1

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 04-1328

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Tuesday, July 20, 2004

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:

SECOND QUARTER 2004

Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 101.3 million full-time wage and salary workers were $639 in

the second quarter of 2004, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.

This was 3.7 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 2.8 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 $572 per week, or 80.1 percent of

the $714 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among Hispanics or Latinos

(86.8 percent) and blacks (84.3 percent) than among Asians (80.9 percent) or whites (80.0 percent).

(See table 1.)

—Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $598 per week, 82.0 percent of the

median for white men ($729). The difference was less among women, as black women’s median earnings

($504) were 86.4 percent of those for their white counterparts ($583). Overall, median earnings of

Hispanics or Latinos who worked full time ($451) were lower than those of blacks ($536), whites ($655),

and Asians ($720). (See table 1.)

—Among men, those age 55 to 64 and age 45 to 54 had the highest median weekly earnings, $854 and

$849, respectively. Among women, earnings also were highest for these two age groups—$628 for both

groups. (See table 2.)

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

related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,073 for men and $782 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

$404, compared with $576 for high school graduates (no college) and $973 for college graduates holding at

least a bachelor’s degree. Among college graduates with advanced degrees (professional or master’s degree

and above), the highest-earning 10 percent of male workers made $2,891 or more per week, compared with

$1,845 or more for their female counterparts. (See table 4.)
Explanatory Note

The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current

Population Survey (CPS), which provides the basic information on the

labor force, employment, and unemployment. The survey is conducted

monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S.Census Bureau

from a scientifically selected national sample of about 60,000 households,

with coverage in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The earnings

data are collected from one-quarter of the CPS monthly sample and are

limited to wages and salaries. The data, therefore, exclude selfemployment income.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired

individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message

referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.

Reliability

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and

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

is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from

the "true" population values they represent. The exact difference, or

sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected, and

this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There

is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based

on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true"

population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally

conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling

error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a

segment of the population, inability to obtain information for all

respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to

provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or

processing of the data.

For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and

information on estimating standard errors, see the “Explanatory Notes

and Estimates of Error” section of Employment and Earnings.

Definitions

The principal definitions used in connection with the earnings series

are described briefly below.

Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before taxes and

other deductions and include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips

usually received (at the main job in the case of multiple jobholders.) Prior

to 1994, respondents were asked how much they usually earned per

week. Since January 1994, respondents have been asked to identify the

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

monthly, monthly, annually, other) and how much they usually earn in

the reported time period. Earnings reported on a basis other than weekly

are converted to a weekly equivalent. The term “usual” is as perceived

by the respondent. If the respondent asks for a definition of usual,

interviewers are instructed to define the term as more than half the weeks

worked during the past 4 or 5 months.

Medians (and other quantiles) of weekly earnings. The median (or

upper limit of the second quartile) is the amount which divides a given

earnings distribution into two equal groups, one having earnings above

the median and the other having earnings below the median. Ten percent

of a given distribution have earnings below the upper limit of the first

decile (90 percent have higher earnings); 25 percent have earnings below

the upper limit of the first quartile (75 percent have higher earnings); 75

percent have earnings below the upper limit of the third quartile (25

percent have higher earnings); and 90 percent have earnings below the

upper limit of the ninth decile (10 percent have higher earnings).

The estimating procedure places each reported or calculated weekly

earnings value into $50-wide intervals which are centered around

multiples of $50. The actual value is estimated through the linear

interpolation of the interval in which the quantile boundary lies.

Over-the-year changes in the medians (and other quantile boundaries)

for specific groups may not necessarily be consistent with the movements

estimated for the overall quantile boundary. The most common reasons

for this possible anomaly are: (1) There could be a change in the relative

weights of the subgroups. For example, the medians of both 16-to-24

year olds and those 25 years and over may rise; but if the lower-earning

16-to-24 group accounts for a greatly increased share of the total, the

overall median could actually fall. (2) There could be a large change in the

shape of the distribution of reported earnings, particularly near a quantile

boundary. This could be caused by survey observations that are

clustered at rounded values, e.g., $250, $300, $400. An estimate lying

in a $50-wide centered interval containing such a cluster or “spike” tends

to change more slowly than one in other intervals.

Wage and salary workers. Workers who receive wages, salaries,

commissions, tips, payment in kind, or piece rates. The group includes

employees in both the private and public sectors but, for the purposes

of the earnings series, excludes all self-employed persons, regardless

of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

Full-time workers. Workers who usually work 35 hours or more per

week at their sole or principal job.

Part-time workers. Workers who usually work fewer than 35 hours

per week at their sole or principal job.

Constant dollars. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers

(CPI-U) is used to convert current dollars to constant (1982) dollars.

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. This refers to persons who identified

themselves in the enumeration process as being Spanish, Hispanic, or

Latino. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino

may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well

as by race.
Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages,

not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

II

2003

II

2004

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

II

2003

II

2004

II

2003

II

2004

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 100,442 101,300 $616 $639 $323 $326

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 56,111 57,034 692 714 363 364

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 6,206 6,272 391 397 205 203

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 49,905 50,763 743 763 390 389

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 44,332 44,266 547 572 287 292

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,835 4,691 366 370 192 189

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 39,497 39,575 582 601 306 307

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 82,145 82,756 631 655 331 334

 Men ...................................................................................................... 47,028 47,688 712 729 374 372

 Women ................................................................................................ 35,117 35,067 561 583 295 298

 Black or African American ..................................................................... 11,879 12,014 509 536 267 274

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,471 5,669 540 598 284 305

 Women ................................................................................................ 6,408 6,344 489 504 257 257

 Asian ...................................................................................................... 4,242 4,328 678 720 356 368

 Men ...................................................................................................... 2,414 2,404 759 807 399 412

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,828 1,924 606 653 318 333

 Hispanic or Latino .................................................................................. 13,624 14,324 430 451 226 230

 Men ...................................................................................................... 8,597 9,163 456 477 239 244

 Women ................................................................................................ 5,027 5,160 399 414 210 211

 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 2004, 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, second quarter 2004 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 ..................................................................................... 101,300 $639 57,034 $714 44,266 $572

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 10,963 387 6,272 397 4,691 370

 16 to 19 years ....................................................................................... 1,637 313 991 324 646 296

 20 to 24 years ....................................................................................... 9,325 401 5,281 409 4,045 386

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 90,337 684 50,763 763 39,575 601

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 76,648 679 43,303 754 33,345 599

 25 to 34 years ..................................................................................... 24,863 595 14,459 627 10,404 553

 35 to 44 years ..................................................................................... 26,826 722 15,395 814 11,431 613

 45 to 54 years ..................................................................................... 24,959 741 13,449 849 11,510 628

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 13,690 714 7,460 832 6,230 611

 55 to 64 years ..................................................................................... 11,844 733 6,443 854 5,401 628

 65 years and over ............................................................................... 1,846 592 1,017 664 828 473

White

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 82,756 655 47,688 729 35,067 583

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 9,177 391 5,344 398 3,833 379

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 73,579 703 42,344 781 31,234 612

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 61,980 698 35,917 769 26,063 611

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 11,599 729 6,427 862 5,171 618

Black or African American

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 12,014 536 5,669 598 6,344 504

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 1,202 346 606 381 596 328

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 10,812 577 5,063 626 5,748 520

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 9,494 576 4,468 627 5,026 521

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,318 585 596 618 722 514

Asian

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 4,328 720 2,404 807 1,924 653

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 264 404 127 405 137 402

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 4,064 755 2,276 840 1,788 667

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 3,524 749 1,971 840 1,552 664

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 540 794 305 838 235 739

Hispanic or Latino

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 14,324 451 9,163 477 5,160 414

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 2,233 346 1,439 353 794 330

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 12,091 484 7,724 502 4,367 439

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 10,951 481 7,063 499 3,888 436

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,139 508 661 558 478 472

 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 2004, 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

II

2003

II

2004

II

2003

II

2004

TOTAL

 Managerial, professional, and related occupations ................................. 35,730 36,217 $877 $912

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 14,798 14,828 956 952

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 20,932 21,389 837 882

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 13,184 13,847 398 409

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 25,396 24,846 545 557

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 9,986 9,899 598 616

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 15,410 14,947 522 525

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 10,891 11,157 611 618

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 736 768 357 367

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 5,889 6,090 598 595

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 4,265 4,299 668 707

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 15,241 15,233 510 523

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 8,600 8,496 504 520

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 6,641 6,737 517 528

Men

 Managerial, professional, and related occupations ................................. 17,666 17,976 1,048 1,073

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 8,124 8,183 1,140 1,134

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 9,542 9,793 988 1,046

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 6,568 7,012 451 474

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 9,619 9,435 662 664

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 5,676 5,601 733 753

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 3,943 3,835 583 585

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 10,433 10,669 616 623

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 552 632 379 382

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 5,770 5,963 600 596

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 4,111 4,073 669 711

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 11,825 11,942 562 577

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 6,041 6,072 573 590

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 5,784 5,871 547 561

Women

 Managerial, professional, and related occupations ................................. 18,065 18,241 753 782

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 6,674 6,645 786 810

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 11,391 11,596 734 768

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 6,616 6,835 365 369

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 15,777 15,411 502 509

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 4,310 4,298 455 465

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 11,468 11,112 512 516

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 458 488 454 476

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 185 136 327 330

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 119 127 535 509

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 154 225 656 588

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 3,416 3,291 399 405

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 2,560 2,424 399 407

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 857 867 396 402

 NOTE: Beginning in January 2004, 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, second quarter 2004 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 ........................................................................... 101,300 $304 $419 $639 $969 $1,445

 Men ......................................................................................................... 57,034 323 467 714 1,087 1,631

 Women ................................................................................................... 44,266 287 386 572 834 1,174

 White ...................................................................................................... 82,756 310 429 655 991 1,474

 Men ....................................................................................................... 47,688 328 478 729 1,121 1,660

 Women ................................................................................................. 35,067 291 395 583 847 1,199

 Black or African American ...................................................................... 12,014 282 366 536 788 1,101

 Men ....................................................................................................... 5,669 294 400 598 852 1,158

 Women ................................................................................................. 6,344 272 343 504 732 1,026

 Asian ....................................................................................................... 4,328 321 465 720 1,157 1,730

 Men ....................................................................................................... 2,404 354 504 807 1,288 1,861

 Women ................................................................................................. 1,924 297 422 653 1,044 1,439

 Hispanic or Latino ................................................................................... 14,324 266 320 451 678 992

 Men ....................................................................................................... 9,163 281 336 477 700 1,024

 Women ................................................................................................. 5,160 240 302 414 621 932

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

 Total, 25 years and over ......................................................................... 90,337 323 462 684 1,015 1,500

 Less than a high school diploma .......................................................... 8,661 250 305 404 562 798

 High school graduates, no college1 ...................................................... 27,383 308 408 576 801 1,105

 Some college or associate degree ....................................................... 24,450 338 478 664 932 1,258

 Bachelor’s degree and higher2 ............................................................. 29,844 480 679 973 1,439 2,019

 Bachelor’s degree only ....................................................................... 19,386 440 628 902 1,302 1,860

 Advanced degree ............................................................................... 10,457 596 806 1,142 1,679 2,423

 Men, 25 years and over ........................................................................ 50,763 357 509 763 1,145 1,717

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 5,893 279 331 455 618 884

 High school graduates, no college1 .................................................... 15,542 345 476 657 906 1,215

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 12,844 384 546 760 1,043 1,422

 Bachelor’s degree and higher2 ........................................................... 16,485 508 759 1,123 1,669 2,402

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 10,688 470 705 1,020 1,511 2,116

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 5,797 640 911 1,331 1,909 2,891

 Women, 25 years and over .................................................................. 39,575 300 409 601 872 1,226

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 2,768 224 270 326 425 559

 High school graduates, no college1 .................................................... 11,841 284 362 489 653 889

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 11,606 310 417 580 779 1,054

 Bachelor’s degree and higher2 ........................................................... 13,359 451 621 850 1,170 1,573

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 8,699 415 590 777 1,082 1,459

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 4,660 567 726 979 1,343 1,845

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 2004, 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

II

2003

II

2004

II

2003

II

2004

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 21,721 21,817 $193 $195

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 6,975 6,860 188 178

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 3,490 3,558 148 150

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 3,484 3,302 241 226

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 14,746 14,957 196 203

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,430 4,573 143 145

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 10,316 10,384 228 237

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 18,388 18,489 195 197

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,729 5,702 186 178

 Women ................................................................................................ 12,659 12,787 199 205

 Black or African American ..................................................................... 2,068 1,953 185 192

 Men ...................................................................................................... 768 663 194 183

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,300 1,290 180 197

 Asian ...................................................................................................... 724 781 206 193

 Men ...................................................................................................... 242 291 206 183

 Women ................................................................................................ 482 490 205 197

 Hispanic or Latino .................................................................................. 2,512 2,420 185 194

 Men ...................................................................................................... 996 848 209 189

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,516 1,571 170 197

 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 2004, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.