For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, July 21, 2015 USDL-15-1431 

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

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

(NOTE: The Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers news releases for the first, 

second, and third quarters of 2015 were reissued on Tuesday, November 10, 2015, to correct 

errors in table 1 of the release. An incorrect price index was used to compute seasonally adjusted 

median weekly earnings in constant dollars for total, men, and women, affecting data for the first 

quarter 2010 through the third quarter 2015. These estimates have been recalculated using the 

correct price index. No other series in the usual weekly earnings news release were affected by the 

error.)

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS

SECOND QUARTER 2015

Median weekly earnings of the nation's 108.8 million full-time wage and salary workers were $801 in 

the second quarter of 2015 (not seasonally adjusted), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. 

This was 2.7 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with no change 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.) Data shown in this release are not seasonally 

adjusted unless otherwise specified. Highlights from the second-quarter data are:

• Median weekly earnings of full-time workers were $801 in the second quarter of 2015. Women

had median usual weekly earnings of $726, or 81.9 percent of the $886 median for men. (See 

table 2.) 

• The women's-to-men's earnings ratio varied by race and ethnicity. White women earned 81.2 

percent as much as their male counterparts, compared with black women (88.4 percent), Asian 

women (77.1 percent), and Hispanic women (92.4 percent). (See table 2.) 

• Among the major race and ethnicity groups, median weekly earnings for black men working at 

full-time jobs were $696 per week, or 76.1 percent of the median for white men ($914). The 

difference was less among women, as black women's median earnings ($615) were 82.9 percent 

of those for white women ($742). Overall, median earnings of Hispanics who worked full time 

($601) were lower than those of blacks ($647), whites ($829), and Asians ($965). (See table 2.) 
- 2 - 

• Usual weekly earnings of full-time workers varied by age. Among men, median weekly earnings 

were highest for those ages 45 to 54 ($1,058) and 55 to 64 ($1,037). Usual weekly earnings were 

highest for women age 35 to 64: weekly earnings were $792 for women age 35 to 44, $797 for 

women age 45 to 54, and $794 for women age 55 to 64. Workers age 16 to 24 had the lowest 

median weekly earnings, at $476. (See table 3.) 

• Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in management, 

professional, and related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,357 for 

men and $987 for women. Men and women employed in service jobs earned the least, $587 

and $457, respectively. (See table 4.) 

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

had median weekly earnings of $499, compared with $678 for high school graduates (no college) 

and $1,210 for those holding at least a bachelor's degree. Among college graduates with 

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

male workers made $3,779 or more per week, compared with $2,412 or more for their female 

counterparts. (See table 5.) 

• Seasonally adjusted median weekly earnings were $803 in the second quarter of 2015, 

essentially unchanged from the previous quarter ($802). (See table 1.) 
Technical Note 

The estimates in this release were obtained from the 

Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides basic 

information on the labor force, employment, and 

unemployment. The survey is conducted monthly for the 

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the U.S. Census Bureau 

using a scientifically selected national sample of about 

60,000 eligible households, with coverage in all 50 states and 

the District of Columbia. The earnings data are collected 

from one-fourth of the CPS monthly sample and are limited 

to wage and salary workers. All self-employed workers, both 

incorporated and unincorporated, are excluded from CPS 

earnings estimates. 

Material in this news release is in the public domain and 

may be used without permission. This information is 

available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. 

Voice telephone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 

(800) 877-8339. 

Definitions 

The principal definitions used in connection with the 

earnings data in this news release 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, or 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 

determined by each respondent’s own understanding of the 

term. 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 midpoint 

in a given earnings distribution, with half of workers having 

earnings above the median and the other half 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 BLS procedure for estimating the median of an 

earnings distribution places each reported or calculated 

weekly earnings value into a $50-wide interval that is 

centered around a multiple of $50. The median is calculated 

through the linear interpolation of the interval in which the 

median lies. 

Changes over time 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 as follows: (1) there could be a change 

in the relative weights of the subgroups. For example, the 

median of 16- to 24-year-olds and the median earnings of 

those 25 years and over may rise, but if the lower earning 16-

to-24 age 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 change 

could be caused by survey observations that are clustered at 

rounded values, such as $400 or $500. 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. 

Constant dollars. The Consumer Price Index for All 

Urban Consumers (CPI-U) is used to convert current dollars 

to constant (1982-84) dollars. 

Wage and salary workers. These are 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, it excludes all self-employed persons, both 

those with incorporated businesses and those with 

unincorporated businesses. 

Full-time workers. For the purpose of producing 

estimates of earnings, workers who usually work 35 hours or 

more per week at their sole or principal job are defined as 

working full time. 

Part-time workers. For the purpose of producing 

estimates of earnings, workers who usually work fewer than 

35 hours per week at their sole or principal job are defined as 

working part time. 

Race. In the survey process, race is determined by the 

household respondent. In accordance with the Office of 

Management and Budget guidelines, white, black or African 

American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, and 

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander are terms used to 

describe a person’s race. Estimates for the latter two race 

groups and persons who selected more than one race are not 

included in this release due to insufficient sample size. 
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. This refers to people who 

identified themselves in the survey process as being of 

Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin. People whose ethnicity 

is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

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 component of this difference that occurs 

because samples differ by chance is known as sampling 

error, and its 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. 

Additional information about the reliability of data 

from the CPS is available on the BLS website at 

www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability. 

Seasonal adjustment 

Over the course of a year, the size of the nation's labor 

force and other measures of labor market activity undergo 

regularly occurring fluctuations. These recurring events 

include seasonal changes in weather, major holidays, and the 

opening and closing of schools. The effect of such seasonal 

variations can be very large. 

Because seasonal events follow a more or less regular 

pattern each year, their influence on the level of a series can 

be tempered by adjusting for regular seasonal variation. 

These adjustments make nonseasonal developments easier to 

spot. The seasonally adjusted figures provide a more useful 

tool with which to analyze changes in quarter-to-quarter 

activity. 

At the end of each calendar year, the seasonally 

adjusted data are revised for the past 5 years when the 

seasonal adjustment factors are updated. More information 

on seasonal adjustment is available on the BLS website at 

www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#sa. 
Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by sex, quarterly averages,

seasonally adjusted

Year and quarter

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

Total Men Women

In current dollars In constant (1982-84) dollars

Total

$

Men

$

Women

$

Total

$

Men

$

Women

$

2006

2nd Quarter........................................ 105,798 59,831 45,966 663 732 597 329 364 296

3rd Quarter........................................ 107,041 60,060 46,981 678 755 603 334 372 297

4th Quarter........................................ 106,847 60,140 46,707 681 748 607 337 370 300

2007

1st Quarter........................................ 107,176 60,105 47,070 687 752 610 336 368 298

2nd Quarter........................................ 106,827 60,351 46,476 693 765 610 335 370 295

3rd Quarter........................................ 107,156 60,216 46,940 698 774 621 336 372 298

4th Quarter........................................ 108,178 60,508 47,670 700 774 615 332 368 292

2008

1st Quarter........................................ 107,786 60,378 47,408 713 783 633 335 368 298

2nd Quarter........................................ 107,046 59,586 47,460 722 802 636 335 372 295

3rd Quarter........................................ 106,136 59,273 46,863 724 802 637 331 367 291

4th Quarter........................................ 105,617 58,511 47,106 727 806 647 340 377 302

2009

1st Quarter........................................ 101,683 56,302 45,381 732 815 645 345 384 304

2nd Quarter........................................ 99,996 55,233 44,763 737 818 652 345 383 305

3rd Quarter........................................ 99,050 54,481 44,569 742 820 664 345 381 309

4th Quarter........................................ 98,555 54,410 44,145 747 823 666 344 379 307

2010

1st Quarter........................................ 98,143 54,098 44,045 748 836 662 344 384 304

2nd Quarter........................................ 99,605 55,028 44,577 742 814 671 342 374 309

3rd Quarter........................................ 100,412 55,620 44,792 746 821 670 342 377 308

4th Quarter........................................ 99,958 55,486 44,472 750 826 676 341 376 308

2011

1st Quarter........................................ 99,682 55,337 44,345 750 821 679 338 370 306

2nd Quarter........................................ 100,352 55,822 44,530 754 830 687 336 370 306

3rd Quarter........................................ 100,488 56,060 44,428 759 836 681 336 370 301

4th Quarter........................................ 101,315 56,667 44,648 761 838 686 335 369 302

2012

1st Quarter........................................ 102,184 57,118 45,066 764 841 693 335 368 303

2nd Quarter........................................ 102,504 57,057 45,448 772 870 687 337 380 300

3rd Quarter........................................ 102,630 57,245 45,385 765 836 693 333 364 301

4th Quarter........................................ 103,685 57,735 45,950 772 868 691 334 375 298

2013

1st Quarter........................................ 103,950 57,919 46,031 768 860 699 331 371 301

2nd Quarter........................................ 103,929 57,891 46,038 777 865 706 335 373 304

3rd Quarter........................................ 104,512 58,162 46,350 777 856 706 333 367 302

4th Quarter........................................ 104,673 58,019 46,654 783 862 712 334 368 304

2014

1st Quarter........................................ 105,639 58,728 46,911 790 866 716 336 368 304

2nd Quarter........................................ 106,320 59,445 46,875 782 861 715 330 363 302

3rd Quarter........................................ 106,889 59,661 47,228 797 880 722 335 370 304

4th Quarter........................................ 107,264 59,975 47,289 796 875 723 336 369 305

2015

1st Quarter........................................ 108,410 60,405 48,005 802 887 724 341 377 308

2nd Quarter........................................ 108,574 60,397 48,177 803 890 726 339 376 306

NOTE: 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 selected characteristics,

quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

2nd

2014

2nd

2015

In current dollars In constant (1982-84)

dollars

2nd

2014

2nd

2015

2nd

2014

2nd

2015

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over.............................................. 106,555 108,769 $780 $801 $328 $337

Men, 16 years and over............................................ 59,714 60,638 857 886 360 373

16 to 24 years.................................................... 5,663 5,335 481 497 202 209

25 years and over................................................ 54,052 55,303 914 942 384 396

Women, 16 years and over........................................ 46,840 48,131 716 726 301 305

16 to 24 years.................................................... 4,195 4,313 449 444 189 187

25 years and over................................................ 42,645 43,818 750 759 316 319

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White.................................................................. 84,544 85,383 802 829 337 349

Men................................................................. 48,509 48,785 884 914 372 385

Women............................................................. 36,035 36,598 725 742 305 312

Black or African American......................................... 12,736 13,566 649 647 273 272

Men................................................................. 6,056 6,442 667 696 280 293

Women............................................................. 6,680 7,124 631 615 265 259

Asian.................................................................. 6,320 6,608 954 965 401 406

Men................................................................. 3,512 3,612 1,139 1,085 479 457

Women............................................................. 2,807 2,996 855 836 360 352

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity........................................ 17,599 18,240 583 601 245 253

Men................................................................. 10,840 11,102 609 619 256 260

Women............................................................. 6,759 7,138 532 572 224 241

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 age, race, Hispanic or Latino

ethnicity, and sex, 2nd quarter 2015 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..................................................... 108,769 $801 60,638 $886 48,131 $726

16 to 24 years....................................................... 9,647 476 5,335 497 4,313 444

16 to 19 years.................................................... 1,083 376 609 382 474 366

20 to 24 years.................................................... 8,565 489 4,726 510 3,839 459

25 years and over................................................... 99,121 852 55,303 942 43,818 759

25 to 54 years.................................................... 77,076 835 43,315 918 33,761 753

25 to 34 years.................................................. 26,569 721 15,200 752 11,369 675

35 to 44 years.................................................. 24,836 896 14,053 985 10,783 792

45 to 54 years.................................................. 25,671 925 14,062 1,058 11,609 797

55 years and over................................................ 22,045 916 11,988 1,032 10,057 782

55 to 64 years.................................................. 17,965 925 9,691 1,037 8,274 794

65 years and over............................................. 4,080 883 2,297 1,003 1,783 743

White

16 years and over................................................... 85,383 829 48,785 914 36,598 742

16 to 24 years.................................................... 7,552 488 4,295 507 3,256 457

25 years and over................................................ 77,831 878 44,490 969 33,341 774

25 to 54 years.................................................. 59,685 858 34,332 943 25,352 768

55 years and over............................................. 18,146 953 10,157 1,080 7,989 811

Black or African American

16 years and over................................................... 13,566 647 6,442 696 7,124 615

16 to 24 years.................................................... 1,290 407 580 417 710 399

25 years and over................................................ 12,276 691 5,862 732 6,414 654

25 to 54 years.................................................. 9,905 683 4,754 726 5,151 647

55 years and over............................................. 2,371 725 1,108 756 1,263 680

Asian

16 years and over................................................... 6,608 965 3,612 1,085 2,996 836

16 to 24 years.................................................... 344 544 195 602 149 511

25 years and over................................................ 6,264 989 3,417 1,109 2,847 863

25 to 54 years.................................................. 5,118 1,005 2,884 1,121 2,234 871

55 years and over............................................. 1,146 902 533 1,034 613 838

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

16 years and over................................................... 18,240 601 11,102 619 7,138 572

16 to 24 years.................................................... 2,148 444 1,276 459 872 430

25 years and over................................................ 16,092 623 9,826 654 6,266 597

25 to 54 years.................................................. 13,866 620 8,501 646 5,365 594

55 years and over............................................. 2,226 659 1,324 711 901 615

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 4. 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

2nd

2014

2nd

2015

2nd

2014

2nd

2015

TOTAL

Management, professional, and related occupations................................ 43,003 44,819 $1,135 $1,147

Management, business, and financial operations occupations................... 17,424 18,400 1,200 1,243

Professional and related occupations............................................... 25,578 26,420 1,078 1,097

Service occupations...................................................................... 15,051 15,313 500 506

Sales and office occupations............................................................ 23,543 23,601 667 668

Sales and related occupations....................................................... 9,854 9,724 683 688

Office and administrative support occupations..................................... 13,689 13,876 659 661

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.................... 10,726 10,604 740 750

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations......................................... 749 778 454 440

Construction and extraction occupations............................................ 5,827 5,664 728 741

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................................. 4,149 4,162 815 835

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 14,232 14,431 629 653

Production occupations................................................................ 7,245 7,525 632 666

Transportation and material moving occupations.................................. 6,987 6,906 625 634

Men

Management, professional, and related occupations................................ 20,887 21,899 1,343 1,357

Management, business, and financial operations occupations................... 9,335 10,126 1,391 1,401

Professional and related occupations............................................... 11,552 11,773 1,299 1,319

Service occupations...................................................................... 7,820 7,732 580 587

Sales and office occupations............................................................ 9,200 9,395 759 765

Sales and related occupations....................................................... 5,448 5,373 806 864

Office and administrative support occupations..................................... 3,752 4,023 714 683

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.................... 10,360 10,194 748 761

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations......................................... 605 607 499 448

Construction and extraction occupations............................................ 5,736 5,531 729 742

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................................. 4,020 4,056 820 838

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 11,447 11,418 677 702

Production occupations................................................................ 5,347 5,508 699 734

Transportation and material moving occupations.................................. 6,100 5,909 646 663

Women

Management, professional, and related occupations................................ 22,116 22,920 969 987

Management, business, and financial operations occupations................... 8,090 8,274 1,038 1,064

Professional and related occupations............................................... 14,026 14,647 935 953

Service occupations...................................................................... 7,231 7,582 452 457

Sales and office occupations............................................................ 14,342 14,205 623 632

Sales and related occupations....................................................... 4,406 4,352 561 556

Office and administrative support occupations..................................... 9,937 9,853 646 655

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.................... 366 410 460 507

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations......................................... 145 172 345 427

Construction and extraction occupations............................................ 92 133 699 700

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................................. 130 106 637 603

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 2,785 3,013 497 524

Production occupations................................................................ 1,898 2,017 491 524

Transportation and material moving occupations.................................. 887 996 528 524

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 5. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by

selected characteristics, 2nd quarter 2015 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.............................................. 108,769 $384 $524 $801 $1,270 $1,920

Men................................................................... 60,638 402 577 886 1,414 2,190

Women............................................................... 48,131 364 491 726 1,108 1,656

White.................................................................. 85,383 394 549 829 1,313 1,977

Men................................................................. 48,785 412 591 914 1,447 2,253

Women............................................................. 36,598 374 506 742 1,128 1,662

Black or African American......................................... 13,566 340 444 647 997 1,527

Men................................................................. 6,442 355 479 696 1,073 1,564

Women............................................................. 7,124 332 422 615 936 1,459

Asian.................................................................. 6,608 402 582 965 1,538 2,322

Men................................................................. 3,612 415 613 1,085 1,752 2,577

Women............................................................. 2,996 387 531 836 1,339 1,991

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity........................................ 18,240 341 424 601 918 1,425

Men................................................................. 11,102 358 451 619 967 1,516

Women............................................................. 7,138 318 405 572 848 1,284

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over.............................................. 99,121 403 575 852 1,341 1,999

Less than a high school diploma.................................. 7,648 310 384 499 677 957

High school graduates, no college1

............................... 25,392 376 491 678 979 1,380

Some college or associate degree................................ 26,938 395 535 757 1,128 1,605

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................... 39,144 593 830 1,210 1,846 2,617

Bachelor’s degree only.......................................... 24,626 556 762 1,130 1,671 2,390

Advanced degree................................................. 14,518 689 948 1,377 2,025 3,013

Men, 25 years and over............................................ 55,303 425 609 942 1,477 2,290

Less than a high school diploma............................... 5,200 341 408 522 747 1,037

High school graduates, no college1

............................ 15,631 401 538 758 1,087 1,512

Some college or associate degree............................. 14,134 428 605 885 1,281 1,850

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

................................. 20,339 633 930 1,397 2,076 3,005

Bachelor’s degree only........................................ 12,941 602 855 1,292 1,902 2,763

Advanced degree.............................................. 7,397 737 1,085 1,571 2,404 3,779

Women, 25 years and over........................................ 43,818 381 519 759 1,151 1,727

Less than a high school diploma............................... 2,448 279 333 420 560 708

High school graduates, no college1

............................ 9,762 341 429 593 791 1,086

Some college or associate degree............................. 12,804 373 488 664 930 1,330

Bachelor’s degree and higher2................................. 18,805 555 754 1,051 1,531 2,103

Bachelor’s degree only........................................ 11,684 511 703 970 1,431 1,926

Advanced degree.............................................. 7,121 650 875 1,193 1,711 2,412

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 6. 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

2nd

2014

2nd

2015

2nd

2014

2nd

2015

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over................................................................. 24,946 24,825 $240 $244

Men, 16 years and over............................................................... 8,267 8,564 236 231

16 to 24 years........................................................................ 3,526 3,933 193 188

25 years and over................................................................... 4,741 4,630 276 291

Women, 16 years and over........................................................... 16,679 16,261 242 250

16 to 24 years........................................................................ 4,766 4,771 178 192

25 years and over................................................................... 11,913 11,491 273 281

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White..................................................................................... 19,573 19,513 245 247

Men.................................................................................... 6,231 6,601 239 232

Women................................................................................ 13,341 12,912 247 254

Black or African American............................................................ 3,073 3,013 217 226

Men.................................................................................... 1,159 1,153 220 219

Women................................................................................ 1,914 1,860 216 230

Asian..................................................................................... 1,327 1,275 235 250

Men.................................................................................... 486 455 231 243

Women................................................................................ 841 820 237 253

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity........................................................... 3,992 4,097 234 232

Men.................................................................................... 1,498 1,472 250 241

Women................................................................................ 2,493 2,625 226 227

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.