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USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:

FIRST QUARTER 2008

Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 106.5 million full-time wage and salary workers were $719 in the

first quarter of 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This

was 3.8 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 4.1 percent in the Consumer Price Index

for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period.

Data on usual weekly 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 Technical Note.) Highlights from the first-quarter data are:

Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $637 per week, or 80.6 percent of the

$790 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among Hispanics (93.1 percent)

and blacks (92.1 percent) than among whites (79.3 percent) or Asians (80.3 percent). (See table 1.)

Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $604 per week, 73.5 percent of the

median for white men ($822). The difference was less among women, as black women’s median

earnings ($556) were 85.3 percent of those for their white counterparts ($652). Overall, median

earnings of Hispanics who worked full time ($520) were lower than those of blacks ($582), whites

($742), and Asians ($842). (See table 1.)

Among men, those age 45 to 54 and age 55 to 64 had the highest median weekly earnings, $927

and $957, respectively. Among women, weekly earnings also were highest for those age 45 to 54

and age 55 to 64, $700 and $702, respectively. (See table 2.)

Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in managerial, professional, and

related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,236 for men and $890 for women.

Men and women employed in service jobs earned the least. (See table 3.)

Full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of

$435, compared with $615 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,108 for those holding at

least a bachelor’s degree. Among college graduates with advanced degrees (professional or master’s

degree and above), the highest 10 percent of male workers made $3,080 or more per week, compared with $1,988 or more for their female counterparts. (See table 4.)

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Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 08-0507

http://www.bls.gov/cps/

For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, April 17, 2008

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Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

ews United States 

Department 

of Labor 
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 selfemployment 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 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 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.

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 businesses 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

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

I

2007

I

2008

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

I

2007

I

2008

I

2007

I

2008

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ..................................................................................... 105,888 106,507 $693 $719 $328 $327

Men, 16 years and over .................................................................................. 59,052 59,324 759 790 359 360

16 to 24 years ............................................................................................. 6,102 5,888 451 466 214 212

25 years and over ....................................................................................... 52,951 53,436 811 848 384 386

Women, 16 years and over ............................................................................ 46,836 47,182 615 637 291 290

16 to 24 years ............................................................................................. 4,632 4,531 414 419 196 191

25 years and over ....................................................................................... 42,203 42,652 646 666 306 303

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White .............................................................................................................. 85,359 85,721 714 742 338 338

Men ............................................................................................................. 48,802 48,810 783 822 371 374

Women ....................................................................................................... 36,557 36,911 625 652 296 297

Black or African American .............................................................................. 13,007 12,922 561 582 266 265

Men ............................................................................................................. 6,135 6,101 585 604 277 275

Women ....................................................................................................... 6,872 6,821 540 556 256 253

Asian ............................................................................................................... 5,146 5,297 798 842 378 383

Men ............................................................................................................. 2,845 2,981 864 939 409 427

Women ....................................................................................................... 2,301 2,316 743 754 352 343

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ............................................................................. 16,037 15,588 502 520 238 237

Men ............................................................................................................. 10,092 9,819 520 538 246 245

Women ....................................................................................................... 5,946 5,769 471 501 223 228

 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, first quarter 2008 averages, not seasonally adjusted

Age, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

Number of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Number of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Number of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

TOTAL

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 106,507 $719 59,324 $790 47,182 $637

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 10,419 445 5,888 466 4,531 419

16 to 19 years ....................................................................................... 1,381 343 832 370 548 316

20 to 24 years ....................................................................................... 9,038 469 5,056 483 3,982 443

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 96,088 757 53,436 848 42,652 666

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 78,799 751 44,142 834 34,657 664

25 to 34 years ................................................................................... 25,469 659 14,532 701 10,938 618

35 to 44 years ................................................................................... 26,559 805 15,086 915 11,474 688

45 to 54 years ................................................................................... 26,770 809 14,524 927 12,246 700

55 years and over ................................................................................. 17,289 781 9,295 932 7,995 674

55 to 64 years ................................................................................... 14,746 819 7,898 957 6,848 702

65 years and over ............................................................................. 2,543 643 1,396 751 1,146 530

White

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 85,721 742 48,810 822 36,911 652

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 8,376 453 4,790 475 3,585 422

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 77,345 780 44,019 881 33,326 683

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 62,740 774 35,997 864 26,743 680

55 years and over ................................................................................. 14,605 816 8,023 960 6,583 693

Black or African American

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 12,922 582 6,101 604 6,821 556

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 1,277 390 665 402 612 380

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 11,645 602 5,436 632 6,209 581

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 9,941 599 4,694 621 5,247 581

55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,704 639 742 726 962 584

Asian

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 5,297 842 2,981 939 2,316 754

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 384 557 193 520 191 604

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 4,913 875 2,788 974 2,125 769

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 4,188 914 2,396 1,027 1,791 781

55 years and over ................................................................................. 726 696 391 694 334 700

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 15,588 520 9,819 538 5,769 501

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 2,016 408 1,279 417 737 392

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 13,572 555 8,540 577 5,032 519

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 12,163 554 7,682 576 4,482 520

55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,409 563 858 582 550 516

 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

Occupation and sex

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

I

2007

I

2008

I

2007

I

2008

TOTAL

Management, professional, and related occupations ................................................... 39,139 39,815 $976 $1,018

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ................................ 16,389 16,313 1,042 1,127

Professional and related occupations ....................................................................... 22,750 23,502 936 967

Service occupations ..................................................................................................... 14,050 14,227 451 464

Sales and office occupations ........................................................................................ 25,748 25,574 597 614

Sales and related occupations ................................................................................. 10,717 10,320 645 650

Office and administrative support occupations ......................................................... 15,031 15,253 577 601

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations .................................. 12,180 11,633 672 699

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................................... 657 688 341 400

Construction and extraction occupations .................................................................. 7,164 6,374 659 676

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................................... 4,359 4,571 730 772

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ...................................... 14,772 15,259 563 595

Production occupations ............................................................................................ 7,933 8,369 568 594

Transportation and material moving occupations ..................................................... 6,839 6,890 558 596

Men

Management, professional, and related occupations ................................................... 18,855 19,388 1,162 1,236

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ................................ 8,829 8,810 1,244 1,341

Professional and related occupations ....................................................................... 10,026 10,578 1,135 1,170

Service occupations ..................................................................................................... 7,054 7,141 516 529

Sales and office occupations ........................................................................................ 9,946 9,651 715 737

Sales and related occupations ................................................................................. 6,025 5,645 769 788

Office and administrative support occupations ......................................................... 3,921 4,006 635 651

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations .................................. 11,741 11,138 677 701

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................................... 548 560 340 407

Construction and extraction occupations .................................................................. 7,028 6,209 662 675

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................................... 4,165 4,369 732 772

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ...................................... 11,457 12,007 606 632

Production occupations ............................................................................................ 5,627 5,908 630 660

Transportation and material moving occupations ..................................................... 5,830 6,099 584 612

Women

Management, professional, and related occupations ................................................... 20,284 20,427 846 890

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ................................ 7,561 7,503 872 954

Professional and related occupations ....................................................................... 12,724 12,924 832 859

Service occupations ..................................................................................................... 6,996 7,086 395 408

Sales and office occupations ........................................................................................ 15,802 15,923 539 578

Sales and related occupations ................................................................................. 4,692 4,675 494 508

Office and administrative support occupations ......................................................... 11,110 11,248 557 591

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations .................................. 439 495 512 609

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................................... 109 128 346 363

Construction and extraction occupations .................................................................. 136 165 497 740

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................................... 194 202 708 774

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ...................................... 3,315 3,252 431 469

Production occupations ............................................................................................ 2,306 2,461 434 462

Transportation and material moving occupations ..................................................... 1,009 791 423 486

 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, first quarter 2008 averages, not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of

workers

(in

thousands)

Upper limit of:

First decile First

quartile

Second

quartile

(median)

Third

quartile

Ninth

decile

SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY

Total, 16 years and over ..................................................................................... 106,507 $344 $481 $719 $1,112 $1,653

Men ................................................................................................................. 59,324 371 515 790 1,240 1,875

Women ........................................................................................................... 47,182 321 436 637 955 1,386

White .............................................................................................................. 85,721 354 494 742 1,138 1,694

Men ............................................................................................................. 48,810 381 538 822 1,264 1,886

Women ....................................................................................................... 36,911 328 449 652 965 1,402

Black or African American .............................................................................. 12,922 307 402 582 857 1,254

Men ............................................................................................................. 6,101 319 419 604 896 1,328

Women ....................................................................................................... 6,821 299 389 556 822 1,200

Asian ............................................................................................................... 5,297 360 521 842 1,368 1,921

Men ............................................................................................................. 2,981 390 550 939 1,523 2,173

Women ....................................................................................................... 2,316 319 491 754 1,148 1,686

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ............................................................................. 15,588 297 379 520 777 1,174

Men ............................................................................................................. 9,819 307 389 538 814 1,273

Women ....................................................................................................... 5,769 282 358 501 719 1,037

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over ..................................................................................... 96,088 366 507 757 1,156 1,734

Less than a high school diploma .................................................................... 7,998 281 338 435 597 821

High school graduates, no college 1 ............................................................... 27,866 331 433 615 873 1,196

Some college or associate degree ................................................................. 26,207 381 510 715 1,017 1,416

Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 ...................................................................... 34,017 558 761 1,108 1,617 2,297

Bachelor’s degree only ............................................................................... 22,033 516 714 1,012 1,495 2,081

Advanced degree ....................................................................................... 11,984 642 890 1,259 1,865 2,659

Men, 25 years and over .................................................................................. 53,436 392 567 848 1,302 1,903

Less than a high school diploma ................................................................ 5,520 293 366 479 637 898

High school graduates, no college 1 ........................................................... 15,986 375 497 701 988 1,336

Some college or associate degree ............................................................. 13,843 422 588 819 1,162 1,563

Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 .................................................................. 18,087 609 874 1,274 1,883 2,698

Bachelor’s degree only ........................................................................... 11,681 582 801 1,170 1,730 2,402

Advanced degree ................................................................................... 6,406 732 1,000 1,493 2,116 3,080

Women, 25 years and over ............................................................................ 42,652 338 464 666 989 1,438

Less than a high school diploma ................................................................ 2,478 250 303 375 496 633

High school graduates, no college 1 ........................................................... 11,880 302 388 518 713 963

Some college or associate degree ............................................................. 12,364 351 459 624 876 1,163

Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 .................................................................. 15,930 509 682 950 1,340 1,838

Bachelor’s degree only ........................................................................... 10,352 484 634 886 1,238 1,733

Advanced degree ................................................................................... 5,578 603 807 1,081 1,487 1,988

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

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

I

2007

I

2008

I

2007

I

2008

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ............................................................................................... 22,369 22,195 $211 $216

Men, 16 years and over ............................................................................................ 7,172 6,975 199 207

16 to 24 years ....................................................................................................... 3,572 3,375 150 161

25 years and over ................................................................................................. 3,600 3,600 273 272

Women, 16 years and over ...................................................................................... 15,197 15,220 216 221

16 to 24 years ....................................................................................................... 4,637 4,412 152 156

25 years and over ................................................................................................. 10,560 10,808 259 258

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White ........................................................................................................................ 18,896 18,638 211 218

Men ....................................................................................................................... 5,987 5,800 198 208

Women ................................................................................................................. 12,909 12,838 217 223

Black or African American ........................................................................................ 2,071 2,111 206 207

Men ....................................................................................................................... 685 710 199 209

Women ................................................................................................................. 1,386 1,401 209 206

Asian ......................................................................................................................... 815 879 237 220

Men ....................................................................................................................... 281 283 233 211

Women ................................................................................................................. 534 596 240 225

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ....................................................................................... 2,581 2,647 203 212

Men ....................................................................................................................... 954 995 221 222

Women ................................................................................................................. 1,627 1,652 195 206

 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.