Earnings and education, fourth quarter 2008
January 23, 2009
Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 105.8 million full-time wage and salary workers were $728 in the fourth quarter of 2008.
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Full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $459, compared with $619 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,115 for those holding at least a bachelor’s degree.
Among college graduates with advanced degrees (professional or master’s degree and above), the highest earning 10 percent of male workers made $2,991 or more per week, compared with $2,147 or more for their female counterparts.
Data on weekly earnings are from the Current Population Survey. Figures in this article are not seasonally adjusted. Find more information on earnings in "Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers: Fourth Quarter 2008" (PDF) (HTML), news release USDL 09-0077.
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