For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Thursday, January 21, 2010 USDL-10-0067 

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 • cpsinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/cps 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS

FOURTH QUARTER 2009 

Median weekly earnings of the nation's 98.7 million full-time wage and salary workers were $748 in 

the fourth quarter of 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This was 2.7 percent 

higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 1.4 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 fourth-quarter data are: 

 Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $670 per week, or 81.2 percent 

of the $825 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks 

(93.4 percent) and Hispanics (86.6 percent) than among whites (79.9 percent) or Asians (83.5 

percent). (See table 1.) 

 Among the major race and ethnicity groups, median earnings for black men working at fulltime jobs were $653 per week, 76.8 percent of the median for white men ($850). The difference was less among women, as median earnings for black women ($610) were 89.8 percent 

of those for white women ($679). Overall, median earnings of Hispanics who worked full 

time ($547) were lower than those of blacks ($629), whites ($763), and Asians ($877). (See 

table 1.) 

 Usual weekly earnings of full-time workers varied by age. Among men, those age 45 to 54 and 

age 55 to 64 had the highest median weekly earnings, $967 and $953, respectively. Among 

women, weekly earnings were highest for those age 55 to 64 ($750). (See table 2.) 

 Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in management, professional, and related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,227 for men and 

$909 for women. Persons employed in service jobs earned the least. (See table 3.) 

 By educational attainment, full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma 

had median weekly earnings of $449, compared with $638 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,121 for those holding at least a bachelor's degree. Among college graduates with 

advanced degrees (professional or master's degree and above), the highest earning 10 percent 
- 2 - 

of male workers made $3,342 or more per week, compared with $2,156 or more for their 

female counterparts. (See table 4.) 

Annual Averages for 2008 and 2009 

In addition to the data for the fourth quarter, this release includes 2008 and 2009 annual average weekly 

earnings for major demographic and occupational groups, and 2009 annual average data for educational 

attainment groups (tables 6, 7, and 8). Annual average data on median usual earnings for men and 

women by detailed occupational categories will appear in the January 2010 edition of Employment and 

Earnings Online at www.bls.gov/opub/ee/home.htm. 
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 onequarter of the CPS monthly sample and are limited to wages 

and salaries. The data, therefore, exclude self-employment 

income. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (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 errors 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 on a timely basis, mistakes made by respondents, 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" available on the BLS Web site 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

4th

2008

4th

2009

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

4th

2008

4th

2009

4th

2008

4th

2009

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over............................................... 105,774 98,720 $728 $748 $330 $334

Men, 16 years and over............................................. 58,505 54,422 807 825 366 368

16 to 24 years...................................................... 5,487 4,658 462 476 209 212

25 years and over................................................. 53,018 49,764 859 871 389 389

Women, 16 years and over......................................... 47,269 44,298 650 670 295 299

16 to 24 years...................................................... 4,392 3,648 449 436 203 195

25 years and over................................................. 42,877 40,650 679 700 308 313

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White................................................................... 85,378 79,964 748 763 339 341

Men.................................................................. 48,379 45,152 833 850 377 379

Women.............................................................. 36,999 34,813 667 679 302 303

Black or African American........................................... 12,593 11,530 593 629 269 281

Men.................................................................. 5,833 5,324 618 653 280 292

Women.............................................................. 6,760 6,207 569 610 258 272

Asian................................................................... 5,235 4,968 889 877 403 392

Men.................................................................. 2,886 2,744 989 941 448 420

Women.............................................................. 2,348 2,224 782 786 354 351

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity......................................... 15,595 14,513 535 547 242 244

Men.................................................................. 9,770 9,007 563 581 255 259

Women.............................................................. 5,825 5,506 512 503 232 224

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, 4th quarter 2009 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....................................................... 98,720 $748 54,422 $ 825 44,298 $670

16 to 24 years........................................................ 8,306 456 4,658 476 3,648 436

16 to 19 years...................................................... 916 368 568 375 348 352

20 to 24 years...................................................... 7,390 473 4,090 488 3,300 449

25 years and over.................................................... 90,414 780 49,764 871 40,650 700

25 to 54 years...................................................... 73,054 773 40,575 860 32,479 695

25 to 34 years................................................... 23,819 689 13,424 721 10,396 649

35 to 44 years................................................... 23,817 828 13,589 923 10,229 721

45 to 54 years................................................... 25,417 842 13,563 967 11,855 714

55 years and over................................................. 17,361 818 9,189 930 8,171 726

55 to 64 years................................................... 14,743 849 7,734 953 7,009 750

65 years and over............................................... 2,618 656 1,455 747 1,162 592

White

16 years and over.................................................... 79,964 763 45,152 850 34,813 679

16 to 24 years...................................................... 6,756 456 3,805 473 2,951 441

25 years and over................................................. 73,208 802 41,347 895 31,861 709

25 to 54 years................................................... 58,581 794 33,430 883 25,151 704

55 years and over............................................... 14,627 842 7,917 960 6,710 730

Black or African American

16 years and over.................................................... 11,530 629 5,324 653 6,207 610

16 to 24 years...................................................... 990 422 505 434 485 413

25 years and over................................................. 10,540 655 4,818 680 5,722 634

25 to 54 years................................................... 8,906 651 4,080 685 4,826 625

55 years and over............................................... 1,634 686 738 661 896 713

Asian

16 years and over.................................................... 4,968 877 2,744 941 2,224 786

16 to 24 years...................................................... 263 505 171 508 91 503

25 years and over................................................. 4,705 903 2,572 972 2,133 813

25 to 54 years................................................... 3,869 915 2,153 1,000 1,715 811

55 years and over............................................... 836 855 419 892 418 821

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

16 years and over.................................................... 14,513 547 9,007 581 5,506 503

16 to 24 years...................................................... 1,660 402 1,035 411 625 377

25 years and over................................................. 12,853 581 7,972 604 4,881 522

25 to 54 years................................................... 11,352 584 7,086 605 4,265 525

55 years and over............................................... 1,502 547 886 586 616 507

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

4th

2008

4th

2009

4th

2008

4th

2009

TOTAL

Management, professional, and related occupations................................. 40,749 39,555 $1,019 $1,036

Management, business, and financial operations occupations.................... 16,531 15,814 1,109 1,115

Professional and related occupations................................................ 24,219 23,741 980 994

Service occupations....................................................................... 14,853 14,002 487 482

Sales and office occupations............................................................. 24,765 22,950 622 633

Sales and related occupations........................................................ 10,077 9,391 674 662

Office and administrative support occupations...................................... 14,688 13,559 607 623

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations..................... 11,305 9,685 719 742

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......................................... 714 670 428 414

Construction and extraction occupations............................................. 6,269 5,119 715 737

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.................................. 4,322 3,895 769 811

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 14,101 12,529 591 612

Production occupations................................................................. 7,627 6,475 600 617

Transportation and material moving occupations................................... 6,474 6,054 581 605

Men

Management, professional, and related occupations................................. 19,529 18,965 1,238 1,227

Management, business, and financial operations occupations.................... 8,963 8,576 1,344 1,278

Professional and related occupations................................................ 10,566 10,388 1,171 1,169

Service occupations....................................................................... 7,389 6,991 539 566

Sales and office occupations............................................................. 9,521 9,116 737 737

Sales and related occupations........................................................ 5,574 5,359 826 780

Office and administrative support occupations...................................... 3,947 3,757 652 673

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations..................... 10,914 9,317 723 751

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......................................... 562 546 441 428

Construction and extraction occupations............................................. 6,169 5,025 714 738

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.................................. 4,183 3,747 770 817

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 11,152 10,034 630 651

Production occupations................................................................. 5,551 4,775 666 680

Transportation and material moving occupations................................... 5,602 5,259 602 624

Women

Management, professional, and related occupations................................. 21,221 20,591 881 909

Management, business, and financial operations occupations.................... 7,568 7,238 926 943

Professional and related occupations................................................ 13,653 13,353 862 892

Service occupations....................................................................... 7,464 7,011 441 418

Sales and office occupations............................................................. 15,244 13,834 583 593

Sales and related occupations........................................................ 4,503 4,032 529 519

Office and administrative support occupations...................................... 10,741 9,803 596 611

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations..................... 390 368 596 506

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......................................... 152 124 396 374

Construction and extraction occupations............................................. 100 95 769 687

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.................................. 138 149 719 632

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 2,949 2,495 458 482

Production occupations................................................................. 2,077 1,700 458 483

Transportation and material moving occupations................................... 873 795 460 480

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, 4th quarter 2009 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............................................... 98,720 $355 $ 499 $ 748 $1,146 $1,738

Men..................................................................... 54,422 379 545 825 1,267 1,910

Women................................................................. 44,298 333 462 670 989 1,457

White................................................................... 79,964 363 508 763 1,166 1,769

Men.................................................................. 45,152 384 562 850 1,314 1,945

Women.............................................................. 34,813 341 473 679 1,003 1,473

Black or African American........................................... 11,530 312 423 629 918 1,272

Men.................................................................. 5,324 331 447 653 966 1,356

Women.............................................................. 6,207 301 408 610 889 1,224

Asian................................................................... 4,968 366 539 877 1,353 1,899

Men.................................................................. 2,744 378 595 941 1,465 2,100

Women.............................................................. 2,224 351 494 786 1,232 1,725

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity......................................... 14,513 301 383 547 819 1,283

Men.................................................................. 9,007 313 398 581 867 1,389

Women.............................................................. 5,506 290 356 503 740 1,145

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over............................................... 90,414 376 524 780 1,184 1,781

Less than a high school diploma................................... 7,088 285 342 449 617 823

High school graduates, no college1

............................... 24,446 342 460 638 900 1,238

Some college or associate degree................................. 25,066 385 518 735 1,027 1,419

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................... 33,814 545 759 1,121 1,645 2,320

Bachelor’s degree only............................................ 21,977 511 710 1,020 1,495 2,103

Advanced degree.................................................. 11,836 648 908 1,309 1,900 2,891

Men, 25 years and over............................................. 49,764 400 590 871 1,337 1,979

Less than a high school diploma................................ 4,832 301 378 506 686 917

High school graduates, no college1............................ 14,426 376 514 721 994 1,370

Some college or associate degree.............................. 12,861 431 607 833 1,177 1,604

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

.................................. 17,645 601 873 1,273 1,896 2,790

Bachelor’s degree only......................................... 11,547 572 790 1,168 1,745 2,402

Advanced degree............................................... 6,097 743 1,019 1,519 2,277 3,342

Women, 25 years and over......................................... 40,650 348 484 700 1,021 1,497

Less than a high school diploma................................ 2,256 263 304 371 477 606

High school graduates, no college1

............................ 10,020 319 405 547 748 996

Some college or associate degree.............................. 12,205 350 477 640 888 1,158

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................. 16,169 507 692 963 1,384 1,893

Bachelor’s degree only......................................... 10,430 484 639 890 1,265 1,744

Advanced degree............................................... 5,739 600 798 1,122 1,583 2,156

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

4th

2008

4th

2009

4th

2008

4th

2009

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over.................................................................. 22,913 24,548 $218 $228

Men, 16 years and over................................................................ 7,528 8,299 212 224

16 to 24 years........................................................................ 3,601 3,285 164 171

25 years and over.................................................................... 3,927 5,015 279 273

Women, 16 years and over............................................................ 15,385 16,249 221 230

16 to 24 years........................................................................ 4,614 4,623 157 165

25 years and over.................................................................... 10,770 11,625 261 266

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White...................................................................................... 19,158 20,685 219 227

Men..................................................................................... 6,200 6,859 211 221

Women................................................................................. 12,958 13,826 222 231

Black or African American............................................................. 2,250 2,351 210 225

Men..................................................................................... 812 877 218 244

Women................................................................................. 1,438 1,474 207 214

Asian...................................................................................... 901 856 240 268

Men..................................................................................... 285 297 211 276

Women................................................................................. 616 559 256 265

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity............................................................ 2,886 3,548 221 223

Men..................................................................................... 1,088 1,466 243 234

Women................................................................................. 1,799 2,082 211 218

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.

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 6. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, annual

averages

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

2008 2009

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

2008 2009 2008 2009

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over............................................... 106,648 99,820 $722 $739 $323 $333

Men, 16 years and over............................................. 59,439 55,108 798 819 358 368

16 to 24 years...................................................... 5,996 5,014 461 458 207 206

25 years and over................................................. 53,444 50,094 857 873 384 393

Women, 16 years and over......................................... 47,209 44,712 638 657 286 295

16 to 24 years...................................................... 4,625 3,943 420 424 188 191

25 years and over................................................. 42,584 40,769 670 687 300 309

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White................................................................... 86,022 80,873 742 757 333 341

Men.................................................................. 49,082 45,730 825 845 370 380

Women.............................................................. 36,940 35,144 654 669 293 301

Black or African American........................................... 12,821 11,713 589 601 264 270

Men.................................................................. 6,031 5,386 620 621 278 279

Women.............................................................. 6,790 6,327 554 582 248 262

Asian................................................................... 5,266 4,923 861 880 386 396

Men.................................................................. 2,919 2,727 966 952 433 428

Women.............................................................. 2,347 2,196 753 779 337 351

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity......................................... 15,807 14,624 529 541 237 243

Men.................................................................. 9,961 9,150 559 569 251 256

Women.............................................................. 5,846 5,474 501 509 225 229

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 7. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, annual

averages

Occupation and sex

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

2008 2009 2008 2009

TOTAL

Management, professional, and related occupations................................. 40,154 39,080 $1,025 $1,044

Management, business, and financial operations occupations.................... 16,310 15,879 1,128 1,138

Professional and related occupations................................................ 23,845 23,201 980 994

Service occupations....................................................................... 14,814 14,299 475 470

Sales and office occupations............................................................. 25,232 23,503 614 624

Sales and related occupations........................................................ 10,113 9,489 656 665

Office and administrative support occupations...................................... 15,119 14,014 601 612

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations..................... 11,609 10,216 702 719

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......................................... 756 707 420 416

Construction and extraction occupations............................................. 6,432 5,267 688 718

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.................................. 4,420 4,242 774 781

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 14,840 12,722 594 605

Production occupations................................................................. 8,008 6,576 595 610

Transportation and material moving occupations................................... 6,832 6,145 593 599

Men

Management, professional, and related occupations................................. 19,619 18,928 1,238 1,248

Management, business, and financial operations occupations.................... 8,847 8,635 1,343 1,334

Professional and related occupations................................................ 10,773 10,293 1,169 1,191

Service occupations....................................................................... 7,355 7,113 537 524

Sales and office occupations............................................................. 9,597 9,045 733 737

Sales and related occupations........................................................ 5,594 5,281 796 793

Office and administrative support occupations...................................... 4,003 3,765 651 657

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations..................... 11,159 9,800 705 727

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......................................... 612 572 427 428

Construction and extraction occupations............................................. 6,293 5,154 688 719

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.................................. 4,253 4,075 774 787

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 11,709 10,222 637 648

Production occupations................................................................. 5,763 4,865 659 678

Transportation and material moving occupations................................... 5,946 5,357 615 618

Women

Management, professional, and related occupations................................. 20,535 20,152 892 907

Management, business, and financial operations occupations.................... 7,463 7,244 941 955

Professional and related occupations................................................ 13,072 12,908 867 880

Service occupations....................................................................... 7,458 7,187 418 418

Sales and office occupations............................................................. 15,635 14,458 578 590

Sales and related occupations........................................................ 4,518 4,208 516 525

Office and administrative support occupations...................................... 11,117 10,249 590 602

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations..................... 450 416 607 542

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......................................... 144 135 392 372

Construction and extraction occupations............................................. 139 113 747 673

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.................................. 167 167 779 644

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 3,131 2,500 462 472

Production occupations................................................................. 2,245 1,712 464 472

Transportation and material moving occupations................................... 886 788 455 472

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 8. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by

selected characteristics, 2009 annual averages

Characteristic

Number of

workers

(in

thousands)

Upper limit of:

First decile First

quartile

Second

quartile

(median)

Third

quartile

Ninth

decile

TOTAL

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90,863 $375 $ 518 $ 774 $1,187 $1,800

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,289 281 343 454 617 859

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,377 341 454 626 894 1,230

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,117 382 513 726 1,030 1,422

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33,080 554 768 1,137 1,680 2,388

Bachelor’s degree only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,271 512 719 1,025 1,536 2,177

Advanced degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,809 663 916 1,328 1,905 2,885

Men

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50,094 400 581 873 1,345 1,978

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,919 296 378 500 686 935

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,758 379 505 716 995 1,363

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,936 423 591 835 1,174 1,589

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,481 608 884 1,327 1,907 2,880

Bachelor’s degree only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,255 579 811 1,200 1,767 2,483

Advanced degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,227 741 1,032 1,535 2,248 3,319

Women

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,769 345 479 687 1,016 1,485

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,370 252 304 382 501 630

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,619 313 402 542 734 988

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,181 351 470 630 877 1,173

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,599 507 700 970 1,386 1,905

Bachelor’s degree only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,017 479 640 891 1,258 1,770

Advanced degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,583 613 826 1,144 1,580 2,168

White, total

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73,545 382 535 799 1,224 1,862

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,975 283 345 464 623 879

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,579 352 475 651 920 1,262

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,129 392 530 749 1,066 1,464

Bachelor’s degree and higher2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,862 571 783 1,152 1,738 2,463

Bachelor’s degree only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,346 521 733 1,051 1,571 2,277

Advanced degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,516 679 929 1,341 1,916 2,900

White men

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41,569 409 595 898 1,372 2,019

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,184 298 379 504 691 952

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,243 390 521 740 1,019 1,397

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,677 440 611 868 1,213 1,647

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,465 626 911 1,352 1,922 2,899

Bachelor’s degree only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,421 595 847 1,241 1,849 2,521

Advanced degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,044 756 1,054 1,559 2,293 3,456

White women

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,976 351 488 702 1,034 1,512

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,791 256 304 378 504 627

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,335 319 411 556 748 1,008

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,452 359 482 645 895 1,203

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,397 510 705 976 1,398 1,915

Bachelor’s degree only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,925 482 643 894 1,265 1,811

Advanced degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,472 621 835 1,149 1,589 2,184

Black or African American, total

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,679 331 435 621 923 1,312

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 767 258 325 413 538 768

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,544 312 393 533 741 988

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,513 341 447 608 863 1,145

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,855 488 653 921 1,338 1,868

Bachelor’s degree only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,929 460 611 853 1,225 1,660

Advanced degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 926 577 785 1,094 1,552 2,072

Black or African American men

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,877 348 467 656 980 1,428

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403 278 360 453 603 812

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,823 327 413 588 813 1,074

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 8. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by

selected characteristics, 2009 annual averages — Continued

Characteristic

Number of

workers

(in

thousands)

Upper limit of:

First decile First

quartile

Second

quartile

(median)

Third

quartile

Ninth

decile

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,460 $371 $487 $ 655 $ 953 $1,247

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,190 494 666 987 1,486 2,015

Bachelor’s degree only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 812 483 618 898 1,372 1,891

Advanced degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378 559 856 1,152 1,782 2,321

Black or African American women

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,802 322 416 600 879 1,227

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364 247 304 391 483 625

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,720 303 374 497 659 888

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,052 329 418 581 787 1,037

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,665 484 647 886 1,235 1,681

Bachelor’s degree only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,117 446 605 832 1,150 1,546

Advanced degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548 583 752 1,040 1,447 1,901

Asian, total

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,642 383 578 907 1,420 1,979

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 265 340 421 618 842

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 734 303 413 592 820 1,157

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 755 365 492 712 1,012 1,383

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,828 533 782 1,168 1,723 2,305

Bachelor’s degree only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,624 491 713 1,017 1,496 1,942

Advanced degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,205 660 950 1,400 1,909 2,728

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, total

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,917 305 396 576 858 1,311

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,942 281 329 421 584 771

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,959 308 397 555 782 1,100

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,835 355 482 658 941 1,357

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,180 471 663 985 1,461 2,135

Bachelor’s degree only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,568 444 622 892 1,317 1,908

Advanced degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 612 543 894 1,260 1,881 2,521

Hispanic or Latino men

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,087 318 413 598 902 1,398

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,844 291 358 469 619 821

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,539 325 419 594 849 1,202

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,535 381 515 729 1,062 1,467

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,170 487 727 1,106 1,701 2,505

Bachelor’s degree only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 820 477 676 998 1,516 2,309

Advanced degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350 524 937 1,397 1,991 2,915

Hispanic or Latino women

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,829 291 366 529 775 1,155

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,098 254 297 355 460 583

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,420 289 361 495 681 919

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,300 335 441 592 804 1,113

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,010 434 624 884 1,266 1,762

Bachelor’s degree only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 748 407 590 806 1,123 1,585

Advanced degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 571 831 1,152 1,551 2,108

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.