For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Friday, October 16, 2009 USDL-09-1242 

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

THIRD QUARTER 2009 

Median weekly earnings of the nation's 100.1 million full-time wage and salary workers were $738 in 

the third quarter of 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This was 2.5 percent higher 

than a year earlier. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) fell by 1.6 percent 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.) Highlights from the third-quarter data are: 

 Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $657 per week, or 80.9 percent of 

the $812 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks (95.3 

percent) and Hispanics (95.2 percent) than among whites (80.0 percent) or Asians (82.6 percent). 

(See table 1.) 

 Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $622 per week, 74.5 percent of 

the $835 median for white men. The difference was smaller among women, as black women's 

median earnings ($593) were 88.8 percent of those for white women ($668). Overall, median 

earnings of Hispanics who worked full time ($527) were lower than those of blacks ($607), 

whites ($753), and Asians ($877). (See table 1.) 

 Among men, those age 45 to 54 and age 55 to 64 had the highest median weekly earnings, $944 

and $979, respectively. Among women, weekly earnings were highest for those age 35 to 44 and 

age 45 to 54, $720 and $727, respectively. (See table 2.) 

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

and related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,259 for men and $913 for 

women. Persons 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 

$448, compared with $621 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,145 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 $3,260 or more per 

week, compared with $2,252 or more for their female counterparts. (See table 4.) 
Technical Note 

The estimates in this release were obtained from the 

Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides the basic 

information on the labor force, employment, and 

unemployment. The survey is conducted monthly for the 

Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau from 

a scientifically selected national sample of about 60,000 

households, with coverage in all 50 states and the District 

of Columbia. The earnings data are collected from onequarter of the CPS monthly sample and are limited to wages 

and salaries. The data, therefore, exclude self-employment 

income. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200; 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. 

For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the 

CPS and information on estimating standard errors, see the 

Household Data section of the "Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error" available on the BLS Web site at 

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

Definitions 

The principal definitions used in connection with the 

earnings series are described briefly below. 

Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before 

taxes and other deductions and include any overtime pay, 

commissions, or tips usually received (at the main job in the 

case of multiple jobholders). Prior to 1994, respondents 

were asked how much they usually earned per week. Since 

January 1994, respondents have been asked to identify the 

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

biweekly, twice monthly, monthly, annually, other) and 

how much they usually earn in the reported time period. 

Earnings reported on a basis other than weekly are 

converted to a weekly equivalent. The term "usual" is as 

perceived by the respondent. If the respondent asks for a 

definition of usual, interviewers are instructed to define the 

term as more than half the weeks worked during the past 4 

or 5 months. 

Medians (and other quantiles) of weekly earnings. 

The median (or upper limit of the second quartile) is the 

amount which divides a given earnings distribution into two 

equal groups, one having earnings above the median and 

the other having earnings below the median. Ten percent of 

a given distribution have earnings below the upper limit of 

the first decile (90 percent have higher earnings); 25 

percent have earnings below the upper limit of the first 

quartile (75 percent have higher earnings); 75 percent have 

earnings below the upper limit of the third quartile (25 

percent have higher earnings); and 90 percent have earnings 

below the upper limit of the ninth decile (10 percent have 

higher earnings). 

The estimating procedure places each reported or 

calculated weekly earnings value into $50-wide intervals 

which are centered around multiples of $50. The actual 

value is estimated through the linear interpolation of the 

interval in which the quantile boundary lies. 

Over-the-year changes in the medians (and other 

quantile boundaries) for specific groups may not 

necessarily be consistent with the movements estimated for 

the overall quantile boundary. The most common reasons 

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

in the relative weights of the subgroups. For example, the 

medians of both 16-to-24 year olds and those 25 years and 

over may rise; but if the lower-earning 16-to-24 group 

accounts for a greatly increased share of the total, the 

overall median could actually fall. (2) There could be a 

large change in the shape of the distribution of reported 

earnings, particularly near a quantile boundary. This could 

be caused by survey observations that are clustered at 

rounded values, such as $250, $300, $400. An estimate 

lying in a $50-wide centered interval containing such a 

cluster or "spike" tends to change more slowly than one in 

other intervals. 

Wage and salary workers. Workers who receive 
wages, salaries, commissions, tips, payment in kind, or 

piece rates. The group includes employees in both the 

private and public sectors but, for the purposes of the 

earnings series, excludes all self-employed persons, regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. 

Full-time workers. Workers who usually work 35 

hours or more per week at their sole or principal job. 

Part-time workers. Workers who usually work fewer 

than 35 hours per week at their sole or principal job. 

Constant dollars. The Consumer Price Index for All 

Urban Consumers (CPI-U) is used to convert current dollars 

to constant (1982) dollars. 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Refers to persons who 

identified themselves in the enumeration process as being 

Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino. Persons whose ethnicity is 

identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 
Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages, not seasonally

adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

III

2008

III

2009

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

III

2008

III

2009

III

2008

III

2009

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ..................................................................................... 107,194 100,060 $720 $738 $317 $330

Men, 16 years and over .................................................................................. 60,170 55,359 796 812 350 363

16 to 24 years ............................................................................................. 6,439 5,261 446 448 196 201

25 years and over ....................................................................................... 53,731 50,098 857 870 377 389

Women, 16 years and over ............................................................................ 47,025 44,701 631 657 278 294

16 to 24 years ............................................................................................. 4,886 4,204 406 415 179 186

25 years and over ....................................................................................... 42,139 40,497 666 691 293 309

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White .............................................................................................................. 86,600 81,315 739 753 325 337

Men ............................................................................................................. 49,727 45,963 816 835 359 373

Women ....................................................................................................... 36,873 35,352 649 668 286 299

Black or African American .............................................................................. 12,878 11,514 589 607 259 272

Men ............................................................................................................. 6,085 5,335 646 622 284 278

Women ....................................................................................................... 6,793 6,179 530 593 233 265

Asian ............................................................................................................... 5,266 4,919 854 877 376 392

Men ............................................................................................................. 3,004 2,764 960 941 422 421

Women ....................................................................................................... 2,261 2,155 723 777 318 348

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ............................................................................. 16,095 14,586 529 527 233 236

Men ............................................................................................................. 10,197 9,203 566 539 249 241

Women ....................................................................................................... 5,898 5,383 498 513 219 229

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

whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and

sex, third quarter 2009 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 ......................................................................................... 100,060 $738 55,359 $812 44,701 $657

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 9,465 429 5,261 448 4,204 415

16 to 19 years ....................................................................................... 1,380 330 819 346 561 313

20 to 24 years ....................................................................................... 8,085 458 4,442 479 3,643 435

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 90,595 774 50,098 870 40,497 691

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 73,185 767 40,856 849 32,329 691

25 to 34 years ................................................................................... 23,790 678 13,499 713 10,291 637

35 to 44 years ................................................................................... 24,295 817 13,789 912 10,506 720

45 to 54 years ................................................................................... 25,100 836 13,568 944 11,532 727

55 years and over ................................................................................. 17,410 813 9,242 957 8,169 693

55 to 64 years ................................................................................... 14,884 838 7,798 979 7,086 706

65 years and over ............................................................................. 2,526 691 1,444 791 1,083 599

White

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 81,315 753 45,963 835 35,352 668

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 7,798 429 4,401 450 3,396 415

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 73,518 795 41,562 890 31,955 705

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 58,936 785 33,713 871 25,224 703

55 years and over ................................................................................. 14,581 838 7,850 980 6,732 709

Black or African American

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 11,514 607 5,335 622 6,179 593

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 992 411 484 425 508 396

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 10,522 627 4,852 666 5,671 609

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 8,756 623 4,059 649 4,698 609

55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,766 659 793 780 973 611

Asian

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 4,919 877 2,764 941 2,155 777

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 311 533 165 540 145 524

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 4,608 899 2,599 973 2,010 800

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 3,820 926 2,158 998 1,663 841

55 years and over ................................................................................. 788 766 441 876 347 665

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

16 years and over ......................................................................................... 14,586 527 9,203 539 5,383 513

16 to 24 years ........................................................................................... 1,743 385 1,057 380 686 391

25 years and over ..................................................................................... 12,843 560 8,146 577 4,697 537

25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 11,328 554 7,241 569 4,086 534

55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,515 612 905 665 610 566

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

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

release of January data.
Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, quarterly averages, not

seasonally adjusted

Occupation and sex

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

III

2008

III

2009

III

2008

III

2009

TOTAL

Management, professional, and related occupations ................................................... 40,192 38,592 $1,041 $1,048

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ................................ 16,448 15,697 1,135 1,138

Professional and related occupations ....................................................................... 23,744 22,896 1,000 1,000

Service occupations ..................................................................................................... 15,475 14,699 470 471

Sales and office occupations ........................................................................................ 24,795 23,749 610 622

Sales and related occupations ................................................................................. 9,728 9,604 657 668

Office and administrative support occupations ......................................................... 15,067 14,144 597 606

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations .................................. 11,683 10,380 701 706

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................................... 822 797 476 408

Construction and extraction occupations .................................................................. 6,536 5,331 689 719

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................................... 4,325 4,252 779 763

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ...................................... 15,049 12,640 590 602

Production occupations ............................................................................................ 7,991 6,561 592 610

Transportation and material moving occupations ..................................................... 7,058 6,079 589 594

Men

Management, professional, and related occupations ................................................... 19,938 18,696 1,234 1,259

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ................................ 8,797 8,451 1,335 1,329

Professional and related occupations ....................................................................... 11,141 10,245 1,167 1,229

Service occupations ..................................................................................................... 7,637 7,497 545 515

Sales and office occupations ........................................................................................ 9,396 9,062 728 736

Sales and related occupations ................................................................................. 5,432 5,242 787 792

Office and administrative support occupations ......................................................... 3,965 3,820 657 648

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations .................................. 11,265 9,932 704 714

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................................... 688 653 480 422

Construction and extraction occupations .................................................................. 6,387 5,213 688 721

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................................... 4,190 4,067 781 772

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ...................................... 11,933 10,171 637 640

Production occupations ............................................................................................ 5,797 4,883 650 680

Transportation and material moving occupations ..................................................... 6,136 5,288 620 609

Women

Management, professional, and related occupations ................................................... 20,254 19,897 916 913

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ................................ 7,650 7,246 958 955

Professional and related occupations ....................................................................... 12,604 12,651 886 886

Service occupations ..................................................................................................... 7,838 7,201 416 426

Sales and office occupations ........................................................................................ 15,399 14,687 576 590

Sales and related occupations ................................................................................. 4,297 4,362 524 545

Office and administrative support occupations ......................................................... 11,103 10,325 585 598

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations .................................. 417 448 599 527

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................................... 134 144 423 338

Construction and extraction occupations .................................................................. 149 118 755 648

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................................... 134 185 685 652

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ...................................... 3,116 2,469 456 473

Production occupations ............................................................................................ 2,194 1,678 468 470

Transportation and material moving occupations ..................................................... 923 791 423 478

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

characteristics, third quarter 2009 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 ..................................................................................... 100,060 $346 $488 $738 $1,147 $1,755

Men ................................................................................................................. 55,359 369 518 812 1,267 1,905

Women ........................................................................................................... 44,701 328 449 657 984 1,459

White .............................................................................................................. 81,315 350 497 753 1,166 1,795

Men ............................................................................................................. 45,963 375 532 835 1,298 1,913

Women ....................................................................................................... 35,352 329 458 668 997 1,479

Black or African American .............................................................................. 11,514 327 420 607 903 1,286

Men ............................................................................................................. 5,335 332 447 622 949 1,440

Women ....................................................................................................... 6,179 323 408 593 848 1,171

Asian ............................................................................................................... 4,919 378 546 877 1,354 1,991

Men ............................................................................................................. 2,764 396 583 941 1,539 2,209

Women ....................................................................................................... 2,155 346 511 777 1,225 1,782

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ............................................................................. 14,586 296 376 527 806 1,250

Men ............................................................................................................. 9,203 300 386 539 836 1,308

Women ....................................................................................................... 5,383 291 358 513 761 1,147

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over ..................................................................................... 90,595 373 517 774 1,192 1,838

Less than a high school diploma .................................................................... 7,278 283 341 448 615 858

High school graduates, no college 1 ............................................................... 25,492 339 454 621 895 1,224

Some college or associate degree ................................................................. 24,958 382 509 720 1,029 1,419

Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 ...................................................................... 32,867 569 774 1,145 1,732 2,410

Bachelor’s degree only ............................................................................... 21,030 519 726 1,026 1,548 2,206

Advanced degree ....................................................................................... 11,837 672 923 1,336 1,906 2,896

Men, 25 years and over .................................................................................. 50,098 396 573 870 1,337 1,930

Less than a high school diploma ................................................................ 4,924 296 375 495 686 926

High school graduates, no college 1 ........................................................... 14,806 374 501 715 1,000 1,375

Some college or associate degree ............................................................. 12,923 419 578 824 1,164 1,562

Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 .................................................................. 17,445 602 879 1,310 1,905 2,883

Bachelor’s degree only ........................................................................... 11,251 575 807 1,194 1,775 2,490

Advanced degree ................................................................................... 6,194 737 1,046 1,536 2,190 3,260

Women, 25 years and over ............................................................................ 40,497 346 480 691 1,017 1,516

Less than a high school diploma ................................................................ 2,353 260 306 382 501 626

High school graduates, no college 1 ........................................................... 10,686 315 404 545 734 983

Some college or associate degree ............................................................. 12,036 352 467 624 867 1,196

Bachelor’s degree and higher 2 .................................................................. 15,422 518 721 981 1,414 1,930

Bachelor’s degree only ........................................................................... 9,779 492 659 905 1,273 1,857

Advanced degree ................................................................................... 5,643 628 841 1,161 1,641 2,252

1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent. 2 Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral

degrees.

 NOTE: Ten percent of all full-time wage and salary workers earn less

than the upper limit of the first decile; 25 percent earn less than the upper

limit of the first quartile; 50 percent earn less than the upper limit of the

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

third quartile; and 90 percent earn less than the upper limit of the ninth

decile. Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented

for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino

may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually

with the release of January data.
Table 5. Median usual weekly earnings of part-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages, not

seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

III

2008

III

2009

III

2008

III

2009

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ............................................................................................... 22,345 24,291 $223 $229

Men, 16 years and over ............................................................................................ 7,262 8,512 212 227

16 to 24 years ....................................................................................................... 3,533 3,708 169 180

25 years and over ................................................................................................. 3,729 4,804 280 278

Women, 16 years and over ...................................................................................... 15,083 15,779 229 230

16 to 24 years ....................................................................................................... 4,517 4,553 172 172

25 years and over ................................................................................................. 10,566 11,226 262 266

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ...................................................................................................................... 18,677 20,308 224 230

 Men ................................................................................................................... 5,926 7,038 212 229

 Women ............................................................................................................. 12,751 13,270 230 231

 Black or African American ...................................................................................... 2,122 2,440 214 219

 Men ................................................................................................................... 782 886 206 219

 Women ............................................................................................................. 1,340 1,554 218 219

 Asian ....................................................................................................................... 879 969 245 246

 Men ................................................................................................................... 301 355 244 230

 Women ............................................................................................................. 578 614 246 256

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ..................................................................................... 2,781 3,358 220 230

 Men ................................................................................................................... 1,043 1,430 226 241

 Women ............................................................................................................. 1,739 1,928 216 222

 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.