Internet address: http://stat.bls.gov/newsrels.htm Technical information: (202) 606-6378 USDL 99-15 For release: 10:00 A.M. EST Media contact: 606-5902 Wednesday, January 20, 1999 USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS: FOURTH QUARTER 1998 Median weekly earnings of the nation's 96.2 million full-time wage and salary workers were $541 in the fourth quarter of 1998, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This was 5.9 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 1.5 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 explanatory note.) Highlights from the fourth-quarter data are: ---Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $471 a week, or 76.7 percent of the $614 median for men. The female-male earnings ratios for blacks (84.2 percent) and for Hispanics (84.9 percent) were higher than for whites (75.7 percent). (See table 1.) ---Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $481 per week, 75.7 percent of the median for white men ($635). The difference was much less among women, as black women's median earnings ($405) were 84.2 percent of those for their white counterparts ($481). Overall, median earnings of Hispanics who worked full time ($372) were lower than those of blacks ($439) and whites ($565). (See table 1.) ---Among men, those in the 45- to 54-year age group had the highest median weekly earnings ($749), followed by 55- to 64-year-old men, with median earnings of $715. Among women, earnings also were highest for those 45-to-54 years old, who had a median of $520, followed by 35- to 44-year- olds, with a median of $508. (See table 2.) ---Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in managerial and professional specialty occupations had the highest median weekly earnings--$942 for men and $672 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 $341, compared with $486 for high school graduates (no college) and $851 for college graduates. Among college graduates with advanced degrees (professional or master's degree and above), the highest 10 percent of male workers earned $2,283 or more, compared with $1,495 or more for their female counterparts. (See table 4.) Annual Averages for 1997 and 1998 In addition to the data for the fourth quarter, this release includes 1997 and 1998 annual average weekly earnings for major demographic, occupation, and education groups (tables 6, 7, and 8). Annual average information on median usual earnings for men and women by detailed occupational categories will appear in the January 1999 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-STAT; TDD phone: 202-606-5897; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-326-2577. 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 1997 1998 IV IV IV IV 1997 1998 1997 1998 SEX AND AGE Total, 16 years and over.................................. 94,355 96,213 $511 $541 $305 $318 Men, 16 years and over................................. 53,455 54,459 587 614 350 361 16 to 24 years....................................... 5,956 6,245 323 342 193 201 25 years and over.................................... 47,499 48,214 621 664 371 391 Women, 16 years and over............................... 40,900 41,754 440 471 263 277 16 to 24 years....................................... 4,364 4,563 299 311 179 183 25 years and over.................................... 36,535 37,191 470 495 281 292 RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX White.................................................. 78,440 79,627 528 565 315 332 Men.................................................. 45,462 46,128 602 635 360 374 Women................................................ 32,978 33,499 454 481 271 283 Black.................................................. 11,516 12,015 410 439 245 258 Men.................................................. 5,597 5,807 457 481 273 283 Women................................................ 5,918 6,208 371 405 222 239 Hispanic origin........................................ 10,293 10,812 354 372 211 219 Men.................................................. 6,649 6,875 375 397 224 234 Women................................................ 3,644 3,937 317 337 190 198 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 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and 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 1998 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......................................... 96,213 $541 54,459 $614 41,754 $471 16 to 24 years.......................................... 10,808 324 6,245 342 4,563 311 16 to 19 years........................................ 1,941 282 1,146 296 795 262 20 to 24 years........................................ 8,867 343 5,099 361 3,768 324 25 years and over....................................... 85,405 585 48,214 664 37,191 495 25 to 54 years........................................ 75,401 585 42,591 660 32,810 497 25 to 34 years...................................... 25,563 516 14,693 572 10,870 465 35 to 44 years...................................... 28,439 608 16,291 697 12,148 508 45 to 54 years...................................... 21,399 636 11,607 749 9,792 520 55 years and over..................................... 10,004 587 5,623 699 4,381 479 55 to 64 years...................................... 8,915 599 4,992 715 3,923 493 65 years and over................................... 1,089 416 631 525 458 356 White 16 years and over......................................... 79,627 565 46,128 635 33,499 481 16 to 24 years.......................................... 9,017 331 5,381 348 3,636 314 25 years and over....................................... 70,610 603 40,747 689 29,863 505 25 to 54 years........................................ 62,006 603 35,855 685 26,151 507 55 years and over..................................... 8,604 603 4,892 736 3,712 490 Black 16 years and over......................................... 12,015 439 5,807 481 6,208 405 16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,371 303 655 309 717 297 25 years and over....................................... 10,644 467 5,153 503 5,491 429 25 to 54 years........................................ 9,636 470 4,674 505 4,962 431 55 years and over..................................... 1,007 444 479 479 529 408 Hispanic origin 16 years and over......................................... 10,812 372 6,875 397 3,937 337 16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,965 296 1,311 300 654 288 25 years and over....................................... 8,847 402 5,564 432 3,283 353 25 to 54 years........................................ 8,123 402 5,109 429 3,014 354 55 years and over..................................... 725 411 456 474 269 343 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 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and 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 1997 1998 1997 1998 TOTAL Managerial and professional specialty.................... 28,609 30,396 $754 $792 Executive, administrative, and managerial.............. 14,162 15,034 741 788 Professional specialty................................. 14,447 15,362 764 795 Technical, sales, and administrative support............. 27,306 27,225 466 482 Technicians and related support........................ 3,554 3,349 601 611 Sales occupations...................................... 9,724 9,734 502 510 Administrative support, including clerical............. 14,028 14,143 419 443 Service occupations...................................... 10,342 10,469 320 325 Private household...................................... 389 413 244 236 Protective service..................................... 1,891 2,071 587 615 Service, except private household and protective....... 8,062 7,985 300 306 Precision production, craft, and repair.................. 11,447 11,245 541 585 Mechanics and repairers................................ 4,148 3,807 573 606 Construction trades.................................... 3,734 4,049 541 566 Other precision production, craft, and repair.......... 3,565 3,389 515 580 Operators, fabricators, and laborers..................... 15,337 15,158 405 423 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......... 7,118 6,985 397 420 Transportation and material moving occupations......... 4,412 4,349 499 520 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.... 3,807 3,824 323 359 Farming, forestry, and fishing........................... 1,314 1,721 292 303 Men Managerial and professional specialty.................... 14,483 15,579 908 942 Executive, administrative, and managerial.............. 7,446 8,111 901 947 Professional specialty................................. 7,036 7,468 915 937 Technical, sales, and administrative support............. 10,427 10,349 595 612 Technicians and related support........................ 1,857 1,698 691 738 Sales occupations...................................... 5,291 5,238 630 635 Administrative support, including clerical............. 3,279 3,414 493 526 Service occupations...................................... 5,254 5,239 381 396 Private household...................................... 48 30 (1) (1) Protective service..................................... 1,576 1,739 $614 $629 Service, except private household and protective....... 3,630 3,469 321 321 Precision production, craft, and repair.................. 10,528 10,317 562 597 Mechanics and repairers................................ 4,034 3,681 576 604 Construction trades.................................... 3,684 3,985 545 567 Other precision production, craft, and repair.......... 2,810 2,651 564 617 Operators, fabricators, and laborers..................... 11,621 11,501 447 467 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......... 4,445 4,490 $477 $487 Transportation and material moving occupations......... 4,079 3,979 505 537 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.... 3,097 3,032 339 372 Farming, forestry, and fishing........................... 1,143 1,475 296 313 Women Managerial and professional specialty.................... 14,126 14,817 644 672 Executive, administrative, and managerial.............. 6,715 6,923 614 642 Professional specialty................................. 7,411 7,894 676 698 Technical, sales, and administrative support............. 16,879 16,876 408 422 Technicians and related support........................ 1,697 1,651 524 519 Sales occupations...................................... 4,433 4,496 360 375 Administrative support, including clerical............. 10,749 10,729 406 421 Service occupations...................................... 5,088 5,230 286 298 Private household...................................... 341 382 238 227 Protective service..................................... 315 331 449 542 Service, except private household and protective....... 4,432 4,516 283 296 Precision production, craft, and repair.................. 919 928 389 439 Mechanics and repairers................................ 114 126 456 690 Construction trades.................................... 50 64 (1) (1) Other precision production, craft, and repair.......... 755 737 $384 $414 Operators, fabricators, and laborers..................... 3,716 3,657 313 342 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......... 2,673 2,495 316 345 Transportation and material moving occupations......... 333 370 400 406 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.... 711 793 285 315 Farming, forestry, and fishing........................... 171 246 271 253 1 Data not shown where base is less than 100,000. Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and 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 1998 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.................................. 96,213 $262 $355 $541 $823 $1,192 Men..................................................... 54,459 284 397 614 926 1,363 Women................................................... 41,754 240 317 471 684 964 White................................................... 79,627 267 369 565 850 1,238 Men................................................... 46,128 289 411 635 953 1,408 Women................................................. 33,499 244 324 481 699 982 Black................................................... 12,015 235 305 439 633 907 Men................................................... 5,807 256 323 481 705 990 Women................................................. 6,208 223 290 405 590 828 Hispanic................................................ 10,812 214 272 372 560 842 Men................................................... 6,875 228 285 397 598 918 Women................................................. 3,937 198 252 337 500 720 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT Total, 25 years and over................................ 85,405 278 385 585 867 1,249 Less than a high school diploma....................... 8,388 210 261 341 491 700 High school graduates, no college..................... 26,875 263 341 486 680 909 Some college or associate degree...................... 23,304 290 394 566 796 1,076 College graduates, total.............................. 26,838 422 601 851 1,230 1,725 Bachelor's degree only.............................. 17,747 399 572 777 1,144 1,593 Advanced degree..................................... 9,091 496 689 968 1,401 1,921 Men, 25 years and over................................ 48,214 304 438 664 973 1,426 Less than a high school diploma..................... 5,569 232 287 389 548 772 High school graduates, no college................... 15,191 297 398 562 764 1,004 Some college or associate degree.................... 12,256 329 465 662 909 1,176 College graduates, total............................ 15,198 474 683 974 1,420 1,915 Bachelor's degree only............................ 10,072 447 638 925 1,328 1,876 Advanced degree................................... 5,127 547 774 1,125 1,561 2,283 Women, 25 years and over.............................. 37,191 252 336 495 715 998 Less than a high school diploma..................... 2,819 187 231 284 373 498 High school graduates, no college................... 11,684 234 299 400 550 724 Some college or associate degree.................... 11,048 269 346 482 651 896 College graduates, total............................ 11,640 387 527 720 969 1,360 Bachelor's degree only............................ 7,676 369 495 669 888 1,227 Advanced degree................................... 3,964 470 614 843 1,153 1,495 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 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and 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 1997 1998 1997 1998 SEX AND AGE Total, 16 years and over.................................. 21,205 21,324 $150 $158 Men, 16 years and over................................. 6,635 6,739 137 143 16 to 24 years....................................... 3,629 3,622 111 115 25 years and over.................................... 3,006 3,117 187 195 Women, 16 years and over............................... 14,570 14,585 155 165 16 to 24 years....................................... 4,586 4,615 111 117 25 years and over.................................... 9,984 9,970 185 199 RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX White.................................................. 18,298 18,310 151 159 Men.................................................. 5,632 5,639 136 143 Women................................................ 12,666 12,671 157 167 Black.................................................. 2,041 2,172 140 148 Men.................................................. 686 735 141 138 Women................................................ 1,355 1,437 139 154 Hispanic origin........................................ 1,809 1,752 151 163 Men.................................................. 657 587 148 171 Women................................................ 1,152 1,166 152 158 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 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and 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 1997 1998 1997 1998 1997 1998 SEX AND AGE Total, 16 years and over.................................. 93,578 95,595 $503 $523 $303 $309 Men, 16 years and over................................. 53,220 54,313 579 598 348 354 16 to 24 years....................................... 6,174 6,325 317 334 191 198 25 years and over.................................... 47,046 47,988 615 639 370 378 Women, 16 years and over............................... 40,358 41,282 431 456 259 270 16 to 24 years....................................... 4,522 4,721 292 305 176 180 25 years and over.................................... 35,836 36,561 462 485 278 287 RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX White.................................................. 77,973 79,403 519 545 312 323 Men.................................................. 45,349 46,087 595 615 358 364 Women................................................ 32,624 33,316 444 468 267 277 Black.................................................. 11,356 11,776 400 426 241 252 Men.................................................. 5,517 5,751 432 468 260 277 Women................................................ 5,839 6,025 375 400 225 237 Hispanic origin........................................ 9,996 10,532 351 370 211 219 Men.................................................. 6,456 6,716 371 390 223 231 Women................................................ 3,540 3,816 318 337 191 199 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 1998, data reflect new composite estimation proceures and 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 1997 1998 1997 1998 TOTAL Managerial and professional specialty......................... 28,252 29,304 $738 $759 Executive, administrative, and managerial................... 13,965 14,451 725 755 Professional specialty...................................... 14,287 14,853 750 763 Technical, sales, and administrative support.................. 26,791 27,372 456 477 Technicians and related support............................. 3,494 3,507 582 599 Sales occupations........................................... 9,405 9,636 482 502 Administrative support, including clerical.................. 13,892 14,229 419 438 Service occupations........................................... 10,172 10,592 313 327 Private household........................................... 348 381 215 223 Protective service.......................................... 1,961 2,140 550 598 Service, except private household and protective............ 7,863 8,070 296 307 Precision production, craft, and repair....................... 11,495 11,691 548 572 Mechanics and repairers..................................... 4,020 4,081 578 597 Construction trades......................................... 3,878 4,054 536 543 Other precision production, craft, and repair............... 3,597 3,555 529 561 Operators, fabricators, and laborers.......................... 15,338 15,082 401 415 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors............... 7,235 6,987 390 406 Transportation and material moving occupations.............. 4,325 4,322 498 510 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers......... 3,779 3,773 329 351 Farming, forestry, and fishing................................ 1,530 1,555 295 302 Men Managerial and professional specialty......................... 14,359 14,941 875 905 Executive, administrative, and managerial................... 7,466 7,746 868 915 Professional specialty...................................... 6,894 7,195 883 895 Technical, sales, and administrative support.................. 10,239 10,439 588 606 Technicians and related support............................. 1,803 1,773 667 701 Sales occupations........................................... 5,174 5,299 603 622 Administrative support, including clerical.................. 3,262 3,368 514 518 Service occupations........................................... 5,071 5,291 372 389 Private household........................................... 24 19 (1) (1) Protective service.......................................... 1,654 1,817 $575 $613 Service, except private household and protective............ 3,393 3,455 317 325 Precision production, craft, and repair....................... 10,511 10,741 569 587 Mechanics and repairers..................................... 3,860 3,926 581 599 Construction trades......................................... 3,813 3,989 538 545 Other precision production, craft, and repair............... 2,838 2,826 588 611 Operators, fabricators, and laborers.......................... 11,709 11,564 436 456 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors............... 4,610 4,482 449 472 Transportation and material moving occupations.............. 4,033 3,977 505 519 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers......... 3,065 3,105 343 362 Farming, forestry, and fishing................................ 1,331 1,337 302 307 Women Managerial and professional specialty......................... 13,893 14,363 632 655 Executive, administrative, and managerial................... 6,500 6,705 605 626 Professional specialty...................................... 7,393 7,658 662 682 Technical, sales, and administrative support.................. 16,552 16,933 403 419 Technicians and related support............................. 1,691 1,734 498 511 Sales occupations........................................... 4,231 4,338 352 372 Administrative support, including clerical.................. 10,630 10,862 403 418 Service occupations........................................... 5,101 5,301 282 296 Private household........................................... 324 362 213 220 Protective service.......................................... 308 323 451 481 Service, except private household and protective............ 4,469 4,616 280 295 Precision production, craft, and repair....................... 984 949 382 408 Mechanics and repairers..................................... 160 155 489 519 Construction trades......................................... 65 64 445 408 Other precision production, craft, and repair............... 760 730 362 392 Operators, fabricators, and laborers.......................... 3,630 3,518 313 327 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors............... 2,625 2,505 313 328 Transportation and material moving occupations.............. 292 345 373 373 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers......... 713 669 299 311 Farming, forestry, and fishing................................ 198 218 257 272 1 Data not shown where base is less than 50,000. NOTE: Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and 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, 1998 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.......................... 84,549 $275 $379 $572 $836 $1,198 Less than a high school diploma................. 8,576 204 257 337 486 679 High school graduates, no college............... 27,131 259 338 479 667 899 Some college or associate degree................ 23,210 291 391 558 774 1,040 College graduates, total........................ 25,632 410 586 821 1,173 1,657 Bachelor's degree only........................ 17,086 388 541 753 1,097 1,521 Advanced degree............................... 8,546 493 675 956 1,368 1,906 Men Total, 25 years and over.......................... 47,988 299 425 639 940 1,353 Less than a high school diploma................. 5,702 225 283 383 535 740 High school graduates, no college............... 15,344 293 394 559 761 1,000 Some college or associate degree................ 12,466 324 457 643 888 1,162 College graduates, total........................ 14,476 452 643 939 1,353 1,895 Bachelor's degree only........................ 9,617 425 604 871 1,244 1,750 Advanced degree............................... 4,859 526 752 1,107 1,539 2,155 Women Total, 25 years and over.......................... 36,561 249 331 485 695 974 Less than a high school diploma................. 2,874 184 228 283 370 493 High school graduates, no college............... 11,787 232 297 396 532 698 Some college or associate degree................ 10,744 271 345 476 642 857 College graduates, total........................ 11,156 383 522 707 967 1,322 Bachelor's degree only........................ 7,469 360 488 653 891 1,198 Advanced degree............................... 3,687 464 618 837 1,133 1,521 White men Total, 25 years and over.......................... 40,630 309 448 663 966 1,390 Less than a high school diploma................. 4,778 227 285 391 550 753 High school graduates, no college............... 12,875 304 411 582 781 1,020 Some college or associate degree................ 10,479 342 480 667 911 1,186 College graduates, total........................ 12,498 473 665 962 1,378 1,908 Bachelor's degree only........................ 8,306 446 622 902 1,269 1,809 Advanced degree............................... 4,191 553 772 1,130 1,559 2,253 White women Total, 25 years and over.......................... 29,458 254 341 495 711 994 Less than a high school diploma................. 2,149 185 229 284 371 496 High school graduates, no college............... 9,516 236 303 404 543 708 Some college or associate degree................ 8,568 275 353 484 656 872 College graduates, total........................ 9,224 387 530 718 977 1,338 Bachelor's degree only........................ 6,123 366 494 662 900 1,222 Advanced degree............................... 3,101 470 621 841 1,134 1,523 Black men Total, 25 years and over.......................... 5,112 262 337 493 708 982 Less than a high school diploma................. 672 213 270 343 480 637 High school graduates, no college............... 1,978 255 320 440 627 824 Some college or associate degree................ 1,500 281 365 515 730 949 College graduates, total........................ 962 360 509 697 1,040 1,428 Bachelor's degree only........................ 728 342 488 660 958 1,252 Advanced degree............................... 234 444 616 857 1,342 1,915 Black women Total, 25 years and over.......................... 5,345 232 300 420 607 840 Less than a high school diploma................. 520 179 223 276 372 494 High school graduates, no college............... 1,860 218 277 356 497 646 Some college or associate degree................ 1,780 254 318 431 589 760 College graduates, total........................ 1,185 362 486 641 899 1,185 Bachelor's degree only........................ 822 343 449 605 799 1,072 Advanced degree............................... 363 442 596 788 1,095 1,368 NOTE:See note table 4.