For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, April 17, 2012 USDL-12-0715 

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

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

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS

FIRST QUARTER 2012

Median weekly earnings of the nation's 100.8 million full-time wage and salary workers were $769 in 

the first quarter of 2012 (not seasonally adjusted), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. 

This was 1.9 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 weekly earnings are collected as part of the Current Population Survey, a nationwide 

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

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

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

 Seasonally adjusted median weekly earnings were $763 in the first quarter of 2012, about 

unchanged from the previous quarter ($762). (See table 1.) 

 On a not seasonally adjusted basis, median weekly earnings were $769 in the first quarter of 

2012. Women who usually worked full time had median weekly earnings of $697, or 82.2 

percent of the $848 median for men. (See table 2.) 

 The female-to-male earnings ratio varied by race and ethnicity. White women earned 81.6 

percent as much as their male counterparts, compared with black (88.9 percent), Asian (80.8 

percent), and Hispanic women (89.9 percent). (See table 2.) 

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

at full-time jobs were $677, or 77.5 percent of the median for white men ($874). The difference 

was less among women, as black women's median weekly earnings ($602) were 84.4 percent of 

those for white women ($713). Overall, median weekly earnings of Hispanics who worked full 

time ($567) were lower than those of blacks ($635), whites ($793), and Asians ($918). (See 

table 2.) 

 Usual weekly earnings of full-time workers varied by age. Among both men and women, 

median weekly earnings tend to be higher in the older age groups. Men between the ages of 45 

to 54 had median weekly earnings of $998, about the same as the median for men age 55 to 64 

($992). Usual weekly earnings were highest for women age 35 to 64; weekly earnings were 
- 2 - 

$756 for women age 35 to 44, $748 for women age 45 to 54, and $779 for women age 55 to 64. 

Workers age 16 to 24 had the lowest median weekly earnings, at $448. (See table 3.) 

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

professional, and related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,309 for men 

and $959 for women. Men and women employed in service jobs earned the least, $563 and 

$450, respectively. (See table 4.) 

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

had median weekly earnings of $450, compared with $653 for high school graduates (no 

college) and $1,158 for those holding at least a bachelor's degree. Among college graduates 

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

percent of male workers made $3,366 or more per week, compared with $2,284 or more for 

their female counterparts. (See table 5.) 

Revision of Seasonally Adjusted Usual Weekly Earnings Data 

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

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

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

(1982-84) dollar estimates back to the first quarter of 2007 were subject to revision. 
Technical Note 

The estimates in this release were obtained from the 

Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides basic 

information on the labor force, employment, and 

unemployment. The survey is conducted monthly for the 

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

Bureau using a scientifically selected national sample of 

about 60,000 eligible households, with coverage in all 50 

states and the District of Columbia. The earnings data are 

collected from one-quarter of the CPS monthly sample and 

are limited to wage and salary workers (both incorporated 

and unincorporated self-employed are excluded). 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; Federal Relay Service: (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 errors 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 on a timely basis, mistakes made by respondents, and errors made in the collection or processing of the 

data. 

A full discussion of the reliability of data from the 

Current Population Survey and information on estimating 

standard errors is available on the BLS website at 

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

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 

that 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 estimation procedure places each reported or 

calculated weekly earnings value into $50-wide intervals 

that 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 year olds 

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, or $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 (1982-84) 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. 

Seasonal adjustment 

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

force and other measures of labor market activity undergo 

regularly occurring fluctuations. These recurring events 

include seasonal changes in weather, major holidays, and 

the opening and closing of schools. The effect of such 

seasonal variations can be very large. 

Because seasonal events follow a more or less regular 

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

be tempered by adjusting for regular seasonal variation. 

These adjustments make nonseasonal developments easier 

to spot. The seasonally adjusted figures provide a more 

useful tool with which to analyze changes in quarter-toquarter activity. 

At the end of each calendar year, the seasonally 

adjusted data are revised for the past 5 years when the 

seasonal adjustment factors are updated. More information 

on seasonal adjustment is available on the BLS website at 

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

seasonally adjusted

Year and quarter

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

Total Men Women

In current dollars In constant (1982-84) dollars

Total

$

Men

$

Women

$

Total

$

Men

$

Women

$

2003

1st Quarter.......................................... 100,136 56,079 44,057 615 689 546 335 376 297

2nd Quarter......................................... 100,255 56,013 44,242 619 692 551 338 378 301

3rd Quarter.......................................... 100,139 56,178 43,961 621 697 554 337 378 300

4th Quarter.......................................... 100,628 56,607 44,021 623 702 560 337 379 302

2004

1st Quarter.......................................... 100,905 56,848 44,057 629 705 562 337 378 301

2nd Quarter......................................... 101,135 56,914 44,221 642 715 576 341 380 306

3rd Quarter.......................................... 101,148 56,931 44,217 635 712 574 335 376 303

4th Quarter.......................................... 101,658 57,289 44,369 646 720 577 337 376 302

2005

1st Quarter.......................................... 102,091 57,710 44,381 647 723 580 336 376 302

2nd Quarter......................................... 103,201 58,099 45,101 647 714 584 334 369 301

3rd Quarter.......................................... 104,310 58,843 45,467 651 723 588 331 368 299

4th Quarter.......................................... 104,605 58,967 45,638 658 730 588 332 368 296

2006

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

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

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

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

2007

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

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

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

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

2008

1st Quarter.......................................... 107,819 60,401 47,418 713 783 633 335 368 298

2nd Quarter......................................... 107,051 59,581 47,469 722 801 636 335 372 295

3rd Quarter.......................................... 106,114 59,259 46,856 724 802 637 331 367 291

4th Quarter.......................................... 105,585 58,499 47,087 727 807 647 340 377 302

2009

1st Quarter.......................................... 101,734 56,339 45,395 731 815 645 344 384 304

2nd Quarter......................................... 100,002 55,226 44,776 737 816 652 345 382 306

3rd Quarter.......................................... 99,004 54,451 44,553 742 820 664 345 381 308

4th Quarter.......................................... 98,535 54,405 44,130 747 824 666 344 380 307

2010

1st Quarter.......................................... 98,223 54,156 44,067 747 836 662 344 384 305

2nd Quarter......................................... 99,621 55,030 44,591 743 812 671 342 374 309

3rd Quarter.......................................... 100,333 55,569 44,765 745 821 670 342 377 307

4th Quarter.......................................... 99,927 55,468 44,459 751 828 675 342 377 307

2011

1st Quarter.......................................... 99,788 55,407 44,380 749 820 680 337 369 306

2nd Quarter......................................... 100,377 55,839 44,539 756 828 688 337 369 306

3rd Quarter.......................................... 100,369 55,981 44,388 758 835 681 335 369 301

4th Quarter.......................................... 101,294 56,652 44,642 762 841 685 336 371 302

2012

1st Quarter.......................................... 102,223 57,162 45,061 763 841 694 334 368 304

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

quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

1st

2011

1st

2012

In current dollars In constant (1982-84)

dollars

1st

2011

1st

2012

1st

2011

1st

2012

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over............................................... 98,329 100,830 $755 $ 769 $341 $337

Men, 16 years and over............................................. 54,251 56,022 829 848 374 372

16 to 24 years...................................................... 4,418 4,786 470 469 212 206

25 years and over................................................. 49,834 51,236 880 904 397 396

Women, 16 years and over......................................... 44,077 44,808 683 697 308 306

16 to 24 years...................................................... 3,685 3,614 426 421 192 185

25 years and over................................................. 40,392 41,194 716 731 323 321

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White................................................................... 79,349 80,278 774 793 349 348

Men.................................................................. 44,712 45,755 856 874 386 383

Women.............................................................. 34,636 34,523 699 713 316 313

Black or African American........................................... 11,453 11,935 604 635 272 278

Men.................................................................. 5,324 5,626 621 677 280 297

Women.............................................................. 6,129 6,309 590 602 266 264

Asian................................................................... 5,219 5,778 831 918 375 403

Men.................................................................. 2,952 3,099 948 1,027 428 451

Women.............................................................. 2,267 2,679 762 830 344 364

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity......................................... 14,572 15,776 549 567 248 249

Men.................................................................. 8,973 9,577 570 584 257 256

Women.............................................................. 5,599 6,199 515 525 232 230

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

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

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

ethnicity, and sex, 1st quarter 2012 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....................................................... 100,830 $769 56,022 $ 848 44,808 $697

16 to 24 years........................................................ 8,400 448 4,786 469 3,614 421

16 to 19 years...................................................... 851 362 485 376 366 347

20 to 24 years...................................................... 7,548 463 4,301 482 3,248 435

25 years and over.................................................... 92,430 815 51,236 904 41,194 731

25 to 54 years...................................................... 72,999 801 40,763 882 32,236 723

25 to 34 years................................................... 24,017 702 13,465 732 10,553 671

35 to 44 years................................................... 23,876 855 13,574 944 10,302 756

45 to 54 years................................................... 25,105 880 13,724 998 11,382 748

55 years and over................................................. 19,431 872 10,473 980 8,958 761

55 to 64 years................................................... 16,319 895 8,689 992 7,630 779

65 years and over............................................... 3,113 768 1,784 925 1,329 656

White

16 years and over.................................................... 80,278 793 45,755 874 34,523 713

16 to 24 years...................................................... 6,592 454 3,834 474 2,758 420

25 years and over................................................. 73,686 840 41,920 928 31,765 746

25 to 54 years................................................... 57,553 826 33,050 903 24,503 736

55 years and over............................................... 16,132 913 8,870 1,012 7,262 782

Black or African American

16 years and over.................................................... 11,935 635 5,626 677 6,309 602

16 to 24 years...................................................... 1,106 397 525 401 580 392

25 years and over................................................. 10,830 667 5,101 715 5,729 625

25 to 54 years................................................... 8,786 665 4,162 714 4,624 621

55 years and over............................................... 2,044 677 939 722 1,105 648

Asian

16 years and over.................................................... 5,778 918 3,099 1,027 2,679 830

16 to 24 years...................................................... 315 498 183 530 132 468

25 years and over................................................. 5,462 955 2,916 1,113 2,547 856

25 to 54 years................................................... 4,516 985 2,429 1,145 2,087 893

55 years and over............................................... 946 825 487 987 460 701

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

16 years and over.................................................... 15,776 567 9,577 584 6,199 525

16 to 24 years...................................................... 1,842 410 1,175 416 667 399

25 years and over................................................. 13,934 592 8,402 605 5,532 566

25 to 54 years................................................... 12,293 591 7,457 603 4,836 571

55 years and over............................................... 1,641 596 945 619 696 546

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

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

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

averages, not seasonally adjusted

Occupation and sex

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

1st

2011

1st

2012

1st

2011

1st

2012

TOTAL

Management, professional, and related occupations................................. 39,034 40,290 $1,072 $1,107

Management, business, and financial operations occupations.................... 15,433 16,676 1,152 1,173

Professional and related occupations................................................ 23,600 23,614 1,031 1,050

Service occupations....................................................................... 13,830 14,339 483 491

Sales and office occupations............................................................. 22,918 22,842 640 654

Sales and related occupations........................................................ 9,209 9,388 674 698

Office and administrative support occupations...................................... 13,709 13,454 624 638

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations..................... 9,499 9,883 732 742

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......................................... 764 716 427 420

Construction and extraction occupations............................................. 4,706 5,042 707 727

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.................................. 4,029 4,125 821 815

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 13,048 13,475 608 619

Production occupations................................................................. 7,037 7,335 599 627

Transportation and material moving occupations................................... 6,011 6,140 621 611

Men

Management, professional, and related occupations................................. 18,767 19,378 1,266 1,309

Management, business, and financial operations occupations.................... 8,263 8,913 1,368 1,407

Professional and related occupations................................................ 10,504 10,465 1,222 1,242

Service occupations....................................................................... 6,953 7,336 565 563

Sales and office occupations............................................................. 8,878 9,066 736 766

Sales and related occupations........................................................ 5,191 5,284 808 847

Office and administrative support occupations...................................... 3,687 3,782 640 687

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations..................... 9,109 9,499 743 749

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......................................... 601 565 453 438

Construction and extraction occupations............................................. 4,602 4,938 710 724

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.................................. 3,905 3,996 823 818

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 10,544 10,744 653 667

Production occupations................................................................. 5,239 5,446 655 694

Transportation and material moving occupations................................... 5,305 5,297 650 640

Women

Management, professional, and related occupations................................. 20,267 20,912 939 959

Management, business, and financial operations occupations.................... 7,171 7,763 987 1,026

Professional and related occupations................................................ 13,096 13,149 915 924

Service occupations....................................................................... 6,877 7,004 431 450

Sales and office occupations............................................................. 14,040 13,776 607 608

Sales and related occupations........................................................ 4,018 4,104 549 550

Office and administrative support occupations...................................... 10,022 9,672 621 622

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations..................... 390 384 446 561

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......................................... 162 152 365 380

Construction and extraction occupations............................................. 104 103 490 929

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.................................. 124 129 744 673

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 2,504 2,732 491 483

Production occupations................................................................. 1,798 1,889 488 476

Transportation and material moving occupations................................... 705 843 499 492

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

selected characteristics, 1st quarter 2012 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............................................... 100,830 $360 $ 507 $ 769 $1,208 $1,858

Men..................................................................... 56,022 381 550 848 1,356 1,995

Women................................................................. 44,808 338 474 697 1,048 1,547

White................................................................... 80,278 367 520 793 1,237 1,881

Men.................................................................. 45,755 387 572 874 1,379 2,020

Women.............................................................. 34,523 343 484 713 1,072 1,563

Black or African American........................................... 11,935 333 439 635 938 1,433

Men.................................................................. 5,626 343 463 677 1,015 1,568

Women.............................................................. 6,309 325 424 602 859 1,290

Asian................................................................... 5,778 379 540 918 1,490 2,114

Men.................................................................. 3,099 397 599 1,027 1,639 2,312

Women.............................................................. 2,679 347 494 830 1,295 1,889

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity......................................... 15,776 305 391 567 834 1,279

Men.................................................................. 9,577 316 403 584 869 1,395

Women.............................................................. 6,199 294 372 525 781 1,137

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over............................................... 92,430 382 541 815 1,257 1,892

Less than a high school diploma................................... 6,850 287 346 450 614 857

High school graduates, no college1

............................... 24,865 347 469 653 939 1,316

Some college or associate degree................................. 25,525 391 533 754 1,096 1,522

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................... 35,190 564 784 1,158 1,760 2,580

Bachelor’s degree only............................................ 22,281 514 733 1,051 1,571 2,310

Advanced degree.................................................. 12,909 663 926 1,367 1,981 2,911

Men, 25 years and over............................................. 51,236 404 593 904 1,416 2,080

Less than a high school diploma................................ 4,660 304 375 494 675 971

High school graduates, no college1............................ 14,773 387 519 733 1,054 1,464

Some college or associate degree.............................. 13,468 414 596 854 1,237 1,702

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

.................................. 18,334 623 893 1,356 1,982 2,929

Bachelor’s degree only......................................... 11,703 587 823 1,212 1,857 2,696

Advanced degree............................................... 6,631 745 1,075 1,596 2,360 3,366

Women, 25 years and over......................................... 41,194 356 496 731 1,094 1,589

Less than a high school diploma................................ 2,190 258 307 380 499 630

High school graduates, no college1

............................ 10,091 313 404 565 765 1,033

Some college or associate degree.............................. 12,057 376 492 668 938 1,272

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................. 16,856 507 721 1,008 1,447 2,021

Bachelor’s degree only......................................... 10,577 478 658 928 1,325 1,882

Advanced degree............................................... 6,278 620 835 1,172 1,670 2,284

1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.

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

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

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

and 90 percent earn less than the upper limit of the ninth decile. Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not

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

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

quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

1st

2011

1st

2012

1st

2011

1st

2012

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over.................................................................. 24,947 25,150 $231 $229

Men, 16 years and over................................................................ 8,846 8,600 224 221

16 to 24 years........................................................................ 3,763 3,605 167 170

25 years and over.................................................................... 5,083 4,995 284 265

Women, 16 years and over............................................................ 16,101 16,550 234 234

16 to 24 years........................................................................ 4,364 4,778 165 166

25 years and over.................................................................... 11,737 11,772 269 265

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White...................................................................................... 20,639 20,365 232 229

Men..................................................................................... 7,267 6,879 225 222

Women................................................................................. 13,372 13,486 236 233

Black or African American............................................................. 2,637 2,834 227 219

Men..................................................................................... 972 1,026 225 209

Women................................................................................. 1,665 1,807 229 225

Asian...................................................................................... 922 1,214 217 245

Men..................................................................................... 323 430 223 227

Women................................................................................. 599 784 212 255

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity............................................................ 3,721 3,904 223 229

Men..................................................................................... 1,583 1,596 241 231

Women................................................................................. 2,138 2,309 214 228

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.