1

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 04-2167

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:

THIRD QUARTER 2004

Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 102.3 million full-time wage and salary workers were $632 in the

third quarter of 2004, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This

was 2.3 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 2.7 percent in the Consumer Price Index

for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period.

Data on usual earnings are collected as part of the Current Population Survey, a nationwide sample

survey of households in which respondents are asked, among other things, how much each wage and salary

worker usually earns. (See the explanatory note.) Highlights from the third-quarter data are:

Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $571 per week, or 81.1 percent of the

$704 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among Hispanics or Latinos

(90.1 percent) and blacks (89.1 percent) than among whites (80.9 percent) or Asians (73.5 percent). (See

table 1.)

Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $570 per week, 79.1 percent of the

median for white men ($721). The difference was less among women, as black women’s median earnings ($508) were 87.1 percent of those for their white counterparts ($583). Overall, median earnings of

Hispanics or Latinos who worked full time ($458) were lower than those of blacks ($531), whites ($651),

and Asians ($701). (See table 1.)

Among men, those age 45 to 54 and age 55 to 64 had the highest median weekly earnings, $859 and

$828, respectively. Among women, earnings also were highest for these two age groups—$629 for 45- to

54-year olds and $607 for 55- to 64-year olds. (See table 2.)

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

related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,111 for men and $776 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 $399,

compared with $574 for high school graduates (no college) and $984 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 $2,881 or more per week, compared with

$1,890 or more for their female counterparts. (See table 4.)
Explanatory Note

The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current

Population Survey (CPS), which provides the basic information on the

labor force, employment, and unemployment. The survey is conducted

monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S.Census Bureau

from a scientifically selected national sample of about 60,000 households,

with coverage in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The earnings

data are collected from one-quarter of the CPS monthly sample and are

limited to wages and salaries. The data, therefore, exclude selfemployment income.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired

individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message

referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.

Reliability

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and

nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire population,

is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from

the "true" population values they represent. The exact difference, or

sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected, and

this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There

is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based

on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true"

population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally

conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling

error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a

segment of the population, inability to obtain information for all

respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to

provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or

processing of the data.

For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and

information on estimating standard errors, see the “Explanatory Notes

and Estimates of Error” section of Employment and Earnings.

Definitions

The principal definitions used in connection with the earnings series

are described briefly below.

Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before taxes and

other deductions and include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips

usually received (at the main job in the case of multiple jobholders.) Prior

to 1994, respondents were asked how much they usually earned per

week. Since January 1994, respondents have been asked to identify the

easiest way for them to report earnings (hourly, weekly, biweekly, twice

monthly, monthly, annually, other) and how much they usually earn in

the reported time period. Earnings reported on a basis other than weekly

are converted to a weekly equivalent. The term “usual” is as perceived

by the respondent. If the respondent asks for a definition of usual,

interviewers are instructed to define the term as more than half the weeks

worked during the past 4 or 5 months.

Medians (and other quantiles) of weekly earnings. The median (or

upper limit of the second quartile) is the amount which divides a given

earnings distribution into two equal groups, one having earnings above

the median and the other having earnings below the median. Ten percent

of a given distribution have earnings below the upper limit of the first

decile (90 percent have higher earnings); 25 percent have earnings below

the upper limit of the first quartile (75 percent have higher earnings); 75

percent have earnings below the upper limit of the third quartile (25

percent have higher earnings); and 90 percent have earnings below the

upper limit of the ninth decile (10 percent have higher earnings).

The estimating procedure places each reported or calculated weekly

earnings value into $50-wide intervals which are centered around

multiples of $50. The actual value is estimated through the linear

interpolation of the interval in which the quantile boundary lies.

Over-the-year changes in the medians (and other quantile boundaries)

for specific groups may not necessarily be consistent with the movements

estimated for the overall quantile boundary. The most common reasons

for this possible anomaly are: (1) There could be a change in the relative

weights of the subgroups. For example, the medians of both 16-to-24

year olds and those 25 years and over may rise; but if the lower-earning

16-to-24 group accounts for a greatly increased share of the total, the

overall median could actually fall. (2) There could be a large change in the

shape of the distribution of reported earnings, particularly near a quantile

boundary. This could be caused by survey observations that are

clustered at rounded values, e.g., $250, $300, $400. An estimate lying

in a $50-wide centered interval containing such a cluster or “spike” tends

to change more slowly than one in other intervals.

Wage and salary workers. Workers who receive wages, salaries,

commissions, tips, payment in kind, or piece rates. The group includes

employees in both the private and public sectors but, for the purposes

of the earnings series, excludes all self-employed persons, regardless

of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

Full-time workers. Workers who usually work 35 hours or more per

week at their sole or principal job.

Part-time workers. Workers who usually work fewer than 35 hours

per week at their sole or principal job.

Constant dollars. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers

(CPI-U) is used to convert current dollars to constant (1982) dollars.

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. This refers to persons who identified

themselves in the enumeration process as being Spanish, Hispanic, or

Latino. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino

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

as by race.
Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages,

not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

 III

2003

 III

2004

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

 III

2003

 III

2004

 III

2003

 III

2004

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 101,372 102,325 $618 $632 $323 $322

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 57,175 57,898 689 704 360 358

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 6,746 6,865 396 400 207 204

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 50,429 51,033 742 759 388 386

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 44,197 44,427 550 571 288 291

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 5,018 5,083 366 371 191 189

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 39,180 39,344 585 602 306 306

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 82,828 83,367 633 651 331 331

 Men ...................................................................................................... 47,815 48,172 708 721 370 367

 Women ................................................................................................ 35,012 35,195 569 583 297 297

 Black or African American ..................................................................... 11,984 12,136 509 531 266 270

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,654 5,757 568 570 297 290

 Women ................................................................................................ 6,330 6,379 478 508 250 258

 Asian ...................................................................................................... 4,382 4,408 692 701 362 357

 Men ...................................................................................................... 2,500 2,581 762 801 399 408

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,882 1,827 592 589 310 300

 Hispanic or Latino .................................................................................. 13,805 14,263 444 458 232 233

 Men ...................................................................................................... 8,761 9,155 463 477 242 243

 Women ................................................................................................ 5,044 5,108 414 430 216 219

 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 2004, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. 
Table 2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and

sex, third quarter 2004 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 ..................................................................................... 102,325 $632 57,898 $704 44,427 $571

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 11,948 387 6,865 400 5,083 371

 16 to 19 years ....................................................................................... 2,159 300 1,336 310 823 279

 20 to 24 years ....................................................................................... 9,789 410 5,529 431 4,260 390

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 90,377 681 51,033 759 39,344 602

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 76,721 680 43,519 753 33,203 603

 25 to 34 years ..................................................................................... 25,016 610 14,584 643 10,432 575

 35 to 44 years ..................................................................................... 26,780 708 15,387 802 11,393 607

 45 to 54 years ..................................................................................... 24,925 740 13,547 859 11,377 629

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 13,656 689 7,515 800 6,141 596

 55 to 64 years ..................................................................................... 11,874 711 6,478 828 5,395 607

 65 years and over ............................................................................... 1,782 575 1,036 623 746 484

White

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 83,367 651 48,172 721 35,195 583

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 9,843 389 5,811 403 4,032 371

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 73,524 701 42,361 781 31,163 613

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 61,864 699 35,867 774 25,997 613

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 11,660 714 6,494 832 5,166 612

Black or African American

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 12,136 531 5,757 570 6,379 508

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 1,311 374 630 380 682 366

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 10,824 567 5,127 599 5,697 524

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 9,543 575 4,526 602 5,017 536

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,282 515 601 573 680 482

Asian

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 4,408 701 2,581 801 1,827 589

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 420 414 201 501 219 392

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 3,987 743 2,379 848 1,608 615

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 3,511 753 2,094 855 1,417 627

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 476 696 286 798 190 524

Hispanic or Latino

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 14,263 458 9,155 477 5,108 430

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 2,263 328 1,524 329 739 325

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 12,000 488 7,631 502 4,369 456

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 10,909 487 6,980 501 3,929 455

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,091 502 652 528 440 463

 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 2004, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. 
Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, quarterly averages, 

not seasonally adjusted

Occupation and sex

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

 III

2003

 III

2004

 III

2003

 III

2004

TOTAL

 Managerial, professional, and related occupations ................................. 35,663 35,684 $883 $916

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 14,388 14,421 951 958

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 21,276 21,263 840 886

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 13,996 14,188 400 411

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 25,199 25,399 544 566

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 10,003 10,056 598 598

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 15,196 15,343 524 549

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 11,344 11,680 600 613

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 783 777 398 363

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 6,378 6,635 586 602

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 4,182 4,268 679 693

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 15,170 15,375 527 520

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 8,790 8,561 526 519

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 6,380 6,814 529 521

Men

 Managerial, professional, and related occupations ................................. 17,799 17,719 1,056 1,111

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 8,070 7,926 1,112 1,169

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 9,728 9,793 1,018 1,051

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 7,112 7,188 451 470

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 9,583 9,691 647 668

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 5,653 5,701 728 733

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 3,930 3,990 571 606

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 10,870 11,247 604 618

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 648 655 408 366

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 6,224 6,523 587 603

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 3,998 4,068 681 699

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 11,811 12,054 579 575

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 6,210 6,058 595 591

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 5,601 5,995 549 548

Women

 Managerial, professional, and related occupations ................................. 17,865 17,965 755 776

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 6,317 6,494 808 799

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 11,547 11,470 731 767

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 6,883 7,001 361 382

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 15,616 15,708 501 516

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 4,350 4,355 428 456

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 11,266 11,354 516 533

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 474 433 488 434

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 135 121 327 357

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 154 112 510 569

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 185 199 639 506

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 3,359 3,321 414 398

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 2,579 2,502 400 394

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 780 819 477 406

 NOTE: Beginning in January 2004, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. 
Table 4. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected

characteristics, third quarter 2004 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 ........................................................................... 102,325 $303 $419 $632 $970 $1,461

 Men ......................................................................................................... 57,898 319 463 704 1,089 1,641

 Women ................................................................................................... 44,427 287 388 571 831 1,183

 White ...................................................................................................... 83,367 307 429 651 990 1,489

 Men ....................................................................................................... 48,172 323 478 721 1,119 1,668

 Women ................................................................................................. 35,195 290 393 583 845 1,208

 Black or African American ...................................................................... 12,136 285 379 531 773 1,122

 Men ....................................................................................................... 5,757 297 393 570 832 1,214

 Women ................................................................................................. 6,379 278 365 508 729 1,033

 Asian ....................................................................................................... 4,408 316 428 701 1,143 1,757

 Men ....................................................................................................... 2,581 338 495 801 1,356 1,908

 Women ................................................................................................. 1,827 292 384 589 925 1,339

 Hispanic or Latino ................................................................................... 14,263 267 322 458 685 1,017

 Men ....................................................................................................... 9,155 277 332 477 695 1,055

 Women ................................................................................................. 5,108 251 310 430 661 962

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

 Total, 25 years and over ......................................................................... 90,377 325 462 681 1,019 1,527

 Less than a high school diploma .......................................................... 8,484 249 305 399 540 771

 High school graduates, no college1 ...................................................... 27,171 307 409 574 792 1,097

 Some college or associate degree ....................................................... 25,322 344 478 661 935 1,283

 Bachelor’s degree and higher2 ............................................................. 29,400 492 689 984 1,469 2,018

 Bachelor’s degree only ....................................................................... 19,437 462 636 908 1,344 1,889

 Advanced degree ............................................................................... 9,963 606 823 1,159 1,735 2,392

 Men, 25 years and over ........................................................................ 51,033 357 506 759 1,153 1,735

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 5,709 275 330 442 603 865

 High school graduates, no college1 .................................................... 15,770 339 459 634 899 1,219

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 13,195 390 547 763 1,072 1,476

 Bachelor’s degree and higher2 ........................................................... 16,360 537 766 1,136 1,694 2,310

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 10,791 500 715 1,024 1,538 2,078

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 5,568 649 934 1,380 1,904 2,881

 Women, 25 years and over .................................................................. 39,344 301 412 602 873 1,232

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 2,775 227 275 334 421 541

 High school graduates, no college1 .................................................... 11,401 283 367 491 660 885

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 12,127 317 417 580 777 1,039

 Bachelor’s degree and higher2 ........................................................... 13,040 458 625 859 1,186 1,645

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 8,646 429 588 790 1,100 1,495

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 4,394 575 735 983 1,378 1,890

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 2004, data reflect revised

population controls used in the household survey. 
Table 5. Median usual weekly earnings of part-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages,

not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

 III

2003

 III

2004

 III

2003

 III

2004

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 20,907 21,403 $199 $199

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 6,428 6,774 189 190

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 3,295 3,407 153 159

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 3,134 3,367 241 232

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 14,478 14,629 205 203

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,457 4,423 153 152

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 10,022 10,206 235 236

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 17,637 18,038 200 200

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,369 5,629 190 186

 Women ................................................................................................ 12,268 12,408 205 206

 Black or African American ..................................................................... 1,954 2,026 187 189

 Men ...................................................................................................... 651 702 178 191

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,302 1,324 191 188

 Asian ...................................................................................................... 807 842 227 217

 Men ...................................................................................................... 219 275 173 231

 Women ................................................................................................ 588 567 251 206

 Hispanic or Latino .................................................................................. 2,365 2,416 195 189

 Men ...................................................................................................... 830 808 200 192

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,535 1,607 193 187

 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 2004, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.