Technical information: (202) 691-6378

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 02-396

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Monday, July 22, 2002

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:

SECOND QUARTER 2002

Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 98.7 million full-time wage and salary workers were $608 in

the second quarter of 2002, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported

today. This was 2.2 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 1.3 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period.

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

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

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

—Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $521 per week, or 76.3 percent of

the $683 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks (88.0 percent)

and Hispanics (85.7 percent) than among whites (75.5 percent). (See table 1.)

—Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $535 per week, 75.4 percent of the

median for white men ($710). The difference was much less among women, as black women’s median

earnings ($471) were 87.9 percent of those for their white counterparts ($536). Overall, median earnings

of Hispanics who worked full time ($421) were lower than those of blacks ($502) and whites ($625).

(See table 1.)

—Among men, the $831 median weekly earnings of 45- to 54-year-olds was the highest of any age

group. Among women, earnings also were highest for those 45 to 54 years old ($589). (See table 2.)

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

specialty occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,049 for men and $755 for women.

Men and women in service and farm jobs earned the least. (See table 3.)

—Full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of

$392, compared with $535 for high school graduates (no college) and $943 for college graduates.

—Among college graduates with advanced degrees (professional or master’s degree and above), the

highest-earning 10 percent of male workers made $2,436 or more per week, compared with $1,753 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 self-employment 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 the February 1994 and subsequent

issues 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 origin. Refers to persons who are of Mexican, Puerto

Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Hispanic origin

or descent. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race; hence, they

are included in the numbers for the white and black populations.
Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages,

not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

 II

2001

 II

2002

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

 II

2001

 II

2002

 II

2001

 II

2002

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 99,917 98,730 $595 $608 $323 $326

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 55,896 55,604 667 683 363 367

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 6,385 6,340 394 399 214 214

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 49,511 49,264 716 738 389 396

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 44,021 43,126 514 521 280 280

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 5,240 4,981 348 356 189 191

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 38,781 38,145 547 562 297 301

RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 82,348 81,281 609 625 331 335

 Men ...................................................................................................... 47,292 46,918 687 710 374 381

 Women ................................................................................................ 35,056 34,363 522 536 284 288

 Black ...................................................................................................... 12,635 12,382 495 502 269 269

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,887 5,964 537 535 292 287

 Women ................................................................................................ 6,747 6,418 460 471 250 253

 Hispanic origin ....................................................................................... 12,012 11,859 417 421 227 226

 Men ...................................................................................................... 7,375 7,291 445 456 242 245

 Women ................................................................................................ 4,637 4,568 383 391 208 210

 NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not

sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented

and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups.
Table 2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic origin, and sex, 

second quarter 2002 averages, not seasonally adjusted

Age, race, and Hispanic origin

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 ..................................................................................... 98,730 $608 55,604 $683 43,126 $521

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 11,321 378 6,340 399 4,981 356

 16 to 19 years ....................................................................................... 1,973 302 1,153 306 819 295

 20 to 24 years ....................................................................................... 9,348 400 5,187 422 4,161 370

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 87,409 647 49,264 738 38,145 562

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 75,434 647 42,595 732 32,839 565

 25 to 34 years ..................................................................................... 23,751 588 13,674 624 10,077 522

 35 to 44 years ..................................................................................... 27,899 669 15,990 761 11,909 580

 45 to 54 years ..................................................................................... 23,784 711 12,931 831 10,853 589

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 11,975 648 6,669 773 5,306 542

 55 to 64 years ..................................................................................... 10,317 671 5,725 801 4,592 561

 65 years and over ............................................................................... 1,658 501 944 585 714 447

White

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 81,281 625 46,918 710 34,363 536

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 9,436 384 5,390 404 4,046 359

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 71,846 673 41,529 761 30,317 579

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 61,518 673 35,710 756 25,808 582

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 10,328 673 5,819 806 4,509 559

Black

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 12,382 502 5,964 535 6,418 471

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 1,424 350 707 364 718 343

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 10,958 521 5,257 575 5,700 489

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 9,783 521 4,661 575 5,123 491

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,175 515 597 567 578 475

Hispanic origin

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 11,859 421 7,291 456 4,568 391

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 2,021 334 1,287 359 734 303

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 9,838 458 6,004 489 3,834 413

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 8,922 459 5,484 490 3,438 412

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 916 457 520 471 396 432

 NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not

sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented

and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups.
Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, quarterly averages, 

not seasonally adjusted

Occupation and sex

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

 II

2001

 II

2002

 II

2001

 II

2002

TOTAL

 Managerial and professional specialty .................................................... 32,209 32,118 $846 $884

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ............................................ 15,891 15,923 846 893

 Professional specialty ............................................................................ 16,318 16,195 845 877

 Technical, sales, and administrative support ........................................... 28,116 27,728 523 543

 Technicians and related support ........................................................... 3,673 3,563 659 664

 Sales occupations ................................................................................. 10,212 10,353 576 593

 Administrative support, including clerical ............................................... 14,231 13,811 489 503

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 10,951 11,096 379 384

 Private household .................................................................................. 328 302 245 328

 Protective service .................................................................................. 2,231 2,236 618 646

 Service, except private household and protective ................................. 8,393 8,558 348 356

 Precision production, craft, and repair ..................................................... 12,027 11,614 620 625

 Mechanics and repairers ....................................................................... 4,189 3,979 642 678

 Construction trades ............................................................................... 4,334 4,404 606 604

 Other precision production, craft, and repair ......................................... 3,504 3,231 620 604

 Operators, fabricators, and laborers ........................................................ 14,983 14,556 476 486

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors ................................... 6,341 5,847 464 470

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 4,631 4,737 583 582

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ........................... 4,011 3,971 396 399

 Farming, forestry, and fishing .................................................................. 1,631 1,617 346 360

Men

 Managerial and professional specialty .................................................... 16,174 16,210 1,017 1,049

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ............................................ 8,334 8,530 1,009 1,088

 Professional specialty ............................................................................ 7,840 7,680 1,025 1,013

 Technical, sales, and administrative support ........................................... 10,502 10,824 665 708

 Technicians and related support ........................................................... 1,853 1,768 750 823

 Sales occupations ................................................................................. 5,616 5,816 704 762

 Administrative support, including clerical ............................................... 3,032 3,240 574 599

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 5,200 5,187 437 443

 Private household .................................................................................. 10 20 1( ) 1( )

 Protective service .................................................................................. 1,834 1,795 $655 $689

 Service, except private household and protective ................................. 3,355 3,372 374 382

 Precision production, craft, and repair ..................................................... 11,111 10,681 636 642

 Mechanics and repairers ....................................................................... 4,043 3,777 650 680

 Construction trades ............................................................................... 4,229 4,297 608 606

 Other precision production, craft, and repair ......................................... 2,839 2,606 677 643

 Operators, fabricators, and laborers ........................................................ 11,586 11,345 505 517

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors ................................... 4,093 3,825 518 521

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 4,306 4,354 595 592

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ........................... 3,188 3,166 405 411

 Farming, forestry, and fishing .................................................................. 1,323 1,356 357 373

Women

 Managerial and professional specialty .................................................... 16,035 15,908 728 755

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ............................................ 7,557 7,393 700 735

 Professional specialty ............................................................................ 8,478 8,515 745 773

 Technical, sales, and administrative support ........................................... 17,614 16,903 478 485

 Technicians and related support ........................................................... 1,820 1,795 586 587

 Sales occupations ................................................................................. 4,595 4,537 434 433

 Administrative support, including clerical ............................................... 11,199 10,571 475 487

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 5,751 5,909 332 346

 Private household .................................................................................. 317 282 246 328

 Protective service .................................................................................. 396 442 517 512

 Service, except private household and protective ................................. 5,038 5,185 327 339

 Precision production, craft, and repair ..................................................... 915 933 477 459

 Mechanics and repairers ....................................................................... 146 202 528 580

 Construction trades ............................................................................... 105 107 536 500

 Other precision production, craft, and repair ......................................... 665 625 447 418

 Operators, fabricators, and laborers ........................................................ 3,397 3,211 366 384

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors ................................... 2,249 2,022 364 383

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 325 383 458 482

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ........................... 823 805 354 355

 Farming, forestry, and fishing .................................................................. 309 261 312 296

1 Data not shown where base is less than 100,000.
Table 4. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected

characteristics, second quarter 2002 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 ORIGIN

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 98,730 $297 $405 $608 $924 $1,374

 Men ......................................................................................................... 55,604 318 453 683 1,035 1,544

 Women ................................................................................................... 43,126 280 367 521 772 1,127

 White ...................................................................................................... 81,281 302 415 625 954 1,423

 Men ....................................................................................................... 46,918 324 469 710 1,072 1,595

 Women ................................................................................................. 34,363 282 377 536 790 1,148

 Black ....................................................................................................... 12,382 278 352 502 724 1,001

 Men ....................................................................................................... 5,964 290 387 535 759 1,080

 Women ................................................................................................. 6,418 265 328 471 664 925

 Hispanic .................................................................................................. 11,859 250 312 421 637 941

 Men ....................................................................................................... 7,291 271 327 456 667 1,001

 Women ................................................................................................. 4,568 232 290 391 589 844

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

 Total, 25 years and over ......................................................................... 87,409 315 436 647 971 1,434

 Less than a high school diploma .......................................................... 8,445 239 299 392 534 741

 High school graduates, no college ....................................................... 26,674 295 392 535 759 1,030

 Some college or associate degree ....................................................... 23,814 337 453 636 890 1,236

 College graduates, total ........................................................................ 28,476 460 647 943 1,370 1,905

 Bachelor’s degree only ....................................................................... 18,912 430 608 871 1,254 1,770

 Advanced degree ............................................................................... 9,564 557 763 1,109 1,568 2,122

 Men, 25 years and over ........................................................................ 49,264 347 495 738 1,106 1,614

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 5,554 261 326 443 606 816

 High school graduates, no college ..................................................... 15,013 329 447 618 871 1,169

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 12,726 380 521 743 1,002 1,408

 College graduates, total ...................................................................... 15,970 501 732 1,083 1,560 2,196

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 10,610 479 671 992 1,433 1,967

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 5,360 593 866 1,262 1,774 2,436

 Women, 25 years and over .................................................................. 38,145 291 390 562 811 1,161

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 2,891 212 269 324 411 518

 High school graduates, no college ..................................................... 11,662 272 345 460 618 816

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 11,087 311 399 540 748 983

 College graduates, total ...................................................................... 12,506 424 594 803 1,135 1,541

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 8,302 396 548 746 1,042 1,399

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 4,203 525 690 935 1,301 1,753

 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. Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to

totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and

Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups.
Table 5. Median usual weekly earnings of part-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages,

not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

 II

2001

 II

2002

 II

2001

 II

2002

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 20,956 21,260 $176 $189

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 6,953 6,808 160 181

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 3,805 3,567 135 149

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 3,147 3,241 215 228

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 14,003 14,451 186 194

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,441 4,527 134 138

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 9,562 9,924 220 230

RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 18,167 18,368 178 190

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,855 5,707 161 176

 Women ................................................................................................ 12,312 12,661 188 196

 Black ...................................................................................................... 1,924 1,989 162 186

 Men ...................................................................................................... 694 726 146 203

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,230 1,264 170 176

 Hispanic origin ....................................................................................... 1,876 2,178 178 183

 Men ...................................................................................................... 765 723 180 190

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,111 1,455 177 181

 NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not

sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented

and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population

groups.