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Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 08-0976 http://www.bls.gov/cps/ For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT) Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, July 17, 2008 USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS: SECOND QUARTER 2008 Median weekly earnings of the nation's 107.1 million full-time wage and salary workers were $719 in the second quarter of 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This was 4.2 per- cent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 4.4 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period. Data on usual earnings are collected as part of the Current Population Sur- vey, 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 $634 per week, or 79.3 percent of the $800 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks (92.4 percent) and Hispanics (86.8 percent) than among whites (78.4 percent) or Asians (76.0 percent). (See table 1.) --Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $615 per week, 74.4 percent of the median for white men ($827). The difference was less among women, as black women's median earnings ($568) were 87.7 percent of those for their white counterparts ($648). Overall, median earnings of Hispanics who worked full time ($537) were lower than those of blacks ($591), whites ($738), and Asians ($855). (See table 1.) --Among men, those age 45 to 54 and 55 to 64 had the highest median weekly earnings, $935 and $946, respectively. Among women, weekly earnings were highest for those age 55 to 64 ($716). (See table 2.) --Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in managerial, professional, and related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings-- $1,243 for men and $884 for women. Persons employed in service jobs earned the least. (See table 3.) --Full-time workers age 25 years and over without a high school diploma had med- ian weekly earnings of $449, compared with $620 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,105 for those holding at least a bachelor's degree. Among col- lege graduates with advanced degrees (professional or master's degree and above), the highest 10 percent of male workers made $3,235 or more per week, compared with $2,070 or more for their female counterparts. (See table 4.)
- 2 - 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 II II 2007 2008 II II II II 2007 2008 2007 2008 SEX AND AGE Total, 16 years and over....................................... 106,879 107,119 $690 $719 $320 $320 Men, 16 years and over....................................... 60,507 59,759 763 800 355 356 16 to 24 years............................................. 6,537 6,169 436 469 203 209 25 years and over.......................................... 53,970 53,589 819 862 381 384 Women, 16 years and over..................................... 46,372 47,360 607 634 282 282 16 to 24 years............................................. 4,633 4,692 404 415 188 185 25 years and over.......................................... 41,739 42,668 635 668 295 297 RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX White........................................................ 86,393 86,389 713 738 331 329 Men........................................................ 50,162 49,412 783 827 364 368 Women...................................................... 36,232 36,977 620 648 288 289 Black or African American.................................... 13,048 12,889 562 591 261 263 Men........................................................ 6,190 6,105 597 615 278 274 Women...................................................... 6,858 6,785 521 568 242 253 Asian........................................................ 5,025 5,267 827 855 384 381 Men........................................................ 2,766 2,804 942 975 438 434 Women...................................................... 2,258 2,463 709 741 330 330 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity................................. 15,943 15,951 503 537 234 239 Men........................................................ 10,249 10,059 523 569 243 253 Women...................................................... 5,694 5,892 470 494 218 220 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 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........................................... 107,119 $719 59,759 $800 47,360 $634 16 to 24 years............................................ 10,861 447 6,169 469 4,692 415 16 to 19 years.......................................... 1,623 350 949 382 674 316 20 to 24 years.......................................... 9,238 467 5,220 483 4,018 439 25 years and over......................................... 96,258 760 53,589 862 42,668 668 25 to 54 years.......................................... 79,147 753 44,355 849 34,792 662 25 to 34 years........................................ 26,019 666 14,872 701 11,146 626 35 to 44 years........................................ 26,619 808 15,081 924 11,538 681 45 to 54 years........................................ 26,509 817 14,402 935 12,107 694 55 years and over....................................... 17,111 800 9,234 919 7,877 700 55 to 64 years........................................ 14,648 828 7,869 946 6,780 716 65 years and over..................................... 2,462 624 1,366 711 1,097 591 White 16 years and over........................................... 86,389 738 49,412 827 36,977 648 16 to 24 years............................................ 8,880 457 5,127 476 3,753 423 25 years and over......................................... 77,509 782 44,284 887 33,225 684 25 to 54 years.......................................... 63,061 773 36,311 873 26,750 677 55 years and over....................................... 14,448 825 7,974 951 6,474 710 Black or African American 16 years and over........................................... 12,889 591 6,105 615 6,785 568 16 to 24 years............................................ 1,268 405 667 425 602 367 25 years and over......................................... 11,621 613 5,438 655 6,183 590 25 to 54 years.......................................... 10,020 613 4,696 658 5,324 587 55 years and over....................................... 1,601 618 742 618 859 620 Asian 16 years and over........................................... 5,267 855 2,804 975 2,463 741 16 to 24 years............................................ 292 465 137 508 156 420 25 years and over......................................... 4,974 889 2,668 1,008 2,307 763 25 to 54 years.......................................... 4,204 915 2,310 1,020 1,894 774 55 years and over....................................... 771 753 358 857 413 728 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity 16 years and over........................................... 15,951 537 10,059 569 5,892 494 16 to 24 years............................................ 2,161 421 1,387 428 774 410 25 years and over......................................... 13,790 574 8,672 599 5,118 511 25 to 54 years.......................................... 12,347 574 7,793 600 4,554 506 55 years and over....................................... 1,443 580 879 591 565 559 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 2007 2008 2007 2008 TOTAL Management, professional, and related occupations................... 38,817 39,861 $997 $1,028 Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 15,591 15,947 1,115 1,135 Professional and related occupations.............................. 23,226 23,914 945 978 Service occupations................................................. 14,811 14,700 459 475 Sales and office occupations........................................ 25,536 25,792 595 610 Sales and related occupations..................................... 10,477 10,325 640 645 Office and administrative support occupations..................... 15,059 15,467 578 598 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations........ 12,565 11,815 658 691 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 762 800 382 409 Construction and extraction occupations........................... 7,322 6,551 634 677 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 4,482 4,464 744 778 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......... 15,149 14,951 578 600 Production occupations............................................ 8,596 8,045 583 594 Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 6,553 6,905 568 606 Men Management, professional, and related occupations................... 19,402 19,623 1,176 1,243 Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 8,763 8,816 1,237 1,356 Professional and related occupations.............................. 10,639 10,807 1,142 1,169 Service occupations................................................. 7,526 7,255 521 539 Sales and office occupations........................................ 9,632 9,820 722 730 Sales and related occupations..................................... 5,831 5,727 802 786 Office and administrative support occupations..................... 3,801 4,093 613 643 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations........ 12,141 11,317 661 693 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 612 638 394 414 Construction and extraction occupations........................... 7,192 6,407 635 676 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 4,336 4,271 741 773 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......... 11,806 11,745 619 648 Production occupations............................................ 6,154 5,797 643 664 Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 5,652 5,947 597 629 Women Management, professional, and related occupations................... 19,415 20,238 859 884 Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 6,827 7,131 952 922 Professional and related occupations.............................. 12,587 13,108 823 868 Service occupations................................................. 7,285 7,445 404 416 Sales and office occupations........................................ 15,904 15,973 546 575 Sales and related occupations..................................... 4,646 4,598 489 500 Office and administrative support occupations..................... 11,257 11,375 569 591 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations........ 425 498 559 616 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 149 162 351 389 Construction and extraction occupations........................... 130 144 566 733 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 146 192 782 806 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......... 3,343 3,206 448 467 Production occupations............................................ 2,442 2,248 448 470 Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 901 958 446 450 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 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....................................... 107,119 $346 $484 $719 $1,122 $1,695 Men.......................................................... 59,759 377 519 800 1,252 1,895 Women........................................................ 47,360 320 434 634 947 1,388 White........................................................ 86,389 355 495 738 1,145 1,745 Men........................................................ 49,412 386 536 827 1,279 1,912 Women...................................................... 36,977 325 446 648 961 1,411 Black or African American.................................... 12,889 315 413 591 869 1,262 Men........................................................ 6,105 327 434 615 919 1,334 Women...................................................... 6,785 306 398 568 827 1,196 Asian........................................................ 5,267 361 518 855 1,378 1,906 Men........................................................ 2,804 390 591 975 1,541 2,082 Women...................................................... 2,463 335 477 741 1,151 1,641 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity................................. 15,951 298 384 537 798 1,185 Men........................................................ 10,059 316 407 569 845 1,249 Women...................................................... 5,892 280 344 494 734 1,099 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT Total, 25 years and over....................................... 96,258 369 511 760 1,165 1,760 Less than a high school diploma.............................. 8,422 282 344 449 619 891 High school graduates, no college (1)........................ 27,291 335 447 620 893 1,232 Some college or associate degree............................. 26,612 382 512 727 1,036 1,434 Bachelor's degree and higher (2)............................. 33,933 548 749 1,105 1,640 2,306 Bachelor's degree only..................................... 21,892 511 696 999 1,496 2,100 Advanced degree............................................ 12,041 637 883 1,298 1,865 2,767 Men, 25 years and over....................................... 53,589 399 572 862 1,331 1,920 Less than a high school diploma............................ 5,673 301 379 497 687 987 High school graduates, no college (1)...................... 15,864 380 510 715 1,006 1,394 Some college or associate degree........................... 13,834 425 590 843 1,181 1,609 Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................... 18,219 591 842 1,277 1,889 2,765 Bachelor's degree only................................... 11,730 565 778 1,164 1,745 2,378 Advanced degree.......................................... 6,488 682 987 1,521 2,100 3,235 Women, 25 years and over..................................... 42,668 337 467 668 984 1,432 Less than a high school diploma............................ 2,749 251 303 378 497 625 High school graduates, no college (1)...................... 11,427 305 389 521 716 960 Some college or associate degree........................... 12,778 350 470 632 870 1,183 Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................... 15,714 508 678 942 1,351 1,879 Bachelor's degree only................................... 10,162 480 633 864 1,234 1,756 Advanced degree.......................................... 5,553 613 820 1,132 1,521 2,070 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 2007 2008 2007 2008 SEX AND AGE Total, 16 years and over............................................ 22,470 22,534 $207 $218 Men, 16 years and over............................................ 6,909 7,362 194 207 16 to 24 years.................................................. 3,514 3,604 161 162 25 years and over............................................... 3,396 3,758 248 274 Women, 16 years and over.......................................... 15,561 15,172 214 224 16 to 24 years.................................................. 4,758 4,564 153 160 25 years and over............................................... 10,802 10,608 256 263 RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX White............................................................. 18,834 18,828 208 220 Men............................................................. 5,647 6,096 193 207 Women........................................................... 13,186 12,732 216 227 Black or African American......................................... 2,194 2,289 197 206 Men............................................................. 752 767 195 206 Women........................................................... 1,442 1,523 200 206 Asian............................................................. 861 875 227 244 Men............................................................. 313 305 217 213 Women........................................................... 548 569 239 270 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity...................................... 2,521 2,687 206 220 Men............................................................. 835 996 227 234 Women........................................................... 1,686 1,692 200 214 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.