Technical information:  (202) 691-6378      USDL 05-1297
               http://www.bls.gov/cps/
                                            For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                691-5902      Wednesday, July 20, 2005


   USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:  SECOND QUARTER 2005


   Median weekly earnings of the nation's 103.3 million full-time wage and
salary workers were $643 in the second quarter of 2005, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  This was 0.6
percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 3.0 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 second-quarter
data are:

   --Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $580 per
week, or 81.3 percent of the $713 median for men.  The female-to-male earn-
ings ratios were higher among Hispanics or Latinos (89.7 percent) and blacks
(86.2 percent) than among Asians (82.0 percent) or whites (80.6 percent).
(See table 1.)

   --Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $565 per
week, 77.2 percent of the median for white men ($732).  The difference was
less among women, as black women's median earnings ($487) were 82.5 percent
of those for their white counterparts ($590).  Overall, median earnings of
Hispanics or Latinos who worked full time ($473) were lower than those of
blacks ($518), whites ($663), and Asians ($743).  (See table 1.)

   --Among men, those age 45 to 54 and age 55 to 64 had the highest median
weekly earnings, $848 and $841, respectively.  Among women, earnings also
were highest for 45- to 54-year-olds and 55- to 64-year-olds, $636 and
$624, respectively.  (See table 2.)

   --Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in
managerial, professional, and related occupations had the highest median
weekly earnings--$1,089 for men and $805 for women.  Men and women in ser-
vice jobs earned the least.  (See table 3.)

   --Full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma had
median weekly earnings of $412, compared with $584 for high school graduates
(no college) and $996 for college graduates holding at least a bachelor's
degree.  Among college graduates with advanced degrees (professional or
master's degree and above), the highest-earning 10 percent of male workers
made $2,888 or more per week, compared with $1,914 or more for their female
counterparts.  (See table 4.)


                                  - 2 -

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.
                                  - 3 -

     Medians (and other quantiles) of weekly earnings. The median (or upper
limit of the second quartile) is the amount which divides a given earnings
distribution into two equal groups, one having earnings above the median
and the other having earnings below the median.  Ten percent of a given
distribution have earnings below the upper limit of the first decile (90
percent have higher earnings); 25 percent have earnings below the upper
limit of the first quartile (75 percent have higher earnings); 75 percent
have earnings below the upper limit of the third quartile (25 percent have
higher earnings); and 90 percent have earnings below the upper limit of the
ninth decile (10 percent have higher earnings).                                                                              

     The estimating procedure places each reported or calculated weekly
earnings value into $50-wide intervals which are centered around multiples
of $50.  The actual value is estimated through the linear interpolation of
the interval in which the quantile boundary lies.
     
     Over-the-year changes in the medians (and other quantile boundaries)
for specific groups may not necessarily be consistent with the movements
estimated for the overall quantile boundary.  The most common reasons for
this possible anomaly are: (1) There could be a change in the relative
weights of the subgroups.  For example, the medians of both 16-to-24 year
olds and those 25 years and over may rise; but if the lower-earning 16-to-
24 group accounts for a greatly increased share of the total, the overall
median could actually fall. (2) There could be a large change in the shape
of the distribution of reported earnings, particularly near a quantile
boundary.  This could be caused by survey observations that are clustered
at rounded values, e.g., $250, $300, $400.  An estimate lying in a $50-wide
centered interval containing such a cluster or "spike" tends to change more
slowly than one in other intervals.
     
     Wage and salary workers. Workers who receive wages, salaries,
commissions, tips, payment in kind, or piece rates.  The group includes
employees in both the private and public sectors but, for the purposes of
the earnings series, excludes all self-employed persons, regardless of
whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

     Full-time workers. Workers who usually work 35 hours or more per week
at their sole or principal job.
     
     Part-time workers. Workers who usually work fewer than 35 hours per
week at their sole or principal job.
     
     Constant dollars. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
(CPI-U) is used to convert current dollars to constant (1982) dollars.
     
     Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Refers to persons who identified them-
selves 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       
                                                                II         II                                                
                                                               2004       2005                                               
                                                                                      II         II         II         II    
                                                                                     2004       2005       2004       2005   
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
                        SEX AND AGE                                                                                          
                                                                                                                             
 Total, 16 years and over..................................   101,300    103,332     $639       $643       $326       $319   
                                                                                                                             
    Men, 16 years and over.................................    57,034     58,242      714        713        364        354   
      16 to 24 years.......................................     6,272      6,511      397        407        203        202   
      25 years and over....................................    50,763     51,730      763        762        389        378   
                                                                                                                             
    Women, 16 years and over...............................    44,266     45,090      572        580        292        288   
      16 to 24 years.......................................     4,691      4,708      370        374        189        186   
      25 years and over....................................    39,575     40,382      601        608        307        301   
                                                                                                                             
        RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX                                                                          
                                                                                                                             
    White..................................................    82,756     83,903      655        663        334        329   
      Men..................................................    47,688     48,487      729        732        372        363   
      Women................................................    35,067     35,416      583        590        298        293   
                                                                                                                             
    Black or African American..............................    12,014     12,293      536        518        274        257   
      Men..................................................     5,669      5,882      598        565        305        280   
      Women................................................     6,344      6,411      504        487        257        241   
                                                                                                                             
    Asian..................................................     4,328      4,697      720        743        368        369   
      Men..................................................     2,404      2,580      807        810        412        402   
      Women................................................     1,924      2,118      653        664        333        329   
                                                                                                                             
    Hispanic or Latino.....................................    14,324     14,817      451        473        230        235   
      Men..................................................     9,163      9,575      477        487        244        242   
      Women................................................     5,160      5,242      414        437        211        217   

    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 2005, 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, second quarter 2005 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.........................................   103,332       $643     58,242       $713     45,090       $580 
   16 to 24 years..........................................    11,219        393      6,511        407      4,708        374 
     16 to 19 years........................................     1,718        311        995        319        723        300 
     20 to 24 years........................................     9,501        408      5,516        421      3,985        389 
   25 years and over.......................................    92,113        688     51,730        762     40,382        608 
     25 to 54 years........................................    77,459        685     43,812        756     33,647        608 
       25 to 34 years......................................    24,861        604     14,471        628     10,390        574 
       35 to 44 years......................................    27,101        728     15,537        804     11,564        620 
       45 to 54 years......................................    25,497        743     13,803        848     11,694        636 
     55 years and over.....................................    14,654        707      7,919        806      6,735        605 
       55 to 64 years......................................    12,761        732      6,904        841      5,857        624 
       65 years and over...................................     1,893        534      1,015        593        878        499 
                                                                                                                             
                           White                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    83,903        663     48,487        732     35,416        590 
   16 to 24 years..........................................     9,124        403      5,398        418      3,726        383 
   25 years and over.......................................    74,779        710     43,089        785     31,690        619 
     25 to 54 years........................................    62,515        706     36,320        776     26,195        619 
     55 years and over.....................................    12,264        729      6,769        849      5,495        615 
                                                                                                                             
                 Black or African American                                                                                   
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    12,293        518      5,882        565      6,411        487 
   16 to 24 years..........................................     1,406        327        744        331        662        323 
   25 years and over.......................................    10,887        565      5,138        602      5,749        511 
     25 to 54 years........................................     9,458        564      4,468        599      4,990        512 
     55 years and over.....................................     1,429        575        670        621        759        498 
                                                                                                                             
                           Asian                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................     4,697        743      2,580        810      2,118        664 
   16 to 24 years..........................................       274        437        161        459        113        384 
   25 years and over.......................................     4,423        765      2,418        841      2,005        677 
     25 to 54 years........................................     3,742        779      2,086        856      1,656        687 
     55 years and over.....................................       681        687        332        742        349        627 
                                                                                                                             
                     Hispanic or Latino                                                                                      
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    14,817        473      9,575        487      5,242        437 
   16 to 24 years..........................................     2,261        360      1,555        361        706        359 
   25 years and over.......................................    12,556        496      8,020        511      4,536        459 
     25 to 54 years........................................    11,402        494      7,333        509      4,069        456 
     55 years and over.....................................     1,154        522        687        543        467        492 

    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 2005, 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                                                                                   
                                                                                                                             
                                                                         II             II              II             II      
                                                                        2004           2005            2004           2005     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
                              TOTAL                                                                                          
                                                                                                                             
  Managerial, professional, and related occupations..............      36,217         36,148           $912           $926   
    Management, business, and financial operations occupations...      14,828         14,664            952            979   
    Professional and related occupations.........................      21,389         21,484            882            894   
  Service occupations............................................      13,847         14,217            409            406   
  Sales and office occupations...................................      24,846         25,379            557            577   
    Sales and related occupations................................       9,899         10,460            616            624   
    Office and administrative support occupations................      14,947         14,918            525            550   
  Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations...      11,157         12,337            618            616   
    Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations...................         768            735            367            374   
    Construction and extraction occupations......................       6,090          7,061            595            595   
    Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............       4,299          4,542            707            692   
  Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....      15,233         15,250            523            546   
    Production occupations.......................................       8,496          8,373            520            552   
    Transportation and material moving occupations...............       6,737          6,878            528            536   
                                                                                                                             
                               Men                                                                                           
                                                                                                                             
  Managerial, professional, and related occupations..............      17,976         17,936          1,073          1,089   
    Management, business, and financial operations occupations...       8,183          8,131          1,134          1,144   
    Professional and related occupations.........................       9,793          9,805          1,046          1,054   
  Service occupations............................................       7,012          6,937            474            473   
  Sales and office occupations...................................       9,435          9,623            664            684   
    Sales and related occupations................................       5,601          5,806            753            744   
    Office and administrative support occupations................       3,835          3,817            585            608   
  Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations...      10,669         11,793            623            621   
    Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations...................         632            575            382            402   
    Construction and extraction occupations......................       5,963          6,873            596            599   
    Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............       4,073          4,344            711            693   
  Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....      11,942         11,952            577            593   
    Production occupations.......................................       6,072          6,026            590            607   
    Transportation and material moving occupations...............       5,871          5,926            561            580   
                                                                                                                             
                              Women                                                                                          
                                                                                                                             
  Managerial, professional, and related occupations..............      18,241         18,211            782            805   
    Management, business, and financial operations occupations...       6,645          6,533            810            838   
    Professional and related occupations.........................      11,596         11,679            768            785   
  Service occupations............................................       6,835          7,281            369            371   
  Sales and office occupations...................................      15,411         15,755            509            523   
    Sales and related occupations................................       4,298          4,655            465            495   
    Office and administrative support occupations................      11,112         11,101            516            531   
  Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations...         488            545            476            438   
    Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations...................         136            160            330            333   
    Construction and extraction occupations......................         127            188            509            406   
    Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............         225            197            588            659   
  Production, transportation, and material moving occupations....       3,291          3,298            405            409   
    Production occupations.......................................       2,424          2,347            407            417   
    Transportation and material moving occupations...............         867            951            402            391   

    NOTE:   Beginning in January 2005, 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, second quarter 2005 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..................................   103,332       $307       $424       $643       $981     $1,490 
   Men.....................................................    58,242        328        475        713      1,094      1,662 
   Women...................................................    45,090        290        389        580        854      1,243 
                                                                                                                             
   White...................................................    83,903        314        441        663      1,009      1,535 
     Men...................................................    48,487        337        487        732      1,130      1,731 
     Women.................................................    35,416        294        400        590        867      1,272 
                                                                                                                             
   Black or African American...............................    12,293        285        358        518        762      1,063 
     Men...................................................     5,882        297        389        565        799      1,139 
     Women.................................................     6,411        277        334        487        726      1,015 
                                                                                                                             
   Asian...................................................     4,697        318        484        743      1,141      1,742 
     Men...................................................     2,580        332        518        810      1,245      1,885 
     Women.................................................     2,118        304        435        664        972      1,434 
                                                                                                                             
   Hispanic or Latino......................................    14,817        272        329        473        686      1,024 
     Men...................................................     9,575        282        345        487        719      1,083 
     Women.................................................     5,242        247        311        437        630        932 
                                                                                                                             
                   EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT                                                                                    
                                                                                                                             
   Total, 25 years and over................................    92,113        327        468        688      1,028      1,550 
     Less than a high school diploma.......................     9,091        252        310        412        583        808 
     High school graduates, no college(1)..................    27,859        309        408        584        811      1,105 
     Some college or associate degree......................    25,100        344        481        661        938      1,284 
     Bachelor's degree and higher(2).......................    30,062        492        691        996      1,510      2,103 
       Bachelor's degree only..............................    19,728        460        636        920      1,366      1,913 
       Advanced degree.....................................    10,335        612        830      1,174      1,758      2,448 
                                                                                                                             
     Men, 25 years and over................................    51,730        365        512        762      1,153      1,749 
       Less than a high school diploma.....................     6,153        280        339        456        621        886 
       High school graduates, no college(1)................    16,331        349        478        654        908      1,210 
       Some college or associate degree....................    12,969        395        548        754      1,063      1,451 
       Bachelor's degree and higher(2).....................    16,277        539        771      1,150      1,754      2,411 
         Bachelor's degree only............................    10,527        498        719      1,050      1,603      2,204 
         Advanced degree...................................     5,750        653        925      1,358      1,944      2,888 
                                                                                                                             
     Women, 25 years and over..............................    40,382        302        411        608        890      1,291 
       Less than a high school diploma.....................     2,938        218        274        343        450        606 
       High school graduates, no college(1)................    11,527        286        358        491        667        883 
       Some college or associate degree....................    12,131        312        420        583        797      1,074 
       Bachelor's degree and higher(2).....................    13,785        461        627        873      1,242      1,730 
         Bachelor's degree only............................     9,201        428        588        800      1,131      1,561 
         Advanced degree...................................     4,585        575        753      1,013      1,437      1,914 

   1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
   2 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees. 
    NOTE:   Ten percent of all full-time wage and salary workers earn less than the upper limit of the first decile; 25
 percent earn less than the upper limit of the first quartile; 50 percent earn less than the upper limit of the second
 quartile, or median; 75 percent earn less than the upper limit of the third quartile; and 90 percent earn less than the
 upper limit of the ninth decile.  Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not
 sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.  In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic
 or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race.  Beginning in January 2005,
 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                                                                                      
                                                                                                                            
                                                                    II              II                II              II      
                                                                   2004            2005              2004            2005     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
                         SEX AND AGE                                                                                        
                                                                                                                            
  Total, 16 years and over..................................      21,817          21,891             $195            $204   
                                                                                                                            
     Men, 16 years and over.................................       6,860           6,962              178             194   
       16 to 24 years.......................................       3,558           3,339              150             152   
       25 years and over....................................       3,302           3,623              226             245   
                                                                                                                            
     Women, 16 years and over...............................      14,957          14,929              203             209   
       16 to 24 years.......................................       4,573           4,633              145             151   
       25 years and over....................................      10,384          10,296              237             245   
                                                                                                                            
         RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX                                                                        
                                                                                                                            
     White..................................................      18,489          18,479              197             205   
       Men..................................................       5,702           5,839              178             192   
       Women................................................      12,787          12,640              205             211   
                                                                                                                            
     Black or African American..............................       1,953           2,120              192             201   
       Men..................................................         663             697              183             206   
       Women................................................       1,290           1,423              197             197   
                                                                                                                            
     Asian..................................................         781             792              193             197   
       Men..................................................         291             256              183             189   
       Women................................................         490             536              197             201   
                                                                                                                            
     Hispanic or Latino.....................................       2,420           2,506              194             201   
       Men..................................................         848             868              189             209   
       Women................................................       1,571           1,637              197             196   

     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 2005, data reflect revised
  population controls used in the household survey.