1

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 06-1236

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Thursday, July 20, 2006

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:

SECOND QUARTER 2006

Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 105.9 million full-time wage and salary workers were $659 in

 the second quarter of 2006, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported

today. This was 2.5 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 4.0 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period.

Data on usual earnings are collected as part of the Current Population Survey, a nationwide sample survey of households in which respondents are asked, among other things, how much each wage and salary

worker usually earns. (See the Explanatory Note.) Highlights from the second-quarter data are:

—Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $593 per week, or 81.1 percent of the

$731 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks (89.2 percent) and

Hispanics or Latinos (86.1 percent) than among Asians (81.6 percent) or whites (79.9 percent). (See

table 1.)

—Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $573 per week, 76.1 percent of the

median for white men ($753). The difference was less among women, as black women’s median earnings

($511) were 84.9 percent of those for their white counterparts ($602). Overall, median earnings of Hispanics or Latinos who worked full time ($485) were lower than those of blacks ($534), whites ($678), and

Asians ($765). (See table 1.)

—Among men, those age 55 to 64 and age 45 to 54 had the highest median weekly earnings, $900 and

$897, respectively. Among women, earnings were highest for those age 45 to 54 ($646). (See table 2.)

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

related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,159 for men and $829 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

$420, compared with $591 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,047 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 $2,888 or more per week,

compared with $1,994 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

II

2005

II

2006

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

II

2005

II

2006

II

2005

II

2006

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 103,332 105,881 $643 $659 $319 $315

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 58,242 59,983 713 731 354 349

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 6,511 6,684 407 421 202 201

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 51,730 53,299 762 783 378 374

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 45,090 45,897 580 593 288 283

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,708 4,710 374 395 186 188

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 40,382 41,188 608 619 301 295

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 83,903 85,831 663 678 329 323

 Men ...................................................................................................... 48,487 49,804 732 753 363 359

 Women ................................................................................................ 35,416 36,026 590 602 293 287

 Black or African American ..................................................................... 12,293 12,748 518 534 257 255

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,882 6,084 565 573 280 274

 Women ................................................................................................ 6,411 6,664 487 511 241 244

 Asian ...................................................................................................... 4,697 4,858 743 765 369 365

 Men ...................................................................................................... 2,580 2,780 810 843 402 402

 Women ................................................................................................ 2,118 2,078 664 688 329 328

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity .................................................................... 14,817 15,715 473 485 235 231

 Men ...................................................................................................... 9,575 10,044 487 504 242 241

 Women ................................................................................................ 5,242 5,671 437 434 217 207

 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 2006, 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, second quarter 2006 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 ..................................................................................... 105,881 $659 59,983 $731 45,897 $593

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 11,394 410 6,684 421 4,710 395

 16 to 19 years ....................................................................................... 1,804 330 1,055 355 749 307

 20 to 24 years ....................................................................................... 9,590 427 5,629 438 3,961 416

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 94,487 705 53,299 783 41,188 619

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 78,777 700 44,689 772 34,088 619

 25 to 34 years ..................................................................................... 25,350 617 14,703 647 10,647 583

 35 to 44 years ..................................................................................... 27,273 735 15,639 815 11,634 638

 45 to 54 years ..................................................................................... 26,153 766 14,347 897 11,807 646

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 15,710 728 8,611 858 7,100 619

 55 to 64 years ..................................................................................... 13,617 749 7,341 900 6,276 633

 65 years and over ............................................................................... 2,093 559 1,270 614 823 510

White

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 85,831 678 49,804 753 36,026 602

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 9,273 414 5,591 427 3,682 396

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 76,558 727 44,213 814 32,345 630

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 63,423 723 36,883 800 26,540 630

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 13,134 746 7,330 889 5,804 628

Black or African American

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 12,748 534 6,084 573 6,664 511

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 1,388 386 679 394 709 375

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 11,360 570 5,405 595 5,955 530

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 9,768 575 4,640 596 5,128 535

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,592 546 765 592 826 517

Asian

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 4,858 765 2,780 843 2,078 688

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 304 487 174 483 130 496

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 4,553 803 2,605 897 1,948 714

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 3,840 810 2,246 893 1,594 724

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 713 761 359 912 354 664

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 15,715 485 10,044 504 5,671 434

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 2,266 378 1,517 384 749 362

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 13,449 507 8,526 533 4,922 454

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 12,065 507 7,671 535 4,394 450

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,383 506 855 522 528 485

 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 2006, 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

II

2005

II

2006

II

2005

II

2006

TOTAL

 Management, professional, and related occupations .............................. 36,148 37,095 $926 $967

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 14,664 15,267 979 1,091

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 21,484 21,827 894 911

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 14,217 14,933 406 421

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 25,379 25,860 577 581

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 10,460 10,682 624 615

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 14,918 15,177 550 561

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 12,337 12,430 616 643

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 735 739 374 388

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 7,061 7,204 595 610

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 4,542 4,487 692 736

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 15,250 15,564 546 554

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 8,373 8,576 552 549

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 6,878 6,988 536 565

Men

 Management, professional, and related occupations .............................. 17,936 18,713 1,089 1,159

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 8,131 8,669 1,144 1,254

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 9,805 10,044 1,054 1,090

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 6,937 7,237 473 492

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 9,623 9,827 684 669

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 5,806 5,952 744 735

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 3,817 3,875 608 600

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 11,793 11,947 621 648

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 575 542 402 411

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 6,873 7,071 599 611

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 4,344 4,334 693 734

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 11,952 12,259 593 598

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 6,026 6,153 607 615

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 5,926 6,105 580 587

Women

 Management, professional, and related occupations .............................. 18,211 18,381 805 829

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 6,533 6,598 838 899

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 11,679 11,783 785 781

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 7,281 7,696 371 389

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 15,755 16,032 523 534

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 4,655 4,730 495 491

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 11,101 11,302 531 551

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 545 483 438 504

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 160 197 333 305

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 188 133 406 542

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 197 153 659 837

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 3,298 3,305 409 424

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 2,347 2,423 417 427

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 951 883 391 415

 NOTE: Beginning in January 2006, 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, second quarter 2006 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 ........................................................................... 105,881 $316 $441 $659 $1,017 $1,542

 Men ......................................................................................................... 59,983 339 486 731 1,148 1,750

 Women ................................................................................................... 45,897 296 403 593 874 1,266

 White ...................................................................................................... 85,831 323 456 678 1,042 1,573

 Men ....................................................................................................... 49,804 349 497 753 1,165 1,772

 Women ................................................................................................. 36,026 300 409 602 887 1,277

 Black or African American ...................................................................... 12,748 287 384 534 783 1,171

 Men ....................................................................................................... 6,084 296 396 573 852 1,259

 Women ................................................................................................. 6,664 280 372 511 755 1,093

 Asian ....................................................................................................... 4,858 341 502 765 1,273 1,900

 Men ....................................................................................................... 2,780 375 533 843 1,400 2,008

 Women ................................................................................................. 2,078 316 475 688 1,112 1,555

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ..................................................................... 15,715 277 349 485 696 1,032

 Men ....................................................................................................... 10,044 293 372 504 732 1,119

 Women ................................................................................................. 5,671 244 315 434 639 920

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

 Total, 25 years and over ......................................................................... 94,487 338 480 705 1,078 1,604

 Less than a high school diploma .......................................................... 9,339 258 319 420 592 791

 High school graduates, no college1 ...................................................... 28,256 314 416 591 836 1,160

 Some college or associate degree ....................................................... 25,905 359 488 676 957 1,312

 Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 ............................................................ 30,987 506 721 1,047 1,563 2,205

 Bachelor’s degree only ....................................................................... 20,163 480 660 968 1,441 1,925

 Advanced degree ............................................................................... 10,824 613 841 1,217 1,835 2,513

 Men, 25 years and over ........................................................................ 53,299 376 520 783 1,206 1,842

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 6,328 287 360 475 637 853

 High school graduates, no college1 .................................................... 16,372 354 488 669 952 1,283

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 13,463 403 554 779 1,108 1,467

 Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 .......................................................... 17,136 545 792 1,200 1,839 2,482

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 11,048 501 736 1,112 1,641 2,253

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 6,088 663 954 1,440 2,005 2,888

 Women, 25 years and over .................................................................. 41,188 311 423 619 914 1,338

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 3,011 224 278 356 466 642

 High school graduates, no college1 .................................................... 11,883 289 373 496 675 895

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 12,442 329 433 597 808 1,084

 Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 .......................................................... 13,851 484 648 923 1,287 1,770

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 9,115 451 612 856 1,198 1,658

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 4,736 582 749 1,026 1,465 1,994

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 2006, 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

II

2005

II

2006

II

2005

II

2006

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 21,891 21,862 $204 $204

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 6,962 6,660 194 190

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 3,339 3,433 152 152

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 3,623 3,227 245 248

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 14,929 15,202 209 210

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,633 4,746 151 148

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 10,296 10,456 245 249

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 18,479 18,382 205 206

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,839 5,508 192 190

 Women ................................................................................................ 12,640 12,874 211 212

 Black or African American ..................................................................... 2,120 2,125 201 193

 Men ...................................................................................................... 697 710 206 187

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,423 1,415 197 195

 Asian ...................................................................................................... 792 876 197 213

 Men ...................................................................................................... 256 267 189 193

 Women ................................................................................................ 536 609 201 228

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity .................................................................... 2,506 2,384 201 203

 Men ...................................................................................................... 868 755 209 219

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,637 1,629 196 198

 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 2006, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.