Technical information:    202) 691-6378         USDL 03-551
                http://www.bls.gov/cps/
                                                For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                 691-5902         Friday, October 17, 2003


   USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:  THIRD QUARTER 2003


   Median weekly earnings of the nation's 101.4 million full-time wage and
salary workers were $618 in the third quarter of 2003, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  This was 2.5 per-
cent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 2.2 percent in the 
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period.
   
   Data on usual earnings are collected as part of the Current Population
Survey, a nationwide sample survey of households in which respondents are
asked, among other things, how much each wage and salary worker usually
earns.  (See the Explanatory Note.)  Highlights from the third-quarter data
are:
   
   --Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $550 per week, 
or 79.8 percent of the $689 median for men.  The female-to-male earnings 
ratios were higher among Hispanics (89.4 percent) and blacks (84.2 percent) 
than among whites (80.4 percent) or Asians (77.7 percent).  (See table 1.)
   
   --Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $568 per
week, 80.2 percent of the median for white men ($708).  The difference was
less among women, as black women's median earnings ($478) were 84.0 percent
of those for their white counterparts ($569).  Overall, median earnings of
Hispanics who worked full time ($444) were lower than those of blacks
($509), whites ($633), and Asians ($692).  (See table 1.)
   
   --Among men, those age 45 to 54 ($839) had the highest median weekly
earnings.  Among women, earnings also were highest for those 45 to 54 years
old ($619).  (See table 2.)
   
   --Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in
managerial, professional, and related occupations had the highest median
weekly earnings--$1,056 for men and $755 for women.  Men and women in
service jobs earned the least.  (See table 3.)
   
   --Full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma had
median weekly earnings of $397, compared with $563 for high school graduates 
(no college) and $958 for college graduates holding at least a bachelor's 
degree.  Among college graduates with advanced degrees (professional or 
master's degree and above), the highest-earning 10 percent of male workers 
made $2,495 or more per week, compared with $1,812 or more for their female 
counterparts.  (See table 4.)
   
   
Explanatory Note
     
     
     The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current
Population Survey (CPS), which provides the basic information on the labor
force, employment, and unemployment.  The survey is conducted monthly for
the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau from a scienti-
fically 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 self-employment 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 nonsam-
pling 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).

                                  - 2 -

     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
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                                                              Number of workers              Median weekly earnings          
                                                                (in thousands)                                               
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                       Characteristic                                                In current dollars    In constant (1982) 
                                                                                                                dollars       
                                                                III        III                                               
                                                               2002       2003                                               
                                                                                        III        III        III        III   
                                                                                       2002       2003       2002       2003   
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
                        SEX AND AGE                                                                                          
                                                                                                                             
 Total, 16 years and over..................................   101,459    101,372       $603       $618       $322       $323 
                                                                                                                             
    Men, 16 years and over.................................    57,402     57,175        671        689        358        360 
      16 to 24 years.......................................     7,030      6,746        376        396        201        207 
      25 years and over....................................    50,373     50,429        729        742        389        388 
                                                                                                                             
    Women, 16 years and over...............................    44,056     44,197        527        550        282        288 
      16 to 24 years.......................................     5,267      5,018        360        366        192        191 
      25 years and over....................................    38,789     39,180        570        585        305        306 
                                                                                                                             
        RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX                                                                          
                                                                                                                             
    White(1)...............................................    83,444     82,828        620        633        331        331 
      Men..................................................    48,281     47,815        694        708        371        370 
      Women................................................    35,162     35,012        548        569        293        297 
                                                                                                                             
    Black or African American(1)...........................    12,288     11,984        484        509        259        266 
      Men..................................................     5,901      5,654        511        568        273        297 
      Women................................................     6,387      6,330        457        478        244        250 
                                                                                                                             
    Asian(1)...............................................     4,723      4,382        665        692        355        362 
      Men..................................................     2,661      2,500        757        762        404        399 
      Women................................................     2,062      1,882        576        592        308        310 
                                                                                                                             
    Hispanic or Latino.....................................    13,256     13,805        420        444        224        232 
      Men..................................................     8,256      8,761        435        463        232        242 
      Women................................................     4,999      5,044        401        414        214        216 

   1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected more than one race group only are not
 included.  Prior to 2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they indentified as the
 main race.
    NOTE:  Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because
 data are not presented for all races.  In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of
 any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Beginning in January 2003, data reflect revised
 population controls used in the household survey.









 Table 2.  Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and
 sex, third quarter 2003 averages, not seasonally adjusted
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                                                                     Total                  Men                  Women        
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
        Age, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity           Number                Number                Number             
                                                                of         Median     of         Median     of         Median  
                                                              workers      weekly   workers      weekly   workers      weekly  
                                                                (in       earnings    (in       earnings    (in       earnings 
                                                            thousands)             thousands)            thousands)           
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                           TOTAL                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................   101,372       $618     57,175       $689     44,197       $550 
   16 to 24 years..........................................    11,764        384      6,746        396      5,018        366 
     16 to 19 years........................................     2,040        315      1,191        324        849        304 
     20 to 24 years........................................     9,724        401      5,555        413      4,169        384 
   25 years and over.......................................    89,608        662     50,429        742     39,180        585 
     25 to 54 years........................................    76,458        659     43,222        735     33,237        586 
       25 to 34 years......................................    25,082        594     14,513        630     10,569        547 
       35 to 44 years......................................    26,889        683     15,458        769     11,431        586 
       45 to 54 years......................................    24,487        729     13,251        839     11,236        619 
     55 years and over.....................................    13,150        684      7,207        786      5,943        583 
       55 to 64 years......................................    11,489        708      6,212        816      5,277        599 
       65 years and over...................................     1,661        526        995        620        666        415 
                                                                                                                             
                          White(1)                                                                                           
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    82,828        633     47,815        708     35,012        569 
   16 to 24 years..........................................     9,800        383      5,726        397      4,074        363 
   25 years and over.......................................    73,028        684     42,090        766     30,938        599 
     25 to 54 years........................................    61,860        681     35,891        758     25,969        600 
     55 years and over.....................................    11,168        704      6,199        821      4,969        590 
                                                                                                                             
                Black or African American(1)                                                                                 
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    11,984        509      5,654        568      6,330        478 
   16 to 24 years..........................................     1,270        381        637        389        633        373 
   25 years and over.......................................    10,714        529      5,018        592      5,696        497 
     25 to 54 years........................................     9,454        528      4,410        591      5,043        495 
     55 years and over.....................................     1,260        537        607        595        653        505 
                                                                                                                             
                          Asian(1)                                                                                           
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................     4,382        692      2,500        762      1,882        592 
   16 to 24 years..........................................       399        422        231        403        168        498 
   25 years and over.......................................     3,984        728      2,269        807      1,715        607 
     25 to 54 years........................................     3,474        731      1,988        831      1,486        599 
     55 years and over.....................................       510        700        281        735        228        685 
                                                                                                                             
                     Hispanic or Latino                                                                                      
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    13,805       $444      8,761       $463      5,044       $414 
   16 to 24 years..........................................     2,098        357      1,386        358        712        355 
   25 years and over.......................................    11,708        477      7,376        493      4,332        431 
     25 to 54 years........................................    10,747        477      6,830        490      3,917        438 
     55 years and over.....................................       961        477        546        522        415        386 

   1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected more than one race group only are not
 included.  Prior to 2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they indentified as the
 main race.
   NOTE:  Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because
 data are not presented for all races.  In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of
 any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race.  Beginning in January 2003, data reflect revised
 population controls used in the household survey.




  Table 3.  Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, quarterly averages, 
  not seasonally adjusted
                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
                                                                     Number of workers              Median weekly earnings    
                                                                      (in thousands)                                        
                      Occupation and sex                                                                                    
                                                                                                                            
                                                                    III             III               III             III     
                                                                   2002            2003              2002            2003     
                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
                            TOTAL                                                                                           
                                                                                                                            
   Managerial, professional, and related occupations........      35,350          35,663             $857            $883   
     Management, business, and financial operations                                                                         
  occupations...............................................      14,317          14,388              925             951   
     Professional and related occupations...................      21,034          21,276              816             840   
   Service occupations......................................      13,959          13,996              391             400   
   Sales and office occupations.............................      25,567          25,199              530             544   
     Sales and related occupations..........................      10,079          10,003              591             598   
     Office and administrative support occupations..........      15,488          15,196              512             524   
   Natural resources, construction, and maintenance                                                                         
  occupations...............................................      10,824          11,344              591             600   
     Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.............         838             783              338             398   
     Construction and extraction occupations................       6,084           6,378              583             586   
     Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations......       3,903           4,182              660             679   
   Production, transportation, and material moving                                                                          
  occupations...............................................      15,759          15,170              508             527   
     Production occupations.................................       9,109           8,790              503             526   
     Transportation and material moving occupations.........       6,650           6,380              516             529   
                                                                                                                            
                             Men                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
   Managerial, professional, and related occupations........      17,742          17,799            1,015           1,056   
     Management, business, and financial operations                                                                         
  occupations...............................................       7,984           8,070            1,067           1,112   
     Professional and related occupations...................       9,758           9,728              973           1,018   
   Service occupations......................................       7,252           7,112              423             451   
   Sales and office occupations.............................       9,880           9,583              652             647   
     Sales and related occupations..........................       5,848           5,653              732             728   
     Office and administrative support occupations..........       4,032           3,930              577             571   
   Natural resources, construction, and maintenance                                                                         
  occupations...............................................      10,275          10,870              599             604   
     Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.............         628             648              369             408   
     Construction and extraction occupations................       5,921           6,224              586             587   
     Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations......       3,725           3,998              663             681   
   Production, transportation, and material moving                                                                          
  occupations...............................................      12,254          11,811              553             579   
     Production occupations.................................       6,414           6,210              563             595   
     Transportation and material moving occupations.........       5,840           5,601              542             549   
                                                                                                                            
                            Women                                                                                           
                                                                                                                            
   Managerial, professional, and related occupations........      17,608          17,865              739             755   
     Management, business, and financial operations                                                                         
  occupations...............................................       6,332           6,317              768             808   
     Professional and related occupations...................      11,276          11,547              723             731   
   Service occupations......................................       6,706           6,883              356             361   
   Sales and office occupations.............................      15,687          15,616              483             501   
     Sales and related occupations..........................       4,231           4,350              426             428   
     Office and administrative support occupations..........      11,456          11,266              498             516   
   Natural resources, construction, and maintenance                                                                         
  occupations...............................................         549             474              397             488   
     Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.............         209             135              306             327   
     Construction and extraction occupations................         162             154              478             510   
     Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations......         178             185              573             639   
   Production, transportation, and material moving                                                                          
  occupations...............................................       3,505           3,359              397             414   
     Production occupations.................................       2,695           2,579              401             400   
     Transportation and material moving occupations.........         810             780              382             477   

    NOTE:  Occupations reflect the introduction of the 2002 Census occupational classification system derived from the
  2000 Standard Occupational Classification system into the Current Population Survey.  Beginning in January 2003, data
  reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.




 Table 4.  Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected
 characteristics, third quarter 2003 averages, not seasonally adjusted
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                                                              Number                       Upper limit of:                   
                                                                of                                                           
                       Characteristic                         workers                                                        
                                                                (in        First      First      Second     Third     Ninth  
                                                             thousands)    decile    quartile   quartile   quartile   decile  
                                                                                                (median)                       
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
        SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY                                                                          
                                                                                                                             
 Total, 16 years and over..................................   101,372       $300       $411       $618       $950     $1,405 
   Men.....................................................    57,175        321        453        689      1,073      1,562 
   Women...................................................    44,197        282        377        550        800      1,159 
                                                                                                                             
   White(1)................................................    82,828        305        420        633        975      1,444 
     Men...................................................    47,815        326        466        708      1,101      1,598 
     Women.................................................    35,012        286        384        569        817      1,184 
                                                                                                                             
   Black or African American(1)............................    11,984        276        360        509        736      1,073 
     Men...................................................     5,654        293        382        568        769      1,152 
     Women.................................................     6,330        259        338        478        701        992 
                                                                                                                             
   Asian(1)................................................     4,382        299        443        692      1,073      1,638 
     Men...................................................     2,500        320        489        762      1,253      1,863 
     Women.................................................     1,882        263        402        592        857      1,246 
                                                                                                                             
   Hispanic or Latino......................................    13,805        264        327        444        654        991 
     Men...................................................     8,761        278        344        463        681      1,074 
     Women.................................................     5,044        244        308        414        612        880 
                                                                                                                             
                   EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT                                                                                    
                                                                                                                             
   Total, 25 years and over................................    89,608        319        449        662      1,001      1,469 
     Less than a high school diploma.......................     8,575        241        303        397        518        731 
     High school graduates, no college.....................    27,060        302        403        563        777      1,074 
     Some college or associate degree......................    24,521        337        460        634        914      1,258 
     Bachelor's degree and higher..........................    29,452        478        671        958      1,410      1,914 
       Bachelor's degree only..............................    19,480        444        624        892      1,303      1,861 
       Advanced degree.....................................     9,972        593        775      1,132      1,587      2,201 
                                                                                                                             
     Men, 25 years and over................................    50,429        356        500        742      1,137      1,636 
       Less than a high school diploma.....................     5,758        269        334        427        577        820 
       High school graduates, no college...................    15,508        344        467        632        884      1,175 
       Some college or associate degree....................    12,770        382        527        736      1,055      1,421 
       Bachelor's degree and higher........................    16,394        524        746      1,120      1,597      2,195 
         Bachelor's degree only............................    10,730        494        694      1,023      1,499      2,020 
         Advanced degree...................................     5,663        630        874      1,273      1,773      2,495 
                                                                                                                             
     Women, 25 years and over..............................    39,180        293        400        585        841      1,207 
       Less than a high school diploma.....................     2,817        213        268        327        423        532 
       High school graduates, no college...................    11,553        276        350        480        639        839 
       Some college or associate degree....................    11,751        309        407        559        759      1,011 
       Bachelor's degree and higher........................    13,058        433        611        830      1,162      1,572 
         Bachelor's degree only............................     8,750        404        577        766      1,057      1,475 
         Advanced degree...................................     4,308        549        728        969      1,348      1,812 

   1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected more than one race group only are not
 included.  Prior to 2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they indentified as the
 main race.
   NOTE:  Ten percent of all full-time wage and salary workers earn less than the upper limit of the first decile; 25
 percent earn less than the upper limit of the first quartile; 50 percent earn less than the upper limit of the second
 quartile, or median; 75 percent earn less than the upper limit of the third quartile; and 90 percent earn less than the
 upper limit of the ninth decile.  Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not
 sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.  In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic
 or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race.  Beginning in January 2003, data
 reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.





  Table 5.  Median usual weekly earnings of part-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly
  averages, not seasonally adjusted
                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
                                                                    Number of workers               Median weekly earnings    
                                                                      (in thousands)                                        
                        Characteristic                                                                                      
                                                                                                                            
                                                                    III             III               III             III     
                                                                   2002            2003              2002            2003     
                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
                         SEX AND AGE                                                                                        
                                                                                                                            
  Total, 16 years and over..................................      20,850          20,907             $194            $199   
                                                                                                                            
     Men, 16 years and over.................................       6,597           6,428              189             189   
       16 to 24 years.......................................       3,285           3,295              158             153   
       25 years and over....................................       3,312           3,134              231             241   
                                                                                                                            
     Women, 16 years and over...............................      14,253          14,478              197             205   
       16 to 24 years.......................................       4,376           4,457              154             153   
       25 years and over....................................       9,877          10,022              226             235   
                                                                                                                            
         RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX                                                                        
                                                                                                                            
     White(1)...............................................      17,747          17,637              196             200   
       Men..................................................       5,473           5,369              190             190   
       Women................................................      12,274          12,268              198             205   
                                                                                                                            
     Black or African American(1)...........................       1,901           1,954              183             187   
       Men..................................................         666             651              186             178   
       Women................................................       1,234           1,302              181             191   
                                                                                                                            
     Asian(1)...............................................         978             807              199             227   
       Men..................................................         351             219              187             173   
       Women................................................         628             588              207             251   
                                                                                                                            
     Hispanic or Latino.....................................       2,256           2,365              186             195   
       Men..................................................         841             830              205             200   
       Women................................................       1,415           1,535              176             193   

    1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected more than one race group only are
  not included.  Prior to 2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they indentified as
  the main race.
    NOTE:  Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because
  data are not presented for all races.  In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of
  any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race.  Beginning in January 2003, data reflect revised
  population controls used in the household survey.