For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, April 21, 2015 USDL-15-0688 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

error.)

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS

FIRST QUARTER 2015

Median weekly earnings of the nation's 107.2 million full-time wage and salary workers were $808 in 

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

This was 1.5 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a decline of 0.1 percent in the Consumer 

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

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

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

and salary worker usually earns. (See the Technical Note.) Data shown in this news release are not 

seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified. Highlights from the first-quarter data include: 

• Median weekly earnings of full-time workers were $808 in the first quarter of 2015. Women

had median usual weekly earnings of $730, or 81.6 percent of the $895 median for men. (See 

table 2.) 

• The women's-to-men's earnings ratio varied by race and ethnicity. White women earned 81.3 

percent as much as their male counterparts, compared with black women (88.5 percent), Asian 

women (79.7 percent), and Hispanic women (89.4 percent). (See table 2.)

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

full-time jobs were $694 per week, or 75.6 percent of the median for white men ($918). The 

difference was less among women, as black women's median earnings ($614) were 82.3 percent 

of those for white women ($746). Overall, median earnings of Hispanics who worked full time 

($590) were lower than those of blacks ($650), whites ($835), and Asians ($966). (See table 2.) 
- 2 - 

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

were highest for those age 45 to 54 ($1,039) and 55 to 64 ($1,038). Usual weekly earnings were 

highest for women age 35 to 64: weekly earnings were $796 for women age 35 to 44, $811 for 

women age 45 to 54, and $777 for women age 55 to 64. Workers age 16 to 24 had the lowest 

median weekly earnings, at $480. (See table 3.) 

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

professional, and related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,372 for men 

and $988 for women. Men and women employed in service jobs earned the least, $575 and $461, 

respectively. (See table 4.) 

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

had median weekly earnings of $478, compared with $669 for high school graduates (no college) 

and $1,227 for those holding at least a bachelor's degree. Among college graduates with 

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

male workers made $3,862 or more per week, compared with $2,420 or more for their female 

counterparts. (See table 5.) 

• Seasonally adjusted median weekly earnings were $802 in the first quarter of 2015, little 

changed from the previous quarter ($796). (See table 1.) 

Revision of Seasonally Adjusted Usual Weekly Earnings Data 

Seasonally adjusted data for median usual weekly earnings in constant (1982-84) dollars have been 

updated using revised seasonally adjusted data for the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers 

(CPI-U). (Data are shown in table 1 of the release.) Seasonally adjusted constant (1982-84) dollar 

estimates back to the first quarter of 2010 were subject to revision. 
Technical Note 

The estimates in this release were obtained from the 

Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides basic 

information on the labor force, employment, and 

unemployment. The survey is conducted monthly for the 

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

using a scientifically selected national sample of about 

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

the District of Columbia. The earnings data are collected 

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

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

incorporated and unincorporated, are excluded from CPS 

earnings estimates. 

Material in this news release is in the public domain and 

may be used without permission. This information is 

available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. 

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

(800) 877-8339. 

Definitions 

The principal definitions used in connection with the 

earnings data in this news release are described briefly 

below. 

Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before 

taxes and other deductions and include any overtime pay, 

commissions, or tips usually received (at the main job in the 

case of multiple jobholders). Prior to 1994, respondents were 

asked how much they usually earned per week. Since 

January 1994, respondents have been asked to identify the 

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

biweekly, twice monthly, monthly, annually, or other) and 

how much they usually earn in the reported time period.

Earnings reported on a basis other than weekly are 

converted to a weekly equivalent. The term "usual" is 

determined by each respondent’s own understanding of the 

term. If the respondent asks for a definition of "usual," 

interviewers are instructed to define the term as more than 

half the weeks worked during the past 4 or 5 months. 

Medians (and other quantiles) of weekly earnings. The 

median (or upper limit of the second quartile) is the midpoint 

in a given earnings distribution, with half of workers having 

earnings above the median and the other half having earnings 

below the median. Ten percent of a given distribution have 

earnings below the upper limit of the first decile (90 percent 

have higher earnings), 25 percent have earnings below the 

upper limit of the first quartile (75 percent have higher 

earnings), 75 percent have earnings below the upper limit of 

the third quartile (25 percent have higher earnings), and 90 

percent have earnings below the upper limit of the ninth 

decile (10 percent have higher earnings). 

The BLS procedure for estimating the median of an 

earnings distribution places each reported or calculated 

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

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

through the linear interpolation of the interval in which the 

median lies. 

Changes over time in the medians (and other quantile 

boundaries) for specific groups may not necessarily be 

consistent with the movements estimated for the overall 

quantile boundary. The most common reasons for this 

possible anomaly are as follows: (1) there could be a change 

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

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

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

to-24 age group accounts for a greatly increased share of the 

total, the overall median could actually fall. (2) there could 

be a large change in the shape of the distribution of reported 

earnings, particularly near a quantile boundary. This change 

could be caused by survey observations that are clustered at 

rounded values, such as $400 or $500. An estimate lying in 

a $50-wide centered interval containing such a cluster or 

′′spike′′ tends to change more slowly than one in other 

intervals. 

Constant dollars. The Consumer Price Index for All 

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

to constant (1982-84) dollars. 

Wage and salary workers. These are workers who 

receive wages, salaries, commissions, tips, payment in kind, 

or piece rates. The group includes employees in both the 

private and public sectors but, for the purposes of the 

earnings series, it excludes all self-employed persons, both 

those with incorporated businesses and those with 

unincorporated businesses. 

Full-time workers. For the purpose of producing 

estimates of earnings, workers who usually work 35 hours or 

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

working full time. 

Part-time workers. For the purpose of producing 

estimates of earnings, workers who usually work fewer than 

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

working part time. 

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

household respondent. In accordance with the Office of 

Management and Budget guidelines, white, black or African 

American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, and 

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander are terms used to 

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

groups and persons who selected more than one race are not 

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

identified themselves in the survey process as being of 

Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin. People whose ethnicity 

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

Reliability 

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling 

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

population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample 

estimates may differ from the true population values they 

represent. The component of this difference that occurs 

because samples differ by chance is known as sampling 

error, and its variability is measured by the standard error of 

the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of 

confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by 

no more than 1.6 standard errors from the true population 

value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally 

conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. 

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. 

Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the 

failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to 

obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability 

or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct 

information, and errors made in the collection or processing 

of the data. 

Additional information about the reliability of data 

from the CPS is available on the BLS website at 

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

Seasonal adjustment 

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

force and other measures of labor market activity undergo 

regularly occurring fluctuations. These recurring events 

include seasonal changes in weather, major holidays, and the 

opening and closing of schools. The effect of such seasonal 

variations can be very large. 

Because seasonal events follow a more or less regular 

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

be tempered by adjusting for regular seasonal variation. 

These adjustments make nonseasonal developments easier to 

spot. The seasonally adjusted figures provide a more useful 

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

activity. 

At the end of each calendar year, the seasonally 

adjusted data are revised for the past 5 years when the 

seasonal adjustment factors are updated. More information 

on seasonal adjustment is available on the BLS website at 

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

seasonally adjusted

Year and quarter

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

Total Men Women

In current dollars In constant (1982-84) dollars

Total

$

Men

$

Women

$

Total

$

Men

$

Women

$

2006

1st Quarter........................................ 104,708 58,960 45,748 662 737 594 332 370 298

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

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

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

2007

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

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

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

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

2008

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

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

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

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

2009

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

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

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

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

2010

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

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

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

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

2011

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

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

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

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

2012

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

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

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

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

2013

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

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

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

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

2014

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

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

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

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

2015

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

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics,

quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

1st

2014

1st

2015

In current dollars In constant (1982-84)

dollars

1st

2014

1st

2015

1st

2014

1st

2015

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over.............................................. 104,327 107,194 $796 $808 $339 $344

Men, 16 years and over............................................ 57,654 59,361 872 895 371 381

16 to 24 years.................................................... 4,871 5,067 480 491 204 209

25 years and over................................................ 52,783 54,294 925 944 394 402

Women, 16 years and over........................................ 46,673 47,833 722 730 307 311

16 to 24 years.................................................... 3,707 4,039 434 461 185 196

25 years and over................................................ 42,967 43,794 754 759 321 323

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White.................................................................. 82,536 84,008 819 835 349 356

Men................................................................. 46,637 47,591 898 918 382 391

Women............................................................. 35,899 36,416 740 746 315 318

Black or African American......................................... 12,501 13,241 646 650 275 277

Men................................................................. 5,863 6,268 708 694 301 296

Women............................................................. 6,638 6,972 606 614 258 262

Asian.................................................................. 6,353 6,570 955 966 407 411

Men................................................................. 3,516 3,684 1,045 1,090 445 464

Women............................................................. 2,838 2,886 876 869 373 370

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity........................................ 16,804 18,124 593 590 252 251

Men................................................................. 10,292 10,973 610 612 260 260

Women............................................................. 6,513 7,151 565 547 240 233

NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all

races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the

release of January data.
Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic or Latino

ethnicity, and sex, 1st quarter 2015 averages, not seasonally adjusted

Age, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

Number of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Number of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Number of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

TOTAL

16 years and over..................................................... 107,194 $808 59,361 $895 47,833 $730

16 to 24 years....................................................... 9,106 480 5,067 491 4,039 461

16 to 19 years.................................................... 995 378 619 394 376 356

20 to 24 years.................................................... 8,111 493 4,448 504 3,663 478

25 years and over................................................... 98,088 856 54,294 944 43,794 759

25 to 54 years.................................................... 76,291 847 42,510 922 33,781 757

25 to 34 years.................................................. 26,227 736 14,780 772 11,446 693

35 to 44 years.................................................. 24,684 893 13,879 981 10,805 796

45 to 54 years.................................................. 25,380 930 13,850 1,039 11,530 811

55 years and over................................................ 21,797 893 11,784 1,029 10,013 768

55 to 64 years.................................................. 17,838 903 9,632 1,038 8,205 777

65 years and over............................................. 3,959 838 2,152 989 1,807 741

White

16 years and over................................................... 84,008 835 47,591 918 36,416 746

16 to 24 years.................................................... 7,128 492 4,031 503 3,097 476

25 years and over................................................ 76,879 883 43,560 969 33,319 776

25 to 54 years.................................................. 59,009 872 33,720 945 25,289 773

55 years and over............................................. 17,870 924 9,840 1,060 8,030 788

Black or African American

16 years and over................................................... 13,241 650 6,268 694 6,972 614

16 to 24 years.................................................... 1,220 389 616 398 604 375

25 years and over................................................ 12,020 692 5,652 731 6,368 654

25 to 54 years.................................................. 9,720 680 4,595 721 5,126 633

55 years and over............................................. 2,300 738 1,057 764 1,242 720

Asian

16 years and over................................................... 6,570 966 3,684 1,090 2,886 869

16 to 24 years.................................................... 328 574 181 493 147 650

25 years and over................................................ 6,242 999 3,503 1,129 2,739 881

25 to 54 years.................................................. 5,085 1,045 2,875 1,146 2,210 918

55 years and over............................................. 1,157 860 627 1,034 530 749

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

16 years and over................................................... 18,124 590 10,973 612 7,151 547

16 to 24 years.................................................... 2,135 433 1,322 448 814 415

25 years and over................................................ 15,989 616 9,651 656 6,337 580

25 to 54 years.................................................. 13,645 615 8,271 653 5,374 582

55 years and over............................................. 2,344 620 1,380 679 963 560

NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all

races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the

release of January data.
Table 4. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, quarterly

averages, not seasonally adjusted

Occupation and sex

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

1st

2014

1st

2015

1st

2014

1st

2015

TOTAL

Management, professional, and related occupations................................ 42,034 44,441 $1,130 $1,149

Management, business, and financial operations occupations................... 17,015 18,078 1,231 1,253

Professional and related occupations............................................... 25,020 26,363 1,072 1,089

Service occupations...................................................................... 14,822 15,011 504 505

Sales and office occupations............................................................ 23,416 23,179 685 674

Sales and related occupations....................................................... 9,683 9,526 754 718

Office and administrative support occupations..................................... 13,733 13,652 660 653

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.................... 10,162 10,322 763 781

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations......................................... 607 731 417 446

Construction and extraction occupations............................................ 5,304 5,365 745 768

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................................. 4,250 4,226 820 847

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 13,894 14,241 644 631

Production occupations................................................................ 7,507 7,503 644 643

Transportation and material moving occupations.................................. 6,386 6,738 644 618

Men

Management, professional, and related occupations................................ 19,884 21,407 1,347 1,372

Management, business, and financial operations occupations................... 9,040 9,925 1,399 1,455

Professional and related occupations............................................... 10,844 11,481 1,297 1,314

Service occupations...................................................................... 7,623 7,538 581 575

Sales and office occupations............................................................ 9,261 9,279 794 779

Sales and related occupations....................................................... 5,468 5,322 875 914

Office and administrative support occupations..................................... 3,793 3,957 720 680

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.................... 9,713 9,904 773 788

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations......................................... 496 601 423 461

Construction and extraction occupations............................................ 5,168 5,234 750 773

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................................. 4,049 4,069 823 855

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 11,174 11,233 686 684

Production occupations................................................................ 5,631 5,423 705 710

Transportation and material moving occupations.................................. 5,543 5,810 668 648

Women

Management, professional, and related occupations................................ 22,151 23,034 975 988

Management, business, and financial operations occupations................... 7,975 8,152 1,055 1,064

Professional and related occupations............................................... 14,176 14,881 943 959

Service occupations...................................................................... 7,199 7,473 459 461

Sales and office occupations............................................................ 14,155 13,900 629 622

Sales and related occupations....................................................... 4,215 4,204 599 581

Office and administrative support occupations..................................... 9,940 9,696 641 644

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.................... 448 418 543 584

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations......................................... 112 130 368 397

Construction and extraction occupations............................................ 136 131 630 618

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................................. 201 157 649 753

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 2,720 3,008 504 505

Production occupations................................................................ 1,877 2,080 504 510

Transportation and material moving occupations.................................. 843 928 505 494

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

selected characteristics, 1st quarter 2015 averages, not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of

workers

(in

thousands)

Upper limit of:

First decile First

quartile

Second

quartile

(median)

Third

quartile

Ninth

decile

SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY

Total, 16 years and over.............................................. 107,194 $381 $522 $808 $1,278 $1,923

Men................................................................... 59,361 400 572 895 1,447 2,186

Women............................................................... 47,833 356 492 730 1,118 1,669

White.................................................................. 84,008 388 544 835 1,321 1,981

Men................................................................. 47,591 408 587 918 1,477 2,249

Women............................................................. 36,416 364 504 746 1,134 1,685

Black or African American......................................... 13,241 334 450 650 998 1,528

Men................................................................. 6,268 358 482 694 1,064 1,567

Women............................................................. 6,972 320 426 614 922 1,469

Asian.................................................................. 6,570 406 593 966 1,617 2,394

Men................................................................. 3,684 410 615 1,090 1,868 2,739

Women............................................................. 2,886 400 569 869 1,415 2,023

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity........................................ 18,124 329 413 590 895 1,368

Men................................................................. 10,973 345 428 612 952 1,456

Women............................................................. 7,151 307 392 547 808 1,190

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over.............................................. 98,088 398 565 856 1,350 2,004

Less than a high school diploma.................................. 7,176 302 373 478 650 915

High school graduates, no college1

............................... 24,918 367 483 669 965 1,399

Some college or associate degree................................ 26,020 400 527 758 1,105 1,565

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................... 39,973 594 829 1,227 1,862 2,772

Bachelor’s degree only.......................................... 25,056 566 758 1,134 1,684 2,479

Advanced degree................................................. 14,917 689 961 1,393 2,061 3,110

Men, 25 years and over............................................ 54,294 420 605 944 1,506 2,283

Less than a high school diploma............................... 5,013 323 393 506 702 983

High school graduates, no college1

............................ 14,966 399 529 747 1,071 1,530

Some college or associate degree............................. 13,610 442 596 876 1,271 1,791

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

................................. 20,705 636 947 1,429 2,050 3,162

Bachelor’s degree only........................................ 13,227 604 868 1,299 1,897 2,890

Advanced degree.............................................. 7,478 752 1,096 1,636 2,406 3,862

Women, 25 years and over........................................ 43,794 375 514 759 1,156 1,740

Less than a high school diploma............................... 2,163 278 335 410 514 708

High school graduates, no college1

............................ 9,952 331 418 575 784 1,093

Some college or associate degree............................. 12,410 371 487 654 916 1,282

Bachelor’s degree and higher2................................. 19,268 568 748 1,048 1,534 2,208

Bachelor’s degree only........................................ 11,829 525 687 959 1,420 2,019

Advanced degree.............................................. 7,439 650 877 1,209 1,739 2,420

1

Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.

2

Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

NOTE: Ten percent of all full-time wage and salary workers earn less than the upper limit of the first decile; 25 percent earn less than the upper limit

of the first quartile; 50 percent earn less than the upper limit of the second quartile, or median; 75 percent earn less than the upper limit of the third

quartile; and 90 percent earn less than the upper limit of the ninth decile. Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and

Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any

race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 6. Median usual weekly earnings of part-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics,

quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

1st

2014

1st

2015

1st

2014

1st

2015

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over................................................................. 25,053 24,860 $236 $246

Men, 16 years and over............................................................... 8,688 8,651 235 241

16 to 24 years........................................................................ 3,652 3,772 181 191

25 years and over................................................................... 5,036 4,878 285 280

Women, 16 years and over........................................................... 16,366 16,209 237 250

16 to 24 years........................................................................ 4,904 4,766 173 174

25 years and over................................................................... 11,462 11,443 276 291

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White..................................................................................... 20,274 19,926 238 248

Men.................................................................................... 6,960 6,855 234 242

Women................................................................................ 13,314 13,071 240 252

Black or African American............................................................ 2,952 2,810 228 225

Men.................................................................................... 1,068 1,017 252 223

Women................................................................................ 1,884 1,793 216 226

Asian..................................................................................... 949 1,206 254 287

Men.................................................................................... 293 404 202 294

Women................................................................................ 656 802 285 281

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity........................................................... 4,116 4,091 226 245

Men.................................................................................... 1,577 1,642 247 248

Women................................................................................ 2,539 2,450 214 242

NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all

races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the

release of January data.