Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 08-0976 

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

 For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT) 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, July 17, 2008 

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS: 

SECOND QUARTER 2008 

Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 107.1 million full-time wage and salary workers were $719 

in the second quarter of 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported 

today. This was 4.2 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 4.4 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 second-quarter data are: 

• Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $634 per week, or 79.3 percent of 

the $800 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks (92.4 

percent) and Hispanics (86.8 percent) than among whites (78.4 percent) or Asians (76.0 percent). 

(See table 1.) 

• Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $615 per week, 74.4 percent of 

the median for white men ($827). The difference was less among women, as black women’s 

median earnings ($568) were 87.7 percent of those for their white counterparts ($648). Overall, 

median earnings of Hispanics who worked full time ($537) were lower than those of blacks 

($591), whites ($738), and Asians ($855). (See table 1.) 

• Among men, those age 45 to 54 and 55 to 64 had the highest median weekly earnings, $935 and 

$946, respectively. Among women, weekly earnings were highest for those age 55 to 64 ($716). 

(See table 2.) 

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

and related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,243 for men and $884 for 

women. Persons employed in service jobs earned the least. (See table 3.) 

• Full-time workers age 25 years and over without a high school diploma had median weekly 

earnings of $449, compared with $620 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,105 for 

those holding at least a bachelor’s degree. Among college graduates with advanced degrees 

News United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

(professional or master’s degree and above), the highest 10 percent of male workers made $3,235 

or more per week, compared with $2,070 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 Household Data

section of the “Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error” at http://

www.bls.gov/cps/eetech_methods.pdf.

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, such as $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.
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

2007

II

2008

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

II

2007

II

2008

II

2007

II

2008

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ..................................................................................... 106,879 107,119 $690 $719 $320 $320

Men, 16 years and over .................................................................................. 60,507 59,759 763 800 355 356

16 to 24 years ............................................................................................. 6,537 6,169 436 469 203 209

25 years and over ....................................................................................... 53,970 53,589 819 862 381 384

Women, 16 years and over ............................................................................ 46,372 47,360 607 634 282 282

16 to 24 years ............................................................................................. 4,633 4,692 404 415 188 185

25 years and over ....................................................................................... 41,739 42,668 635 668 295 297

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White .............................................................................................................. 86,393 86,389 713 738 331 329

Men ............................................................................................................. 50,162 49,412 783 827 364 368

Women ....................................................................................................... 36,232 36,977 620 648 288 289

Black or African American .............................................................................. 13,048 12,889 562 591 261 263

Men ............................................................................................................. 6,190 6,105 597 615 278 274

Women ....................................................................................................... 6,858 6,785 521 568 242 253

Asian ............................................................................................................... 5,025 5,267 827 855 384 381

Men ............................................................................................................. 2,766 2,804 942 975 438 434

Women ....................................................................................................... 2,258 2,463 709 741 330 330

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ............................................................................. 15,943 15,951 503 537 234 239

Men ............................................................................................................. 10,249 10,059 523 569 243 253

Women ....................................................................................................... 5,694 5,892 470 494 218 220

 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 2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and

sex, second quarter 2008 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 ......................................................................................... 107,119 $719 59,759 $800 47,360 $634

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 10,861 447 6,169 469 4,692 415

16 to 19 years ....................................................................................... 1,623 350 949 382 674 316

20 to 24 years ....................................................................................... 9,238 467 5,220 483 4,018 439

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 96,258 760 53,589 862 42,668 668

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 79,147 753 44,355 849 34,792 662

25 to 34 years ................................................................................... 26,019 666 14,872 701 11,146 626

35 to 44 years ................................................................................... 26,619 808 15,081 924 11,538 681

45 to 54 years ................................................................................... 26,509 817 14,402 935 12,107 694

55 years and over ................................................................................. 17,111 800 9,234 919 7,877 700

55 to 64 years ................................................................................... 14,648 828 7,869 946 6,780 716

65 years and over ............................................................................. 2,462 624 1,366 711 1,097 591

White

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 86,389 738 49,412 827 36,977 648

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 8,880 457 5,127 476 3,753 423

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 77,509 782 44,284 887 33,225 684

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 63,061 773 36,311 873 26,750 677

55 years and over ................................................................................. 14,448 825 7,974 951 6,474 710

Black or African American

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 12,889 591 6,105 615 6,785 568

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 1,268 405 667 425 602 367

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 11,621 613 5,438 655 6,183 590

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 10,020 613 4,696 658 5,324 587

55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,601 618 742 618 859 620

Asian

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 5,267 855 2,804 975 2,463 741

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 292 465 137 508 156 420

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 4,974 889 2,668 1,008 2,307 763

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 4,204 915 2,310 1,020 1,894 774

55 years and over ................................................................................. 771 753 358 857 413 728

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 15,951 537 10,059 569 5,892 494

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 2,161 421 1,387 428 774 410

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 13,790 574 8,672 599 5,118 511

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 12,347 574 7,793 600 4,554 506

55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,443 580 879 591 565 559

 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 occupation and sex, quarterly averages, not

seasonally adjusted

Occupation and sex

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

II

2007

II

2008

II

2007

II

2008

TOTAL

Management, professional, and related occupations ................................................... 38,817 39,861 $997 $1,028

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ................................ 15,591 15,947 1,115 1,135

Professional and related occupations ....................................................................... 23,226 23,914 945 978

Service occupations ..................................................................................................... 14,811 14,700 459 475

Sales and office occupations ........................................................................................ 25,536 25,792 595 610

Sales and related occupations ................................................................................. 10,477 10,325 640 645

Office and administrative support occupations ......................................................... 15,059 15,467 578 598

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations .................................. 12,565 11,815 658 691

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................................... 762 800 382 409

Construction and extraction occupations .................................................................. 7,322 6,551 634 677

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................................... 4,482 4,464 744 778

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ...................................... 15,149 14,951 578 600

Production occupations ............................................................................................ 8,596 8,045 583 594

Transportation and material moving occupations ..................................................... 6,553 6,905 568 606

Men

Management, professional, and related occupations ................................................... 19,402 19,623 1,176 1,243

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ................................ 8,763 8,816 1,237 1,356

Professional and related occupations ....................................................................... 10,639 10,807 1,142 1,169

Service occupations ..................................................................................................... 7,526 7,255 521 539

Sales and office occupations ........................................................................................ 9,632 9,820 722 730

Sales and related occupations ................................................................................. 5,831 5,727 802 786

Office and administrative support occupations ......................................................... 3,801 4,093 613 643

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations .................................. 12,141 11,317 661 693

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................................... 612 638 394 414

Construction and extraction occupations .................................................................. 7,192 6,407 635 676

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................................... 4,336 4,271 741 773

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ...................................... 11,806 11,745 619 648

Production occupations ............................................................................................ 6,154 5,797 643 664

Transportation and material moving occupations ..................................................... 5,652 5,947 597 629

Women

Management, professional, and related occupations ................................................... 19,415 20,238 859 884

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ................................ 6,827 7,131 952 922

Professional and related occupations ....................................................................... 12,587 13,108 823 868

Service occupations ..................................................................................................... 7,285 7,445 404 416

Sales and office occupations ........................................................................................ 15,904 15,973 546 575

Sales and related occupations ................................................................................. 4,646 4,598 489 500

Office and administrative support occupations ......................................................... 11,257 11,375 569 591

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations .................................. 425 498 559 616

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................................... 149 162 351 389

Construction and extraction occupations .................................................................. 130 144 566 733

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................................... 146 192 782 806

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ...................................... 3,343 3,206 448 467

Production occupations ............................................................................................ 2,442 2,248 448 470

Transportation and material moving occupations ..................................................... 901 958 446 450

 NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 4. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected

characteristics, second quarter 2008 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 ..................................................................................... 107,119 $346 $484 $719 $1,122 $1,695

Men ................................................................................................................. 59,759 377 519 800 1,252 1,895

Women ........................................................................................................... 47,360 320 434 634 947 1,388

White .............................................................................................................. 86,389 355 495 738 1,145 1,745

Men ............................................................................................................. 49,412 386 536 827 1,279 1,912

Women ....................................................................................................... 36,977 325 446 648 961 1,411

Black or African American .............................................................................. 12,889 315 413 591 869 1,262

Men ............................................................................................................. 6,105 327 434 615 919 1,334

Women ....................................................................................................... 6,785 306 398 568 827 1,196

Asian ............................................................................................................... 5,267 361 518 855 1,378 1,906

Men ............................................................................................................. 2,804 390 591 975 1,541 2,082

Women ....................................................................................................... 2,463 335 477 741 1,151 1,641

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ............................................................................. 15,951 298 384 537 798 1,185

Men ............................................................................................................. 10,059 316 407 569 845 1,249

Women ....................................................................................................... 5,892 280 344 494 734 1,099

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over ..................................................................................... 96,258 369 511 760 1,165 1,760

Less than a high school diploma .................................................................... 8,422 282 344 449 619 891

High school graduates, no college 1 ............................................................... 27,291 335 447 620 893 1,232

Some college or associate degree ................................................................. 26,612 382 512 727 1,036 1,434

Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 ...................................................................... 33,933 548 749 1,105 1,640 2,306

Bachelor’s degree only ............................................................................... 21,892 511 696 999 1,496 2,100

Advanced degree ....................................................................................... 12,041 637 883 1,298 1,865 2,767

Men, 25 years and over .................................................................................. 53,589 399 572 862 1,331 1,920

Less than a high school diploma ................................................................ 5,673 301 379 497 687 987

High school graduates, no college 1 ........................................................... 15,864 380 510 715 1,006 1,394

Some college or associate degree ............................................................. 13,834 425 590 843 1,181 1,609

Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 .................................................................. 18,219 591 842 1,277 1,889 2,765

Bachelor’s degree only ........................................................................... 11,730 565 778 1,164 1,745 2,378

Advanced degree ................................................................................... 6,488 682 987 1,521 2,100 3,235

Women, 25 years and over ............................................................................ 42,668 337 467 668 984 1,432

Less than a high school diploma ................................................................ 2,749 251 303 378 497 625

High school graduates, no college 1 ........................................................... 11,427 305 389 521 716 960

Some college or associate degree ............................................................. 12,778 350 470 632 870 1,183

Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 .................................................................. 15,714 508 678 942 1,351 1,879

Bachelor’s degree only ........................................................................... 10,162 480 633 864 1,234 1,756

Advanced degree ................................................................................... 5,553 613 820 1,132 1,521 2,070

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 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

2007

II

2008

II

2007

II

2008

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ............................................................................................... 22,470 22,534 $207 $218

Men, 16 years and over ............................................................................................ 6,909 7,362 194 207

16 to 24 years ....................................................................................................... 3,514 3,604 161 162

25 years and over ................................................................................................. 3,396 3,758 248 274

Women, 16 years and over ...................................................................................... 15,561 15,172 214 224

16 to 24 years ....................................................................................................... 4,758 4,564 153 160

25 years and over ................................................................................................. 10,802 10,608 256 263

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White ........................................................................................................................ 18,834 18,828 208 220

Men ....................................................................................................................... 5,647 6,096 193 207

Women ................................................................................................................. 13,186 12,732 216 227

Black or African American ........................................................................................ 2,194 2,289 197 206

Men ....................................................................................................................... 752 767 195 206

Women ................................................................................................................. 1,442 1,523 200 206

Asian ......................................................................................................................... 861 875 227 244

Men ....................................................................................................................... 313 305 217 213

Women ................................................................................................................. 548 569 239 270

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ....................................................................................... 2,521 2,687 206 220

Men ....................................................................................................................... 835 996 227 234

Women ................................................................................................................. 1,686 1,692 200 214

 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.