For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, October 20, 2015 USDL-15-2043 

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

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

(NOTE: The Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers news releases for the first, 

second, and third quarters of 2015 were reissued on Tuesday, November 10, 2015, to correct 

errors in table 1 of the release. An incorrect price index was used to compute seasonally adjusted 

median weekly earnings in constant dollars for total, men, and women, affecting data for the first 

quarter 2010 through the third quarter 2015. These estimates have been recalculated using the 

correct price index. No other series in the usual weekly earnings news release were affected by the 

error.)

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS

THIRD QUARTER 2015

Median weekly earnings of the nation's 110.4 million full-time wage and salary workers were $803 in 

the third quarter of 2015 (not seasonally adjusted), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. 

This was 1.6 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 0.1 percent in the Consumer 

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

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

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

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

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

• Median weekly earnings were $803 in the third quarter of 2015. Women who usually worked 

full time had median weekly earnings of $721, or 81.1 percent of the $889 median for men. 

(See table 2.)

• The women's-to-men's earnings ratio varied by race and ethnicity. White women earned 80.5 

percent as much as their male counterparts, compared with 93.3 percent for black women, 72.2 

percent for Asian women, and 91.0 percent for Hispanic women. (See table 2.) 

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

full-time jobs were $652 per week, or 70.9 percent of the median for white men ($919). The 

difference was less among women, as black women's median earnings ($608) were 82.2 percent 

of those for white women ($740). Overall, median earnings of Hispanics who worked full time 

($602) were lower than those of blacks ($624), whites ($829), and Asians ($974). (See table 2.) 
- 2 - 

• Usual weekly earnings of full-time workers varied by age. Among men, those age 55 to 64 had 

the highest median weekly earnings, at $1,077. Usual weekly earnings were highest for women 

age 35 to 64: weekly earnings were $788 for women age 35 to 44, $794 for women age 45 to 54, 

and $789 for women age 55 to 64. Workers age 16 to 24 had the lowest median weekly earnings, 

at $491. (See table 3.) 

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

professional, and related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,381 for men 

and $1,000 for women. Men and women employed in service jobs had much lower earnings, 

$571 and $465, respectively. (See table 4.) 

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

had median weekly earnings of $492, compared with $672 for high school graduates (no 

college) and $1,234 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 $3,480 or more per week, compared with $2,413 or more for their female 

counterparts. (See table 5.)

• Seasonally adjusted median weekly earnings were $809 in the third quarter of 2015, little 

changed from the previous quarter ($803). (See table 1.) 

Revision of Seasonally Adjusted Usual Weekly Earnings Data

The Usual Weekly Earnings news release for the fourth quarter of 2015 will incorporate annual 

revisions to seasonally adjusted data for the number of full-time wage and salary workers and 

median weekly earnings in current dollars. (See table 1.) Estimates for constant (1982-84) 

dollar median weekly earnings also will be affected by revisions to the current dollar series. 

Seasonally adjusted estimates back to the first quarter of 2011 will be subject to revision. 
Technical Note 

The estimates in this release were obtained from the 

Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides basic 

information on the labor force, employment, and 

unemployment. The survey is conducted monthly for the 

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

using a scientifically selected national sample of about 

60,000 eligible households, with coverage in all 50 states and 

the District of Columbia. The earnings data are collected 

from one-fourth of the CPS monthly sample and are limited 

to wage and salary workers. All self-employed workers, both 

incorporated and unincorporated, are excluded from CPS 

earnings estimates. 

Material in this news release is in the public domain and 

may be used without permission. This information is 

available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. 

Voice telephone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 

(800) 877-8339. 

Definitions 

The principal definitions used in connection with the 

earnings data in this news release 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, or 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 

determined by each respondent’s own understanding of the 

term. 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 midpoint 

in a given earnings distribution, with half of workers having 

earnings above the median and the other half 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 BLS procedure for estimating the median of an 

earnings distribution places each reported or calculated 

weekly earnings value into a $50-wide interval that is 

centered around a multiple of $50. The median is calculated 

through the linear interpolation of the interval in which the 

median lies. 

Changes over time 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 as follows: (1) there could be a change 

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

median of 16- to 24-year-olds and the median earnings of 

those 25 years and over may rise, but if the lower earning 16-

to-24 age 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 change 

could be caused by survey observations that are clustered at 

rounded values, such as $400 or $500. 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. 

Constant dollars. The Consumer Price Index for All 

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

to constant (1982-84) dollars. 

Wage and salary workers. These are 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, it excludes all self-employed persons, both 

those with incorporated businesses and those with 

unincorporated businesses. 

Full-time workers. For the purpose of producing 

estimates of earnings, workers who usually work 35 hours or 

more per week at their sole or principal job are defined as 

working full time. 

Part-time workers. For the purpose of producing 

estimates of earnings, workers who usually work fewer than 

35 hours per week at their sole or principal job are defined as 

working part time. 

Race. In the survey process, race is determined by the 

household respondent. In accordance with the Office of 

Management and Budget guidelines, white, black or African 

American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, and 

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander are terms used to 

describe a person’s race. Estimates for the latter two race 

groups and persons who selected more than one race are not 

included in this release due to insufficient sample size. 
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. This refers to people who 

identified themselves in the survey process as being of 

Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin. People whose ethnicity 

is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

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 component of this difference that occurs 

because samples differ by chance is known as sampling 

error, and its 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. 

Additional information about the reliability of data 

from the CPS is available on the BLS website at 

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

Seasonal adjustment 

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

force and other measures of labor market activity undergo 

regularly occurring fluctuations. These recurring events 

include seasonal changes in weather, major holidays, and the 

opening and closing of schools. The effect of such seasonal 

variations can be very large. 

Because seasonal events follow a more or less regular 

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

be tempered by adjusting for regular seasonal variation. 

These adjustments make nonseasonal developments easier to 

spot. The seasonally adjusted figures provide a more useful 

tool with which to analyze changes in quarter-to-quarter 

activity. 

At the end of each calendar year, the seasonally 

adjusted data are revised for the past 5 years when the 

seasonal adjustment factors are updated. More information 

on seasonal adjustment is available on the BLS website at 

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

seasonally adjusted

Year and quarter

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

Total Men Women

In current dollars In constant (1982-84) dollars

Total

$

Men

$

Women

$

Total

$

Men

$

Women

$

2006

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

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

2007

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

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

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

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

2008

1st Quarter........................................ 107,786 60,378 47,408 713 783 633 335 368 298

2nd Quarter........................................ 107,046 59,586 47,460 722 802 636 335 372 295

3rd Quarter........................................ 106,136 59,273 46,863 724 802 637 331 367 291

4th Quarter........................................ 105,617 58,511 47,106 727 806 647 340 377 302

2009

1st Quarter........................................ 101,683 56,302 45,381 732 815 645 345 384 304

2nd Quarter........................................ 99,996 55,233 44,763 737 818 652 345 383 305

3rd Quarter........................................ 99,050 54,481 44,569 742 820 664 345 381 309

4th Quarter........................................ 98,555 54,410 44,145 747 823 666 344 379 307

2010

1st Quarter........................................ 98,143 54,098 44,045 748 836 662 344 384 304

2nd Quarter........................................ 99,605 55,028 44,577 742 814 671 342 374 309

3rd Quarter........................................ 100,412 55,620 44,792 746 821 670 342 377 308

4th Quarter........................................ 99,958 55,486 44,472 750 826 676 341 376 308

2011

1st Quarter........................................ 99,682 55,337 44,345 750 821 679 338 370 306

2nd Quarter........................................ 100,352 55,822 44,530 754 830 687 336 370 306

3rd Quarter........................................ 100,488 56,060 44,428 759 836 681 336 370 301

4th Quarter........................................ 101,315 56,667 44,648 761 838 686 335 369 302

2012

1st Quarter........................................ 102,184 57,118 45,066 764 841 693 335 368 303

2nd Quarter........................................ 102,504 57,057 45,448 772 870 687 337 380 300

3rd Quarter........................................ 102,630 57,245 45,385 765 836 693 333 364 301

4th Quarter........................................ 103,685 57,735 45,950 772 868 691 334 375 298

2013

1st Quarter........................................ 103,950 57,919 46,031 768 860 699 331 371 301

2nd Quarter........................................ 103,929 57,891 46,038 777 865 706 335 373 304

3rd Quarter........................................ 104,512 58,162 46,350 777 856 706 333 367 302

4th Quarter........................................ 104,673 58,019 46,654 783 862 712 334 368 304

2014

1st Quarter........................................ 105,639 58,728 46,911 790 866 716 336 368 304

2nd Quarter........................................ 106,320 59,445 46,875 782 861 715 330 363 302

3rd Quarter........................................ 106,889 59,661 47,228 797 880 722 335 370 304

4th Quarter........................................ 107,264 59,975 47,289 796 875 723 336 369 305

2015

1st Quarter........................................ 108,410 60,405 48,005 802 887 724 341 377 308

2nd Quarter........................................ 108,574 60,397 48,177 803 890 726 339 376 306

3rd Quarter........................................ 109,422 61,074 48,349 809 898 728 340 377 306

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

quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

3rd

2014

3rd

2015

In current dollars In constant (1982-84)

dollars

3rd

2014

3rd

2015

3rd

2014

3rd

2015

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over.............................................. 107,855 110,446 $790 $803 $332 $337

Men, 16 years and over............................................ 60,502 61,974 870 889 366 373

16 to 24 years.................................................... 5,827 5,992 498 517 209 217

25 years and over................................................ 54,676 55,982 920 946 386 397

Women, 16 years and over........................................ 47,353 48,472 715 721 300 303

16 to 24 years.................................................... 4,314 4,598 448 442 188 185

25 years and over................................................ 43,038 43,874 750 762 315 320

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White.................................................................. 85,030 86,280 816 829 343 348

Men................................................................. 48,730 49,662 896 919 377 386

Women............................................................. 36,299 36,617 733 740 308 311

Black or African American......................................... 13,195 13,842 638 624 268 262

Men................................................................. 6,297 6,582 679 652 285 274

Women............................................................. 6,898 7,260 608 608 255 255

Asian.................................................................. 6,307 6,807 945 974 397 409

Men................................................................. 3,612 3,813 1,087 1,133 457 476

Women............................................................. 2,695 2,994 795 818 334 343

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity........................................ 17,625 18,606 598 602 251 253

Men................................................................. 10,802 11,367 617 624 259 262

Women............................................................. 6,823 7,238 553 568 232 238

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

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

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

ethnicity, and sex, 3rd quarter 2015 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..................................................... 110,446 $803 61,974 $889 48,472 $721

16 to 24 years....................................................... 10,591 491 5,992 517 4,598 442

16 to 19 years.................................................... 1,465 387 813 419 653 354

20 to 24 years.................................................... 9,125 508 5,180 534 3,945 475

25 years and over................................................... 99,856 857 55,982 946 43,874 762

25 to 54 years.................................................... 77,673 837 43,782 916 33,891 757

25 to 34 years.................................................. 26,954 739 15,287 771 11,667 695

35 to 44 years.................................................. 25,081 895 14,316 975 10,765 788

45 to 54 years.................................................. 25,638 918 14,180 1,020 11,458 794

55 years and over................................................ 22,182 927 12,199 1,069 9,983 781

55 to 64 years.................................................. 18,105 937 9,927 1,077 8,179 789

65 years and over............................................. 4,077 889 2,273 1,028 1,804 750

White

16 years and over................................................... 86,280 829 49,662 919 36,617 740

16 to 24 years.................................................... 8,179 502 4,793 530 3,385 455

25 years and over................................................ 78,101 887 44,869 972 33,232 781

25 to 54 years.................................................. 59,912 864 34,585 941 25,327 772

55 years and over............................................. 18,189 965 10,284 1,106 7,905 810

Black or African American

16 years and over................................................... 13,842 624 6,582 652 7,260 608

16 to 24 years.................................................... 1,394 423 666 465 728 395

25 years and over................................................ 12,448 673 5,916 709 6,531 650

25 to 54 years.................................................. 10,123 650 4,848 660 5,275 642

55 years and over............................................. 2,325 742 1,069 795 1,256 688

Asian

16 years and over................................................... 6,807 974 3,813 1,133 2,994 818

16 to 24 years.................................................... 485 518 268 508 217 537

25 years and over................................................ 6,322 1,034 3,544 1,201 2,778 889

25 to 54 years.................................................. 5,109 1,089 2,926 1,240 2,183 955

55 years and over............................................. 1,213 865 618 1,030 595 677

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

16 years and over................................................... 18,606 602 11,367 624 7,238 568

16 to 24 years.................................................... 2,403 457 1,463 483 940 411

25 years and over................................................ 16,203 631 9,904 666 6,299 597

25 to 54 years.................................................. 13,786 626 8,451 652 5,335 600

55 years and over............................................. 2,417 667 1,453 733 964 582

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

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

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

averages, not seasonally adjusted

Occupation and sex

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

3rd

2014

3rd

2015

3rd

2014

3rd

2015

TOTAL

Management, professional, and related occupations................................ 43,476 44,614 $1,131 $1,165

Management, business, and financial operations occupations................... 17,816 18,289 1,225 1,261

Professional and related occupations............................................... 25,659 26,325 1,065 1,126

Service occupations...................................................................... 15,138 15,882 508 504

Sales and office occupations............................................................ 23,316 24,027 665 670

Sales and related occupations....................................................... 9,517 9,902 710 732

Office and administrative support occupations..................................... 13,798 14,124 646 646

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.................... 11,284 11,199 755 734

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations......................................... 959 937 414 464

Construction and extraction occupations............................................ 6,064 6,005 758 721

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................................. 4,260 4,256 836 868

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 14,642 14,725 640 666

Production occupations................................................................ 7,612 7,622 651 665

Transportation and material moving occupations.................................. 7,030 7,103 628 668

Men

Management, professional, and related occupations................................ 21,271 22,070 1,326 1,381

Management, business, and financial operations occupations................... 9,646 9,930 1,441 1,436

Professional and related occupations............................................... 11,626 12,140 1,252 1,345

Service occupations...................................................................... 7,494 7,685 585 571

Sales and office occupations............................................................ 9,196 9,567 761 771

Sales and related occupations....................................................... 5,279 5,548 844 866

Office and administrative support occupations..................................... 3,917 4,020 673 679

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.................... 10,814 10,755 763 742

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations......................................... 737 745 419 478

Construction and extraction occupations............................................ 5,934 5,871 760 721

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................................. 4,143 4,139 837 864

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 11,727 11,897 697 712

Production occupations................................................................ 5,658 5,707 724 739

Transportation and material moving occupations.................................. 6,069 6,190 663 690

Women

Management, professional, and related occupations................................ 22,204 22,544 980 1,000

Management, business, and financial operations occupations................... 8,171 8,359 1,048 1,071

Professional and related occupations............................................... 14,034 14,185 949 970

Service occupations...................................................................... 7,645 8,197 467 465

Sales and office occupations............................................................ 14,120 14,459 624 628

Sales and related occupations....................................................... 4,238 4,355 584 599

Office and administrative support occupations..................................... 9,881 10,105 640 639

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.................... 469 444 486 588

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations......................................... 222 192 394 445

Construction and extraction occupations............................................ 131 134 689 720

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................................. 117 117 769 917

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....................... 2,915 2,828 498 518

Production occupations................................................................ 1,953 1,916 504 518

Transportation and material moving occupations.................................. 961 913 475 515

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

selected characteristics, 3rd quarter 2015 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.............................................. 110,446 $384 $523 $803 $1,279 $1,929

Men................................................................... 61,974 400 570 889 1,422 2,123

Women............................................................... 48,472 363 493 721 1,128 1,733

White.................................................................. 86,280 393 549 829 1,324 1,988

Men................................................................. 49,662 409 590 919 1,449 2,212

Women............................................................. 36,617 376 507 740 1,144 1,742

Black or African American......................................... 13,842 340 441 624 968 1,481

Men................................................................. 6,582 355 477 652 1,018 1,545

Women............................................................. 7,260 333 417 608 921 1,402

Asian.................................................................. 6,807 389 574 974 1,640 2,301

Men................................................................. 3,813 413 641 1,133 1,837 2,489

Women............................................................. 2,994 365 514 818 1,371 2,016

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity........................................ 18,606 342 423 602 912 1,411

Men................................................................. 11,367 359 445 624 964 1,472

Women............................................................. 7,238 321 405 568 824 1,295

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over.............................................. 99,856 401 568 857 1,354 2,014

Less than a high school diploma.................................. 7,428 322 388 492 653 894

High school graduates, no college1

............................... 24,846 367 485 672 975 1,393

Some college or associate degree................................ 27,506 398 543 773 1,138 1,581

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................... 40,075 579 815 1,234 1,882 2,680

Bachelor’s degree only.......................................... 25,010 545 761 1,143 1,745 2,490

Advanced degree................................................. 15,065 655 948 1,394 2,016 2,910

Men, 25 years and over............................................ 55,982 418 606 946 1,490 2,271

Less than a high school diploma............................... 5,202 338 403 515 699 975

High school graduates, no college1

............................ 14,945 388 516 753 1,089 1,523

Some college or associate degree............................. 14,619 443 619 887 1,262 1,746

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

................................. 21,216 617 932 1,416 2,085 2,966

Bachelor’s degree only........................................ 13,528 583 846 1,297 1,918 2,882

Advanced degree.............................................. 7,689 742 1,107 1,618 2,312 3,480

Women, 25 years and over........................................ 43,874 384 519 762 1,168 1,773

Less than a high school diploma............................... 2,227 297 356 424 576 718

High school graduates, no college1

............................ 9,901 341 433 588 800 1,111

Some college or associate degree............................. 12,887 376 493 675 964 1,362

Bachelor’s degree and higher2................................. 18,859 540 747 1,064 1,558 2,263

Bachelor’s degree only........................................ 11,483 513 705 985 1,447 2,040

Advanced degree.............................................. 7,376 600 859 1,187 1,742 2,413

1

Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.

2

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

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

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

quartile; and 90 percent earn less than the upper limit of the ninth decile. Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and

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

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

quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

3rd

2014

3rd

2015

3rd

2014

3rd

2015

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over................................................................. 24,032 23,619 $245 $248

Men, 16 years and over............................................................... 8,443 8,135 240 237

16 to 24 years........................................................................ 3,750 3,719 199 197

25 years and over................................................................... 4,693 4,417 285 287

Women, 16 years and over........................................................... 15,589 15,483 248 254

16 to 24 years........................................................................ 4,679 4,660 194 197

25 years and over................................................................... 10,910 10,823 279 290

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

White..................................................................................... 19,221 18,754 249 252

Men.................................................................................... 6,553 6,375 244 242

Women................................................................................ 12,668 12,379 251 258

Black or African American............................................................ 2,706 2,862 224 226

Men.................................................................................... 1,103 1,082 217 210

Women................................................................................ 1,603 1,779 230 237

Asian..................................................................................... 1,199 1,211 267 264

Men.................................................................................... 443 394 256 260

Women................................................................................ 757 817 274 266

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity........................................................... 4,065 3,946 235 249

Men.................................................................................... 1,559 1,478 251 254

Women................................................................................ 2,505 2,467 227 246

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.