080
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years and over....................................... 91,350 370 514 772 1,195 1,811
Less than a high school diploma.............................. 7,224 272 337 450 612 901
High school graduates, no college (1)........................ 25,722 337 442 620 888 1,229
Some college or associate degree............................. 25,348 378 512 726 1,040 1,445
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)............................. 33,057 547 768 1,138 1,677 2,393
Bachelor's degree only..................................... 21,399 509 724 1,024 1,548 2,214
Advanced degree............................................ 11,657 664 912 1,326 1,899 2,831
Men, 25 years and over....................................... 50,222 397 579 879 1,368 1,998
Less than a high school diploma............................ 4,846 287 365 493 681 980
High school graduates, no college (1)...................... 14,778 377 500 712 1,009 1,373
Some college or associate degree........................... 13,139 421 594 844 1,196 1,628
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................... 17,459 614 890 1,353 1,912 2,881
Bachelor's degree only................................... 11,232 582 823 1,239 1,798 2,498
Advanced degree.......................................... 6,227 743 1,024 1,537 2,212 3,224
Women, 25 years and over..................................... 41,128 341 471 679 1,009 1,463
Less than a high school diploma............................ 2,377 236 303 388 515 644
High school graduates, no college (1)...................... 10,944 308 395 527 721 962
Some college or associate degree........................... 12,209 344 466 627 876 1,183
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................... 15,598 497 695 962 1,366 1,885
Bachelor's degree only................................... 10,168 468 633 885 1,251 1,753
Advanced degree.......................................... 5,430 599 828 1,140 1,541 2,092
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 per-
cent 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
I I I I
2008 2009 2008 2009
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over............................................ 22,195 24,180 $216 $222
Men, 16 years and over............................................ 6,975 8,007 207 218
16 to 24 years.................................................. 3,375 3,429 161 165
25 years and over............................................... 3,600 4,578 272 272
Women, 16 years and over.......................................... 15,220 16,173 221 225
16 to 24 years.................................................. 4,412 4,671 156 156
25 years and over............................................... 10,808 11,502 258 269
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White........................................................... 18,638 20,264 218 223
Men......................................................... 5,800 6,532 208 217
Women....................................................... 12,838 13,732 223 226
Black or African American....................................... 2,111 2,342 207 221
Men......................................................... 710 858 209 219
Women....................................................... 1,401 1,484 206 222
Asian........................................................... 879 954 220 234
Men......................................................... 283 365 211 255
Women....................................................... 596 589 225 221
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.................................... 2,647 3,296 212 224
Men......................................................... 995 1,189 222 244
Women....................................................... 1,652 2,108 206 212
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.
United States Department of Labor
