1

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 06-696

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Thursday, April 20, 2006

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:

FIRST QUARTER 2006

Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 103.5 million full-time wage and salary workers were $668 in the

first quarter of 2006, 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 3.6 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 first-quarter data are:

—Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $600 per week, or 80.6 percent of the

$744 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks (93.9 percent) and

Hispanics or Latinos (86.6 percent) than among whites (79.6 percent) or Asians (71.1 percent). (See

table 1.)

—Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $577 per week, 75.6 percent of the

median for white men ($763). The difference was less among women, as black women’s median earnings

($542) were 89.3 percent of those for their white counterparts ($607). Overall, median earnings of Hispanics or Latinos who worked full time ($487) were lower than those of blacks ($560), whites ($688),

and Asians ($766). (See table 1.)

—Among men, those 55 to 64 years old had the highest median weekly earnings ($910). Among women, earnings were highest for those age 45 to 54 ($663). (See table 2.)

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

related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,160 for men and $816 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 $592 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,019 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 $2,899 or more per week,

compared with $1,904 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

 I

2005

 I

2006

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

 I

2005

 I

2006

 I

2005

 I

2006

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 100,884 103,469 $653 $668 $328 $324

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 56,719 57,950 729 744 367 361

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 5,904 5,886 401 417 201 202

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 50,815 52,065 775 793 390 385

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 44,165 45,519 586 600 295 291

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,331 4,492 380 388 191 188

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 39,834 41,027 610 624 307 303

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 82,155 83,710 677 688 340 334

 Men ...................................................................................................... 47,364 48,039 751 763 378 370

 Women ................................................................................................ 34,790 35,670 599 607 301 295

 Black or African American ..................................................................... 12,023 12,536 513 560 258 272

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,722 5,920 555 577 279 280

 Women ................................................................................................ 6,301 6,616 492 542 247 263

 Asian ...................................................................................................... 4,425 4,849 738 766 371 371

 Men ...................................................................................................... 2,403 2,695 798 932 401 452

 Women ................................................................................................ 2,022 2,154 670 663 337 322

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity .................................................................... 14,040 15,285 470 487 236 237

 Men ...................................................................................................... 9,021 9,701 488 506 245 246

 Women ................................................................................................ 5,019 5,584 433 438 218 213

 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, first 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 ..................................................................................... 103,469 $668 57,950 $744 45,519 $600

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 10,377 405 5,886 417 4,492 388

 16 to 19 years ....................................................................................... 1,382 322 815 358 567 293

 20 to 24 years ....................................................................................... 8,995 417 5,070 428 3,925 404

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 93,092 712 52,065 793 41,027 624

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 77,717 705 43,774 778 33,943 623

 25 to 34 years ..................................................................................... 24,808 617 14,370 656 10,438 578

 35 to 44 years ..................................................................................... 26,884 748 15,459 839 11,424 646

 45 to 54 years ..................................................................................... 26,026 763 13,945 888 12,081 663

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 15,374 744 8,290 880 7,084 628

 55 to 64 years ..................................................................................... 13,272 763 7,049 910 6,223 648

 65 years and over ............................................................................... 2,103 596 1,241 707 861 488

White

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 83,710 688 48,039 763 35,670 607

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 8,450 410 4,849 424 3,601 390

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 75,260 732 43,190 818 32,070 636

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 62,217 726 36,025 800 26,192 637

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 13,043 761 7,165 903 5,878 629

Black or African American

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 12,536 560 5,920 577 6,616 542

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 1,244 364 652 356 592 375

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 11,292 588 5,268 616 6,024 571

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 9,853 584 4,602 617 5,251 560

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,439 614 666 614 773 613

Asian

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 4,849 766 2,695 932 2,154 663

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 358 425 208 431 150 412

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 4,491 815 2,487 978 2,004 680

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 3,830 830 2,128 1,017 1,702 673

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 661 727 359 775 302 710

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 15,285 487 9,701 506 5,584 438

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 2,152 373 1,367 379 785 364

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 13,133 508 8,334 535 4,799 465

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 11,841 509 7,543 533 4,298 467

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,292 508 791 552 501 435

 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

 I

2005

 I

2006

 I

2005

 I

2006

TOTAL

 Management, professional, and related occupations .............................. 36,935 37,912 $937 $954

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 15,034 15,591 1,016 1,029

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 21,901 22,321 895 911

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 13,467 13,981 416 419

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 24,142 25,048 570 588

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 9,304 10,005 623 635

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 14,838 15,043 543 565

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 11,218 11,739 634 650

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 690 611 370 405

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 6,164 6,813 615 618

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 4,365 4,315 712 746

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 15,122 14,790 543 552

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 8,475 8,252 539 545

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 6,646 6,538 550 562

Men

 Management, professional, and related occupations .............................. 18,403 18,683 1,127 1,160

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 8,086 8,591 1,234 1,242

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 10,317 10,092 1,048 1,119

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 6,846 6,963 477 500

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 8,865 9,379 691 696

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 5,140 5,631 772 758

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 3,726 3,748 598 620

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 10,745 11,287 639 656

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 562 515 387 422

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 6,028 6,641 616 618

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 4,155 4,131 713 750

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 11,860 11,639 592 591

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 6,046 5,904 606 601

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 5,814 5,735 579 580

Women

 Management, professional, and related occupations .............................. 18,532 19,229 804 816

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 6,948 7,000 838 851

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 11,584 12,229 784 795

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 6,620 7,019 381 382

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 15,277 15,669 519 532

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 4,164 4,373 487 492

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 11,113 11,296 527 546

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 473 452 505 514

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 128 96 326 1 ( )

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 136 172 592 $588

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 210 184 680 653

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 3,262 3,151 432 426

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 2,430 2,348 433 423

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 832 803 429 436

1 Data not shown where base is less than 100,000.

 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, first 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 ........................................................................... 103,469 $318 $445 $668 $1,030 $1,535

 Men ......................................................................................................... 57,950 342 488 744 1,164 1,744

 Women ................................................................................................... 45,519 299 405 600 877 1,262

 White ...................................................................................................... 83,710 325 460 688 1,056 1,560

 Men ....................................................................................................... 48,039 355 501 763 1,186 1,770

 Women ................................................................................................. 35,670 301 409 607 890 1,266

 Black or African American ...................................................................... 12,536 289 384 560 823 1,198

 Men ....................................................................................................... 5,920 290 389 577 887 1,249

 Women ................................................................................................. 6,616 288 380 542 775 1,135

 Asian ....................................................................................................... 4,849 340 492 766 1,290 1,877

 Men ....................................................................................................... 2,695 360 533 932 1,451 1,999

 Women ................................................................................................. 2,154 325 458 663 1,037 1,479

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ..................................................................... 15,285 278 351 487 713 1,108

 Men ....................................................................................................... 9,701 290 374 506 749 1,175

 Women ................................................................................................. 5,584 254 319 438 659 958

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

 Total, 25 years and over ......................................................................... 93,092 341 483 712 1,084 1,577

 Less than a high school diploma .......................................................... 8,661 259 318 420 580 804

 High school graduates, no college1 ...................................................... 27,725 314 416 592 838 1,159

 Some college or associate degree ....................................................... 25,492 365 492 691 988 1,375

 Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 ............................................................ 31,214 510 705 1,019 1,532 2,171

 Bachelor’s degree only ....................................................................... 20,349 477 648 933 1,394 1,924

 Advanced degree ............................................................................... 10,865 620 846 1,215 1,772 2,505

 Men, 25 years and over ........................................................................ 52,065 375 523 793 1,224 1,826

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 5,859 286 356 473 623 902

 High school graduates, no college1 .................................................... 16,130 349 482 672 949 1,258

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 13,367 405 561 792 1,139 1,514

 Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 .......................................................... 16,708 569 793 1,223 1,823 2,497

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 10,693 518 729 1,112 1,619 2,292

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 6,015 700 978 1,453 2,009 2,899

 Women, 25 years and over .................................................................. 41,027 314 426 624 913 1,320

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 2,801 229 279 352 472 598

 High school graduates, no college1 .................................................... 11,595 287 372 498 674 925

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 12,125 332 435 603 832 1,117

 Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 .......................................................... 14,506 477 637 868 1,236 1,675

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 9,657 434 604 797 1,141 1,557

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 4,849 580 756 987 1,401 1,904

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

 I

2005

 I

2006

 I

2005

 I

2006

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 22,398 22,375 $197 $200

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 6,951 7,241 188 188

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 3,404 3,731 146 147

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 3,547 3,509 248 253

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 15,447 15,134 201 208

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,707 4,572 138 136

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 10,740 10,562 242 250

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 19,040 19,044 197 204

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,851 6,099 188 191

 Women ................................................................................................ 13,190 12,944 202 211

 Black or African American ..................................................................... 1,948 2,032 186 173

 Men ...................................................................................................... 609 692 188 170

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,340 1,340 184 175

 Asian ...................................................................................................... 815 783 220 219

 Men ...................................................................................................... 276 248 211 205

 Women ................................................................................................ 539 535 223 225

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity .................................................................... 2,497 2,590 193 197

 Men ...................................................................................................... 953 1,042 200 195

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,544 1,548 188 198

 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.