1

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 03-551

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Friday, October 17, 2003

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:

THIRD QUARTER 2003

Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 101.4 million full-time wage and salary workers were $618 in the

third quarter of 2003, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This

was 2.5 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 2.2 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 third-quarter data are:

—Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $550 per week, or 79.8 percent of the

$689 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among Hispanics (89.4 percent) and

blacks (84.2 percent) than among whites (80.4 percent) or Asians (77.7 percent). (See table 1.)

—Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $568 per week, 80.2 percent of the

median for white men ($708). The difference was less among women, as black women’s median earnings

($478) were 84.0 percent of those for their white counterparts ($569). Overall, median earnings of

Hispanics who worked full time ($444) were lower than those of blacks ($509), whites ($633), and Asians

($692). (See table 1.)

—Among men, those age 45 to 54 ($839) had the highest median weekly earnings. Among women,

earnings also were highest for those 45 to 54 years old ($619). (See table 2.)

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

related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,056 for men and $755 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

$397, compared with $563 for high school graduates (no college) and $958 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 $2,495 or more per week, compared with

$1,812 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

 III

2002

 III

2003

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

 III

2002

 III

2003

 III

2002

 III

2003

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 101,459 101,372 $603 $618 $322 $323

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 57,402 57,175 671 689 358 360

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 7,030 6,746 376 396 201 207

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 50,373 50,429 729 742 389 388

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 44,056 44,197 527 550 282 288

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 5,267 5,018 360 366 192 191

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 38,789 39,180 570 585 305 306

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White1 .................................................................................................... 83,444 82,828 620 633 331 331

 Men ...................................................................................................... 48,281 47,815 694 708 371 370

 Women ................................................................................................ 35,162 35,012 548 569 293 297

 Black or African American1 ................................................................... 12,288 11,984 484 509 259 266

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,901 5,654 511 568 273 297

 Women ................................................................................................ 6,387 6,330 457 478 244 250

 Asian1 .................................................................................................... 4,723 4,382 665 692 355 362

 Men ...................................................................................................... 2,661 2,500 757 762 404 399

 Women ................................................................................................ 2,062 1,882 576 592 308 310

 Hispanic or Latino .................................................................................. 13,256 13,805 420 444 224 232

 Men ...................................................................................................... 8,256 8,761 435 463 232 242

 Women ................................................................................................ 4,999 5,044 401 414 214 216

1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only;

persons who selected more than one race group are not included. Prior to

2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in

the group they indentified as the main race.

 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 2003, data reflect revised population

controls used in the household survey. 
Table 2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and

sex, third quarter 2003 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 ..................................................................................... 101,372 $618 57,175 $689 44,197 $550

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 11,764 384 6,746 396 5,018 366

 16 to 19 years ....................................................................................... 2,040 315 1,191 324 849 304

 20 to 24 years ....................................................................................... 9,724 401 5,555 413 4,169 384

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 89,608 662 50,429 742 39,180 585

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 76,458 659 43,222 735 33,237 586

 25 to 34 years ..................................................................................... 25,082 594 14,513 630 10,569 547

 35 to 44 years ..................................................................................... 26,889 683 15,458 769 11,431 586

 45 to 54 years ..................................................................................... 24,487 729 13,251 839 11,236 619

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 13,150 684 7,207 786 5,943 583

 55 to 64 years ..................................................................................... 11,489 708 6,212 816 5,277 599

 65 years and over ............................................................................... 1,661 526 995 620 666 415

White1

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 82,828 633 47,815 708 35,012 569

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 9,800 383 5,726 397 4,074 363

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 73,028 684 42,090 766 30,938 599

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 61,860 681 35,891 758 25,969 600

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 11,168 704 6,199 821 4,969 590

Black or African American1

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 11,984 509 5,654 568 6,330 478

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 1,270 381 637 389 633 373

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 10,714 529 5,018 592 5,696 497

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 9,454 528 4,410 591 5,043 495

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,260 537 607 595 653 505

Asian1

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 4,382 692 2,500 762 1,882 592

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 399 422 231 403 168 498

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 3,984 728 2,269 807 1,715 607

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 3,474 731 1,988 831 1,486 599

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 510 700 281 735 228 685

Hispanic or Latino

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 13,805 444 8,761 463 5,044 414

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 2,098 357 1,386 358 712 355

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 11,708 477 7,376 493 4,332 431

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 10,747 477 6,830 490 3,917 438

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 961 477 546 522 415 386

1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only;

persons who selected more than one race group are not included. Prior to

2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in

the group they indentified as the main race.

 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 2003, data reflect revised population

controls used in the household survey. 
Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, quarterly averages, 

not seasonally adjusted

Occupation and sex

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

 III

2002

 III

2003

 III

2002

 III

2003

TOTAL

 Managerial, professional, and related occupations ................................. 35,350 35,663 $857 $883

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 14,317 14,388 925 951

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 21,034 21,276 816 840

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 13,959 13,996 391 400

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 25,567 25,199 530 544

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 10,079 10,003 591 598

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 15,488 15,196 512 524

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 10,824 11,344 591 600

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 838 783 338 398

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 6,084 6,378 583 586

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 3,903 4,182 660 679

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 15,759 15,170 508 527

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 9,109 8,790 503 526

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 6,650 6,380 516 529

Men

 Managerial, professional, and related occupations ................................. 17,742 17,799 1,015 1,056

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 7,984 8,070 1,067 1,112

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 9,758 9,728 973 1,018

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 7,252 7,112 423 451

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 9,880 9,583 652 647

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 5,848 5,653 732 728

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 4,032 3,930 577 571

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 10,275 10,870 599 604

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 628 648 369 408

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 5,921 6,224 586 587

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 3,725 3,998 663 681

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 12,254 11,811 553 579

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 6,414 6,210 563 595

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 5,840 5,601 542 549

Women

 Managerial, professional, and related occupations ................................. 17,608 17,865 739 755

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 6,332 6,317 768 808

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 11,276 11,547 723 731

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 6,706 6,883 356 361

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 15,687 15,616 483 501

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 4,231 4,350 426 428

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 11,456 11,266 498 516

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 549 474 397 488

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 209 135 306 327

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 162 154 478 510

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 178 185 573 639

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 3,505 3,359 397 414

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 2,695 2,579 401 400

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 810 780 382 477

 NOTE: Occupations reflect the introduction of the 2002 Census

occupational classification system derived from the 2000 Standard

Occupational Classification system into the Current Population Survey.

Beginning in January 2003, data reflect revised population controls used

in the household survey. 
Table 4. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected

characteristics, third quarter 2003 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 ........................................................................... 101,372 $300 $411 $618 $950 $1,405

 Men ......................................................................................................... 57,175 321 453 689 1,073 1,562

 Women ................................................................................................... 44,197 282 377 550 800 1,159

 White1 ..................................................................................................... 82,828 305 420 633 975 1,444

 Men ....................................................................................................... 47,815 326 466 708 1,101 1,598

 Women ................................................................................................. 35,012 286 384 569 817 1,184

 Black or African American1 .................................................................... 11,984 276 360 509 736 1,073

 Men ....................................................................................................... 5,654 293 382 568 769 1,152

 Women ................................................................................................. 6,330 259 338 478 701 992

 Asian1 ..................................................................................................... 4,382 299 443 692 1,073 1,638

 Men ....................................................................................................... 2,500 320 489 762 1,253 1,863

 Women ................................................................................................. 1,882 263 402 592 857 1,246

 Hispanic or Latino ................................................................................... 13,805 264 327 444 654 991

 Men ....................................................................................................... 8,761 278 344 463 681 1,074

 Women ................................................................................................. 5,044 244 308 414 612 880

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

 Total, 25 years and over ......................................................................... 89,608 319 449 662 1,001 1,469

 Less than a high school diploma .......................................................... 8,575 241 303 397 518 731

 High school graduates, no college ....................................................... 27,060 302 403 563 777 1,074

 Some college or associate degree ....................................................... 24,521 337 460 634 914 1,258

 Bachelor’s degree and higher ............................................................... 29,452 478 671 958 1,410 1,914

 Bachelor’s degree only ....................................................................... 19,480 444 624 892 1,303 1,861

 Advanced degree ............................................................................... 9,972 593 775 1,132 1,587 2,201

 Men, 25 years and over ........................................................................ 50,429 356 500 742 1,137 1,636

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 5,758 269 334 427 577 820

 High school graduates, no college ..................................................... 15,508 344 467 632 884 1,175

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 12,770 382 527 736 1,055 1,421

 Bachelor’s degree and higher ............................................................. 16,394 524 746 1,120 1,597 2,195

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 10,730 494 694 1,023 1,499 2,020

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 5,663 630 874 1,273 1,773 2,495

 Women, 25 years and over .................................................................. 39,180 293 400 585 841 1,207

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 2,817 213 268 327 423 532

 High school graduates, no college ..................................................... 11,553 276 350 480 639 839

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 11,751 309 407 559 759 1,011

 Bachelor’s degree and higher ............................................................. 13,058 433 611 830 1,162 1,572

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 8,750 404 577 766 1,057 1,475

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 4,308 549 728 969 1,348 1,812

1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only;

persons who selected more than one race group are not included. Prior to

2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in

the group they indentified as the main race.

 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 2003, data reflect revised population

controls used in the household survey. 
Table 5. Median usual weekly earnings of part-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages,

not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

 III

2002

 III

2003

 III

2002

 III

2003

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 20,850 20,907 $194 $199

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 6,597 6,428 189 189

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 3,285 3,295 158 153

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 3,312 3,134 231 241

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 14,253 14,478 197 205

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,376 4,457 154 153

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 9,877 10,022 226 235

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White1 .................................................................................................... 17,747 17,637 196 200

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,473 5,369 190 190

 Women ................................................................................................ 12,274 12,268 198 205

 Black or African American1 ................................................................... 1,901 1,954 183 187

 Men ...................................................................................................... 666 651 186 178

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,234 1,302 181 191

 Asian1 .................................................................................................... 978 807 199 227

 Men ...................................................................................................... 351 219 187 173

 Women ................................................................................................ 628 588 207 251

 Hispanic or Latino .................................................................................. 2,256 2,365 186 195

 Men ...................................................................................................... 841 830 205 200

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,415 1,535 176 193

1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only;

persons who selected more than one race group are not included. Prior

to 2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included

in the group they indentified as the main race.

 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 2003, data reflect

revised population controls used in the household survey.