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.)
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Technical Note
The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current Population
Survey (CPS), which provides the basic information on the labor force,
employment, and unemployment. The survey is conducted monthly for the
Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau from a scientifically
selected national sample of about 60,000 households, with coverage in all
50 states and the District of Columbia. The earnings data are collected
from one-quarter of the CPS monthly sample and are limited to wages and
salaries. The data, therefore, exclude self-employment income.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; TDD message referral
phone number: 1-800-877-8339.
Reliability
Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling
error. When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there
is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true" population
values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies de-
pending on the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured
by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance,
or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no
more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value because of
sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level
of confidence.
The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error
can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the
population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in the sample,
inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information, and
errors made in the collection or processing of the data.
For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and informa-
tion on estimating standard errors, see the Household Data section of the
"Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error" at http://www.bls.gov/cps/eetech_
methods.pdf.
Definitions
The principal definitions used in connection with the earnings series are
described briefly below.
Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before taxes and other
deductions and include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips usually
received (at the main job in the case of multiple jobholders.) Prior to
1994, respondents were asked how much they usually earned per week. Since
January 1994, respondents have been asked to identify the easiest way for
them to report earnings (hourly, weekly, biweekly, twice monthly, monthly,
annually, other) and how much they usually earn in the reported time period.
Earnings reported on a basis other than weekly are converted to a weekly
equivalent. The term "usual" is as perceived by the respondent. If the
respondent asks for a definition of usual, interviewers are instructed to
define the term as more than half the weeks worked during the past 4 or
5 months.
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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.
United States Department of Labor
