1

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 05-1977

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Thursday, October 20, 2005

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:

THIRD QUARTER 2005

Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 105.4 million full-time wage and salary workers were $649 in the

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

was 2.7 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 3.8 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 third-quarter data are:

—Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $585 per week, or 81.7 percent of the

$716 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks (95.5 percent) and

Hispanics or Latinos (86.5 percent) than among whites (80.6 percent) or Asians (79.0 percent). (See

table 1.)

—Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $533 per week, 72.3 percent of the

median for white men ($737). The difference was less among women, as black women’s median earnings

($509) were 85.7 percent of those for their white counterparts ($594). Overall, median earnings of

Hispanics or Latinos who worked full time ($462) were lower than those of blacks ($520), whites ($667),

and Asians ($761). (See table 1.)

—Among men, those age 55 to 64 and age 45 to 54 had the highest median weekly earnings, $858 and

$848, respectively. Among women, earnings were highest for 45- to 54-year-olds and 55- to 64-year-olds,

$640 and $639, respectively. (See table 2.)

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

related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,103 for men and $812 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

$413, compared with $583 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,014 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 $2,729 or more per week,

compared with $1,858 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

 III

2004

 III

2005

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

 III

2004

 III

2005

 III

2004

 III

2005

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 102,325 105,428 $632 $649 $322 $318

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 57,898 59,778 704 716 358 351

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 6,865 7,017 400 407 204 200

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 51,033 52,761 759 768 386 377

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 44,427 45,649 571 585 291 287

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 5,083 5,022 371 379 189 186

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 39,344 40,627 602 615 306 301

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 83,367 85,558 651 667 331 327

 Men ...................................................................................................... 48,172 49,557 721 737 367 361

 Women ................................................................................................ 35,195 36,001 583 594 297 291

 Black or African American ..................................................................... 12,136 12,714 531 520 270 255

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,757 6,159 570 533 290 261

 Women ................................................................................................ 6,379 6,555 508 509 258 250

 Asian ...................................................................................................... 4,408 4,674 701 761 357 373

 Men ...................................................................................................... 2,581 2,665 801 834 408 409

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,827 2,009 589 659 300 323

 Hispanic or Latino .................................................................................. 14,263 14,913 458 462 233 226

 Men ...................................................................................................... 9,155 9,581 477 483 243 237

 Women ................................................................................................ 5,108 5,332 430 418 219 205

 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, third 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 ..................................................................................... 105,428 $649 59,778 $716 45,649 $585

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 12,039 395 7,017 407 5,022 379

 16 to 19 years ....................................................................................... 2,283 310 1,362 322 921 293

 20 to 24 years ....................................................................................... 9,756 415 5,655 427 4,101 401

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 93,388 697 52,761 768 40,627 615

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 78,744 691 44,605 760 34,138 613

 25 to 34 years ..................................................................................... 25,289 615 14,931 643 10,357 584

 35 to 44 years ..................................................................................... 27,582 730 15,697 822 11,886 622

 45 to 54 years ..................................................................................... 25,872 745 13,977 848 11,895 640

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 14,645 726 8,156 837 6,489 621

 55 to 64 years ..................................................................................... 12,731 741 6,988 858 5,743 639

 65 years and over ............................................................................... 1,914 582 1,167 650 746 500

White

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 85,558 667 49,557 737 36,001 594

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 9,920 398 5,906 411 4,015 379

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 75,638 717 43,652 792 31,986 625

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 63,356 712 36,706 782 26,650 623

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 12,282 743 6,946 871 5,336 636

Black or African American

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 12,714 520 6,159 533 6,555 509

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 1,316 367 669 366 647 368

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 11,398 551 5,490 571 5,908 531

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 9,911 550 4,773 567 5,138 534

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,487 555 717 603 770 509

Asian

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 4,674 761 2,665 834 2,009 659

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 349 408 194 405 155 412

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 4,325 790 2,471 872 1,855 690

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 3,722 795 2,125 871 1,597 692

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 603 770 345 877 257 684

Hispanic or Latino

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 14,913 462 9,581 483 5,332 418

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 2,176 375 1,455 380 721 355

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 12,738 484 8,126 502 4,611 434

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 11,606 484 7,447 502 4,160 433

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,131 488 679 499 452 455

 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

 III

2004

 III

2005

 III

2004

 III

2005

TOTAL

 Management, professional, and related occupations .............................. 35,684 37,060 $916 $935

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 14,421 14,891 958 992

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 21,263 22,168 886 897

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 14,188 14,648 411 410

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 25,399 25,936 566 570

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 10,056 10,352 598 606

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 15,343 15,584 549 550

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 11,680 12,288 613 618

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 777 903 363 352

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 6,635 7,031 602 604

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 4,268 4,354 693 705

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 15,375 15,496 520 524

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 8,561 8,453 519 516

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 6,814 7,043 521 541

Men

 Management, professional, and related occupations .............................. 17,719 18,305 1,111 1,103

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 7,926 8,186 1,169 1,147

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 9,793 10,120 1,051 1,057

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 7,188 7,262 470 464

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 9,691 10,153 668 682

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 5,701 5,792 733 748

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 3,990 4,361 606 616

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 11,247 11,734 618 622

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 655 719 366 361

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 6,523 6,867 603 605

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 4,068 4,148 699 704

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 12,054 12,324 575 577

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 6,058 6,090 591 594

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 5,995 6,234 548 556

Women

 Management, professional, and related occupations .............................. 17,965 18,754 776 812

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 6,494 6,706 799 860

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 11,470 12,049 767 785

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 7,001 7,385 382 383

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 15,708 15,783 516 514

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 4,355 4,559 456 457

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 11,354 11,223 533 530

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 433 554 434 471

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 121 184 357 324

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 112 164 569 459

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 199 207 506 720

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 3,321 3,173 398 418

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 2,502 2,363 394 416

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 819 810 406 429

 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, third 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 ........................................................................... 105,428 $306 $422 $649 $994 $1,484

 Men ......................................................................................................... 59,778 323 465 716 1,098 1,667

 Women ................................................................................................... 45,649 289 392 585 862 1,246

 White ...................................................................................................... 85,558 311 435 667 1,016 1,524

 Men ....................................................................................................... 49,557 331 480 737 1,131 1,732

 Women ................................................................................................. 36,001 290 398 594 873 1,264

 Black or African American ...................................................................... 12,714 281 368 520 783 1,129

 Men ....................................................................................................... 6,159 283 379 533 815 1,136

 Women ................................................................................................. 6,555 279 359 509 760 1,123

 Asian ....................................................................................................... 4,674 335 488 761 1,172 1,762

 Men ....................................................................................................... 2,665 373 527 834 1,333 1,917

 Women ................................................................................................. 2,009 304 433 659 993 1,440

 Hispanic or Latino ................................................................................... 14,913 269 329 462 674 1,016

 Men ....................................................................................................... 9,581 283 347 483 700 1,067

 Women ................................................................................................. 5,332 244 307 418 628 919

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

 Total, 25 years and over ......................................................................... 93,388 327 464 697 1,046 1,547

 Less than a high school diploma .......................................................... 9,302 257 311 413 565 782

 High school graduates, no college1 ...................................................... 27,640 308 408 583 815 1,117

 Some college or associate degree ....................................................... 25,655 345 476 678 950 1,290

 Bachelor’s degree and higher2 ............................................................. 30,791 490 705 1,014 1,504 2,092

 Bachelor’s degree only ....................................................................... 19,875 457 650 941 1,384 1,918

 Advanced degree ............................................................................... 10,916 597 809 1,157 1,694 2,320

 Men, 25 years and over ........................................................................ 52,761 355 505 768 1,158 1,760

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 6,381 281 336 461 621 851

 High school graduates, no college1 .................................................... 16,126 341 465 650 908 1,210

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 13,390 387 541 764 1,052 1,424

 Bachelor’s degree and higher2 ........................................................... 16,865 524 786 1,168 1,759 2,401

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 10,982 496 734 1,081 1,587 2,264

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 5,883 625 923 1,382 1,912 2,729

 Women, 25 years and over .................................................................. 40,627 304 415 615 905 1,290

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 2,922 227 281 343 446 577

 High school graduates, no college1 .................................................... 11,514 281 366 491 669 919

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 12,265 319 420 594 815 1,109

 Bachelor’s degree and higher2 ........................................................... 13,927 458 637 874 1,223 1,641

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 8,893 427 596 812 1,143 1,554

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 5,033 580 744 992 1,359 1,858

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

 III

2004

 III

2005

 III

2004

 III

2005

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 21,403 21,465 $199 $206

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 6,774 6,641 190 196

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 3,407 3,348 159 163

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 3,367 3,293 232 257

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 14,629 14,824 203 210

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,423 4,800 152 159

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 10,206 10,024 236 246

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 18,038 18,076 200 207

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,629 5,546 186 199

 Women ................................................................................................ 12,408 12,530 206 212

 Black or African American ..................................................................... 2,026 2,001 189 193

 Men ...................................................................................................... 702 651 191 185

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,324 1,350 188 197

 Asian ...................................................................................................... 842 845 217 209

 Men ...................................................................................................... 275 275 231 183

 Women ................................................................................................ 567 571 206 223

 Hispanic or Latino .................................................................................. 2,416 2,497 189 198

 Men ...................................................................................................... 808 833 192 211

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,607 1,664 187 191

 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.