Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 09-0814
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, July 16, 2009
USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:
SECOND QUARTER 2009
Median weekly earnings of the nation's 100.1 million full-time wage
and salary workers were $734 in the second quarter of 2009, the Bureau
of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.
This was 2.1 percent higher than a year earlier. The Consumer Price
Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) fell by 1.2 percent 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 second-quarter data are:
--Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $652
per week, or 80.0 percent of the $815 median for men. The fe-
male-to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks (91.5 per-
cent) and Hispanics (88.9 percent) than among whites (79.1 per-
cent) or Asians (80.6 percent). (See table 1.)
--Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $620
per week, 73.6 percent of the median for white men ($842). The
difference was smaller among women, as black women's median earn-
ings ($567) were 85.1 percent of those for white women ($666).
Overall, median earnings of Hispanics who worked full time
($547) were lower than those of blacks ($592), whites ($754),
and Asians ($909). (See table 1.)
--Among men, those age 45 to 54 and age 55 to 64 had the highest
median weekly earnings, $961 and $964, respectively. Among women,
weekly earnings were highest for those ages 55 to 64 ($721).
(See table 2.)
--Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time
in management, professional, and related occupations had the high-
est median weekly earnings--$1,250 for men and $900 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 $465, compared with $630 for high school
graduates (no college) and $1,140 for those holding at least a bach-
elor'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 $3,434 or more per week, compared with $2,130 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
II II
2008 2009
II II II II
2008 2009 2008 2009
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over....................................... 107,119 100,130 $719 $734 $320 $330
Men, 16 years and over....................................... 59,759 55,419 800 815 356 367
16 to 24 years............................................. 6,169 5,128 469 450 209 203
25 years and over.......................................... 53,589 50,290 862 872 384 393
Women, 16 years and over..................................... 47,360 44,711 634 652 282 294
16 to 24 years............................................. 4,692 3,911 415 413 185 186
25 years and over.......................................... 42,668 40,801 668 679 297 306
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White........................................................ 86,389 81,012 738 754 329 339
Men........................................................ 49,412 45,921 827 842 368 379
Women...................................................... 36,977 35,091 648 666 289 300
Black or African American.................................... 12,889 11,785 591 592 263 267
Men........................................................ 6,105 5,436 615 620 274 279
Women...................................................... 6,785 6,349 568 567 253 255
Asian........................................................ 5,267 4,976 855 909 381 409
Men........................................................ 2,804 2,739 975 969 434 437
Women...................................................... 2,463 2,237 741 781 330 352
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity................................. 15,951 14,900 537 547 239 246
Men........................................................ 10,059 9,265 569 575 253 259
Women...................................................... 5,892 5,635 494 511 220 230
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, second 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........................................... 100,130 $734 55,419 $815 44,711 $652
16 to 24 years............................................ 9,039 432 5,128 450 3,911 413
16 to 19 years.......................................... 1,211 327 695 340 515 317
20 to 24 years.......................................... 7,828 455 4,433 471 3,395 435
25 years and over......................................... 91,091 770 50,290 872 40,801 679
25 to 54 years.......................................... 73,878 762 41,032 854 32,846 674
25 to 34 years........................................ 24,027 672 13,500 710 10,527 632
35 to 44 years........................................ 24,624 823 13,942 915 10,682 699
45 to 54 years........................................ 25,227 824 13,591 961 11,636 703
55 years and over....................................... 17,213 823 9,258 945 7,955 703
55 to 64 years........................................ 14,618 840 7,797 964 6,821 721
65 years and over..................................... 2,594 705 1,461 826 1,134 635
White
16 years and over........................................... 81,012 754 45,921 842 35,091 666
16 to 24 years............................................ 7,432 443 4,251 462 3,181 422
25 years and over......................................... 73,580 797 41,670 896 31,910 698
25 to 54 years.......................................... 59,158 785 33,744 879 25,413 694
55 years and over....................................... 14,422 852 7,926 963 6,497 717
Black or African American
16 years and over........................................... 11,785 592 5,436 620 6,349 567
16 to 24 years............................................ 1,031 395 509 412 522 374
25 years and over......................................... 10,754 613 4,926 660 5,827 583
25 to 54 years.......................................... 9,060 610 4,163 649 4,897 583
55 years and over....................................... 1,694 643 763 730 930 583
Asian
16 years and over........................................... 4,976 909 2,739 969 2,237 781
16 to 24 years............................................ 272 451 180 475 93 430
25 years and over......................................... 4,704 938 2,560 1,009 2,145 813
25 to 54 years.......................................... 3,908 950 2,127 1,060 1,782 810
55 years and over....................................... 796 841 433 856 363 829
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
16 years and over........................................... 14,900 547 9,265 575 5,635 511
16 to 24 years............................................ 1,802 416 1,105 424 697 401
25 years and over......................................... 13,099 582 8,161 605 4,938 535
25 to 54 years.......................................... 11,601 580 7,277 603 4,324 531
55 years and over....................................... 1,497 599 884 628 613 564
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
II II II II
2008 2009 2008 2009
TOTAL
Management, professional, and related occupations................... 39,861 38,820 $1,028 $1,046
Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 15,947 15,634 1,135 1,145
Professional and related occupations.............................. 23,914 23,186 978 994
Service occupations................................................. 14,700 14,530 475 468
Sales and office occupations........................................ 25,792 23,747 610 622
Sales and related occupations..................................... 10,325 9,575 645 665
Office and administrative support occupations..................... 15,467 14,172 598 607
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations........ 11,815 10,469 691 707
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 800 736 409 440
Construction and extraction occupations........................... 6,551 5,325 677 702
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 4,464 4,407 778 763
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......... 14,951 12,564 600 611
Production occupations............................................ 8,045 6,453 594 622
Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 6,905 6,111 606 595
Men
Management, professional, and related occupations................... 19,623 18,979 1,243 1,250
Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 8,816 8,630 1,356 1,342
Professional and related occupations.............................. 10,807 10,348 1,169 1,188
Service occupations................................................. 7,255 7,225 539 520
Sales and office occupations........................................ 9,820 9,078 730 726
Sales and related occupations..................................... 5,727 5,349 786 782
Office and administrative support occupations..................... 4,093 3,729 643 638
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations........ 11,317 10,021 693 716
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 638 589 414 455
Construction and extraction occupations........................... 6,407 5,192 676 704
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 4,271 4,240 773 772
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......... 11,745 10,115 648 656
Production occupations............................................ 5,797 4,774 664 696
Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 5,947 5,341 629 616
Women
Management, professional, and related occupations................... 20,238 19,841 884 900
Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 7,131 7,004 922 968
Professional and related occupations.............................. 13,108 12,838 868 862
Service occupations................................................. 7,445 7,305 416 419
Sales and office occupations........................................ 15,973 14,669 575 589
Sales and related occupations..................................... 4,598 4,226 500 541
Office and administrative support occupations..................... 11,375 10,442 591 599
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations........ 498 448 616 548
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 162 147 389 394
Construction and extraction occupations........................... 144 133 733 629
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 192 167 806 563
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......... 3,206 2,448 467 478
Production occupations............................................ 2,248 1,679 470 479
Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 958 769 450 476
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, second quarter 2009 averages, not seasonally adjusted
Upper limit of:
Characteristic Number of
workers First First Second Third Ninth
(in decile quartile quartile quartile decile
thousands) (median)
SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
Total, 16 years and over....................................... 100,130 $351 $491 $734 $1,140 $1,736
Men.......................................................... 55,419 382 523 815 1,265 1,905
Women........................................................ 44,711 327 450 652 978 1,429
White........................................................ 81,012 358 501 754 1,161 1,765
Men........................................................ 45,921 388 544 842 1,310 1,943
Women...................................................... 35,091 331 460 666 995 1,442
Black or African American.................................... 11,785 322 418 592 881 1,245
Men........................................................ 5,436 337 441 620 940 1,297
Women...................................................... 6,349 313 402 567 820 1,181
Asian........................................................ 4,976 381 548 909 1,437 1,919
Men........................................................ 2,739 401 599 969 1,540 2,118
Women...................................................... 2,237 349 498 781 1,279 1,794
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity................................. 14,900 302 394 547 805 1,224
Men........................................................ 9,265 323 415 575 847 1,303
Women...................................................... 5,635 283 352 511 737 1,071
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years and over....................................... 91,091 378 518 770 1,177 1,770
Less than a high school diploma.............................. 7,565 281 351 465 622 857
High school graduates, no college (1) ....................... 25,846 346 461 630 894 1,229
Some college or associate degree............................. 25,094 382 511 719 1,024 1,403
Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ............................ 32,585 558 772 1,140 1,704 2,395
Bachelor's degree only..................................... 20,678 511 716 1,031 1,544 2,171
Advanced degree............................................ 11,907 668 925 1,332 1,915 2,879
Men, 25 years and over....................................... 50,290 407 579 872 1,339 1,968
Less than a high school diploma............................ 5,072 300 388 503 689 917
High school graduates, no college (1) ..................... 15,021 389 508 714 979 1,344
Some college or associate degree........................... 12,820 423 584 836 1,167 1,573
Bachelor's degree and higher (2) .......................... 17,377 616 897 1,337 1,916 2,889
Bachelor's degree only................................... 10,989 587 819 1,209 1,767 2,505
Advanced degree.......................................... 6,388 741 1,039 1,546 2,281 3,434
Women, 25 years and over..................................... 40,801 345 479 679 1,016 1,471
Less than a high school diploma............................ 2,493 251 305 387 507 645
High school graduates, no college (1) ..................... 10,826 311 404 550 738 1,010
Some college or associate degree........................... 12,274 357 471 630 876 1,167
Bachelor's degree and higher (2) .......................... 15,208 505 690 973 1,381 1,908
Bachelor's degree only................................... 9,690 471 632 882 1,240 1,770
Advanced degree.......................................... 5,518 630 829 1,149 1,587 2,130
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
II II II II
2008 2009 2008 2009
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over............................................ 22,534 24,705 $218 $225
Men, 16 years and over............................................ 7,362 8,318 207 219
16 to 24 years.................................................. 3,604 3,676 162 169
25 years and over............................................... 3,758 4,642 274 278
Women, 16 years and over.......................................... 15,172 16,387 224 230
16 to 24 years.................................................. 4,564 4,811 160 159
25 years and over............................................... 10,608 11,576 263 269
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White........................................................... 18,828 20,785 220 226
Men......................................................... 6,096 6,927 207 220
Women....................................................... 12,732 13,858 227 230
Black or African American....................................... 2,289 2,401 206 213
Men......................................................... 767 809 206 196
Women....................................................... 1,523 1,592 206 223
Asian........................................................... 875 887 244 266
Men......................................................... 305 346 213 289
Women....................................................... 569 542 270 248
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.................................... 2,687 3,332 220 224
Men......................................................... 996 1,303 234 227
Women....................................................... 1,692 2,028 214 223
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
