Technical information:  (202) 691-6378         USDL 02-396
               http://www.bls.gov/cps/
                                               For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                691-5902         Monday, July 22, 2002


             USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:
                            SECOND QUARTER 2002


   Median weekly earnings of the nation's 98.7 million full-time wage 
and salary workers were $608 in the second quarter of 2002, the Bureau 
of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  
This was 2.2 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain 
of 1.3 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 $521 per
week, or 76.3 percent of the $683 median for men.  The female-to-male
earnings ratios were higher among blacks (88.0 percent) and Hispanics 
(85.7 percent) than among whites (75.5 percent).  (See table 1.)
   
   --Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $535 
per week, 75.4 percent of the median for white men ($710).  The difference 
was much less among women, as black women's median earnings ($471) were 
87.9 percent of those for their white counterparts ($536).  Overall, median
earnings of Hispanics who worked full time ($421) were lower than those of
blacks ($502) and whites ($625).  (See table 1.)
   
   --Among men, the $831 median weekly earnings of 45- to 54-year-olds was
the highest of any age group.  Among women, earnings also were highest for
those 45 to 54 years old ($589).  (See table 2.)
   
   --Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in
managerial and professional specialty occupations had the highest median
weekly earnings--$1,049 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 $392, compared with $535 for high school graduates 
(no college) and $943 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 $2,436 or more per week, compared with $1,753 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       
                                                                 II         II                                               
                                                                2001       2002                                               
                                                                                        II         II         II         II   
                                                                                       2001       2002       2001       2002   
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                        SEX AND AGE                                                                                          
                                                                                                                             
 Total, 16 years and over..................................    99,917     98,730       $595       $608       $323       $326 
                                                                                                                             
    Men, 16 years and over.................................    55,896     55,604        667        683        363        367 
      16 to 24 years.......................................     6,385      6,340        394        399        214        214 
      25 years and over....................................    49,511     49,264        716        738        389        396 
                                                                                                                             
    Women, 16 years and over...............................    44,021     43,126        514        521        280        280 
      16 to 24 years.......................................     5,240      4,981        348        356        189        191 
      25 years and over....................................    38,781     38,145        547        562        297        301 
                                                                                                                             
               RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX                                                                                
                                                                                                                             
    White..................................................    82,348     81,281        609        625        331        335 
      Men..................................................    47,292     46,918        687        710        374        381 
      Women................................................    35,056     34,363        522        536        284        288 
                                                                                                                             
    Black..................................................    12,635     12,382        495        502        269        269 
      Men..................................................     5,887      5,964        537        535        292        287 
      Women................................................     6,747      6,418        460        471        250        253 
                                                                                                                             
    Hispanic origin........................................    12,012     11,859        417        421        227        226 
      Men..................................................     7,375      7,291        445        456        242        245 
      Women................................................     4,637      4,568        383        391        208        210 

      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, 
 second 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.........................................    98,730       $608     55,604       $683     43,126       $521 
   16 to 24 years..........................................    11,321        378      6,340        399      4,981        356 
     16 to 19 years........................................     1,973        302      1,153        306        819        295 
     20 to 24 years........................................     9,348        400      5,187        422      4,161        370 
   25 years and over.......................................    87,409        647     49,264        738     38,145        562 
     25 to 54 years........................................    75,434        647     42,595        732     32,839        565 
       25 to 34 years......................................    23,751        588     13,674        624     10,077        522 
       35 to 44 years......................................    27,899        669     15,990        761     11,909        580 
       45 to 54 years......................................    23,784        711     12,931        831     10,853        589 
     55 years and over.....................................    11,975        648      6,669        773      5,306        542 
       55 to 64 years......................................    10,317        671      5,725        801      4,592        561 
       65 years and over...................................     1,658        501        944        585        714        447 
                                                                                                                             
                           White                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    81,281        625     46,918        710     34,363        536 
   16 to 24 years..........................................     9,436        384      5,390        404      4,046        359 
   25 years and over.......................................    71,846        673     41,529        761     30,317        579 
     25 to 54 years........................................    61,518        673     35,710        756     25,808        582 
     55 years and over.....................................    10,328        673      5,819        806      4,509        559 
                                                                                                                             
                           Black                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    12,382        502      5,964        535      6,418        471 
   16 to 24 years..........................................     1,424        350        707        364        718        343 
   25 years and over.......................................    10,958        521      5,257        575      5,700        489 
     25 to 54 years........................................     9,783        521      4,661        575      5,123        491 
     55 years and over.....................................     1,175        515        597        567        578        475 
                                                                                                                             
                      Hispanic origin                                                                                        
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    11,859        421      7,291        456      4,568        391 
   16 to 24 years..........................................     2,021        334      1,287        359        734        303 
   25 years and over.......................................     9,838        458      6,004        489      3,834        413 
     25 to 54 years........................................     8,922        459      5,484        490      3,438        412 
     55 years and over.....................................       916        457        520        471        396        432 

      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                                                                                    
                                                                                                                              
                                                                    II              II                II              II      
                                                                   2001            2002              2001            2002     
                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
                            TOTAL                                                                                           
                                                                                                                            
   Managerial and professional specialty....................      32,209          32,118             $846            $884   
     Executive, administrative, and managerial..............      15,891          15,923              846             893   
     Professional specialty.................................      16,318          16,195              845             877   
   Technical, sales, and administrative support.............      28,116          27,728              523             543   
     Technicians and related support........................       3,673           3,563              659             664   
     Sales occupations......................................      10,212          10,353              576             593   
     Administrative support, including clerical.............      14,231          13,811              489             503   
   Service occupations......................................      10,951          11,096              379             384   
     Private household......................................         328             302              245             328   
     Protective service.....................................       2,231           2,236              618             646   
     Service, except private household and protective.......       8,393           8,558              348             356   
   Precision production, craft, and repair..................      12,027          11,614              620             625   
     Mechanics and repairers................................       4,189           3,979              642             678   
     Construction trades....................................       4,334           4,404              606             604   
     Other precision production, craft, and repair..........       3,504           3,231              620             604   
   Operators, fabricators, and laborers.....................      14,983          14,556              476             486   
     Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors..........       6,341           5,847              464             470   
     Transportation and material moving occupations.........       4,631           4,737              583             582   
     Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers....       4,011           3,971              396             399   
   Farming, forestry, and fishing...........................       1,631           1,617              346             360   
                                                                                                                            
                             Men                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
   Managerial and professional specialty....................      16,174          16,210            1,017           1,049   
     Executive, administrative, and managerial..............       8,334           8,530            1,009           1,088   
     Professional specialty.................................       7,840           7,680            1,025           1,013   
   Technical, sales, and administrative support.............      10,502          10,824              665             708   
     Technicians and related support........................       1,853           1,768              750             823   
     Sales occupations......................................       5,616           5,816              704             762   
     Administrative support, including clerical.............       3,032           3,240              574             599   
   Service occupations......................................       5,200           5,187              437             443   
     Private household......................................          10              20           (1)             (1)      
     Protective service.....................................       1,834           1,795              655             689   
     Service, except private household and protective.......       3,355           3,372              374             382   
   Precision production, craft, and repair..................      11,111          10,681              636             642   
     Mechanics and repairers................................       4,043           3,777              650             680   
     Construction trades....................................       4,229           4,297              608             606   
     Other precision production, craft, and repair..........       2,839           2,606              677             643   
   Operators, fabricators, and laborers.....................      11,586          11,345              505             517   
     Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors..........       4,093           3,825              518             521   
     Transportation and material moving occupations.........       4,306           4,354              595             592   
     Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers....       3,188           3,166              405             411   
   Farming, forestry, and fishing...........................       1,323           1,356              357             373   
                                                                                                                            
                            Women                                                                                           
                                                                                                                            
   Managerial and professional specialty....................      16,035          15,908              728             755   
     Executive, administrative, and managerial..............       7,557           7,393              700             735   
     Professional specialty.................................       8,478           8,515              745             773   
   Technical, sales, and administrative support.............      17,614          16,903              478             485   
     Technicians and related support........................       1,820           1,795              586             587   
     Sales occupations......................................       4,595           4,537              434             433   
     Administrative support, including clerical.............      11,199          10,571              475             487   
   Service occupations......................................       5,751           5,909              332             346   
     Private household......................................         317             282              246             328   
     Protective service.....................................         396             442              517             512   
     Service, except private household and protective.......       5,038           5,185              327             339   
   Precision production, craft, and repair..................         915             933              477             459   
     Mechanics and repairers................................         146             202              528             580   
     Construction trades....................................         105             107              536             500   
     Other precision production, craft, and repair..........         665             625              447             418   
   Operators, fabricators, and laborers.....................       3,397           3,211              366             384   
     Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors..........       2,249           2,022              364             383   
     Transportation and material moving occupations.........         325             383              458             482   
     Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers....         823             805              354             355   
   Farming, forestry, and fishing...........................         309             261              312             296   

    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, second 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..................................    98,730       $297       $405       $608       $924     $1,374 
   Men.....................................................    55,604        318        453        683      1,035      1,544 
   Women...................................................    43,126        280        367        521        772      1,127 
                                                                                                                             
   White...................................................    81,281        302        415        625        954      1,423 
     Men...................................................    46,918        324        469        710      1,072      1,595 
     Women.................................................    34,363        282        377        536        790      1,148 
                                                                                                                             
   Black...................................................    12,382        278        352        502        724      1,001 
     Men...................................................     5,964        290        387        535        759      1,080 
     Women.................................................     6,418        265        328        471        664        925 
                                                                                                                             
   Hispanic................................................    11,859        250        312        421        637        941 
     Men...................................................     7,291        271        327        456        667      1,001 
     Women.................................................     4,568        232        290        391        589        844 
                                                                                                                             
                   EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT                                                                                    
                                                                                                                             
   Total, 25 years and over................................    87,409        315        436        647        971      1,434 
     Less than a high school diploma.......................     8,445        239        299        392        534        741 
     High school graduates, no college.....................    26,674        295        392        535        759      1,030 
     Some college or associate degree......................    23,814        337        453        636        890      1,236 
     College graduates, total..............................    28,476        460        647        943      1,370      1,905 
       Bachelor's degree only..............................    18,912        430        608        871      1,254      1,770 
       Advanced degree.....................................     9,564        557        763      1,109      1,568      2,122 
                                                                                                                             
     Men, 25 years and over................................    49,264        347        495        738      1,106      1,614 
       Less than a high school diploma.....................     5,554        261        326        443        606        816 
       High school graduates, no college...................    15,013        329        447        618        871      1,169 
       Some college or associate degree....................    12,726        380        521        743      1,002      1,408 
       College graduates, total............................    15,970        501        732      1,083      1,560      2,196 
         Bachelor's degree only............................    10,610        479        671        992      1,433      1,967 
         Advanced degree...................................     5,360        593        866      1,262      1,774      2,436 
                                                                                                                             
     Women, 25 years and over..............................    38,145        291        390        562        811      1,161 
       Less than a high school diploma.....................     2,891        212        269        324        411        518 
       High school graduates, no college...................    11,662        272        345        460        618        816 
       Some college or associate degree....................    11,087        311        399        540        748        983 
       College graduates, total............................    12,506        424        594        803      1,135      1,541 
         Bachelor's degree only............................     8,302        396        548        746      1,042      1,399 
         Advanced degree...................................     4,203        525        690        935      1,301      1,753 

      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                                                                                      
                                                                                                                            
                                                                    II              II                II              II      
                                                                   2001            2002              2001            2002     
                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
                         SEX AND AGE                                                                                        
                                                                                                                            
  Total, 16 years and over..................................      20,956          21,260             $176            $189   
                                                                                                                            
     Men, 16 years and over.................................       6,953           6,808              160             181   
       16 to 24 years.......................................       3,805           3,567              135             149   
       25 years and over....................................       3,147           3,241              215             228   
                                                                                                                            
     Women, 16 years and over...............................      14,003          14,451              186             194   
       16 to 24 years.......................................       4,441           4,527              134             138   
       25 years and over....................................       9,562           9,924              220             230   
                                                                                                                            
                RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX                                                                              
                                                                                                                            
     White..................................................      18,167          18,368              178             190   
       Men..................................................       5,855           5,707              161             176   
       Women................................................      12,312          12,661              188             196   
                                                                                                                            
     Black..................................................       1,924           1,989              162             186   
       Men..................................................         694             726              146             203   
       Women................................................       1,230           1,264              170             176   
                                                                                                                            
     Hispanic origin........................................       1,876           2,178              178             183   
       Men..................................................         765             723              180             190   
       Women................................................       1,111           1,455              177             181   

       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.