1

Technical information: (202) 691-6378

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 07-1584

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Thursday, October 18, 2007

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:

THIRD QUARTER 2007

Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 108.3 million full-time wage and salary workers were $695 in the

third quarter of 2007, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This

was 3.0 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 2.4 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 Technical Note.) Highlights from the third-quarter data are:

Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $616 per week, or 80.3 percent of

the $767 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among Hispanics (90.5

percent) and blacks (86.4 percent) than among whites (80.4 percent) or Asians (77.9 percent).

(See table 1.)

Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $618 per week, 78.8 percent of the

median for white men ($784). The difference was less among women, as black women’s median

earnings ($534) were 84.8 percent of those for their white counterparts ($630). Overall, median

earnings of Hispanics who worked full time ($502) were lower than those of blacks ($578), whites

($713), and Asians ($842). (See table 1.)

Among men, those age 45 to 54 and age 55 to 64 had the highest median weekly earnings, $916

and $915, respectively. Among women, earnings were highest for those age 45 to 54 ($686).

(See table 2.)

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

related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,205 for men and $868 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

$422, compared with $610 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,088 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 $2,923 or more per week,

compared with $2,120 or more for their female counterparts. (See table 4.)

•

•

•

•

•
Technical 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. 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

2006

III

2007

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

III

2006

III

2007

III

2006

III

2007

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ..................................................................................... 108,169 108,272 $675 $695 $320 $322

Men, 16 years and over .................................................................................. 60,996 61,150 749 767 355 356

16 to 24 years ............................................................................................. 7,313 7,042 409 430 194 199

25 years and over ....................................................................................... 53,683 54,108 808 831 383 385

Women, 16 years and over ............................................................................ 47,173 47,122 599 616 284 285

16 to 24 years ............................................................................................. 5,273 5,160 393 398 187 184

25 years and over ....................................................................................... 41,901 41,963 629 654 299 303

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White .............................................................................................................. 87,956 87,258 692 713 328 331

Men ............................................................................................................. 50,852 50,520 764 784 362 363

Women ....................................................................................................... 37,103 36,738 608 630 289 292

Black or African American .............................................................................. 12,857 13,229 555 578 263 268

Men ............................................................................................................. 6,070 6,320 610 618 289 286

Women ....................................................................................................... 6,787 6,909 511 534 243 247

Asian ............................................................................................................... 4,873 5,250 798 842 378 390

Men ............................................................................................................. 2,703 2,939 857 947 407 439

Women ....................................................................................................... 2,170 2,311 728 738 345 342

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ............................................................................. 15,886 16,525 485 502 230 233

Men ............................................................................................................. 10,096 10,533 504 518 239 240

Women ....................................................................................................... 5,790 5,993 440 469 209 217

 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 2007, 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 2007 averages, not seasonally adjusted

Age, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

Number of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Number of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Number of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

TOTAL

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 108,272 $695 61,150 $767 47,122 $616

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 12,201 415 7,042 430 5,160 398

16 to 19 years ....................................................................................... 2,150 331 1,371 336 780 324

20 to 24 years ....................................................................................... 10,051 439 5,671 466 4,380 414

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 96,071 745 54,108 831 41,963 654

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 79,389 741 44,983 822 34,406 654

25 to 34 years ................................................................................... 26,162 649 15,208 687 10,954 605

35 to 44 years ................................................................................... 26,753 782 15,434 887 11,318 677

45 to 54 years ................................................................................... 26,475 804 14,340 916 12,134 686

55 years and over ................................................................................. 16,682 766 9,125 879 7,556 653

55 to 64 years ................................................................................... 14,305 790 7,711 915 6,594 669

65 years and over ............................................................................. 2,377 599 1,414 656 962 540

White

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 87,258 713 50,520 784 36,738 630

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 10,035 421 5,920 437 4,116 404

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 77,222 764 44,600 851 32,622 671

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 63,249 758 36,788 839 26,460 671

55 years and over ................................................................................. 13,974 792 7,812 911 6,162 672

Black or African American

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 13,229 578 6,320 618 6,909 534

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 1,407 382 716 399 690 363

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 11,823 607 5,604 656 6,219 572

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 10,087 608 4,816 655 5,272 572

55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,735 603 789 658 947 574

Asian

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 5,250 842 2,939 947 2,311 738

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 335 514 182 572 154 505

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 4,915 875 2,758 974 2,158 755

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 4,183 904 2,351 1,014 1,832 778

55 years and over ................................................................................. 732 702 407 758 325 535

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 16,525 502 10,533 518 5,993 469

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 2,462 388 1,571 400 890 362

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 14,064 530 8,961 559 5,103 497

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 12,574 528 8,038 555 4,536 497

55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,490 545 923 590 567 498

 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 2007, 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

2006

III

2007

III

2006

III

2007

TOTAL

Management, professional, and related occupations ................................................... 37,876 38,843 $974 $1,011

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ................................ 15,319 15,848 1,046 1,114

Professional and related occupations ....................................................................... 22,557 22,995 935 958

Service occupations ..................................................................................................... 15,413 15,296 423 445

Sales and office occupations ........................................................................................ 26,206 25,844 592 602

Sales and related occupations ................................................................................. 10,657 10,473 627 640

Office and administrative support occupations ......................................................... 15,549 15,371 580 587

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations .................................. 13,104 12,678 663 659

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................................... 881 825 371 372

Construction and extraction occupations .................................................................. 7,331 7,304 637 631

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................................... 4,892 4,549 743 745

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ...................................... 15,571 15,611 569 584

Production occupations ............................................................................................ 8,491 8,399 578 585

Transportation and material moving occupations ..................................................... 7,079 7,212 558 584

Men

Management, professional, and related occupations ................................................... 18,612 19,325 1,147 1,205

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ................................ 8,270 8,448 1,209 1,328

Professional and related occupations ....................................................................... 10,342 10,877 1,104 1,151

Service occupations ..................................................................................................... 7,566 7,612 494 503

Sales and office occupations ........................................................................................ 10,117 9,769 718 710

Sales and related occupations ................................................................................. 5,924 5,767 770 784

Office and administrative support occupations ......................................................... 4,193 4,002 635 624

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations .................................. 12,516 12,187 672 663

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................................... 713 663 384 379

Construction and extraction occupations .................................................................. 7,157 7,126 642 633

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................................... 4,647 4,398 745 744

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ...................................... 12,185 12,257 615 622

Production occupations ............................................................................................ 5,994 6,013 659 643

Transportation and material moving occupations ..................................................... 6,191 6,245 587 608

Women

Management, professional, and related occupations ................................................... 19,264 19,518 856 868

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ................................ 7,049 7,400 905 923

Professional and related occupations ....................................................................... 12,215 12,118 827 835

Service occupations ..................................................................................................... 7,847 7,684 391 408

Sales and office occupations ........................................................................................ 16,089 16,075 541 562

Sales and related occupations ................................................................................. 4,733 4,706 484 507

Office and administrative support occupations ......................................................... 11,355 11,370 563 577

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations .................................. 588 490 518 526

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................................... 169 162 319 353

Construction and extraction occupations .................................................................. 174 178 527 560

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................................... 245 150 725 773

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ...................................... 3,386 3,354 432 437

Production occupations ............................................................................................ 2,498 2,387 441 443

Transportation and material moving occupations ..................................................... 888 967 414 426

 NOTE: Beginning in January 2007, 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 2007 averages, not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of

workers

(in

thousands)

Upper limit of:

First decile First

quartile

Second

quartile

(median)

Third

quartile

Ninth

decile

SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY

Total, 16 years and over ..................................................................................... 108,272 $329 $462 $695 $1,082 $1,603

Men ................................................................................................................. 61,150 355 500 767 1,194 1,832

Women ........................................................................................................... 47,122 309 418 616 919 1,367

White .............................................................................................................. 87,258 335 474 713 1,115 1,647

Men ............................................................................................................. 50,520 362 509 784 1,220 1,876

Women ....................................................................................................... 36,738 312 425 630 939 1,397

Black or African American .............................................................................. 13,229 304 403 578 858 1,241

Men ............................................................................................................. 6,320 314 421 618 938 1,393

Women ....................................................................................................... 6,909 296 389 534 781 1,129

Asian ............................................................................................................... 5,250 369 516 842 1,331 1,888

Men ............................................................................................................. 2,939 399 603 947 1,526 2,017

Women ....................................................................................................... 2,311 340 467 738 1,123 1,541

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ............................................................................. 16,525 290 362 502 740 1,174

Men ............................................................................................................. 10,533 300 380 518 781 1,248

Women ....................................................................................................... 5,993 275 336 469 680 1,082

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over ..................................................................................... 96,071 358 498 745 1,143 1,674

Less than a high school diploma .................................................................... 8,387 280 325 422 597 841

High school graduates, no college 1 ............................................................... 27,621 326 430 610 861 1,203

Some college or associate degree ................................................................. 26,662 378 503 707 999 1,396

Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 ...................................................................... 33,400 520 746 1,088 1,587 2,300

Bachelor’s degree only ............................................................................... 21,680 489 690 993 1,474 2,088

Advanced degree ....................................................................................... 11,720 631 877 1,254 1,878 2,623

Men, 25 years and over .................................................................................. 54,108 389 552 831 1,274 1,889

Less than a high school diploma ................................................................ 5,833 291 351 472 648 928

High school graduates, no college 1 ........................................................... 16,290 373 496 697 977 1,380

Some college or associate degree ............................................................. 13,912 418 583 816 1,141 1,517

Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 .................................................................. 18,074 587 836 1,250 1,869 2,556

Bachelor’s degree only ........................................................................... 11,808 531 766 1,141 1,657 2,340

Advanced degree ................................................................................... 6,266 696 987 1,475 2,081 2,923

Women, 25 years and over ............................................................................ 41,963 328 450 654 965 1,423

Less than a high school diploma ................................................................ 2,555 248 298 368 482 609

High school graduates, no college 1 ........................................................... 11,331 295 385 512 694 918

Some college or associate degree ............................................................. 12,750 344 454 612 843 1,169

Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 .................................................................. 15,326 482 679 938 1,334 1,885

Bachelor’s degree only ........................................................................... 9,872 448 630 868 1,223 1,715

Advanced degree ................................................................................... 5,454 589 804 1,080 1,487 2,120

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 2007, 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

2006

III

2007

III

2006

III

2007

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ............................................................................................... 20,659 21,707 $211 $218

Men, 16 years and over ............................................................................................ 6,579 6,855 198 213

16 to 24 years ....................................................................................................... 3,352 3,279 161 174

25 years and over ................................................................................................. 3,228 3,577 259 268

Women, 16 years and over ...................................................................................... 14,079 14,851 218 221

16 to 24 years ....................................................................................................... 4,365 4,529 160 164

25 years and over ................................................................................................. 9,715 10,323 256 262

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ...................................................................................................................... 17,318 18,190 213 221

 Men ................................................................................................................... 5,337 5,543 199 214

 Women ............................................................................................................. 11,981 12,646 221 224

 Black or African American ...................................................................................... 2,032 2,039 202 200

 Men ................................................................................................................... 767 768 200 201

 Women ............................................................................................................. 1,266 1,271 203 198

 Asian ....................................................................................................................... 796 902 216 233

 Men ................................................................................................................... 287 347 192 251

 Women ............................................................................................................. 509 555 228 222

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ..................................................................................... 2,220 2,377 200 208

 Men ................................................................................................................... 733 786 202 202

 Women ............................................................................................................. 1,487 1,591 200 210

 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 2007, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.