Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/newsrels.htm Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 00-17 For release: 10:00 A.M. EST Media contact: 691-5902 Thursday, January 20, 2000 USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS: FOURTH QUARTER 1999 Median weekly earnings of the nation's 98.2 million full-time wage and salary workers were $568 in the fourth quarter of 1999, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This was 5.0 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 2.6 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 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 explanatory note.) Highlights from the fourth-quarter data are: --Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $483 a week, or 76.3 percent of the $633 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks (82.3 percent) and Hispanics (85.0 percent) than among whites (75.5 percent). (See table 1.) --Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $496 per week, 75.8 percent of the median for white men ($654). The difference was much less among women, as black women's median earnings ($408) were 82.6 percent of those for their white counterparts ($494). Overall, median earnings of Hispanics who worked full time ($383) were lower than those of blacks ($450) and whites ($586). (See table 1.) --Among men, those in the 45- to 54-year age group had the highest median weekly earnings ($780), followed by 55- to 64-year-old men, with median earnings of $728. Among women, earnings also were highest for those 45-to-54 years old, who had a median of $558. (See table 2.) --Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in managerial and professional specialty occupations had the highest median weekly earnings--$971 for men and $698 for women--while men and women in service and farm jobs earned the least. (See table 3.) --Full-time workers age 25 and over with less than a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $349, compared with $495 for high school graduates (no college) and $876 for college graduates. Among college graduates with advanced degrees (professional or master's degree and above), the highest 10 percent of male workers earned $2,311 or more, compared with $1,678 or more for their female counterparts. (See table 4.) - 2 - Annual Averages for 1998 and 1999 In addition to the data for the fourth quarter, this release includes 1998 and 1999 annual average weekly earnings for major demographic, occupation, and education groups (tables 6, 7, and 8). Annual average data on median usual earnings for men and women by detailed occupational categories will appear in the January 2000 issue of Employment and Earnings. Explanatory 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 Bureau of the Census from a scientifically selected national sample of about 50,000 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: 202-606-5886; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339. Reliability Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsam- pling 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 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 information on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error" section of the February 1994 and subsequent issues of Employment and Earnings. 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. 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, e.g., $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 businesses are incorporated. - 2 - 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 origin. Refers to persons who are of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Hispanic origin or descent. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race; hence, they are included in the numbers for the white and black populations. 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 IV IV 1998 1999 IV IV IV IV 1998 1999 1998 1999 SEX AND AGE Total, 16 years and over.................................. 96,213 98,217 $541 $568 $318 $326 Men, 16 years and over................................. 54,459 55,286 614 633 361 363 16 to 24 years....................................... 6,245 6,262 342 377 201 216 25 years and over.................................... 48,214 49,024 664 681 391 391 Women, 16 years and over............................... 41,754 42,931 471 483 277 277 16 to 24 years....................................... 4,563 4,648 311 331 183 190 25 years and over.................................... 37,191 38,284 495 506 292 290 RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX White.................................................. 79,627 81,300 565 586 332 336 Men.................................................. 46,128 46,859 635 654 374 375 Women................................................ 33,499 34,441 481 494 283 283 Black.................................................. 12,015 12,213 439 450 258 258 Men.................................................. 5,807 5,855 481 496 283 285 Women................................................ 6,208 6,358 405 408 239 234 Hispanic origin........................................ 10,812 11,258 372 383 219 220 Men.................................................. 6,875 6,876 397 406 234 233 Women................................................ 3,937 4,382 337 345 198 198 NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Table 2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic origin, and sex, fourth quarter 1999 averages, not seasonally adjusted Total Men Women Age, race, and Hispanic origin Number Number Number of Median of Median of Median workers weekly workers weekly workers weekly (in earnings (in earnings (in earnings thousands) thousands) thousands) TOTAL 16 years and over......................................... 98,217 $568 55,286 $633 42,931 $483 16 to 24 years.......................................... 10,910 356 6,262 377 4,648 331 16 to 19 years........................................ 1,958 296 1,188 314 770 270 20 to 24 years........................................ 8,952 376 5,074 394 3,878 352 25 years and over....................................... 87,307 602 49,024 681 38,284 506 25 to 54 years........................................ 76,839 604 43,179 678 33,661 510 25 to 34 years...................................... 25,464 535 14,529 593 10,935 478 35 to 44 years...................................... 29,015 620 16,571 713 12,444 514 45 to 54 years...................................... 22,360 669 12,079 780 10,281 558 55 years and over..................................... 10,468 590 5,845 708 4,623 481 55 to 64 years...................................... 9,334 600 5,169 728 4,165 490 65 years and over................................... 1,134 415 676 472 458 391 White 16 years and over......................................... 81,300 586 46,859 654 34,441 494 16 to 24 years.......................................... 9,238 362 5,447 381 3,790 333 25 years and over....................................... 72,063 619 41,412 706 30,651 517 25 to 54 years........................................ 63,063 621 36,288 701 26,775 522 55 years and over..................................... 9,000 605 5,124 738 3,876 490 Black 16 years and over......................................... 12,213 450 5,855 496 6,358 408 16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,257 316 630 321 627 309 25 years and over....................................... 10,956 478 5,225 522 5,731 429 25 to 54 years........................................ 9,906 481 4,740 524 5,166 435 55 years and over..................................... 1,049 444 484 499 565 393 Hispanic origin 16 years and over......................................... 11,258 383 6,876 406 4,382 345 16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,927 298 1,254 306 673 280 25 years and over....................................... 9,331 408 5,622 441 3,709 368 25 to 54 years........................................ 8,532 408 5,161 440 3,371 365 55 years and over..................................... 798 418 461 443 338 396 NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. 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 IV IV IV IV 1998 1999 1998 1999 TOTAL Managerial and professional specialty.................... 30,396 31,355 $792 $814 Executive, administrative, and managerial.............. 15,034 15,269 788 814 Professional specialty................................. 15,362 16,086 795 814 Technical, sales, and administrative support............. 27,225 27,484 482 494 Technicians and related support........................ 3,349 3,711 611 632 Sales occupations...................................... 9,734 9,941 510 531 Administrative support, including clerical............. 14,143 13,833 443 453 Service occupations...................................... 10,469 10,521 325 337 Private household...................................... 413 307 236 296 Protective service..................................... 2,071 2,089 615 621 Service, except private household and protective....... 7,985 8,125 306 313 Precision production, craft, and repair.................. 11,245 11,979 585 605 Mechanics and repairers................................ 3,807 3,959 606 636 Construction trades.................................... 4,049 4,415 566 586 Other precision production, craft, and repair.......... 3,389 3,605 580 598 Operators, fabricators, and laborers..................... 15,158 15,283 423 444 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......... 6,985 6,646 420 442 Transportation and material moving occupations......... 4,349 4,520 520 527 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.... 3,824 4,117 359 375 Farming, forestry, and fishing........................... 1,721 1,596 303 344 Men Managerial and professional specialty.................... 15,579 15,733 942 971 Executive, administrative, and managerial.............. 8,111 8,079 947 1,015 Professional specialty................................. 7,468 7,654 937 947 Technical, sales, and administrative support............. 10,349 10,546 612 639 Technicians and related support........................ 1,698 1,804 738 736 Sales occupations...................................... 5,238 5,362 635 670 Administrative support, including clerical............. 3,414 3,379 526 556 Service occupations...................................... 5,239 5,086 396 410 Private household...................................... 30 4 (1) (1) Protective service..................................... 1,739 1,752 629 637 Service, except private household and protective....... 3,469 3,331 321 348 Precision production, craft, and repair.................. 10,317 10,869 597 616 Mechanics and repairers................................ 3,681 3,734 604 636 Construction trades.................................... 3,985 4,336 567 589 Other precision production, craft, and repair.......... 2,651 2,799 617 641 Operators, fabricators, and laborers..................... 11,501 11,661 467 480 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......... 4,490 4,130 487 502 Transportation and material moving occupations......... 3,979 4,150 537 536 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.... 3,032 3,382 372 389 Farming, forestry, and fishing........................... 1,475 1,391 313 359 Women Managerial and professional specialty.................... 14,817 15,622 672 698 Executive, administrative, and managerial.............. 6,923 7,190 642 656 Professional specialty................................. 7,894 8,432 698 733 Technical, sales, and administrative support............. 16,876 16,938 422 436 Technicians and related support........................ 1,651 1,906 519 548 Sales occupations...................................... 4,496 4,579 375 407 Administrative support, including clerical............. 10,729 10,453 421 429 Service occupations...................................... 5,230 5,434 298 302 Private household...................................... 382 303 227 298 Protective service..................................... 331 337 542 501 Service, except private household and protective....... 4,516 4,794 296 299 Precision production, craft, and repair.................. 928 1,110 439 437 Mechanics and repairers................................ 126 225 690 646 Construction trades.................................... 64 79 (1) (1) Other precision production, craft, and repair.......... 737 806 414 409 Operators, fabricators, and laborers..................... 3,657 3,621 342 351 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......... 2,495 2,517 345 352 Transportation and material moving occupations......... 370 370 406 465 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.... 793 735 315 311 Farming, forestry, and fishing........................... 246 206 253 263 1 Data not shown where base is less than 100,000. Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Table 4. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, fourth quarter 1999 averages, not seasonally adjusted Number Upper limit of: of Characteristic workers (in First First Second Third Ninth thousands) decile quartile quartile quartile decile (median) SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC ORIGIN Total, 16 years and over.................................. 98,217 $276 $373 $568 $845 $1,246 Men..................................................... 55,286 296 416 633 953 1,402 Women................................................... 42,931 251 327 483 710 1,015 White................................................... 81,300 280 385 586 872 1,278 Men................................................... 46,859 302 430 654 979 1,432 Women................................................. 34,441 254 336 494 724 1,034 Black................................................... 12,213 247 314 450 664 925 Men................................................... 5,855 266 340 496 717 979 Women................................................. 6,358 235 300 408 606 875 Hispanic................................................ 11,258 226 281 383 584 837 Men................................................... 6,876 239 296 406 613 902 Women................................................. 4,382 206 258 345 508 743 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT Total, 25 years and over................................ 87,307 287 397 602 889 1,308 Less than a high school diploma....................... 8,531 213 271 349 494 687 High school graduates, no college..................... 27,274 274 353 495 689 941 Some college or associate degree...................... 24,127 300 407 590 816 1,103 College graduates, total.............................. 27,375 445 624 876 1,292 1,770 Bachelor's degree only.............................. 17,996 418 587 809 1,171 1,599 Advanced degree..................................... 9,378 533 740 1,020 1,471 2,078 Men, 25 years and over................................ 49,024 316 460 681 999 1,451 Less than a high school diploma..................... 5,577 240 299 398 562 761 High school graduates, no college................... 15,396 305 414 588 783 1,044 Some college or associate degree.................... 12,583 343 484 675 925 1,230 College graduates, total............................ 15,467 496 705 1,003 1,456 1,978 Bachelor's degree only............................ 10,192 472 658 940 1,357 1,837 Advanced degree................................... 5,274 596 825 1,173 1,666 2,311 Women, 25 years and over.............................. 38,284 262 346 506 740 1,058 Less than a high school diploma..................... 2,954 188 233 289 373 495 High school graduates, no college................... 11,878 243 306 407 547 714 Some college or associate degree.................... 11,544 280 360 500 688 913 College graduates, total............................ 11,908 405 561 751 1,039 1,435 Bachelor's degree only............................ 7,804 385 511 687 927 1,297 Advanced degree................................... 4,104 496 673 874 1,190 1,678 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. Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. 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 IV IV IV IV 1998 1999 1998 1999 SEX AND AGE Total, 16 years and over.................................. 21,324 21,630 $158 $165 Men, 16 years and over................................. 6,739 6,759 143 156 16 to 24 years....................................... 3,622 3,797 115 125 25 years and over.................................... 3,117 2,961 195 208 Women, 16 years and over............................... 14,585 14,872 165 169 16 to 24 years....................................... 4,615 4,791 117 122 25 years and over.................................... 9,970 10,080 199 201 RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX White.................................................. 18,310 18,360 159 168 Men.................................................. 5,639 5,608 143 156 Women................................................ 12,671 12,751 167 173 Black.................................................. 2,172 2,274 148 146 Men.................................................. 735 762 138 145 Women................................................ 1,437 1,512 154 147 Hispanic origin........................................ 1,752 1,784 163 163 Men.................................................. 587 573 171 154 Women................................................ 1,166 1,211 158 168 NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Table 6. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, annual averages Number of workers Median weekly earnings (in thousands) Characteristic In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars 1998 1999 1998 1999 1998 1999 SEX AND AGE Total, 16 years and over.................................. 95,595 97,626 $523 $549 $309 $318 Men, 16 years and over................................. 54,313 55,181 598 618 354 358 16 to 24 years....................................... 6,325 6,444 334 356 198 206 25 years and over.................................... 47,988 48,738 639 668 378 387 Women, 16 years and over............................... 41,282 42,444 456 473 270 274 16 to 24 years....................................... 4,721 4,830 305 324 180 188 25 years and over.................................... 36,561 37,615 485 497 287 288 RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX White.................................................. 79,403 80,849 545 573 323 332 Men.................................................. 46,087 46,825 615 638 364 370 Women................................................ 33,316 34,024 468 483 277 280 Black.................................................. 11,776 12,190 426 445 252 258 Men.................................................. 5,751 5,846 468 488 277 283 Women................................................ 6,025 6,344 400 409 237 237 Hispanic origin........................................ 10,532 10,950 370 385 219 223 Men.................................................. 6,716 6,788 390 406 231 235 Women................................................ 3,816 4,162 337 348 199 202 NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Table 7. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, annual averages Number of workers Median weekly earnings (in thousands) Occupation and sex 1998 1999 1998 1999 TOTAL Managerial and professional specialty......................... 29,304 30,704 $759 $797 Executive, administrative, and managerial................... 14,451 14,973 755 792 Professional specialty...................................... 14,853 15,731 763 800 Technical, sales, and administrative support.................. 27,372 27,388 477 488 Technicians and related support............................. 3,507 3,550 599 618 Sales occupations........................................... 9,636 9,728 502 523 Administrative support, including clerical.................. 14,229 14,109 438 447 Service occupations........................................... 10,592 10,841 327 336 Private household........................................... 381 384 223 243 Protective service.......................................... 2,140 2,138 598 592 Service, except private household and protective............ 8,070 8,318 307 313 Precision production, craft, and repair....................... 11,691 11,927 572 594 Mechanics and repairers..................................... 4,081 4,263 597 621 Construction trades......................................... 4,054 4,143 543 566 Other precision production, craft, and repair............... 3,555 3,521 561 588 Operators, fabricators, and laborers.......................... 15,082 15,182 415 429 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors............... 6,987 6,814 406 423 Transportation and material moving occupations.............. 4,322 4,401 510 513 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers......... 3,773 3,967 351 363 Farming, forestry, and fishing................................ 1,555 1,583 302 331 Men Managerial and professional specialty......................... 14,941 15,537 905 952 Executive, administrative, and managerial................... 7,746 7,981 915 967 Professional specialty...................................... 7,195 7,556 895 939 Technical, sales, and administrative support.................. 10,439 10,525 606 626 Technicians and related support............................. 1,773 1,802 701 728 Sales occupations........................................... 5,299 5,402 622 666 Administrative support, including clerical.................. 3,368 3,322 518 539 Service occupations........................................... 5,291 5,209 389 402 Private household........................................... 19 17 (1) (1) Protective service.......................................... 1,817 1,791 613 613 Service, except private household and protective............ 3,455 3,400 325 336 Precision production, craft, and repair....................... 10,741 10,861 587 606 Mechanics and repairers..................................... 3,926 4,057 599 622 Construction trades......................................... 3,989 4,059 545 571 Other precision production, craft, and repair............... 2,826 2,745 611 634 Operators, fabricators, and laborers.......................... 11,564 11,685 456 472 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors............... 4,482 4,371 472 487 Transportation and material moving occupations.............. 3,977 4,083 519 522 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers......... 3,105 3,230 362 377 Farming, forestry, and fishing................................ 1,337 1,364 307 341 Women Managerial and professional specialty......................... 14,363 15,167 655 681 Executive, administrative, and managerial................... 6,705 6,992 626 652 Professional specialty...................................... 7,658 8,175 682 707 Technical, sales, and administrative support.................. 16,933 16,863 419 431 Technicians and related support............................. 1,734 1,749 511 528 Sales occupations........................................... 4,338 4,326 372 399 Administrative support, including clerical.................. 10,862 10,788 418 427 Service occupations........................................... 5,301 5,632 296 304 Private household........................................... 362 367 220 240 Protective service.......................................... 323 347 481 492 Service, except private household and protective............ 4,616 4,918 295 302 Precision production, craft, and repair....................... 949 1,066 408 428 Mechanics and repairers..................................... 155 206 519 592 Construction trades......................................... 64 85 408 423 Other precision production, craft, and repair............... 730 776 392 403 Operators, fabricators, and laborers.......................... 3,518 3,498 327 337 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors............... 2,505 2,444 328 340 Transportation and material moving occupations.............. 345 317 373 394 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers......... 669 737 311 314 Farming, forestry, and fishing................................ 218 218 272 283 1 Data not shown where base is less than 50,000. NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Table 8. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, 1999 annual averages Number Upper limit of: of Educational attainment, workers sex, and race (in First First Second Third Ninth thousands) decile quartile quartile quartile decile (median) TOTAL Total, 25 years and over.......................... 86,352 $284 $393 $592 $872 $1,260 Less than a high school diploma................. 8,459 215 267 346 494 680 High school graduates, no college............... 27,314 270 349 490 688 932 Some college or associate degree................ 23,949 300 404 580 798 1,079 College graduates, total........................ 26,630 430 607 860 1,243 1,749 Bachelor's degree only........................ 17,660 406 575 787 1,146 1,566 Advanced degree............................... 8,971 515 721 997 1,433 1,957 Men Total, 25 years and over.......................... 48,738 312 450 668 979 1,425 Less than a high school diploma................. 5,471 237 294 395 550 746 High school graduates, no college............... 15,467 302 407 580 781 1,027 Some college or associate degree................ 12,752 340 476 665 915 1,208 College graduates, total........................ 15,047 484 681 977 1,425 1,921 Bachelor's degree only........................ 9,932 455 634 912 1,319 1,832 Advanced degree............................... 5,114 583 804 1,150 1,625 2,304 Women Total, 25 years and over.......................... 37,615 258 342 497 727 1,020 Less than a high school diploma................. 2,988 189 236 290 375 501 High school graduates, no college............... 11,847 240 304 405 546 723 Some college or associate degree................ 11,196 279 359 488 665 886 College graduates, total........................ 11,583 393 541 740 1,013 1,372 Bachelor's degree only........................ 7,727 374 502 680 931 1,250 Advanced degree............................... 3,856 477 641 863 1,160 1,547 White men Total, 25 years and over.......................... 41,242 322 472 692 1,007 1,456 Less than a high school diploma................. 4,654 238 296 399 567 769 High school graduates, no college............... 12,902 315 425 598 806 1,055 Some college or associate degree................ 10,671 358 494 690 940 1,239 College graduates, total........................ 13,016 492 700 1,005 1,448 1,992 Bachelor's degree only........................ 8,610 469 650 936 1,349 1,878 Advanced degree............................... 4,405 591 828 1,165 1,657 2,365 White women Total, 25 years and over.......................... 30,125 264 353 507 739 1,039 Less than a high school diploma................. 2,250 190 236 290 377 505 High school graduates, no college............... 9,572 244 310 413 559 732 Some college or associate degree................ 8,800 282 367 498 678 897 College graduates, total........................ 9,503 401 549 746 1,024 1,396 Bachelor's degree only........................ 6,278 381 506 686 936 1,264 Advanced degree............................... 3,224 484 650 873 1,169 1,566 Black men Total, 25 years and over.......................... 5,215 277 362 511 738 1,012 Less than a high school diploma................. 577 225 284 370 488 613 High school graduates, no college............... 2,085 264 335 458 641 860 Some college or associate degree................ 1,572 290 386 522 738 990 College graduates, total........................ 981 414 578 766 1,023 1,454 Bachelor's degree only........................ 716 400 546 732 980 1,348 Advanced degree............................... 264 536 674 934 1,326 1,860 Black women Total, 25 years and over.......................... 5,620 240 306 428 632 902 Less than a high school diploma................. 526 185 232 287 368 492 High school graduates, no college............... 1,863 228 283 361 492 666 Some college or associate degree................ 1,958 263 328 441 607 802 College graduates, total........................ 1,273 357 511 684 941 1,216 Bachelor's degree only........................ 888 327 486 642 887 1,140 Advanced degree............................... 385 442 594 806 1,057 1,366 NOTE: See note table 4.