1

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 http:www.bls.gov/cps/

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 04-646

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Friday, April 16, 2004

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:

FIRST QUARTER 2004

Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 99.7 million full-time wage and salary workers were $634 in the

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

was 2.3 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 1.8 percent in the Consumer Price Index

for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period.

Data on usual earnings are collected as part of the Current Population Survey, a nationwide sample

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

worker usually earns. (See the Explanatory Note.) Highlights from the first-quarter data are:

—Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $567 per week, or 79.7 percent of the

$711 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks (87.8 percent) and

Hispanics or Latinos (87.2 percent) than among whites (79.6 percent) or Asians (77.8 percent). (See

table 1.)

—Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $567 per week, 77.8 percent of the

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

($498) were 85.9 percent of those for their white counterparts ($580). Overall, median earnings of

Hispanics or Latinos who worked full time ($450) were lower than those of blacks ($521), whites ($652),

and Asians ($712). (See table 1.)

—Among men, those age 45 to 54 and age 55 to 64 had the highest median weekly earnings, $849 and

$844, respectively. Among women, earnings also were highest for these two age groups—$620 for 45- to

54-year olds and $606 for 55- to 64-year olds. (See table 2.)

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

related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,099 for men and $767 for women. Men

and women in service occupations earned the least. (See table 3.)

—Full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of

$396, compared with $562 for high school graduates (no college) and $996 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 $2,712 or more per week, compared with

$1,883 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

 I

2003

 I

2004

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

 I

2003

 I

2004

 I

2003

 I

2004

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 98,988 99,720 $620 $634 $327 $328

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 55,162 55,888 695 711 366 368

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 5,829 5,762 396 410 209 212

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 49,333 50,126 741 757 391 392

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 43,826 43,832 551 567 291 294

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,266 4,342 384 387 202 200

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 39,560 39,490 581 592 306 307

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 80,878 81,271 636 652 336 338

 Men ...................................................................................................... 46,184 46,562 713 729 376 378

 Women ................................................................................................ 34,694 34,709 563 580 297 300

 Black or African American ..................................................................... 11,706 11,796 516 521 272 270

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,443 5,585 552 567 291 293

 Women ................................................................................................ 6,263 6,211 493 498 260 258

 Asian ...................................................................................................... 4,230 4,440 718 712 379 369

 Men ...................................................................................................... 2,365 2,489 793 790 418 409

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,865 1,951 620 615 327 318

 Hispanic or Latino .................................................................................. 13,653 13,648 447 450 236 233

 Men ...................................................................................................... 8,611 8,678 471 478 249 248

 Women ................................................................................................ 5,042 4,970 416 417 219 216

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

races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by

race. Beginning in January 2004, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. 
Table 2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and

sex, first quarter 2004 averages, not seasonally adjusted

Age, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

TOTAL

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 99,720 $634 55,888 $711 43,832 $567

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 10,104 399 5,762 410 4,342 387

 16 to 19 years ....................................................................................... 1,282 315 787 320 495 307

 20 to 24 years ....................................................................................... 8,822 412 4,974 427 3,847 398

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 89,616 676 50,126 757 39,490 592

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 75,937 673 42,746 749 33,191 592

 25 to 34 years ..................................................................................... 24,397 603 14,154 648 10,243 551

 35 to 44 years ..................................................................................... 26,694 695 15,287 773 11,407 600

 45 to 54 years ..................................................................................... 24,845 740 13,305 849 11,540 620

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 13,679 696 7,380 817 6,299 593

 55 to 64 years ..................................................................................... 11,827 719 6,371 844 5,456 606

 65 years and over ............................................................................... 1,852 521 1,009 645 843 456

White

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 81,271 652 46,562 729 34,709 580

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 8,204 401 4,798 413 3,407 389

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 73,067 696 41,764 780 31,302 602

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 61,478 692 35,431 769 26,047 603

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 11,589 722 6,333 858 5,255 601

Black or African American

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 11,796 521 5,585 567 6,211 498

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 1,229 358 599 365 630 353

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 10,567 549 4,986 600 5,581 512

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 9,190 545 4,339 591 4,851 510

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,378 586 648 661 730 524

Asian

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 4,440 712 2,489 790 1,951 615

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 357 432 189 449 168 419

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 4,083 742 2,299 847 1,784 647

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 3,562 756 2,012 888 1,550 661

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 521 636 287 722 234 600

Hispanic or Latino

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 13,648 450 8,678 478 4,970 417

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 2,082 358 1,376 359 706 355

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 11,566 480 7,302 501 4,264 438

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 10,540 476 6,669 498 3,871 436

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,026 511 633 583 393 464

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

races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by

race. Beginning in January 2004, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. 
Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, quarterly averages, 

not seasonally adjusted

Occupation and sex

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

 I

2003

 I

2004

 I

2003

 I

2004

TOTAL

 Managerial, professional, and related occupations ................................. 35,451 36,362 $893 $914

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 14,374 15,047 954 982

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 21,077 21,315 854 865

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 13,327 12,985 407 410

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 24,625 24,705 541 555

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 9,853 9,978 594 605

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 14,772 14,726 522 532

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 10,581 10,617 610 629

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 678 637 365 327

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 5,561 5,641 601 608

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 4,342 4,340 668 713

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 15,005 15,052 519 519

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 8,493 8,588 524 522

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 6,511 6,465 513 515

Men

 Managerial, professional, and related occupations ................................. 17,569 18,013 1,058 1,099

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 7,936 8,277 1,140 1,168

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 9,633 9,736 1,018 1,037

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 6,620 6,510 477 476

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 9,192 9,380 645 656

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 5,416 5,620 703 741

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 3,776 3,759 583 566

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 10,116 10,240 615 635

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 541 505 376 345

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 5,408 5,543 605 608

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 4,167 4,192 669 712

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 11,665 11,745 563 575

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 6,014 6,118 581 594

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 5,651 5,627 534 538

Women

 Managerial, professional, and related occupations ................................. 17,882 18,349 756 767

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ............. 6,437 6,769 793 809

 Professional and related occupations .................................................... 11,444 11,579 740 750

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 6,707 6,475 366 375

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................... 15,432 15,325 503 515

 Sales and related occupations .............................................................. 4,437 4,358 461 476

 Office and administrative support occupations ...................................... 10,996 10,967 512 523

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ............. 466 377 483 460

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................................ 137 132 323 306

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................... 153 98 480 1 ( )

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................................ 175 147 631 $724

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ................. 3,339 3,308 407 404

 Production occupations ......................................................................... 2,479 2,469 411 400

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 860 838 397 413

1 Data not shown where base is less than 100,000.

 NOTE: Beginning in January 2004, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. 
Table 4. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected

characteristics, first quarter 2004 averages, not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Upper limit of:

First

decile

First

quartile

Second

quartile

(median)

Third

quartile

Ninth

decile

SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 99,720 $307 $421 $634 $973 $1,458

 Men ......................................................................................................... 55,888 325 473 711 1,102 1,649

 Women ................................................................................................... 43,832 290 388 567 829 1,201

 White ...................................................................................................... 81,271 311 434 652 999 1,490

 Men ....................................................................................................... 46,562 330 484 729 1,132 1,685

 Women ................................................................................................. 34,709 295 396 580 847 1,226

 Black or African American ...................................................................... 11,796 285 364 521 748 1,098

 Men ....................................................................................................... 5,585 300 391 567 823 1,178

 Women ................................................................................................. 6,211 273 344 498 694 1,003

 Asian ....................................................................................................... 4,440 323 448 712 1,144 1,758

 Men ....................................................................................................... 2,489 370 505 790 1,270 2,075

 Women ................................................................................................. 1,951 294 404 615 957 1,482

 Hispanic or Latino ................................................................................... 13,648 264 323 450 671 988

 Men ....................................................................................................... 8,678 276 333 478 702 1,018

 Women ................................................................................................. 4,970 247 309 417 603 926

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

 Total, 25 years and over ......................................................................... 89,616 323 456 676 1,019 1,518

 Less than a high school diploma .......................................................... 8,433 248 304 396 551 758

 High school graduates, no college1 ...................................................... 26,999 301 397 562 773 1,055

 Some college or associate degree ....................................................... 24,361 345 470 649 925 1,255

 Bachelor’s degree and higher2 ............................................................. 29,824 491 689 996 1,460 2,023

 Bachelor’s degree only ....................................................................... 19,334 461 639 926 1,362 1,901

 Advanced degree ............................................................................... 10,489 586 790 1,149 1,662 2,380

 Men, 25 years and over ........................................................................ 50,126 353 506 757 1,152 1,737

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 5,624 268 323 434 606 828

 High school graduates, no college1 .................................................... 15,147 337 462 640 884 1,187

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 12,791 383 530 747 1,046 1,420

 Bachelor’s degree and higher2 ........................................................... 16,563 534 777 1,148 1,704 2,322

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 10,816 502 734 1,070 1,557 2,120

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 5,748 618 909 1,352 1,902 2,712

 Women, 25 years and over .................................................................. 39,490 300 406 592 862 1,243

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 2,809 231 279 339 441 582

 High school graduates, no college1 .................................................... 11,852 278 350 479 634 859

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 11,570 320 416 571 773 1,042

 Bachelor’s degree and higher2 ........................................................... 13,260 456 618 855 1,213 1,634

 Bachelor’s degree only ..................................................................... 8,519 421 585 782 1,118 1,497

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 4,741 556 727 982 1,349 1,883

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

degrees. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic

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

well as by race. Beginning in January 2004, data reflect revised

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

not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

 I

2003

 I

2004

 I

2003

 I

2004

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 22,154 22,127 $184 $192

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 6,988 7,057 172 180

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 3,557 3,624 137 140

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 3,431 3,433 225 240

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 15,165 15,071 191 198

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,696 4,614 129 136

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 10,469 10,457 224 232

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 18,761 18,665 185 194

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,754 5,813 167 179

 Women ................................................................................................ 13,007 12,852 193 200

 Black or African American ..................................................................... 2,050 2,098 178 191

 Men ...................................................................................................... 762 721 192 200

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,287 1,377 169 189

 Asian ...................................................................................................... 804 856 202 168

 Men ...................................................................................................... 298 342 206 161

 Women ................................................................................................ 506 514 198 175

 Hispanic or Latino .................................................................................. 2,183 2,338 181 195

 Men ...................................................................................................... 775 825 200 203

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,408 1,513 171 190

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

races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by

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