1

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 05-689

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Thursday, April 21, 2005

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:

FIRST QUARTER 2005

Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 100.9 million full-time wage and salary workers were $653 in the

first quarter of 2005, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This

was 3.0 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 3.0 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 first-quarter data are:

—Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $586 per week, or 80.4 percent of the

$729 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among Hispanics or Latinos (88.7

percent) and blacks (88.6 percent) than among Asians (84.0 percent) or whites (79.8 percent). (See

table 1.)

—Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $555 per week, 73.9 percent of the

median for white men ($751). The difference was less among women, as black women’s median earnings

($492) were 82.1 percent of those for their white counterparts ($599). Overall, median earnings of

Hispanics or Latinos who worked full time ($470) were lower than those of blacks ($513), whites ($677),

and Asians ($738). (See table 1.)

—Among men, the highest median weekly earnings were for those age 55 to 64 and age 45 to 54, $877

and $853, respectively. Among women, earnings were highest for 45- to 54-year olds ($657). (See

table 2.)

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

related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,127 for men and $804 for women. Men

and women 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

$404, compared with $579 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,013 for college graduates 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 $2,896 or more per week,

compared with $1,902 or more for their female counterparts. (See table 4.)
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 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 “Explanatory Notes

and Estimates of Error” section 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.

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. This 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 and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well

as by 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

2004

 I

2005

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

 I

2004

 I

2005

 I

2004

 I

2005

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 99,720 100,884 $634 $653 $328 $328

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 55,888 56,719 711 729 368 367

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 5,762 5,904 410 401 212 201

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 50,126 50,815 757 775 392 390

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 43,832 44,165 567 586 294 295

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,342 4,331 387 380 200 191

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 39,490 39,834 592 610 307 307

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 81,271 82,155 652 677 338 340

 Men ...................................................................................................... 46,562 47,364 729 751 378 378

 Women ................................................................................................ 34,709 34,790 580 599 300 301

 Black or African American ..................................................................... 11,796 12,023 521 513 270 258

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,585 5,722 567 555 293 279

 Women ................................................................................................ 6,211 6,301 498 492 258 247

 Asian ...................................................................................................... 4,440 4,425 712 738 369 371

 Men ...................................................................................................... 2,489 2,403 790 798 409 401

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,951 2,022 615 670 318 337

 Hispanic or Latino .................................................................................. 13,648 14,040 450 470 233 236

 Men ...................................................................................................... 8,678 9,021 478 488 248 245

 Women ................................................................................................ 4,970 5,019 417 433 216 218

 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. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by

race. Beginning in January 2005, 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 or Latino ethnicity, and

sex, first quarter 2005 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 ..................................................................................... 100,884 $653 56,719 $729 44,165 $586

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 10,235 392 5,904 401 4,331 380

 16 to 19 years ....................................................................................... 1,279 311 771 313 507 307

 20 to 24 years ....................................................................................... 8,956 403 5,132 411 3,824 392

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 90,649 696 50,815 775 39,834 610

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 76,404 691 43,061 765 33,344 610

 25 to 34 years ..................................................................................... 24,515 610 14,264 658 10,250 556

 35 to 44 years ..................................................................................... 26,509 725 15,193 828 11,315 617

 45 to 54 years ..................................................................................... 25,381 751 13,603 853 11,778 657

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 14,245 730 7,755 851 6,490 609

 55 to 64 years ..................................................................................... 12,423 746 6,687 877 5,735 622

 65 years and over ............................................................................... 1,822 553 1,067 655 755 481

White

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 82,155 677 47,364 751 34,790 599

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 8,340 399 4,948 409 3,391 384

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 73,815 723 42,416 805 31,399 623

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 61,767 716 35,762 790 26,005 624

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 12,048 751 6,654 884 5,394 619

Black or African American

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 12,023 513 5,722 555 6,301 492

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 1,253 338 597 322 655 348

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 10,770 540 5,124 591 5,646 506

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 9,381 539 4,472 594 4,909 503

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,389 548 652 556 737 542

Asian

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 4,425 738 2,403 798 2,022 670

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 290 411 168 405 121 419

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 4,135 775 2,235 853 1,900 694

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 3,548 784 1,900 876 1,648 715

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 587 743 335 810 252 532

Hispanic or Latino

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 14,040 470 9,021 488 5,019 433

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 1,997 337 1,377 332 620 349

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 12,043 498 7,644 515 4,398 454

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 10,899 499 6,959 515 3,940 456

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,144 485 686 517 458 437

 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. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by

race. Beginning in January 2005, 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

Occupation and sex

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

 I

2004

 I

2005

 I

2004

 I

2005

TOTAL

 Managerial, professional, and related occupations ................................. 36,362 36,935 $914 $937

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 15,047 15,034 982 1,016

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 21,315 21,901 865 895

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 12,985 13,467 410 416

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 24,705 24,142 555 570

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 9,978 9,304 605 623

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 14,726 14,838 532 543

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 10,617 11,218 629 634

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 637 690 327 370

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 5,641 6,164 608 615

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 4,340 4,365 713 712

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 15,052 15,122 519 543

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 8,588 8,475 522 539

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 6,465 6,646 515 550

Men

 Managerial, professional, and related occupations ................................. 18,013 18,403 1,099 1,127

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 8,277 8,086 1,168 1,234

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 9,736 10,317 1,037 1,048

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 6,510 6,846 476 477

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 9,380 8,865 656 691

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 5,620 5,140 741 772

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 3,759 3,726 566 598

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 10,240 10,745 635 639

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 505 562 345 387

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 5,543 6,028 608 616

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 4,192 4,155 712 713

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 11,745 11,860 575 592

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 6,118 6,046 594 606

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 5,627 5,814 538 579

Women

 Managerial, professional, and related occupations ................................. 18,349 18,532 767 804

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 6,769 6,948 809 838

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 11,579 11,584 750 784

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 6,475 6,620 375 381

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 15,325 15,277 515 519

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 4,358 4,164 476 487

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 10,967 11,113 523 527

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 377 473 460 505

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 132 128 306 326

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 98 136 1 ( ) 592

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 147 210 $724 680

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 3,308 3,262 404 432

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 2,469 2,430 400 433

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 838 832 413 429

1 Data not shown where base is less than 100,000.

 NOTE: Beginning in January 2005, 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, first quarter 2005 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 ........................................................................... 100,884 $312 $433 $653 $999 $1,509

 Men ......................................................................................................... 56,719 331 478 729 1,130 1,692

 Women ................................................................................................... 44,165 294 400 586 856 1,244

 White ...................................................................................................... 82,155 319 452 677 1,028 1,542

 Men ....................................................................................................... 47,364 341 492 751 1,154 1,735

 Women ................................................................................................. 34,790 300 411 599 871 1,257

 Black or African American ...................................................................... 12,023 284 367 513 764 1,127

 Men ....................................................................................................... 5,722 293 386 555 854 1,208

 Women ................................................................................................. 6,301 276 351 492 714 996

 Asian ....................................................................................................... 4,425 330 474 738 1,160 1,753

 Men ....................................................................................................... 2,403 364 499 798 1,310 1,884

 Women ................................................................................................. 2,022 308 422 670 1,046 1,544

 Hispanic or Latino ................................................................................... 14,040 277 332 470 695 1,033

 Men ....................................................................................................... 9,021 283 345 488 732 1,079

 Women ................................................................................................. 5,019 262 315 433 639 927

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

 Total, 25 years and over ......................................................................... 90,649 333 473 696 1,050 1,558

 Less than a high school diploma .......................................................... 8,427 257 309 404 578 789

 High school graduates, no college1 ...................................................... 26,777 311 412 579 799 1,084

 Some college or associate degree ....................................................... 25,074 357 484 667 956 1,319

 Bachelor’s degree and higher2 ............................................................. 30,372 496 704 1,013 1,529 2,099

 Bachelor’s degree only ....................................................................... 19,587 470 643 931 1,395 1,908

 Advanced degree ............................................................................... 10,785 602 840 1,176 1,744 2,476

 Men, 25 years and over ........................................................................ 50,815 367 512 775 1,173 1,756

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 5,640 281 334 449 641 886

 High school graduates, no college1 .................................................... 15,388 350 475 644 913 1,198

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 13,219 398 540 769 1,088 1,447

 Bachelor’s degree and higher2 ........................................................... 16,569 560 792 1,171 1,755 2,407

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 10,653 511 734 1,081 1,617 2,205

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 5,916 675 937 1,401 1,918 2,896

 Women, 25 years and over .................................................................. 39,834 307 421 610 890 1,278

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 2,786 228 279 341 430 597

 High school graduates, no college1 .................................................... 11,389 286 369 496 667 857

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 11,855 326 434 587 791 1,084

 Bachelor’s degree and higher2 ........................................................... 13,804 465 628 877 1,235 1,721

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 8,934 439 587 798 1,144 1,556

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 4,870 563 752 1,003 1,403 1,902

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. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic

or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as

well as by race. Beginning in January 2005, 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

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

 I

2004

 I

2005

 I

2004

 I

2005

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 22,127 22,398 $192 $197

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 7,057 6,951 180 188

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 3,624 3,404 140 146

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 3,433 3,547 240 248

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 15,071 15,447 198 201

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,614 4,707 136 138

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 10,457 10,740 232 242

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 18,665 19,040 194 197

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,813 5,851 179 188

 Women ................................................................................................ 12,852 13,190 200 202

 Black or African American ..................................................................... 2,098 1,948 191 186

 Men ...................................................................................................... 721 609 200 188

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,377 1,340 189 184

 Asian ...................................................................................................... 856 815 168 220

 Men ...................................................................................................... 342 276 161 211

 Women ................................................................................................ 514 539 175 223

 Hispanic or Latino .................................................................................. 2,338 2,497 195 193

 Men ...................................................................................................... 825 953 203 200

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,513 1,544 190 188

 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. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by

race. Beginning in January 2005, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.