Technical information:  (202) 691-6378        USDL 02-599
               http://www.bls.gov/cps/
                                              For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                691-5902        Monday, October 21, 2002


   USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:  THIRD QUARTER 2002


   Median weekly earnings of the nation's 99.8 million full-time wage and
salary workers were $605 in the third quarter of 2002, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  This was 
1.7 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 1.6 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 $528 per
week, or 78.1 percent of the $676 median for men.  The female-to-male
earnings ratios were higher among blacks (89.3 percent) and Hispanics 
(90.5 percent) than among whites (78.5 percent).  (See table 1.)
   
   --Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $512 per
week, 73.0 percent of the median for white men ($701).  The difference was
much less among women, as black women's median earnings ($457) were 83.1 per-
cent of those for their white counterparts ($550).  Overall, median earnings 
of Hispanics who worked full time ($421) were lower than those of blacks 
($485) and whites ($623).  (See table 1.)
   
   --Among men, the highest median weekly earnings were for those age 55 to
64 ($808) and age 45 to 54 ($798).  Among women, earnings were highest for
those 45 to 54 years old ($606).  (See table 2.)
   
   --Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in
managerial and professional specialty occupations had the highest median
weekly earnings--$1,056 for men and $755 for women.  Men and women in service 
and farm jobs earned the least.  (See table 3.)
   
   --Full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma had
median weekly earnings of $388, compared with $534 for high school graduates 
(no college) and $944 for college graduates.  Among college graduates with 
advanced degrees (professional or master's degree and above), the highest-
earning 10 percent of male workers made $2,682 or more per week, compared 
with $1,834 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 the February 1994 and subsequent issues 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 origin. Refers to persons who are of Mexican, Puerto Rican,
Cuban, Central or South  American, or other Hispanic origin or descent.
Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race; hence, they are included in
the numbers for the white and black populations.
   
   


 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                                               
                                                                2001       2002                                               
                                                                                        III        III        III        III   
                                                                                       2001       2002       2001       2002   
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
                        SEX AND AGE                                                                                          
                                                                                                                             
 Total, 16 years and over..................................   100,851     99,822       $595       $605       $323       $323 
                                                                                                                             
    Men, 16 years and over.................................    56,865     56,306        674        676        366        361 
      16 to 24 years.......................................     7,303      6,985        389        378        211        202 
      25 years and over....................................    49,562     49,321        725        734        394        392 
                                                                                                                             
    Women, 16 years and over...............................    43,987     43,516        507        528        275        282 
      16 to 24 years.......................................     5,555      5,333        350        359        190        192 
      25 years and over....................................    38,432     38,183        542        572        294        306 
                                                                                                                             
               RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX                                                                                
                                                                                                                             
    White..................................................    83,196     82,325        610        623        331        333 
      Men..................................................    48,118     47,487        694        701        377        374 
      Women................................................    35,078     34,838        515        550        279        294 
                                                                                                                             
    Black..................................................    12,642     12,497        489        485        266        259 
      Men..................................................     5,953      6,029        516        512        280        274 
      Women................................................     6,689      6,468        457        457        248        244 
                                                                                                                             
    Hispanic origin........................................    11,712     11,897        418        421        227        225 
      Men..................................................     7,159      7,205        450        441        244        236 
      Women................................................     4,552      4,692        383        399        208        213 

      NOTE:   Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races"
 group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups.
   
   






 Table 2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic origin, and sex, 
 third quarter 2002 averages, not seasonally adjusted
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                                                                    Total                  Men                  Women        
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
               Age, race, and Hispanic origin                 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.........................................    99,822       $605     56,306       $676     43,516       $528 
   16 to 24 years..........................................    12,318        370      6,985        378      5,333        359 
     16 to 19 years........................................     2,504        302      1,514        308        990        295 
     20 to 24 years........................................     9,814        392      5,471        400      4,343        381 
   25 years and over.......................................    87,503        650     49,321        734     38,183        572 
     25 to 54 years........................................    75,286        651     42,561        730     32,725        576 
       25 to 34 years......................................    23,982        592     13,687        634     10,295        534 
       35 to 44 years......................................    27,616        675     15,859        767     11,757        571 
       45 to 54 years......................................    23,689        707     13,016        798     10,673        606 
     55 years and over.....................................    12,217        644      6,760        768      5,457        549 
       55 to 64 years......................................    10,760        666      5,902        808      4,858        567 
       65 years and over...................................     1,456        501        858        593        599        415 
                                                                                                                             
                           White                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    82,325        623     47,487        701     34,838        550 
   16 to 24 years..........................................    10,440        373      6,030        383      4,409        359 
   25 years and over.......................................    71,886        677     41,457        759     30,429        588 
     25 to 54 years........................................    61,421        677     35,555        752     25,867        591 
     55 years and over.....................................    10,464        681      5,903        826      4,562        574 
                                                                                                                             
                           Black                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    12,497        485      6,029        512      6,468        457 
   16 to 24 years..........................................     1,435        344        716        327        718        356 
   25 years and over.......................................    11,062        505      5,312        551      5,750        478 
     25 to 54 years........................................     9,833        507      4,747        547      5,086        481 
     55 years and over.....................................     1,229        493        565        582        664        450 
                                                                                                                             
                      Hispanic origin                                                                                        
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    11,897        421      7,205        441      4,692        399 
   16 to 24 years..........................................     1,992        330      1,282        335        710        323 
   25 years and over.......................................     9,905        455      5,922        484      3,983        418 
     25 to 54 years........................................     8,933        456      5,339        481      3,594        422 
     55 years and over.....................................       973        442        584        511        389        377 

      NOTE:  Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races"
 group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups.
    
   







  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     
                                                                   2001            2002              2001            2002     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
                            TOTAL                                                                                           
                                                                                                                            
   Managerial and professional specialty....................      32,298          32,333             $867            $878   
     Executive, administrative, and managerial..............      16,149          15,911              884             886   
     Professional specialty.................................      16,149          16,421              854             872   
   Technical, sales, and administrative support.............      28,546          27,898              516             551   
     Technicians and related support........................       3,837           3,690              683             697   
     Sales occupations......................................      10,323          10,286              568             600   
     Administrative support, including clerical.............      14,386          13,922              479             501   
   Service occupations......................................      11,608          11,787              368             381   
     Private household......................................         354             394              248             273   
     Protective service.....................................       2,163           2,343              609             614   
     Service, except private household and protective.......       9,091           9,050              345             355   
   Precision production, craft, and repair..................      12,236          11,534              627             634   
     Mechanics and repairers................................       4,160           4,064              670             676   
     Construction trades....................................       4,649           4,359              611             606   
     Other precision production, craft, and repair..........       3,427           3,111              614             632   
   Operators, fabricators, and laborers.....................      14,504          14,402              475             483   
     Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors..........       5,957           5,659              462             469   
     Transportation and material moving occupations.........       4,686           4,584              587             594   
     Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers....       3,862           4,159              390             403   
   Farming, forestry, and fishing...........................       1,658           1,867              347             381   
                                                                                                                            
                             Men                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
   Managerial and professional specialty....................      16,476          16,068            1,053           1,056   
     Executive, administrative, and managerial..............       8,631           8,349            1,077           1,061   
     Professional specialty.................................       7,845           7,719            1,026           1,050   
   Technical, sales, and administrative support.............      11,054          10,963              664             703   
     Technicians and related support........................       1,933           1,803              786             848   
     Sales occupations......................................       5,657           5,928              683             748   
     Administrative support, including clerical.............       3,464           3,233              552             588   
   Service occupations......................................       5,424           5,664              420             434   
     Private household......................................          12              39           (1)             (1)      
     Protective service.....................................       1,781           1,978              624             639   
     Service, except private household and protective.......       3,631           3,647              366             377   
   Precision production, craft, and repair..................      11,149          10,628              645             653   
     Mechanics and repairers................................       3,927           3,886              672             677   
     Construction trades....................................       4,558           4,259              613             608   
     Other precision production, craft, and repair..........       2,664           2,482              669             693   
   Operators, fabricators, and laborers.....................      11,346          11,401              508             510   
     Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors..........       3,888           3,766              513             511   
     Transportation and material moving occupations.........       4,304           4,262              603             604   
     Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers....       3,153           3,373              402             415   
   Farming, forestry, and fishing...........................       1,416           1,581              361             386   
                                                                                                                            
                            Women                                                                                           
                                                                                                                            
   Managerial and professional specialty....................      15,823          16,264              727             755   
     Executive, administrative, and managerial..............       7,518           7,562              709             740   
     Professional specialty.................................       8,304           8,702              738             771   
   Technical, sales, and administrative support.............      17,492          16,935              465             486   
     Technicians and related support........................       1,905           1,887              583             589   
     Sales occupations......................................       4,665           4,358              421             436   
     Administrative support, including clerical.............      10,922          10,689              461             485   
   Service occupations......................................       6,184           6,123              334             342   
     Private household......................................         342             355              241             276   
     Protective service.....................................         382             365              501             487   
     Service, except private household and protective.......       5,461           5,402              331             341   
   Precision production, craft, and repair..................       1,087             906              489             467   
     Mechanics and repairers................................         233             178              620             610   
     Construction trades....................................          90              99           (1)             (1)      
     Other precision production, craft, and repair..........         764             629              465             450   
   Operators, fabricators, and laborers.....................       3,159           3,002              377             383   
     Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors..........       2,069           1,894              379             384   
     Transportation and material moving occupations.........         381             322              440             452   
     Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers....         708             786              347             355   
   Farming, forestry, and fishing...........................         242             286              299             330   

    1 Data not shown where base is less than 100,000.
   
   







 Table 4. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected
 characteristics, third quarter 2002 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 ORIGIN                                                                                
                                                                                                                             
 Total, 16 years and over..................................    99,822       $294       $400       $605       $922     $1,383 
   Men.....................................................    56,306        310        436        676      1,033      1,539 
   Women...................................................    43,516        278        367        528        774      1,123 
                                                                                                                             
   White...................................................    82,325        299        411        623        948      1,421 
     Men...................................................    47,487        316        456        701      1,068      1,559 
     Women.................................................    34,838        283        377        550        794      1,141 
                                                                                                                             
   Black...................................................    12,497        263        343        485        707      1,017 
     Men...................................................     6,029        285        376        512        746      1,130 
     Women.................................................     6,468        246        324        457        657        957 
                                                                                                                             
   Hispanic................................................    11,897        256        314        421        630        950 
     Men...................................................     7,205        269        326        441        684      1,044 
     Women.................................................     4,692        243        299        399        586        826 
                                                                                                                             
                   EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT                                                                                    
                                                                                                                             
   Total, 25 years and over................................    87,503        314        436        650        972      1,446 
     Less than a high school diploma.......................     8,080        242        298        388        536        735 
     High school graduates, no college.....................    26,557        295        390        534        757      1,043 
     Some college or associate degree......................    24,362        332        448        623        884      1,218 
     College graduates, total..............................    28,505        480        668        944      1,393      1,911 
       Bachelor's degree only..............................    19,078        452        630        892      1,268      1,774 
       Advanced degree.....................................     9,427        566        760      1,104      1,602      2,315 
                                                                                                                             
     Men, 25 years and over................................    49,321        346        493        734      1,111      1,592 
       Less than a high school diploma.....................     5,385        266        317        423        591        794 
       High school graduates, no college...................    15,005        331        442        619        873      1,183 
       Some college or associate degree....................    12,907        382        522        728      1,008      1,376 
       College graduates, total............................    16,023        510        742      1,079      1,560      2,216 
         Bachelor's degree only............................    10,563        484        701        993      1,447      1,912 
         Advanced degree...................................     5,461        593        850      1,260      1,846      2,682 
                                                                                                                             
     Women, 25 years and over..............................    38,183        290        390        572        822      1,165 
       Less than a high school diploma.....................     2,695        214        266        330        418        564 
       High school graduates, no college...................    11,551        274        340        455        613        836 
       Some college or associate degree....................    11,454        301        396        534        729        966 
       College graduates, total............................    12,482        453        609        828      1,142      1,586 
         Bachelor's degree only............................     8,515        425        586        779      1,069      1,473 
         Advanced degree...................................     3,966        533        693        928      1,288      1,834 

      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.  Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data
 for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups.
   
   






  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     
                                                                   2001            2002              2001            2002     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
                         SEX AND AGE                                                                                        
                                                                                                                            
  Total, 16 years and over..................................      19,747          20,705             $189            $194   
                                                                                                                            
     Men, 16 years and over.................................       6,253           6,560              180             188   
       16 to 24 years.......................................       3,321           3,318              157             158   
       25 years and over....................................       2,933           3,242              217             230   
                                                                                                                            
     Women, 16 years and over...............................      13,494          14,146              192             196   
       16 to 24 years.......................................       4,214           4,432              150             154   
       25 years and over....................................       9,280           9,714              218             226   
                                                                                                                            
                RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX                                                                              
                                                                                                                            
     White..................................................      16,987          17,704              190             195   
       Men..................................................       5,223           5,474              182             189   
       Women................................................      11,764          12,229              194             198   
                                                                                                                            
     Black..................................................       1,859           1,944              172             182   
       Men..................................................         711             681              162             186   
       Women................................................       1,148           1,263              177             181   
                                                                                                                            
     Hispanic origin........................................       1,926           2,076              190             184   
       Men..................................................         685             732              194             202   
       Women................................................       1,241           1,345              188             174   

       NOTE:  Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other
  races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups.