1

Highlights of Women’s

Earnings in 1999

U.S. Department of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics

May 2000

Report 943

Introduction

I

n 1999, women earned approximately 77 percent as much

 as men did. Median weekly earnings of female full-time

wage and salary workers were $473, compared to $618 for

their male counterparts. In 1979, when comparable earnings data were first available, the female-to-male earnings

ratio was about 63 percent.

Gender differences in earnings varied considerably by

demographic group in 1999. Among blacks and Hispanics, for example, the female-to-male earnings ratios were

84 and 86 percent, respectively; for whites, the ratio was

about 76 percent. Young women and men (those under age

25) had fairly similar earnings (young women’s earnings

were 91 percent of young men’s); however, women’s earnings were much lower than men’s in older age groups—

women 35 and over made less than 80 percent of what men

in the same age group earned.

This report presents earnings data from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a national monthly survey of approximately 50,000 households conducted by the

U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The

earnings data are collected from one-fourth of the CPS

monthly sample. For a detailed description of the source of

the data and an explanation of the concepts and definitions

used, please see the technical note included at the end of

this report.

Highlights

Following are some highlights of women’s earnings in 1999:

Full-time workers

• Median weekly earnings of female full-time wage and

salary workers were $473, or 76.5 percent of the $618 median for men. The proportion was 62.5 percent in 1979,

the first year for which comparable estimates are available.

(See tables 1 and 13 and chart 1.)

• Among women, 45- to-54-year-olds had the highest

earnings ($534), followed by 35- to 44-year-olds ($503).

Men’s earnings also peaked among 45- to 54-year-olds

($763). The difference between women’s and men’s earnings is relatively large among middle-age and older workers. For workers ages 45 to 54, women’s earnings were

70.1 percent of men’s; for 55- to-64-year-olds, the earnings

ratio was 67.8 percent. In contrast, among workers 20 to

24 years old, women’s earnings were 90.5 percent of those

of men, and, among teenagers (16 to 19 years), the earnings ratio was 91.3 percent. (See table 1.)

• Between 1979 and 1999, earnings for women ages

20 to 64 grew closer to their male counterparts’ earnings.

The women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio among 35- to 44-yearolds, for example, increased from 58.3 percent in 1979 to

71.7 percent in 1999, and that for 45- to 54-year-olds rose

from 56.9 percent to 70.1 percent. The earnings ratio for

teenagers and the ratio for workers age 65 and over showed

no definitive trend over the period. (See table 13.)

• White workers of either gender earned more than did

their black or Hispanic counterparts. The differences among

women were much smaller than those noted among men.

White women’s earnings ($483) were 18.1 percent higher

than black women’s ($409), and 38.8 percent higher than

those for Hispanic women ($348). In contrast, white men’s

earnings ($638) were 30.7 percent higher than the earnings of their black counterparts ($488) and 57.1 percent

greater than those of Hispanic men ($406). (See table 1.)

• The earnings difference between women and men was

widest for whites, with white women earning 75.7 percent

of what white men did. Among blacks, women earned 83.7

percent of what men earned, and Hispanic women made

85.7 percent of Hispanic men’s earnings. (See table 1 and

chart 2.)

• Between 1979 and 1999, inflation-adjusted earnings

for white women increased 22.0 percent, while black

women’s real earnings rose 12.4 percent.1 Earnings for

Hispanic women were little changed over the period. (See

table 14.)

• Median weekly earnings for women age 25 and over

without a high school diploma have fallen since 1979 on

1

 Inflation-adjusted earnings trends in this report may differ from those

published in Highlights of Women’s Earnings, Report 928 (Bureau of Labor

Statistics, April 1999) in part because a new price index series was used. See

the Technical Note.
2

an inflation-adjusted basis, while those for female college

graduates have grown. In 1979, inflation-adjusted weekly

earnings of women without a high school diploma were

$326 (in 1999 dollars), 57.5 percent of those of female college graduates ($567). In 1999, women without a high

school diploma had earnings ($290) that were only 39.2

percent of those of female college graduates ($740). (See

table 15 and chart 3.)

• At all levels of education, women have fared better with

regard to earnings growth than have their male counterparts.

Although both women and men without a high school diploma have experienced a decline in inflation-adjusted earnings since 1979, women’s earnings have fallen significantly

less—11.0 percent, compared with a drop of 27.1 percent for

men. Earnings for women with college degrees, on the other

hand, have increased 30.5 percent since 1979 on an inflationadjusted basis. Real earnings of male college graduates have

risen only about half as much, 14.8 percent, over the same

period. (See table 15 and chart 3.)

• Women working full time in professional specialty

occupations earned $707 in 1999, more than women employed in any other major occupation category. Within this

occupation group, women working as pharmacists, lawyers,

and engineers had the highest median earnings. (See tables

2 and 3.)

• Women’s share of employment in occupations typified by high earnings has grown. In 1999, 46.7 percent of

full-time wage and salary workers in executive, administrative, and managerial occupations were women, up from

34.2 percent in 1983, the first year for which comparable

data are available. Over the same period, women as a proportion of professional specialty workers rose from 46.8

percent to 52.0 percent. (See table 2.)

• Despite women’s increased representation in managerial and professional occupations, men remained more

likely than women to work in some higher-paying occupations. Men were about 8 times as likely as women to be

employed in precision production, craft, and repair occupations (where earnings are somewhat above the overall

median), while women were 4 times as likely to work in

administrative support occupations (where pay is about 19

percent lower than the overall median). (See tables 2 and

3.)

• Within each broad occupational category, women and

men tend to work in different specific occupations. In the

professional specialty occupations, where women earned

the most, they were much less likely than men to be employed in some higher-paying occupations, such as engineers and mathematical and computer scientists. Women

were more likely to work in professional occupations with

lower earnings, such as teachers (except college and university) and registered nurses. (See table 3.)

• The ratio of female-to-male earnings varied by State,

from a high of 98.6 percent in the District of Columbia to a

low of 62.6 percent in Wyoming. The differences among

the States reflect in part variations in the occupation, industry, and age composition of State labor forces. In addition, sampling error in the State estimates is considerably

larger than it is for the national data. (See table 4.)

Part-time workers

• Women who worked part time—that is, less than 35

hours per week—represented 25.4 percent of all female wage

and salary workers in 1999. In contrast, 10.6 percent of

men in wage and salary jobs worked part time. (See tables

5 and 6.)

• Median weekly earnings of female part-time workers

were $168, 35.5 percent of the median for women who

worked full time. The earnings of male part-time workers

($154) were somewhat lower than those of female part-timers. This is partly because male part-time workers are highly

concentrated in the youngest age groups, while part-time

work is fairly common among women of all ages. About

two-thirds of female part-time workers were at least 25 years

old, compared with fewer than half of male part-timers.

(See table 5.)

• Unlike full-time workers, whose earnings increased for

each successive 10-year age category within the 25-to-54-yearold group, female part-timers earned essentially the same,

regardless of age category within this group. Female parttime workers younger than 25 and over age 55 earned less

than did women in the central age categories. (See table 5.)

• In contrast to those for full-time workers, earnings

for both female and male part-timers varied little by race or

Hispanic origin. (See table 5.)

Workers paid by the hour

• About 64 percent of women and 58 percent of men

employed in wage and salary jobs are paid by the hour. Women

who worked at jobs in which they were paid by the hour had

median hourly earnings of $8.64 in 1999. This was 83.8

percent of the hourly median for men. (See table 10.)

• In 1999, about 6 percent of women who were paid hourly

rates had hourly earnings at or below the prevailing Federal

minimum wage of $5.15. This compares with approximately

3 percent of men in jobs paid by the hour. (See table 12 and

chart 4. See the Technical Note for information about workers with earnings below the Federal minimum wage.)

• Among women paid hourly rates, the proportion earning the minimum wage or less varied considerably by age.

Those ages 16 to 19 years were the most likely to have earnings at or below the minimum, while women 45 to 54 years

old were the least likely. (See table 12 and chart 4.)
3

Chart 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers in constant (1999) 

 dollars by sex, 1979–99 annual averages

Earnings Ratio

1979 1985 1990 1995 1999

$350

$400

$450

$500

$550

$600

$650

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Men's earnings

Ratio of women's to men's earnings

Women's earnings

Chart 2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by sex, race and

 Hispanic origin, 1999 annual averages

Earnings Earnings

Total White Black Hispanic origin

$0

$100

$200

$300

$400

$500

$600

$700

$0

$100

$200

$300

$400

$500

$600

$700

$473 $483

$409

$348

$618 $638

$488

$406

Women

Men
4

Chart 3. Percent change in constant-dollar median usual weekly earnings by educational attainment 

 and sex, 1979–99

Percent change

-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40

Women

Men

No high school diploma

High school diploma only

Some college or

associate degree

College graduate

NOTE: Data relate to full-time wage and salary workers 25 years and over.

Chart 4. Percent of women with earnings at or below the Federal minimum wage by age, 1999

 annual averages

0

5

10

15

20

0

5

10

15

20

NOTE: Data relate to female wage and salary workers paid at hourly rates.

Percent Percent

Total, 

16 years

and over

16 to 19

years

20 to 24

years

25 to 34

years

35 to 44

years

45 to 54

years

55 to 64

years

65 years

and over
5

1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics,..............

1999 annual averages........................................................................................................................................ 7

2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex

1983 and 1999 annual averages ........................................................................................................................ 8

3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by detailed occupation and sex,

1999 annual averages ........................................................................................................................................ 9

4. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by sex and State,

1999 annual averages ....................................................................................................................................... 15

5. Median usual weekly earnings of part-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics,

1999 annual averages........................................................................................................................................ 16

6. Median usual weekly earnings of employed (full- and part-time) wage and salary workers

by hours usually worked and sex, 1999 annual averages ................................................................................. 17

7. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected ..

characteristics, 1999 annual averages ............................................................................................................... 18

8. Usual weekly earnings distribution of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics,

1999 annual averages ........................................................................................................................................ 19

9. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by sex, marital status,

and presence and age of own children under 18 years old, 1999 annual averages .................................... 20

10. Median hourly earnings of wage and salary workers paid hourly rates by selected characteristics, ...............

1999 annual averages ........................................................................................................................................ 2 1

11. Hourly earnings distribution of wage and salary workers paid hourly rates by selected characteristics,

1999 annual averages ........................................................................................................................................ 2 2

12. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing..................................

Federal minimum wage by selected characteristics, 1999 annual averages .............................................. 23

13. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers in constant (1999) dollars

by sex and age, 1979-99 annual averages ......................................................................................................... 24

14. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers in constant

(1999) dollars by sex, race, and Hispanic origin, 1979-99 annual averages .................................................. 26

15. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers 25 years

and over in constant (1999) dollars by sex and educational attainment, 1979-99 annual averages .............. 28

16. Median hourly earnings of wage and salary workers paid hourly rates in constant (1999) dollars by sex ........

and age, 1979-99 annual averages .................................................................................................................... 30

17. Median hourly earnings of wage and salary workers paid hourly rates in constant (1999) dollars............

by sex, race, and Hispanic origin, 1979-99 annual averages............................................................................... 32

18. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal .......................

minimum wage by sex, 1979-99 annual averages ............................................................................................ 34

Statistical tables

21

22

Page
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6
Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, 1999 annual averages

Characteristic

Both sexes Women Men

Women’s

earnings

as

percent

of men’s1

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

AGE

 Total, 16 years and over ................. 97,626 $549 $2 42,444 $473 $1 55,181 $618 $2 76.5

16 to 24 years ....................................... 11,273 341 2 4,830 324 2 6,444 356 2 91.0

 16 to 19 years .................................... 2,170 281 2 831 266 3 1,338 291 3 91.3

 20 to 24 years .................................... 9,104 363 2 3,998 343 2 5,105 379 2 90.5

25 years and over ................................. 86,352 592 1 37,615 497 1 48,738 668 2 74.4

 25 to 34 years .................................... 25,354 518 2 10,826 470 3 14,528 577 3 81.5

 35 to 44 years .................................... 28,746 611 2 12,287 503 2 16,460 702 4 71.7

 45 to 54 years .................................... 22,002 652 3 10,057 534 4 11,945 763 4 70.1

 55 to 64 years .................................... 9,054 604 4 3,957 492 4 5,097 725 7 67.8

 65 years and over .............................. 1,196 404 8 489 370 12 708 470 30 78.7

RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

White .................................................... 80,849 573 2 34,024 483 1 46,825 638 2 75.7

Black ..................................................... 12,190 445 3 6,344 409 3 5,846 488 4 83.7

Hispanic origin ...................................... 10,950 385 3 4,162 348 4 6,788 406 3 85.7

MARITAL STATUS

Never married ....................................... 24,697 436 2 10,540 417 2 14,158 454 3 92.0

Married, spouse present ....................... 56,607 614 1 22,383 499 2 34,224 706 3 70.7

Other marital status .............................. 16,321 510 2 9,522 466 3 6,799 596 4 78.1

 Divorced ............................................ 11,137 542 5 6,470 493 3 4,666 619 5 79.6

 Separated .......................................... 3,727 448 6 1,906 399 5 1,821 508 7 78.5

 Widowed ............................................ 1,457 447 10 1,145 418 6 312 620 39 67.5

UNION AFFILIATION2

Members of unions3 ............................. 14,974 672 3 5,509 608 3 9,464 711 4 85.6

Represented by unions4 ....................... 16,501 667 3 6,269 606 3 10,232 708 4 85.6

Not represented by a union .................. 81,125 516 1 36,176 449 2 44,949 599 2 74.9

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over ....................... 86,352 592 1 37,615 497 1 48,738 668 2 74.4

 Less than a high school diploma ........ 8,459 346 2 2,988 290 2 5,471 395 3 73.5

 High school graduates, no college ..... 27,314 490 2 11,847 405 1 15,467 580 2 69.8

 Some college or associate degree ..... 23,949 580 2 11,196 488 2 12,752 665 3 73.5

 College graduates, total ...................... 26,630 860 3 11,583 740 3 15,047 977 5 75.7

1 These figures are computed using unrounded medians and may differ

slightly from percents computed using the rounded medians displayed in this

table. 2 Differences in earnings levels between men and women with union

affiliation reflect a variety of factors in addition to coverage by a collective

bargaining agreement, including the distribution of male and female employees

by occupation, industry, firm size, or geographic region. 3 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar

to a union. 4 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar

to a union as well as workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are

covered by a union or an employee association contract.

 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.

7
Table 2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, 1983 and 1999 annual averages

Occupation

1983 1999

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Percent

women

Median weekly

earnings

Women’s

earnings

as

percent

of men’s1

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Percent

women

Median weekly

earnings

Women’s

earnings

as

percent

of men’s Women Men Women Men 1

 Total, 16 years and over ........................................... 70,976 40.4 $252 $379 66.6 97,626 43.5 $473 $618 76.5

Managerial and professional specialty .......................... 17,451 40.9 358 516 69.2 30,704 49.4 681 952 71.5

 Executive, administrative, and managerial .................. 8,117 34.2 340 530 64.0 14,973 46.7 652 967 67.5

 Professional specialty ................................................... 9,334 46.8 368 506 72.6 15,731 52.0 707 939 75.3

Technical, sales, and administrative support ................. 21,641 62.5 247 386 64.0 27,388 61.6 431 626 68.8

 Technicians and related support ................................. 2,574 44.5 299 424 70.6 3,550 49.3 528 728 72.6

 Sales occupations ........................................................ 6,313 39.0 205 389 52.7 9,728 44.5 399 666 59.9

 Administrative support, including clerical ...................... 12,755 77.7 249 362 68.7 14,109 76.5 427 539 79.1

Service occupations ....................................................... 7,321 49.2 173 256 67.8 10,841 52.0 304 402 75.7

 Private household ........................................................ 278 96.0 116 2 ( ) 3 ( ) 384 95.5 240 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Protective service ........................................................ 1,453 9.5 251 356 70.4 2,138 16.2 492 613 80.3

 Service, except private household and protective ........ 5,590 57.1 176 218 81.0 8,318 59.1 302 336 90.0

Precision production, craft, and repair ........................... 9,963 7.9 256 387 66.1 11,927 8.9 428 606 70.6

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ............................... 13,319 26.2 205 308 66.5 15,182 23.0 337 472 71.4

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors .......... 6,990 40.8 202 320 63.3 6,814 35.9 340 487 69.7

 Transportation and material moving occupations ......... 3,358 4.7 253 335 75.5 4,401 7.2 394 522 75.5

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers .. 2,970 16.0 211 252 83.9 3,967 18.6 314 377 83.2

Farming, forestry, and fishing ......................................... 1,280 11.2 169 201 84.2 1,583 13.8 283 341 82.8

1 These figures are computed using unrounded medians and may differ slightly from

percents computed using the rounded medians displayed in this table. 2 Data not shown where base is less than 50,000.

3 Data not shown where base for either the numerator or denominator is less than

50,000.

8
Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by detailed occupation and sex, 1999 annual averages

Occupation

Both sexes Women Men

Women’s

earnings

as

percent

of men’s1

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

 Total, 16 years and over ........................................... 97,626 $549 $2 42,444 $473 $1 55,181 $618 $2 76.5

 Managerial and professional specialty ......................... 30,704 797 3 15,167 681 3 15,537 952 4 71.5

 Executive, administrative, and managerial .................. 14,973 792 6 6,992 652 3 7,981 967 6 67.5

 Administrators and officials, public administration ..... 610 877 19 310 725 24 300 1,007 30 72.0

 Administrators, protective services ............................ 55 889 95 11 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 44 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Financial managers ................................................... 697 878 25 353 703 28 344 1,154 41 60.9

 Personnel and labor relations managers ................... 181 831 40 108 742 28 74 1,014 106 73.2

 Purchasing managers ................................................ 139 803 34 65 699 22 74 989 36 70.7

 Managers, marketing, advertising, and public

relations .................................................................... 695 1,036 33 254 800 34 441 1,241 21 64.4

 Administrators, education and related fields .............. 703 913 21 420 819 23 282 1,076 32 76.2

 Managers, medicine and health ................................ 602 759 13 462 714 30 139 1,006 43 71.0

 Managers, food serving and lodging

 establishments .................................................... 946 524 13 449 461 11 498 617 12 74.7

 Managers, properties and real estate ........................ 338 600 13 189 578 14 149 679 48 85.2

 Management-related occupations ............................. 4,026 704 6 2,349 630 5 1,677 847 13 74.4

 Accountants and auditors ........................................ 1,362 723 10 813 651 7 549 891 22 73.1

 Underwriters ............................................................ 119 744 29 80 653 36 39 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Other financial officers ............................................. 684 758 12 360 615 11 324 923 32 66.7

 Management analysts ............................................. 244 908 35 118 790 25 126 1,080 44 73.2

 Personnel, training, and labor relations specialists 475 674 13 326 653 12 149 727 27 89.9

 Buyers, wholesale and retail trade, except

 farm products .................................................... 140 643 19 65 588 32 75 675 26 87.0

 Construction inspectors ........................................... 67 730 32 4 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 63 748 31 3 ( )

 Inspectors and compliance officers, except

 construction ...................................................... 234 755 17 73 707 59 161 772 30 91.6

 Professional specialty ................................................... 15,731 800 4 8,175 707 4 7,556 939 5 75.3

 Engineers, architects, and surveyors ......................... 2,084 1,033 10 219 907 32 1,865 1,052 11 86.3

 Architects .................................................................. 129 918 56 21 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 108 983 49 3 ( )

 Engineers ................................................................. 1,945 1,041 11 197 933 19 1,749 1,058 12 88.2

 Aerospace engineers .............................................. 84 1,201 34 10 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 74 1,202 32 3 ( )

 Chemical engineers ................................................ 75 1,260 56 13 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 62 1,312 60 3 ( )

 Civil engineers ........................................................ 255 965 31 25 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 229 984 47 3 ( )

 Electrical and electronic engineers ......................... 618 1,073 19 55 956 22 564 1,087 21 87.9

 Industrial engineers ................................................ 259 970 26 43 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 216 991 25 3 ( )

 Mechanical engineers ............................................. 324 1,035 27 19 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 304 1,041 27 3 ( )

 Mathematical and computer scientists ....................... 1,638 983 12 522 876 16 1,117 1,056 23 82.9

 Computer systems analysts and scientists ............... 1,348 1,008 12 390 907 19 959 1,079 23 84.0

 Operations and systems researchers and analysts .. 242 864 29 115 781 41 128 952 27 82.1

 Natural scientists ........................................................ 514 873 26 143 731 30 370 939 27 77.9

 Chemists, except biochemists .................................. 131 970 29 31 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 100 1,002 61 3 ( )

 Physical scientists, n.e.c. .......................................... 50 987 25 12 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 38 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Biological and life scientists ...................................... 95 762 44 42 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 52 801 25 3 ( )

 Medical scientists ..................................................... 93 724 35 38 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 54 800 149 3 ( )

 Health diagnosing occupations ................................... 539 1,192 80 150 888 48 389 1,342 39 66.2

 Physicians ................................................................ 460 1,266 83 125 852 58 335 1,364 68 62.4

 Health assessment and treating occupations ............. 2,219 760 6 1,851 746 6 368 887 19 84.1

 Registered nurses .................................................... 1,585 750 6 1,443 747 6 141 791 51 94.4

 Pharmacists .............................................................. 165 1,159 21 77 1,105 34 88 1,222 32 90.5

 Dietitians ................................................................... 55 577 45 47 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 8 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Therapists ................................................................. 356 728 18 256 707 20 101 793 28 89.1

 Respiratory therapists ............................................. 69 689 26 38 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 31 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Physical therapists .................................................. 86 877 31 58 808 41 28 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Speech therapists ................................................... 65 780 35 61 770 37 5 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Physicians’ assistants ............................................... 58 908 45 29 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 29 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Teachers, college and university ................................ 638 953 16 241 859 29 397 1,038 26 82.7

 Teachers, except college and university .................... 4,259 688 6 3,129 659 5 1,130 768 11 85.8

 Teachers, prekindergarten and kindergarten ........... 432 440 19 423 442 17 9 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Teachers, elementary school ................................... 1,837 710 10 1,529 697 9 308 785 34 88.8

 Teachers, secondary school ..................................... 1,179 756 9 658 722 12 521 803 17 89.9

 Teachers, special education ..................................... 326 677 29 273 664 15 53 744 33 89.3

 Counselors, educational and vocational ..................... 207 786 26 144 742 25 62 902 32 82.3

 Librarians, archivists, and curators ............................. 210 701 28 171 684 36 39 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Librarians .................................................................. 183 700 30 151 684 37 32 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Social scientists and urban planners .......................... 306 740 18 164 682 26 142 847 30 80.5

See footnotes at end of table.

9
Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by detailed occupation and sex, 1999 annual averages — Continued

Occupation

Both sexes Women Men

Women’s

earnings

as

percent

of men’s1

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

 Economists ............................................................... 120 863 57 63 774 33 57 977 63 79.3

 Psychologists ............................................................ 141 673 36 86 623 38 55 760 39 82.0

 Social, recreation, and religious workers .................... 1,177 596 8 634 557 12 542 654 27 85.1

 Social workers .......................................................... 705 601 10 485 579 11 220 661 33 87.7

 Recreation workers ................................................... 85 416 18 58 417 22 27 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Clergy ....................................................................... 295 657 32 38 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 256 676 30 3 ( )

 Lawyers and judges .................................................... 613 1,198 55 201 971 37 412 1,369 48 70.9

 Lawyers .................................................................... 577 1,168 30 191 974 39 386 1,340 56 72.7

 Writers, artists, entertainers, and athletes .................. 1,327 681 11 604 605 9 722 748 16 80.9

 Technical writers ....................................................... 63 861 29 38 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 25 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Designers ................................................................. 453 642 22 220 512 14 233 757 21 67.6

 Actors and directors .................................................. 65 784 90 20 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 45 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Painters, sculptors, craft artists, and

 artist printmakers ............................................... 93 595 21 41 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 52 647 76 3 ( )

 Photographers .......................................................... 56 617 28 9 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 47 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Editors and reporters ................................................ 212 750 23 98 709 25 113 803 29 88.3

 Public relations specialists ........................................ 155 735 34 97 684 41 58 881 92 77.6

 Athletes ..................................................................... 54 613 24 8 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 46 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

Technical, sales, and administrative support .................. 27,388 488 2 16,863 431 2 10,525 626 4 68.8

 Technicians and related support .................................. 3,550 618 5 1,749 528 7 1,802 728 10 72.6

 Health technologists and technicians ......................... 1,304 511 6 1,011 489 6 292 594 12 82.4

 Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians ..... 292 623 21 215 593 23 77 709 26 83.7

 Radiologic technicians .............................................. 139 619 22 99 596 29 40 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Licensed practical nurses ......................................... 259 498 9 243 492 9 16 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Engineering and related technologists and

 technicians ........................................................... 874 662 10 158 625 16 716 673 13 92.9

 Electrical and electronic technicians ......................... 412 690 16 64 649 27 348 701 18 92.6

 Drafting occupations ................................................. 212 665 21 35 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 177 663 25 3 ( )

 Surveying and mapping technicians ......................... 51 557 57 7 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 44 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Science technicians .................................................... 250 582 19 100 480 25 150 656 22 73.1

 Biological technicians ............................................... 86 500 20 50 388 28 36 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Chemical technicians ................................................ 71 677 36 25 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 46 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Technicians, except health, engineering, and

 science ................................................................ 1,122 761 10 479 624 12 643 902 15 69.2

 Airplane pilots and navigators .................................. 99 1,048 52 3 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 97 1,050 51 3 ( )

 Computer programmers ........................................... 564 898 19 159 788 25 405 935 24 84.3

 Legal assistants ........................................................ 313 589 12 270 581 12 43 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Sales occupations ........................................................ 9,728 523 5 4,326 399 3 5,402 666 7 59.9

 Supervisors and proprietors ....................................... 3,275 587 6 1,351 454 8 1,924 691 9 65.8

 Sales representatives, finance and business

 services ............................................................... 1,817 708 16 798 589 8 1,019 821 22 71.7

 Insurance sales ........................................................ 391 622 13 190 539 23 201 750 24 71.9

 Real estate sales ...................................................... 364 657 26 191 585 13 173 767 18 76.3

 Securities and financial services sales ..................... 399 791 27 123 616 17 276 979 94 63.0

 Advertising and related sales ................................... 155 747 23 88 626 55 66 892 89 70.2

 Sales occupations, other business services ............. 508 721 29 206 611 25 302 809 54 75.5

 Sales representatives, commodities, except retail ..... 1,279 749 9 311 610 15 968 792 19 77.1

 Sales workers, retail and personal services ............... 3,324 329 4 1,849 296 2 1,475 423 9 70.0

 Sales workers, motor vehicles and boats ................. 268 665 39 29 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 240 679 33 3 ( )

 Sales workers, apparel ............................................. 148 298 9 104 286 10 43 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Sales workers, shoes ............................................... 57 302 18 24 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 33 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Sales workers, furniture and home furnishings ........ 118 511 23 57 497 24 62 536 75 92.7

 Sales workers, radio, television, hi-fi, and

 appliances ......................................................... 213 495 16 56 413 40 157 512 19 80.7

 Sales workers, hardware and building supplies ....... 204 426 20 41 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 163 473 23 3 ( )

 Sales workers, parts ................................................. 146 400 18 15 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 132 403 19 3 ( )

 Sales workers, other commodities ............................ 645 333 10 396 315 5 249 392 17 80.3

 Sales counter clerks ................................................. 94 335 23 60 303 10 34 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Cashiers ................................................................... 1,289 280 3 989 275 3 301 296 6 92.9

 Street and door-to-door sales workers ..................... 117 431 33 70 387 25 47 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Administrative support, including clerical ...................... 14,109 447 2 10,788 427 2 3,322 539 8 79.1

 Supervisors ................................................................. 650 603 9 368 560 16 282 701 16 79.9

 General office ........................................................... 348 595 13 233 539 26 115 706 23 76.3

See footnotes at end of table.

10
Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by detailed occupation and sex, 1999 annual averages — Continued

Occupation

Both sexes Women Men

Women’s

earnings

as

percent

of men’s1

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

 Financial records processing .................................... 77 678 39 62 622 19 15 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Distribution, scheduling, and

 adjusting clerks .................................................. 207 590 17 67 511 17 140 668 56 76.6

 Computer equipment operators .................................. 298 525 18 170 485 11 128 610 15 79.5

 Computer operators .................................................. 292 528 20 168 485 11 124 612 15 79.3

 Secretaries, stenographers, and typists ..................... 2,629 446 4 2,582 446 4 47 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Secretaries ............................................................... 2,162 443 5 2,136 443 4 26 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Stenographers .......................................................... 67 490 18 63 488 16 4 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Typists ...................................................................... 400 454 10 382 455 9 17 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Information clerks ....................................................... 1,467 393 4 1,285 386 4 182 497 18 77.7

 Interviewers .............................................................. 120 408 13 103 396 12 17 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Hotel clerks ............................................................... 89 315 9 67 308 9 22 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Transportation ticket and reservation agents ........... 218 486 18 147 464 19 70 527 32 88.0

 Receptionists ............................................................ 727 374 5 697 373 4 30 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Records processing, except financial ......................... 753 440 9 582 421 6 171 513 14 82.0

 Order clerks .............................................................. 249 493 14 179 460 13 70 629 23 73.2

 Personnel clerks, except payroll and timekeeping ... 58 523 25 49 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 10 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Library clerks ............................................................ 58 434 25 43 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 15 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 File clerks ................................................................. 206 361 11 162 349 10 43 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Records clerks .......................................................... 174 437 22 142 423 11 32 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Financial records processing ...................................... 1,480 440 5 1,322 435 5 157 489 19 89.1

 Bookkeepers, accounting, and auditing clerks ......... 1,084 443 7 977 440 6 107 478 21 92.1

 Payroll and timekeeping clerks ................................. 127 474 19 111 459 22 16 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Billing clerks .............................................................. 145 428 14 131 428 13 14 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Billing, posting, and calculating machine operators .. 74 404 12 63 400 11 10 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Communications equipment operators ....................... 117 384 16 88 367 11 29 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Telephone operators ................................................ 107 377 15 83 365 12 24 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Mail and message distributing .................................... 829 629 11 325 575 18 504 665 15 86.5

 Postal clerks, except mail carriers ............................ 298 687 10 142 670 18 156 701 14 95.5

 Mail carriers, postal service ...................................... 301 697 11 82 646 22 218 714 13 90.5

 Mail clerks, except postal service ............................. 135 389 11 85 382 9 50 414 30 92.2

 Messengers .............................................................. 96 453 32 16 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 80 457 33 3 ( )

 Material recording, scheduling, and distributing

 clerks ................................................................... 1,652 448 6 700 417 5 953 485 9 85.8

 Dispatchers ............................................................... 232 487 19 125 441 16 107 583 21 75.6

 Production coordinators ............................................ 181 592 18 109 474 21 71 734 22 64.6

 Traffic, shipping, and receiving clerks ...................... 572 411 5 163 388 9 409 419 6 92.5

 Stock and inventory clerks ........................................ 398 470 9 156 438 10 242 505 15 86.8

 Expediters ................................................................. 191 393 17 126 364 18 65 487 28 74.8

 Adjusters and investigators ........................................ 1,596 473 5 1,196 453 5 400 536 23 84.4

 Insurance adjusters, examiners, and investigators .. 416 528 16 304 501 10 112 660 30 75.9

 Investigators and adjusters, except insurance ......... 925 452 7 706 435 7 219 511 13 85.2

 Eligibility clerks, social welfare ................................. 98 481 20 85 468 15 13 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Bill and account collectors ........................................ 157 451 18 101 429 17 56 489 14 87.7

 Miscellaneous administrative support occupations .... 2,593 409 3 2,145 399 3 448 483 16 82.7

 General office clerks ................................................. 511 419 7 412 413 7 98 461 33 89.7

 Bank tellers ............................................................... 288 346 7 267 343 7 21 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Data-entry keyers ..................................................... 594 422 6 484 420 6 110 433 18 96.9

 Statistical clerks ........................................................ 80 432 18 63 401 22 17 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Teachers’ aides ........................................................ 368 315 7 341 314 7 28 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

Service occupations ....................................................... 10,841 336 2 5,632 304 1 5,209 402 3 75.7

 Private household ......................................................... 384 243 9 367 240 8 17 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Child care workers ...................................................... 157 211 12 156 212 11 1 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Cleaners and servants ................................................ 220 259 11 205 255 10 15 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Protective service ......................................................... 2,138 592 8 347 492 13 1,791 613 9 80.3

 Supervisors ................................................................. 180 759 59 23 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 156 815 36 3 ( )

 Police and detectives ................................................ 100 817 32 16 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 84 889 34 3 ( )

 Firefighting and fire prevention ................................... 221 740 13 5 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 216 742 12 3 ( )

 Firefighting ................................................................ 204 744 13 3 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 202 745 13 3 ( )

 Police and detectives .................................................. 1,079 657 9 181 574 27 898 681 12 84.2

 Police and detectives, public service ........................ 602 751 13 83 650 15 519 766 14 84.9

 Sheriffs, bailiffs, and other law enforcement

 officers ............................................................... 179 628 22 27 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 153 645 22 3 ( )

 Correctional institution officers ................................. 298 521 10 72 492 16 226 540 25 91.1

 Guards ........................................................................ 659 393 8 138 335 27 521 402 8 83.4

 Guards and police, exc. public services ................... 618 398 8 118 368 27 501 403 8 91.3

See footnotes at end of table.

11
Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by detailed occupation and sex, 1999 annual averages — Continued

Occupation

Both sexes Women Men

Women’s

earnings

as

percent

of men’s1

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

 Service occupations, except private household and

protective .................................................................. 8,318 313 1 4,918 302 1 3,400 336 4 90.0

 Food preparation and service occupations ................. 3,189 298 2 1,607 286 2 1,583 311 3 91.8

 Supervisors ............................................................... 276 342 14 156 310 9 120 415 24 74.8

 Bartenders ................................................................ 167 334 15 70 334 18 97 334 21 100.1

 Waiters and waitresses ............................................ 652 302 5 480 294 5 172 325 21 90.4

 Cooks, except short order ........................................ 1,311 302 3 511 279 4 800 317 4 88.0

 Food counter, fountain and related occupations ...... 108 252 6 62 247 7 46 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Kitchen workers, food preparation ............................ 135 297 7 94 295 7 41 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Waiters’ and waitresses’ assistants .......................... 229 286 7 110 282 8 119 290 12 97.2

 Miscellaneous food preparation occupations ........... 312 268 4 124 270 6 188 266 6 101.3

 Health service occupations ......................................... 1,791 324 3 1,574 320 2 217 368 13 87.2

 Dental assistants ...................................................... 127 377 18 123 373 16 5 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Health aides, except nursing .................................... 246 318 5 196 317 5 49 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants .................. 1,418 322 3 1,255 318 3 163 367 12 86.6

 Cleaning and building service occupations ................ 2,188 321 2 885 292 3 1,303 363 6 80.6

 Supervisors ............................................................... 153 407 16 55 317 11 97 472 19 67.1

 Maids and housemen ............................................... 472 296 4 385 289 4 87 330 13 87.5

 Janitors and cleaners ............................................... 1,496 324 4 442 293 4 1,054 351 6 83.5

 Personal service occupations ..................................... 1,150 321 4 852 310 4 298 379 10 81.9

 Supervisors ............................................................... 56 470 30 32 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 24 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Hairdressers and cosmetologists ............................. 310 322 6 263 323 7 47 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Attendants, amusement and recreation facilities ...... 140 384 11 57 384 12 83 384 18 99.9

 Public transportation attendants ............................... 58 604 40 47 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 11 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Welfare service aids ................................................. 54 310 18 49 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 6 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Early childhood teachers’ assistants ........................ 266 275 7 256 274 6 10 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

Precision production, craft, and repair ............................ 11,927 594 3 1,066 428 8 10,861 606 3 70.6

 Mechanics and repairers .............................................. 4,263 621 4 206 592 24 4,057 622 5 95.2

 Supervisors ................................................................. 262 816 17 30 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 232 820 22 3 ( )

 Mechanics and repairers, except supervisors ............ 4,001 613 4 176 555 29 3,824 615 4 90.3

 Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics and

 repairers ............................................................ 1,455 594 6 18 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 1,436 594 6 3 ( )

 Automobile mechanics ........................................... 635 555 18 7 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 628 555 18 3 ( )

 Bus, truck, and stationary engine mechanics ......... 301 588 14 1 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 300 588 14 3 ( )

 Aircraft engine mechanics ...................................... 146 737 17 4 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 142 740 18 3 ( )

 Small engine repairers ............................................ 54 420 26 2 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 53 419 29 3 ( )

 Automobile body and related repairers ................... 123 584 13 1 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 121 586 13 3 ( )

 Heavy equipment mechanics ................................. 145 667 20 1 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 144 669 20 3 ( )

 Industrial machinery repairers .................................. 546 608 10 16 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 530 612 10 3 ( )

 Electrical and electronic equipment repairers ........... 889 698 13 104 616 45 785 703 13 87.6

 Electronic repairers, communications and

 industrial equipment ........................................ 201 621 19 17 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 184 630 30 3 ( )

 Data processing equipment repairers ..................... 281 689 24 48 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 233 707 24 3 ( )

 Telephone line installers and repairers ................... 55 755 47 3 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 51 760 45 3 ( )

 Telephone installers and repairers ......................... 240 770 24 30 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 210 761 24 3 ( )

 Miscellaneous electrical and electronic

 equipment repairers ......................................... 74 693 17 4 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 70 694 17 3 ( )

 Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration

 mechanics ......................................................... 310 580 16 2 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 308 579 16 3 ( )

 Miscellaneous mechanics and repairers .................. 790 607 10 36 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 754 612 10 3 ( )

 Millwrights ............................................................... 72 697 32 2 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 70 700 32 3 ( )

 Construction trades ...................................................... 4,143 566 6 85 423 17 4,059 571 6 74.2

 Supervisors ................................................................. 504 720 16 9 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 495 722 16 3 ( )

 Construction trades, except supervisors .................... 3,639 540 7 76 417 15 3,563 545 7 76.5

 Brickmasons and stonemasons ................................ 128 546 61 3 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 125 564 55 3 ( )

 Tile setters, hard and soft ......................................... 58 440 30 2 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 56 443 35 3 ( )

 Carpet installers ........................................................ 62 507 37 - - - 62 507 37 -

 Carpenters ................................................................ 962 518 6 12 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 950 518 6 3 ( )

 Drywall installers ....................................................... 126 483 15 5 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 121 486 16 3 ( )

 Electricians ............................................................... 739 645 15 17 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 723 651 14 3 ( )

 Electrical power installers and repairers ................... 134 731 54 1 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 133 730 54 3 ( )

 Painters, construction and maintenance .................. 331 427 13 14 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 317 432 15 3 ( )

 Plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters, and

 apprentices ........................................................ 417 595 16 9 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 408 596 16 3 ( )

 Concrete and terrazzo finishers ................................ 87 501 13 2 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 85 501 13 3 ( )

 Insulation workers ..................................................... 51 546 47 2 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 49 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Roofers ..................................................................... 147 467 30 1 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 146 469 28 3 ( )

See footnotes at end of table.

12
Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by detailed occupation and sex, 1999 annual averages — Continued

Occupation

Both sexes Women Men

Women’s

earnings

as

percent

of men’s1

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

 Structural metalworkers ............................................ 55 634 52 - - - 55 634 52 -

 Extractive occupations .................................................. 128 716 38 2 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 126 717 37 3 ( )

 Precision production occupations ................................. 3,393 583 5 774 403 6 2,619 630 7 63.9

 Supervisors ................................................................. 1,121 668 11 217 515 11 904 704 12 73.1

 Precision metalworking occupations .......................... 869 634 11 60 442 24 809 646 11 68.4

 Tool and die makers ................................................. 139 785 27 5 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 134 792 30 3 ( )

 Machinists ................................................................. 489 604 12 28 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 461 610 12 3 ( )

 Sheet-metal workers ................................................. 128 628 24 8 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 120 635 22 3 ( )

 Precision woodworking occupations ........................... 75 457 38 11 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 65 481 50 3 ( )

 Cabinet makers and bench carpenters ..................... 58 454 34 4 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 54 465 38 3 ( )

 Precision textile, apparel, and furnishings

 machine workers ................................................. 115 402 15 50 350 18 65 421 14 83.1

 Precision workers, assorted materials ........................ 460 423 10 257 369 8 203 513 17 71.9

 Optical goods workers .............................................. 64 465 39 38 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 26 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers ...... 290 391 11 193 359 8 97 476 40 75.5

 Precision food production occupations ....................... 380 400 7 138 342 12 242 440 14 77.7

 Butchers and meat cutters ........................................ 237 400 8 64 322 9 174 428 16 75.2

 Bakers ...................................................................... 110 394 29 49 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 61 475 31 3 ( )

 Precision inspectors, testers, and related workers ..... 131 618 22 32 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 100 657 28 3 ( )

 Inspectors, testers, and graders ............................... 123 619 25 30 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 94 654 28 3 ( )

 Plant and system operators ........................................ 241 688 23 9 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 233 689 25 3 ( )

 Water and sewage treatment plant operators .......... 56 625 32 4 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 53 635 40 3 ( )

 Stationary engineers ................................................. 109 621 15 - - - 109 620 15 -

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ............................... 15,182 429 2 3,498 337 3 11,685 472 3 71.4

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors .......... 6,814 423 3 2,444 340 3 4,371 487 3 69.7

 Machine operators and tenders, except precision ...... 4,368 416 3 1,538 326 4 2,829 481 4 67.8

 Metalworking and plastic working machine

operators .................................................................. 369 509 11 62 410 15 307 534 17 76.8

 Punching and stamping press machine

 operators ......................................................... 101 458 18 27 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 74 505 36 3 ( )

 Grinding, abrading, buffing, and polishing

 machine operators ........................................... 113 490 21 16 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 97 507 25 3 ( )

 Metal and plastic processing machine operators ..... 142 454 18 32 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 110 471 21 3 ( )

 Molding and casting machine operators ................. 97 452 16 23 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 74 473 26 3 ( )

 Woodworking machine operators ............................. 138 385 12 19 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 119 398 11 3 ( )

 Sawing machine operators ..................................... 81 386 12 10 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 71 393 12 3 ( )

 Printing machine operators ....................................... 325 491 11 74 366 17 251 526 24 69.5

 Printing press operators ......................................... 256 477 15 48 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 208 513 15 3 ( )

 Textile, apparel, and furnishings machine

 operators ........................................................... 745 298 5 534 282 5 211 348 11 80.9

 Textile sewing machine operators .......................... 416 282 8 322 273 4 94 326 16 83.8

 Pressing machine operators ................................... 67 268 9 50 260 8 17 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Laundering and dry cleaning machine operators ... 139 294 11 90 266 7 48 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Machine operators, assorted materials .................... 2,622 437 6 809 350 5 1,813 487 5 71.9

 Packaging and filling machine operators ................ 341 361 10 212 327 10 129 416 14 78.7

 Mixing and blending machine operators ................. 129 491 22 16 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 112 497 29 3 ( )

 Separating, filtering, and clarifying 

 machine operators ........................................... 58 648 27 8 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 50 657 29 3 ( )

 Painting and paint spraying machine operators ..... 186 462 21 25 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 161 480 23 3 ( )

 Furnace, kiln, and oven operators, exc. food ......... 69 591 25 2 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 67 597 24 3 ( )

 Slicing and cutting machine operators .................... 153 430 18 38 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 115 473 24 3 ( )

 Photographic process machine operators .............. 69 342 19 35 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 34 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Fabricators, assemblers, and hand working

 occupations ....................................................... 1,781 444 7 589 365 7 1,192 495 6 73.8

 Welders and cutters ................................................ 527 520 8 32 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 496 525 12 3 ( )

 Assemblers ............................................................. 1,158 412 5 521 368 8 637 463 11 79.5

 Production inspectors, testers, samplers, and

 weighers ............................................................ 665 424 9 316 369 11 349 506 10 72.9

 Production inspectors, checkers, and examiners ... 487 456 12 231 395 8 256 530 19 74.6

 Production testers ................................................... 53 520 40 14 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 39 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Graders and sorters, except agricultural ................ 120 305 9 69 288 10 52 347 33 83.0

 Transportation and material moving occupations ......... 4,401 513 4 317 394 9 4,083 522 4 75.5

 Motor vehicle operators .............................................. 3,184 514 5 257 389 10 2,927 524 6 74.2

 Supervisors ............................................................... 78 585 26 17 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 61 621 27 3 ( )

 Truck drivers ............................................................. 2,493 527 8 85 412 22 2,409 532 9 77.4

See footnotes at end of table.

13
Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by detailed occupation and sex, 1999 annual averages — Continued

Occupation

Both sexes Women Men

Women’s

earnings

as

percent

of men’s1

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

 Drivers-sales workers ............................................... 130 534 36 8 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 122 555 35 3 ( )

 Bus drivers ................................................................ 284 428 21 119 384 14 166 498 27 77.1

 Taxicab drivers and chauffeurs ................................ 149 427 25 22 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 127 441 30 3 ( )

 Transportation occupations, except motor vehicles ... 154 761 57 2 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 152 772 50 3 ( )

 Rail transportation .................................................... 108 816 37 1 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 107 820 64 3 ( )

 Material moving equipment operators ........................ 1,063 498 6 58 415 18 1,005 503 6 82.6

 Operating engineers ................................................. 229 575 23 6 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 223 579 17 3 ( )

 Crane and tower operators ....................................... 69 580 43 2 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 67 586 47 3 ( )

 Excavating and loading machine operators .............. 81 571 26 2 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 79 577 27 3 ( )

 Grader, dozer, and scraper operators ...................... 63 480 23 2 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 61 477 22 3 ( )

 Industrial truck and tractor equipment operators ...... 513 448 9 39 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 474 451 10 3 ( )

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers .. 3,967 363 3 737 314 3 3,230 377 4 83.2

 Helpers, construction and extractive occupations ...... 106 329 15 3 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 103 330 15 3 ( )

 Helpers, construction trades ..................................... 93 336 14 2 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 92 335 14 3 ( )

 Construction laborers ................................................. 804 414 8 28 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 776 413 8 3 ( )

 Production helpers ...................................................... 53 357 27 11 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 42 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Freight, stock, and material handlers ......................... 1,287 361 6 291 318 6 996 375 6 85.0

 Stock handlers and baggers ..................................... 578 314 5 189 300 7 389 320 5 93.8

 Machine feeders and offbearers ............................... 75 395 15 30 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 45 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( )

 Garage and service station related occupations ........ 134 314 9 3 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 131 313 9 3 ( )

 Vehicle washers and equipment cleaners .................. 199 312 7 26 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 173 315 8 3 ( )

 Hand packers and packagers ..................................... 253 317 6 147 305 6 107 338 12 90.2

 Laborers, except construction .................................... 1,107 373 5 229 315 5 879 393 7 80.1

Farming, forestry, and fishing ......................................... 1,583 331 5 218 283 9 1,364 341 5 82.8

 Farm operators and managers ..................................... 72 499 21 11 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 61 525 47 3 ( )

 Farm managers .......................................................... 67 499 28 11 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 56 543 63 3 ( )

 Other agricultural and related occupations ................... 1,441 321 3 204 277 9 1,237 329 6 84.4

 Farm occupations, except managerial ........................ 603 311 5 91 268 6 512 317 5 84.5

 Farm workers ............................................................ 531 304 5 68 259 7 463 311 6 83.4

 Related agricultural occupations ................................ 838 330 8 113 288 10 725 342 9 84.2

 Supervisors, related agricultural ............................... 87 514 25 6 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 81 539 52 3 ( )

 Groundskeepers and gardeners, except farm .......... 657 322 4 44 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 614 322 5 3 ( )

 Forestry and logging occupations ................................. 58 503 21 2 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 55 508 21 3 ( )

1 These figures are computed using unrounded medians and may differ slightly from

percents computed using the rounded medians displayed in this table. 2 Data not shown where base is less than 50,000.

3 Data not shown where base for either the numerator or denominator is less than

50,000.

14
Table 4. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by sex and State, 1999 annual averages

State

Both sexes Women Men

Women’s

earnings

as

percent

of men’s1

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

 UNITED STATES ..................... 97,626 $549 $2 42,444 $473 $1 55,181 $618 $2 76.5

Alabama ....................................... 1,528 501 8 677 418 10 851 584 12 71.6

Alaska ........................................... 204 670 13 85 541 17 119 763 15 71.0

Arizona ......................................... 1,714 498 7 734 452 12 981 538 21 83.9

Arkansas ....................................... 897 425 8 417 374 10 480 485 9 77.1

California ...................................... 11,226 586 4 4,657 524 7 6,569 621 6 84.3

Colorado ....................................... 1,607 607 8 685 520 10 922 679 14 76.6

Connecticut ................................... 1,162 677 15 512 590 13 650 765 17 77.1

Delaware ...................................... 280 571 14 126 487 11 154 624 16 78.0

District of Columbia ...................... 216 614 9 104 611 9 112 620 18 98.6

Florida ........................................... 5,251 489 4 2,362 428 6 2,888 535 11 79.9

Georgia ......................................... 3,011 514 7 1,420 443 10 1,591 597 9 74.3

Hawaii ........................................... 393 544 16 187 488 8 206 617 15 79.1

Idaho ............................................. 418 485 8 161 404 8 257 563 16 71.7

Illinois ............................................ 4,534 589 5 1,983 493 5 2,551 678 12 72.8

Indiana .......................................... 2,200 540 13 914 428 10 1,285 630 15 67.9

Iowa .............................................. 1,059 513 7 461 429 10 598 593 10 72.3

Kansas .......................................... 963 509 7 429 444 11 534 587 14 75.5

Kentucky ....................................... 1,369 497 8 586 418 9 783 565 17 73.9

Louisiana ...................................... 1,490 466 10 698 383 8 791 553 21 69.3

Maine ............................................ 436 502 7 195 455 12 241 545 18 83.3

Maryland ....................................... 2,086 635 13 995 582 10 1,091 713 17 81.6

Massachusetts .............................. 2,258 612 6 947 532 12 1,311 684 13 77.7

Michigan ....................................... 3,559 609 6 1,436 492 6 2,123 709 10 69.4

Minnesota ..................................... 1,744 642 11 728 552 14 1,016 724 13 76.3

Mississippi .................................... 919 470 9 427 380 9 492 545 14 69.6

Missouri ........................................ 2,047 544 14 891 480 8 1,156 607 10 79.1

Montana ........................................ 271 460 11 114 368 6 157 532 16 69.2

Nebraska ...................................... 584 495 8 259 415 7 325 575 14 72.2

Nevada ......................................... 719 501 7 310 431 11 409 567 17 76.1

New Hampshire ............................ 443 599 11 193 492 9 251 698 15 70.6

New Jersey ................................... 3,003 637 7 1,293 558 12 1,710 716 14 77.8

New Mexico .................................. 528 498 8 229 425 11 299 573 19 74.2

New York ...................................... 6,087 591 4 2,666 513 5 3,421 642 8 79.9

North Carolina .............................. 2,893 493 5 1,307 424 6 1,586 561 13 75.5

North Dakota ................................ 204 467 9 90 377 10 115 532 16 70.9

Ohio .............................................. 4,033 580 6 1,738 476 6 2,295 670 9 71.1

Oklahoma ..................................... 1,172 487 8 525 397 8 648 584 10 68.0

Oregon .......................................... 1,122 556 14 443 465 9 678 619 13 75.1

Pennsylvania ................................ 4,090 567 8 1,794 472 7 2,296 648 9 72.9

Rhode Island ................................ 337 570 14 145 488 9 192 638 17 76.5

South Carolina .............................. 1,435 507 7 656 429 10 779 583 11 73.6

South Dakota ................................ 263 464 9 122 392 7 141 543 18 72.2

Tennessee .................................... 2,063 467 10 948 385 7 1,114 580 11 66.3

Texas ............................................ 7,488 496 4 3,247 444 5 4,241 548 10 81.0

Utah .............................................. 722 518 7 282 432 8 440 613 12 70.5

Vermont ........................................ 207 533 12 91 481 11 115 585 13 82.2

Virginia .......................................... 2,646 577 9 1,166 489 9 1,479 659 17 74.1

Washington ................................... 2,037 617 8 836 526 13 1,200 706 14 74.4

West Virginia ................................ 564 473 10 244 393 8 320 567 15 69.2

Wisconsin ..................................... 1,979 542 10 859 473 8 1,120 618 10 76.6

Wyoming ....................................... 166 500 9 67 390 9 99 623 14 62.6

1 These figures are computed using unrounded medians and may differ

slightly from percents computed using the rounded medians displayed in this

table.

NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and over.

15
Table 5. Median usual weekly earnings of part-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, 1999 annual averages

Characteristic

Both sexes Women Men

Women’s

earnings

as

percent

of men’s1

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

 median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

 median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

 median

AGE

 Total, 16 years and over ......... 21,065 $164 $1 14,495 $168 $1 6,570 $154 $1 108.9

16 to 24 years ............................... 8,298 122 1 4,647 121 1 3,651 124 1 97.7

 16 to 19 years ............................ 4,882 108 1 2,617 105 1 2,265 111 1 95.4

 20 to 24 years ............................ 3,417 154 1 2,030 151 2 1,386 157 2 96.3

25 years and over ......................... 12,767 203 1 9,848 201 1 2,919 208 2 96.7

 25 to 34 years ............................ 3,245 209 2 2,481 205 3 764 221 4 93.0

 35 to 44 years ............................ 3,608 216 2 3,097 213 2 511 236 8 90.3

 45 to 54 years ............................ 2,596 223 3 2,184 219 3 412 243 8 90.2

 55 to 64 years ............................ 1,800 191 3 1,289 185 3 510 206 5 89.8

 65 years and over ...................... 1,518 145 3 796 127 4 722 163 4 77.9

RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

White ............................................ 18,054 165 1 12,531 170 1 5,523 155 1 110.1

Black ............................................. 2,135 153 2 1,410 155 2 725 149 4 103.8

Hispanic origin .............................. 1,847 160 3 1,190 159 3 658 162 5 97.8

MARITAL STATUS

Never married ............................... 9,618 131 1 5,322 129 1 4,296 133 1 97.2

Married, spouse present ............... 9,054 208 1 7,251 208 2 1,802 210 3 99.3

Other marital status ...................... 2,394 181 2 1,922 177 3 472 196 5 90.0

 Divorced .................................... 1,273 195 3 992 191 4 282 211 7 90.5

 Separated .................................. 487 191 4 386 189 5 101 197 9 96.1

 Widowed .................................... 633 145 4 544 142 5 89 158 10 90.0

1 These figures are computed using unrounded medians and may differ

slightly from percents computed using the rounded medians displayed in this

table.

 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.

16
Table 6. Median usual weekly earnings of employed (full- and part-time) wage and salary workers by hours usually worked and sex, 1999 annual

averages

Hours of work

Both sexes Women Men

Women’s

earnings

as

percent

of men’s1

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

 Total, 16 years and over ........ 118,963 $478 $1 57,050 $392 $1 61,914 $579 $2 67.7

1 to 34 hours ................................. 18,742 167 1 13,010 172 1 5,731 157 1 109.6

 1 to 4 hours ................................. 457 40 3 319 36 3 137 51 6 70.2

 5 to 9 hours ................................. 1,125 59 1 792 60 1 333 58 2 104.2

 10 to 14 hours ............................. 1,724 79 2 1,216 80 2 508 76 3 104.7

 15 to 19 hours ............................. 2,588 115 1 1,758 118 1 830 109 1 108.0

 20 to 24 hours ............................. 5,696 160 1 3,915 165 1 1,781 149 2 110.7

 25 to 29 hours ............................. 2,448 203 2 1,681 208 2 768 191 3 109.1

 30 to 34 hours ............................. 4,703 256 2 3,330 264 2 1,374 236 3 112.0

35 hours and over ......................... 92,381 552 2 40,466 477 1 51,916 620 2 76.9

 35 to 39 hours ............................. 6,950 384 3 4,840 382 3 2,110 392 8 97.4

 40 hours .................................... 63,004 499 1 28,993 451 2 34,011 554 3 81.5

 41 hours and over ..................... 22,427 796 4 6,632 689 5 15,795 853 4 80.7

 41 to 44 hours ......................... 1,543 597 7 632 523 11 911 647 12 80.8

 45 to 48 hours ......................... 6,598 702 5 2,327 641 6 4,272 739 7 86.8

 49 to 59 hours ......................... 9,751 865 6 2,679 755 7 7,072 912 7 82.8

 60 hours and over ................... 4,534 933 8 994 763 11 3,540 973 10 78.5

Hours vary .................................... 7,841 338 5 3,574 242 4 4,267 465 8 52.1

 Usually less than 35 hours ......... 2,324 136 2 1,485 136 3 839 137 4 99.5

 Usually 35 hours or more ........... 5,244 491 6 1,979 361 9 3,266 579 9 62.3

1 These figures are computed using unrounded medians and may differ

slightly from percents computed using the rounded medians displayed in this

table.

 NOTE: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time workers.

Detail for the above "hours vary" groups will not sum to totals because data

are not presented for a small number of multiple jobholders whose usual

number of hours on the principal job is not identifiable.

17
Table 7. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected

characteristics, 1999 annual averages

Characteristic

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Upper limit of:

First

decile

First

quartile

Second

quartile

(median)

Third

quartile

Ninth

decile

SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................... 97,626 $269 $365 $549 $826 $1211

 Women ................................................................................... 42,444 247 323 473 693 983

 Men ......................................................................................... 55,181 290 406 618 934 1365

White ........................................................................................ 80,849 275 377 573 852 1246

 Women ................................................................................... 34,024 250 331 483 707 999

 Men ......................................................................................... 46,825 295 417 638 958 1399

Black ......................................................................................... 12,190 243 311 445 654 935

 Women ................................................................................... 6,344 234 297 409 607 870

 Men ......................................................................................... 5,846 259 336 488 711 989

Hispanic origin .......................................................................... 10,950 227 280 385 585 848

 Women ................................................................................... 4,162 206 259 348 518 744

 Men ......................................................................................... 6,788 238 294 406 613 916

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over ........................................................... 86,352 284 393 592 872 1260

 Less than a high school diploma ............................................ 8,459 215 267 346 494 680

 High school graduates, no college ......................................... 27,314 270 349 490 688 932

 Some college or associate degree ......................................... 23,949 300 404 580 798 1079

 College graduates, total .......................................................... 26,630 430 607 860 1243 1749

Women, 25 years and over ...................................................... 37,615 258 342 497 727 1020

 Less than a high school diploma ............................................ 2,988 189 236 290 375 501

 High school graduates, no college ......................................... 11,847 240 304 405 546 723

 Some college or associate degree ......................................... 11,196 279 359 488 665 886

 College graduates, total .......................................................... 11,583 393 541 740 1013 1372

Men, 25 years and over ............................................................ 48,738 312 450 668 979 1425

 Less than a high school diploma ............................................ 5,471 237 294 395 550 746

 High school graduates, no college ......................................... 15,467 302 407 580 781 1027

 Some college or associate degree ......................................... 12,752 340 476 665 915 1208

 College graduates, total .......................................................... 15,047 484 681 977 1425 1921

 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.

18
Table 8. Usual weekly earnings distribution of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, 1999 annual averages

(In thousands)

Characteristic Total

employed

Usual weekly earnings distribution

Under

$150.00

$150.00

to

$249.99

$250.00

to

$349.99

$350.00

to

$499.99

$500.00

to

$749.99

$750.00

to

$999.99

$1000.00

to

$1499.99

$1500.00

or

more

AGE AND SEX

Total, 16 years and over ............................. 97,626 1,112 6,469 14,231 20,904 24,431 14,097 11,097 5,284

16 to 24 years ....................................................... 11,273 260 2,095 3,417 3,265 1,677 388 141 30

 16 to 19 years .................................................... 2,170 96 710 798 411 122 21 7 4

 20 to 24 years .................................................... 9,104 164 1,385 2,619 2,853 1,555 367 134 26

25 years and over ................................................. 86,352 852 4,374 10,814 17,640 22,754 13,709 10,956 5,254

 25 to 34 years .................................................... 25,354 229 1,455 3,797 6,208 7,379 3,354 2,186 746

 35 to 44 years .................................................... 28,746 252 1,368 3,416 5,544 7,458 4,843 3,911 1,954

 45 to 54 years .................................................... 22,002 170 887 2,280 3,927 5,536 3,955 3,509 1,739

 55 to 64 years .................................................... 9,054 121 490 1,073 1,748 2,203 1,445 1,238 737

 65 years and over .............................................. 1,196 80 174 248 212 179 112 113 78

Women, 16 years and over ........................ 42,444 645 3,863 7,813 10,598 10,382 4,910 3,176 1,057

16 to 24 years ....................................................... 4,830 130 1,051 1,537 1,325 626 118 34 9

 16 to 19 years .................................................... 831 50 317 297 135 28 3 – 1

 20 to 24 years .................................................... 3,998 80 734 1,241 1,190 598 114 34 8

25 years and over ................................................. 37,615 514 2,812 6,275 9,274 9,756 4,792 3,143 1,048

 25 to 34 years .................................................... 10,826 132 843 2,012 2,945 2,948 1,129 632 185

 35 to 44 years .................................................... 12,287 165 922 2,030 2,931 3,125 1,656 1,065 393

 45 to 54 years .................................................... 10,057 110 647 1,452 2,312 2,619 1,465 1,079 373

 55 to 64 years .................................................... 3,957 70 312 676 972 988 509 337 92

 65 years and over .............................................. 489 37 88 106 114 77 33 29 5

Men, 16 years and over .............................. 55,181 468 2,606 6,418 10,306 14,048 9,187 7,921 4,227

16 to 24 years ....................................................... 6,444 130 1,044 1,880 1,940 1,051 270 107 21

 16 to 19 years .................................................... 1,338 46 393 501 277 94 18 7 3

 20 to 24 years .................................................... 5,105 84 652 1,378 1,663 957 253 100 18

25 years and over ................................................. 48,738 337 1,562 4,539 8,366 12,998 8,916 7,814 4,206

 25 to 34 years .................................................... 14,528 97 612 1,785 3,264 4,431 2,225 1,554 561

 35 to 44 years .................................................... 16,460 87 446 1,386 2,613 4,333 3,188 2,846 1,561

 45 to 54 years .................................................... 11,945 60 240 828 1,615 2,917 2,489 2,429 1,366

 55 to 64 years .................................................... 5,097 51 178 397 776 1,215 936 901 644

 65 years and over .............................................. 708 43 86 143 99 101 79 84 73

RACE, SEX, AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

White, 16 years and over ............................ 80,849 894 4,950 11,050 16,771 20,511 12,177 9,710 4,785

Women ................................................................. 34,024 523 2,880 5,990 8,422 8,579 4,086 2,630 913

Men ....................................................................... 46,825 371 2,070 5,061 8,349 11,932 8,091 7,080 3,871

Black, 16 years and over ............................ 12,190 171 1,188 2,532 3,175 2,826 1,288 791 219

Women ................................................................. 6,344 95 784 1,481 1,687 1,324 559 339 76

Men ....................................................................... 5,846 75 404 1,052 1,489 1,502 729 452 143

Hispanic origin, 16 years and over ............. 10,950 176 1,719 2,757 2,655 2,086 832 520 207

Women ................................................................. 4,162 108 848 1,109 956 714 257 133 37

Men ....................................................................... 6,788 68 870 1,648 1,699 1,372 575 387 169

 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.

19
Table 9. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by sex, marital status, and 

presence and age of own children under 18 years old, 1999 annual averages 

Characteristic

Number of

workers

(in thousands)

 Median

weekly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

WOMEN

Total, all marital statuses ............................................ 42,444 $473 $1

With children under 18 years old ............................ 16,862 455 2

 With children 6 to 17, none younger .................... 10,501 468 3

 With children under 6 years old ........................... 6,360 434 4

With no children under 18 years old ....................... 25,583 483 2

Total, married, spouse present ................................... 22,383 499 2

With children under 18 years old ............................ 11,346 487 2

 With children 6 to 17, none younger .................... 6,946 487 3

 With children under 6 years old ........................... 4,400 486 4

With no children under 18 years old ....................... 11,037 510 2

Total, other marital statuses1 ..................................... 20,061 438 2

With children under 18 years old ............................ 5,515 401 3

 With children 6 to 17, none younger .................... 3,555 428 4

 With children under 6 years old ........................... 1,960 357 4

With no children under 18 years old ....................... 14,546 459 3

MEN

Total, all marital statuses ............................................ 55,181 618 2

With children under 18 years old ............................ 21,889 692 3

 With children 6 to 17, none younger .................... 11,663 732 4

 With children under 6 years old ........................... 10,226 646 5

With no children under 18 years old ....................... 33,292 581 2

Total, married, spouse present ................................... 34,224 706 3

With children under 18 years old ............................ 20,425 703 3

 With children 6 to 17, none younger .................... 10,805 741 4

 With children under 6 years old ........................... 9,620 660 5

With no children under 18 years old ....................... 13,799 709 4

Total, other marital statuses1 ..................................... 20,957 494 2

With children under 18 years old ............................ 1,464 557 14

 With children 6 to 17, none younger .................... 858 621 12

 With children under 6 years old ........................... 606 469 12

With no children under 18 years old ....................... 19,493 491 2

1 Includes never-married, divorced, separated,

and widowed persons.

 NOTE: Children refer to "own" children and

include sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted

children. Excluded are other related children such as

grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins, and

unrelated children.

20
Table 10. Median hourly earnings of wage and salary workers paid hourly rates by selected characteristics, 1999 annual averages

Characteristic

Both sexes Women Men

Women’s

earnings

as

percent

of men’s1

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

hourly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

hourly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

hourly

earnings

Standard

error

of

median

AGE

Total, 16 years and over ............. 72,306 $9.53 $.06 36,233 $8.64 $.05 36,073 $10.31 $.09 83.8

16 to 24 years ....................................... 16,636 6.87 .03 8,080 6.60 .05 8,556 7.12 .05 92.7

 16 to 19 years .................................... 6,600 6.08 .03 3,254 5.98 .03 3,346 6.18 .04 96.7

 20 to 24 years .................................... 10,036 7.74 .06 4,826 7.22 .06 5,210 8.03 .06 89.8

25 years and over ................................. 55,670 10.47 .07 28,153 9.53 .07 27,517 12.00 .06 79.4

 25 to 34 years .................................... 17,051 9.98 .05 8,101 9.10 .07 8,951 10.84 .10 84.0

 35 to 44 years .................................... 18,172 11.02 .09 9,165 9.83 .06 9,008 12.78 .14 76.9

 45 to 54 years .................................... 12,846 11.33 .16 6,867 9.95 .08 5,979 13.68 .30 72.7

 55 to 64 years .................................... 5,932 10.38 .20 3,147 9.33 .20 2,784 12.21 .26 76.4

 65 years and over .............................. 1,669 7.70 .18 873 7.50 .23 796 7.86 .18 95.4

RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

White .................................................... 58,999 9.74 .05 29,093 8.73 .05 29,906 10.61 .11 82.2

Black ..................................................... 10,126 8.85 .08 5,494 8.13 .06 4,632 9.77 .11 83.2

Hispanic origin ...................................... 9,402 8.07 .08 3,913 7.46 .16 5,490 8.61 .21 86.6

MARITAL STATUS

Never married ....................................... 24,976 7.74 .05 11,542 7.20 .05 13,434 8.05 .05 89.4

Married, spouse present ....................... 35,445 10.86 .06 17,348 9.63 .09 18,097 12.48 .14 77.2

Other marital status .............................. 11,885 9.81 .06 7,343 8.95 .08 4,542 11.18 .21 80.1

 Divorced ............................................ 7,668 10.19 .10 4,617 9.46 .17 3,052 11.96 .17 79.1

 Separated .......................................... 2,833 8.86 .16 1,584 8.12 .12 1,249 9.94 .15 81.6

 Widowed ............................................ 1,383 8.30 .31 1,142 8.12 .16 241 9.77 .59 83.1

UNION AFFILIATION2

Members of unions3 ............................. 10,871 13.81 .14 3,603 11.61 .24 7,268 14.94 .11 77.7

Represented by unions4 ....................... 11,815 13.66 .18 4,086 11.54 .26 7,729 14.87 .11 77.6

Not represented by a union .................. 60,491 8.89 .03 32,147 8.25 .04 28,343 9.76 .06 84.5

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over ....................... 55,670 10.47 .07 28,153 9.53 .07 27,517 12.00 .06 79.4

 Less than a high school diploma ........ 8,029 7.92 .06 3,380 6.87 .06 4,649 9.02 .10 76.2

 High school graduates, no college ..... 22,611 10.12 .04 11,158 8.88 .06 11,453 12.02 .08 73.9

 Some college or associate degree ..... 17,069 11.39 .13 9,090 10.18 .06 7,979 13.08 .13 77.8

 College graduates, total ...................... 7,960 14.73 .25 4,525 13.96 .23 3,435 15.17 .34 92.0

1 These figures are computed using unrounded medians and may differ

slightly from percents computed using the rounded medians displayed in this

table2 Differences in earnings levels between men and women with union

affiliation reflect a variety of factors in addition to coverage by a collective

bargaining agreement, including the distribution of male and female employees

by occupation, industry, firm size, or geographic region. 3 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar

to a union. 4 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar

to a union as well as workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are

covered by a union or an employee association contract.

 NOTE: Hourly paid workers account for approximately three-fifths of all

wage and salary workers. 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.

21
Table 11. Hourly earnings distribution of wage and salary workers paid hourly rates by selected characteristics, 1999 annual averages

(In thousands)

Characteristic Total

employed

Hourly earnings distribution

Under

$4.00

$4.00

to

$4.99

$5.00

to

$5.99

$6.00

to

$7.99

$8.00

to

$9.99

$10.00

to

$11.99

$12.00

to

$15.99

$16.00

to

$19.99

$20.00

or

more

AGE AND SEX

Total, 16 years and over ......................... 72,306 955 296 7,056 16,250 13,046 10,345 12,145 5,808 6,406

16 to 24 years ................................................... 16,636 416 148 3,840 6,266 3,154 1,593 964 147 108

16 to 19 years ............................................. 6,600 171 91 2,440 2,842 696 236 99 12 13

20 to 24 years ............................................. 10,036 245 57 1,400 3,424 2,458 1,357 865 135 95

25 years and over ............................................. 55,670 539 147 3,216 9,984 9,892 8,753 11,180 5,661 6,298

25 to 34 years ............................................. 17,051 226 50 1,028 3,322 3,463 2,947 3,453 1,391 1,172

35 to 44 years ............................................. 18,172 167 25 927 2,988 3,016 2,832 3,780 2,045 2,393

45 to 54 years ............................................. 12,846 86 27 598 1,998 2,107 1,905 2,621 1,569 1,935

55 to 64 years ............................................. 5,932 48 24 376 1,134 1,002 875 1,174 598 701

65 years and over ....................................... 1,669 13 21 288 543 305 195 151 57 97

Women, 16 years and over .................... 36,233 710 149 4,329 9,570 7,122 5,125 5,004 1,993 2,231

16 to 24 years ................................................... 8,080 298 70 2,151 3,144 1,389 634 323 37 35

16 to 19 years ............................................. 3,254 123 45 1,328 1,356 295 83 21 2 2

20 to 24 years ............................................. 4,826 175 25 822 1,788 1,094 552 302 35 33

25 years and over ............................................. 28,153 412 79 2,178 6,427 5,733 4,491 4,681 1,956 2,197

25 to 34 years ............................................. 8,101 171 22 629 1,968 1,791 1,333 1,284 485 417

35 to 44 years ............................................. 9,165 131 15 659 2,014 1,770 1,494 1,554 698 829

45 to 54 years ............................................. 6,867 68 19 446 1,415 1,379 1,052 1,250 556 683

55 to 64 years ............................................. 3,147 32 14 274 744 632 499 518 198 237

65 years and over ....................................... 873 10 8 169 286 161 112 76 18 31

Men, 16 years and over .......................... 36,073 245 147 2,728 6,679 5,925 5,220 7,141 3,815 4,175

16 to 24 years ................................................... 8,556 118 78 1,689 3,122 1,765 958 641 110 74

16 to 19 years ............................................. 3,346 48 46 1,112 1,486 401 153 78 10 11

20 to 24 years ............................................. 5,210 70 32 578 1,636 1,364 805 563 99 63

25 years and over ............................................. 27,517 127 69 1,038 3,557 4,159 4,262 6,499 3,705 4,101

25 to 34 years ............................................. 8,951 55 28 399 1,354 1,671 1,614 2,170 906 755

35 to 44 years ............................................. 9,008 36 10 267 974 1,246 1,337 2,226 1,347 1,565

45 to 54 years ............................................. 5,979 17 9 152 583 728 852 1,371 1,014 1,253

55 to 64 years ............................................. 2,784 16 10 102 390 370 376 657 400 464

65 years and over ....................................... 796 3 13 118 256 144 82 76 39 65

RACE, SEX, AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

White, 16 years and over ........................ 58,999 834 221 5,616 12,875 10,504 8,418 10,082 4,959 5,489

Women ............................................................. 29,093 639 112 3,399 7,461 5,726 4,189 4,069 1,658 1,840

Men ................................................................... 29,906 196 108 2,217 5,415 4,778 4,229 6,013 3,301 3,649

Black, 16 years and over ........................ 10,126 82 66 1,131 2,639 1,991 1,506 1,542 614 554

Women ............................................................. 5,494 44 34 739 1,666 1,109 721 699 250 232

Men ................................................................... 4,632 38 32 391 973 882 785 843 364 323

Hispanic origin, 16 years and over ......... 9,402 75 31 1,336 2,804 1,893 1,204 1,171 485 401

Women ............................................................. 3,913 49 12 727 1,321 743 467 371 122 100

Men ................................................................... 5,490 27 19 609 1,484 1,151 736 801 362 301

 NOTE: Hourly-paid workers account for approximately three-fifths of all wage and

salary workers. 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.

22
Table 12. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by selected

characteristics, 1999 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

1999

Paid hourly rates

Total

Below

prevailing

Federal

minimum

wage

At 

prevailing

Federal

minimum

wage

Total at or below prevailing Federal

minimum wage

Number

Percent of

hourly-paid

workers

AGE AND SEX

Total, 16 years and over ............................. 72,306 2,194 1,146 3,340 4.6

16 to 24 years ....................................................... 16,636 1,064 632 1,695 10.2

 16 to 19 years .................................................... 6,600 577 429 1,006 15.2

 20 to 24 years .................................................... 10,036 486 203 690 6.9

25 years and over ................................................. 55,670 1,130 514 1,644 3.0

 25 to 34 years .................................................... 17,051 397 180 577 3.4

 35 to 44 years .................................................... 18,172 316 140 456 2.5

 45 to 54 years .................................................... 12,846 199 96 295 2.3

 55 to 64 years .................................................... 5,932 132 45 177 3.0

 65 years and over .............................................. 1,669 86 54 140 8.4

Women, 16 years and over ........................ 36,233 1,426 700 2,126 5.9

16 to 24 years ....................................................... 8,080 654 343 996 12.3

 16 to 19 years .................................................... 3,254 344 233 578 17.8

 20 to 24 years .................................................... 4,826 309 110 419 8.7

25 years and over ................................................. 28,153 772 357 1,129 4.0

 25 to 34 years .................................................... 8,101 257 113 370 4.6

 35 to 44 years .................................................... 9,165 232 103 335 3.7

 45 to 54 years .................................................... 6,867 146 73 219 3.2

 55 to 64 years .................................................... 3,147 91 37 128 4.1

 65 years and over .............................................. 873 46 31 77 8.9

Men, 16 years and over .............................. 36,073 768 446 1,214 3.4

16 to 24 years ....................................................... 8,556 410 289 699 8.2

 16 to 19 years .................................................... 3,346 233 195 428 12.8

 20 to 24 years .................................................... 5,210 177 93 271 5.2

25 years and over ................................................. 27,517 358 157 515 1.9

 25 to 34 years .................................................... 8,951 140 67 206 2.3

 35 to 44 years .................................................... 9,008 85 37 121 1.3

 45 to 54 years .................................................... 5,979 53 22 76 1.3

 55 to 64 years .................................................... 2,784 41 9 49 1.8

 65 years and over .............................................. 796 40 23 63 7.9

RACE, SEX, AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

White, 16 years and over ............................ 58,999 1,803 895 2,698 4.6

Women ................................................................. 29,093 1,200 539 1,740 6.0

Men ....................................................................... 29,906 602 356 958 3.2

Black, 16 years and over ............................ 10,126 298 217 516 5.1

Women ................................................................. 5,494 173 144 316 5.8

Men ....................................................................... 4,632 126 74 199 4.3

Hispanic origin, 16 years and over ............. 9,402 275 238 513 5.5

Women ................................................................. 3,913 148 133 281 7.2

Men ....................................................................... 5,490 126 105 232 4.2

FULL- AND PART-TIME STATUS

AND SEX1

Full-time workers .................................................. 54,931 948 372 1,320 2.4

Women ................................................................. 24,349 565 203 768 3.2

Men ....................................................................... 30,582 383 169 552 1.8

Part-time workers ................................................. 17,227 1,238 772 2,011 11.7

Women ................................................................. 11,817 855 496 1,351 11.4

Men ....................................................................... 5,410 383 276 659 12.2

1 The distinction between full- and part-time workers is based on

hours usually worked. These data will not sum to totals because full- or

part-time status on the principal job is not identifiable for a small number

of multiple jobholders.

 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. See technical note for more information about minimum wage

workers.

23
Table 13. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers in constant (1999) dollars by sex and age, 1979-99 annual averages

Year and sex

Total, 16

years and

over

16 to 24 years 25 years and over

Total 16 to 19

years

20 to 24

years

Total 25 to 34

years

35 to 44

years

45 to 54

years

55 to 64

years

65 years

and over

BOTH SEXES

1979 .......................................... $518 $370 $310 $400 $570 $549 $603 $594 $563 $426

1980 .......................................... 507 363 298 387 554 534 584 575 551 393

1981 .......................................... 501 354 285 377 545 524 575 566 546 393

1982 .......................................... 505 348 274 368 546 520 591 577 543 422

1983 .......................................... 502 338 262 357 550 515 592 588 555 418

1984 .......................................... 502 334 260 355 557 516 599 592 562 418

1985 .......................................... 512 333 259 357 563 520 604 596 567 442

19861 ........................................ 525 339 261 363 572 527 612 608 580 436

1987 .......................................... 529 343 263 366 570 528 616 607 574 439

1988 .......................................... 526 340 267 362 565 523 614 618 572 441

1989 .......................................... 521 339 266 361 559 515 617 617 563 436

19901 ........................................ 513 335 261 355 559 507 606 608 569 428

1991 .......................................... 511 333 255 350 560 498 597 608 563 457

1992 .......................................... 515 323 248 339 560 493 588 611 565 442

1993 .......................................... 523 321 244 338 560 498 590 618 561 448

19941 ........................................ 521 320 246 334 558 490 599 632 559 429

1995 .......................................... 521 317 251 332 554 490 598 633 559 423

1996 .......................................... 519 315 254 330 551 490 591 629 566 406

19971 ........................................ 522 318 261 333 560 499 600 629 578 408

19981 ........................................ 534 326 274 346 585 513 610 634 606 414

19991 ........................................ 549 341 281 363 592 518 611 652 604 404

WOMEN

1979 .......................................... 392 331 284 347 419 428 421 413 406 366

1980 .......................................... 389 323 281 338 412 422 415 404 396 338

1981 .......................................... 387 319 272 338 412 422 420 398 392 334

1982 .......................................... 399 320 263 336 425 430 431 420 408 353

1983 .......................................... 404 317 253 332 429 435 436 423 412 339

1984 .......................................... 408 313 249 328 435 438 449 429 415 337

1985 .......................................... 413 313 247 329 441 440 457 434 424 361

19861 ........................................ 425 320 248 338 451 447 467 451 432 374

1987 .......................................... 429 320 243 342 454 447 477 458 436 369

1988 .......................................... 430 321 251 343 457 446 483 463 433 382

1989 .......................................... 429 322 257 340 458 445 483 466 435 382

19901 ........................................ 431 316 247 335 460 443 486 470 433 373

1991 .......................................... 440 320 246 337 465 445 489 477 435 383

1992 .......................................... 444 312 239 327 467 447 489 487 440 384

1993 .......................................... 449 312 234 330 473 450 496 502 450 382

19941 ........................................ 445 308 236 323 470 443 500 502 445 375

1995 .......................................... 441 299 233 316 465 438 493 504 438 383

1996 .......................................... 442 300 236 316 470 439 490 509 445 354

19971 ........................................ 447 303 249 317 478 443 499 513 448 361

19981 ........................................ 467 312 255 326 496 462 509 527 487 358

19991 ........................................ 473 324 266 343 497 470 503 534 492 370

See footnotes at end of table.

24
Table 13. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers in constant (1999) dollars by sex and age, 1979-99 annual averages–

Continued

Year and sex

Total, 16

years and

over

16 to 24 years 25 years and over

Total 16 to 19

years

20 to 24

years

Total 25 to 34

years

35 to 44

years

45 to 54

years

55 to 64

years

65 years

and over

MEN

1979 .......................................... 627 422 333 454 675 635 722 726 672 471

1980 .......................................... 605 403 313 433 657 608 710 709 667 442

1981 .......................................... 600 386 297 419 657 600 702 700 667 471

1982 .......................................... 608 375 284 408 657 597 705 699 666 501

1983 .......................................... 607 357 269 387 652 594 708 711 667 494

1984 .......................................... 603 356 268 385 650 588 725 723 676 504

1985 .......................................... 605 358 272 385 659 586 724 727 695 547

19861 ........................................ 613 360 272 386 676 587 729 739 708 524

1987 .......................................... 614 364 277 389 675 583 722 735 701 538

1988 .......................................... 613 357 280 381 665 574 706 749 694 539

1989 .......................................... 612 355 274 379 653 567 709 744 681 514

19901 ........................................ 599 351 271 371 638 560 698 736 679 501

1991 .......................................... 592 343 263 360 628 550 691 735 676 560

1992 .......................................... 586 332 255 348 627 545 680 741 677 492

1993 .......................................... 582 329 252 345 633 543 679 745 668 515

19941 ........................................ 583 328 255 342 643 535 689 748 673 492

1995 .......................................... 585 329 265 343 639 532 678 744 677 480

1996 .......................................... 590 325 265 340 634 528 669 739 680 505

19971 ........................................ 600 329 272 350 637 534 675 739 693 468

19981 ........................................ 612 341 288 365 653 556 692 748 715 493

19991 ........................................ 618 356 291 379 668 577 702 763 725 470

WOMEN’S

EARNINGS

AS PERCENT

OF MEN’S2

1979 .......................................... 62.5 78.5 85.2 76.5 62.1 67.4 58.3 56.9 60.5 77.8

1980 .......................................... 64.3 80.1 89.5 78.0 62.7 69.4 58.4 56.9 59.4 76.5

1981 .......................................... 64.5 82.6 91.8 80.7 62.7 70.4 59.9 56.8 58.9 70.9

1982 .......................................... 65.5 85.3 92.8 82.5 64.7 72.1 61.2 60.1 61.3 70.4

1983 .......................................... 66.6 88.6 94.1 85.9 65.8 73.3 61.5 59.5 61.8 68.7

1984 .......................................... 67.6 87.9 92.7 85.3 67.0 74.5 61.9 59.4 61.4 66.8

1985 .......................................... 68.2 87.5 90.8 85.5 66.9 75.1 63.1 59.7 60.9 66.0

19861 ........................................ 69.3 88.9 91.5 87.7 66.7 76.2 64.0 61.0 61.0 71.4

1987 .......................................... 69.9 88.1 87.8 88.0 67.3 76.8 66.1 62.3 62.2 68.7

1988 .......................................... 70.1 90.0 89.8 90.1 68.7 77.7 68.4 61.8 62.4 70.8

1989 .......................................... 70.1 90.7 94.0 89.8 70.2 78.4 68.1 62.7 63.9 74.2

19901 ........................................ 71.9 90.1 91.0 90.2 72.1 79.2 69.7 63.8 63.7 74.5

1991 .......................................... 74.3 93.3 93.5 93.5 74.0 80.9 70.8 64.9 64.4 68.4

1992 .......................................... 75.8 94.0 93.8 94.2 74.6 82.0 71.9 65.8 64.9 78.1

1993 .......................................... 77.1 94.8 93.0 95.6 74.7 82.9 73.0 67.3 67.4 74.1

19941 ........................................ 76.4 93.7 92.7 94.5 73.1 82.9 72.5 67.1 66.1 76.3

1995 .......................................... 75.4 90.8 87.9 92.2 72.7 82.4 72.7 67.8 64.8 79.9

1996 .......................................... 75.0 92.4 88.9 92.8 74.1 83.2 73.2 68.9 65.4 70.0

19971 ........................................ 74.5 92.1 91.4 90.6 75.1 82.9 74.0 69.4 64.7 77.1

19981 ........................................ 76.3 91.3 88.5 89.4 75.9 83.0 73.5 70.5 68.2 72.6

19991 ........................................ 76.5 91.0 91.3 90.5 74.4 81.5 71.7 70.1 67.8 78.7

1 The comparability of historical labor force data has been affected at

various times by methodological and conceptual changes in the Current

Population Survey (CPS). For an explanation, see the Explanatory Notes and

Estimates of Error section of the February 1994 and subsequent issues of

Employment and Earnings, a monthly BLS periodical. 2 These figures are computed using unrounded medians and may differ

slightly from percents computed using the rounded medians displayed in this

table.

 NOTE: The Consumer Price Index research series using current methods

(CPI-U-RS) is used to convert current dollars to constant dollars. See

Technical Note. 

25
Table 14. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers in constant (1999) dollars by sex, race,

and Hispanic origin, 1979-99 annual averages

Year and sex Total, 16 years

and over White Black Hispanic origin

BOTH SEXES

1979 .................................................................. $518 $532 $428 $416

1980 .................................................................. 507 520 411 405

1981 .................................................................. 501 513 415 394

1982 .................................................................. 505 517 409 401

1983 .................................................................. 502 513 419 400

1984 .................................................................. 502 518 414 399

1985 .................................................................. 512 529 413 401

19861 ................................................................ 525 542 426 405

1987 .................................................................. 529 543 426 403

1988 .................................................................. 526 538 429 396

1989 .................................................................. 521 535 418 390

19901 ................................................................ 513 528 410 378

1991 .................................................................. 511 531 418 375

1992 .................................................................. 515 536 417 376

1993 .................................................................. 523 542 421 377

19941 ................................................................ 521 540 415 362

1995 .................................................................. 521 537 416 357

1996 .................................................................. 519 535 410 358

19971 ................................................................ 522 538 414 364

19981 ................................................................ 534 557 435 379

19991 ................................................................ 549 573 445 385

WOMEN

1979 .................................................................. 392 396 364 338

1980 .................................................................. 389 393 358 334

1981 .................................................................. 387 390 364 336

1982 .................................................................. 399 404 363 340

1983 .................................................................. 404 408 371 344

1984 .................................................................. 408 413 371 343

1985 .................................................................. 413 419 376 342

19861 ................................................................ 425 430 386 353

1987 .................................................................. 429 435 390 355

1988 .................................................................. 430 434 393 355

1989 .................................................................. 429 436 394 352

19901 ................................................................ 431 440 384 347

1991 .................................................................. 440 448 387 351

1992 .................................................................. 444 452 392 353

1993 .................................................................. 449 457 396 356

19941 ................................................................ 445 455 386 340

1995 .................................................................. 441 451 385 332

1996 .................................................................. 442 453 383 335

19971 ................................................................ 447 460 388 330

19981 ................................................................ 467 478 409 344

19991 ................................................................ 473 483 409 348

See footnotes at end of table.

26
Table 14. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers in constant (1999) dollars by sex,

race, and Hispanic origin, 1979-99 annual averages–Continued

Year and sex Total, 16 years

and over White Black Hispanic origin

MEN

1979 ........................................................ 627 642 489 472

1980 ........................................................ 605 618 473 453

1981 ........................................................ 600 618 474 444

1982 ........................................................ 608 627 465 448

1983 ........................................................ 607 621 471 440

1984 ........................................................ 603 616 466 441

1985 ........................................................ 605 621 453 440

19861 ...................................................... 613 634 466 437

1987 ........................................................ 614 637 462 433

1988 ........................................................ 613 635 474 420

1989 ........................................................ 612 630 455 411

19901 ...................................................... 599 615 449 396

1991 ........................................................ 592 607 450 388

1992 ........................................................ 586 601 445 396

1993 ........................................................ 582 597 447 394

19941 ...................................................... 583 611 447 383

1995 ........................................................ 585 616 447 380

1996 ........................................................ 590 614 435 376

19971 ...................................................... 600 617 448 385

19981 ...................................................... 612 629 478 398

19991 ...................................................... 618 638 488 406

WOMEN’S

EARNINGS

AS PERCENT

OF MEN’S2

1979 ........................................................ 62.5 61.7 74.3 71.7

1980 ........................................................ 64.3 63.5 75.8 73.6

1981 ........................................................ 64.5 63.1 76.7 75.6

1982 ........................................................ 65.5 64.4 78.0 75.7

1983 ........................................................ 66.6 65.7 78.9 78.3

1984 ........................................................ 67.6 67.0 79.6 77.8

1985 ........................................................ 68.2 67.4 82.8 77.7

19861 ...................................................... 69.3 67.9 82.7 80.7

1987 ........................................................ 69.9 68.2 84.4 82.1

1988 ........................................................ 70.1 68.5 83.0 84.6

1989 ........................................................ 70.1 69.2 86.5 85.6

19901 ...................................................... 71.9 71.5 85.5 87.6

1991 ........................................................ 74.3 73.7 86.1 90.5

1992 ........................................................ 75.8 75.2 88.1 89.1

1993 ........................................................ 77.1 76.5 88.8 90.4

19941 ...................................................... 76.4 74.5 86.5 88.8

1995 ........................................................ 75.4 73.2 86.3 87.3

1996 ........................................................ 75.0 73.8 88.1 89.0

19971 ...................................................... 74.5 74.6 86.8 85.6

19981 ...................................................... 76.3 76.1 85.4 86.5

19991 ...................................................... 76.5 75.7 83.7 85.7

1 The comparability of historical labor force data has

been affected at various times by methodological and

conceptual changes in the Current Population Survey

(CPS). For an explanation, see the Explanatory Notes

and Estimates of Error section of the February 1994 and

subsequent issues of Employment and Earnings, a

monthly BLS periodical. 2 These figures are computed using unrounded

medians and may differ slightly from percents computed

using the rounded medians displayed in this table.

 NOTE: Persons of Hispanic origin maybe of any

race; thus they are included in both the white and black

population groups. The Consumer Price Index research

series using current methods (CPI-U-RS) is used to

convert current dollars to constant dollars. See

Technical Note.

27
Table 15. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers 25 years and over in constant (1999) dollars by sex

and educational attainment, 1979-99 annual averages

Year and sex

Total,

25 years and

over

 Less than a

high school

diploma

 High school

graduates, no

college

 Some college or

associate degree

 College

graduates, total

BOTH SEXES

1979 ........................................................ $570 $452 $535 $606 $740

1980 ........................................................ 554 430 515 587 728

1981 ........................................................ 545 423 506 573 719

1982 ........................................................ 546 414 504 586 730

1983 ........................................................ 550 410 499 581 739

1984 ........................................................ 557 405 496 588 747

1985 ........................................................ 563 402 496 593 752

19861 ...................................................... 572 406 502 598 767

1987 ........................................................ 570 401 504 595 797

1988 ........................................................ 565 393 502 587 799

1989 ........................................................ 559 389 490 591 797

19901 ...................................................... 559 378 480 593 794

1991 ........................................................ 560 369 477 588 799

1992 ........................................................ 560 363 472 567 814

1993 ........................................................ 560 358 473 563 815

19941 ...................................................... 558 343 470 556 818

1995 ........................................................ 554 336 469 552 812

1996 ........................................................ 551 335 469 548 803

19971 ...................................................... 560 332 477 555 807

19981 ...................................................... 585 344 490 570 839

19991 ...................................................... 592 346 490 580 860

WOMEN

1979 ........................................................ 419 326 398 453 567

1980 ........................................................ 412 317 388 447 561

1981 ........................................................ 412 309 384 450 562

1982 ........................................................ 425 308 394 458 578

1983 ........................................................ 429 312 395 461 591

1984 ........................................................ 435 307 398 469 600

1985 ........................................................ 441 301 398 472 617

19861 ...................................................... 451 303 405 482 637

1987 ........................................................ 454 303 407 491 659

1988 ........................................................ 457 301 407 491 662

1989 ........................................................ 458 303 398 495 663

19901 ...................................................... 460 299 392 492 667

1991 ........................................................ 465 300 394 490 675

1992 ........................................................ 467 299 394 476 694

1993 ........................................................ 473 300 395 481 696

19941 ...................................................... 470 286 392 472 708

1995 ........................................................ 465 285 387 464 700

1996 ........................................................ 470 284 386 467 695

19971 ...................................................... 478 285 392 475 697

19981 ...................................................... 496 289 405 487 723

19991 ...................................................... 497 290 405 488 740

See footnotes at end of table.

28
Table 15. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers 25 years and over in constant (1999) dollars by sex

and educational attainment, 1979-99 annual averages–Continued

Year and sex

Total,

25 years and

over

 Less than a

high school

diploma

 High school

graduates, no

college

 Some college or

associate degree

 College

graduates, total

MEN

1979 ........................................................ 675 542 663 708 851

1980 ........................................................ 657 517 633 693 827

1981 ........................................................ 657 505 629 687 840

1982 ........................................................ 657 490 624 687 840

1983 ........................................................ 652 483 621 677 831

1984 ........................................................ 650 474 613 686 864

1985 ........................................................ 659 467 606 702 878

19861 ...................................................... 676 469 608 710 903

1987 ........................................................ 675 458 598 703 923

1988 ........................................................ 665 454 596 686 927

1989 ........................................................ 653 453 589 676 922

19901 ...................................................... 638 435 571 676 923

1991 ........................................................ 628 419 564 676 918

1992 ........................................................ 627 411 560 649 925

1993 ........................................................ 633 406 555 652 919

19941 ...................................................... 643 382 554 655 922

1995 ........................................................ 639 377 551 648 918

1996 ........................................................ 634 377 546 639 925

19971 ...................................................... 637 379 554 644 928

19981 ...................................................... 653 392 571 658 960

19991 ...................................................... 668 395 580 665 977

WOMEN’S

EARNINGS

AS PERCENT

OF MEN’S2

1979 ........................................................ 62.1 60.2 60.0 64.0 66.6

1980 ........................................................ 62.7 61.3 61.3 64.5 67.8

1981 ........................................................ 62.7 61.1 61.0 65.6 66.9

1982 ........................................................ 64.7 62.8 63.1 66.7 68.9

1983 ........................................................ 65.8 64.6 63.5 68.1 71.1

1984 ........................................................ 67.0 64.8 64.9 68.4 69.5

1985 ........................................................ 66.9 64.4 65.7 67.2 70.2

19861 ...................................................... 66.7 64.7 66.6 67.9 70.6

1987 ........................................................ 67.3 66.1 68.0 69.9 71.3

1988 ........................................................ 68.7 66.4 68.3 71.5 71.4

1989 ........................................................ 70.2 66.8 67.6 73.3 71.9

19901 ...................................................... 72.1 68.8 68.6 72.8 72.2

1991 ........................................................ 74.0 71.5 69.9 72.6 73.5

1992 ........................................................ 74.6 72.8 70.3 73.4 75.0

1993 ........................................................ 74.7 73.8 71.3 73.7 75.8

19941 ...................................................... 73.1 74.9 70.8 72.0 76.7

1995 ........................................................ 72.7 75.4 70.2 71.6 76.2

1996 ........................................................ 74.1 75.2 70.7 73.1 75.2

19971 ...................................................... 75.1 75.2 70.8 73.8 75.0

19981 ...................................................... 75.9 73.7 70.9 74.0 75.3

19991 ...................................................... 74.4 73.5 69.8 73.5 75.7

1 The comparability of historical labor force data has been

affected at various times by methodological and conceptual

changes in the Current Population Survey (CPS). For an

explanation, see the Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error

section of the February 1994 and subsequent issues of

Employment and Earnings, a monthly BLS periodical.

2 These figures are computed using unrounded medians and

may differ slightly from percents computed using the rounded

medians displayed in this table.

 NOTE: The Consumer Price Index research series using

current methods (CPI-U-RS) is used to convert current dollars to

constant dollars. See Technical Note.

29
Table 16. Median hourly earnings of wage and salary workers paid hourly rates in constant (1999) dollars by sex and age, 1979-99 annual averages

Year and sex

Total, 16

years and

over

16 to 24 years 25 years and over

Total 16 to 19

years

20 to 24

years

Total 25 to 34

years

35 to 44

years

45 to 54

years

55 to 64

years

65 years

and over

BOTH SEXES

1979 .............................. $9.55 $7.50 $6.68 $8.65 $10.99 $11.19 $11.39 $11.10 $10.68 $6.94

1980 .............................. 9.33 7.18 6.24 8.30 10.73 10.94 11.14 10.93 10.43 6.89

1981 .............................. 9.10 7.01 6.32 8.14 10.58 10.76 10.96 10.63 10.26 6.92

1982 .............................. 9.01 6.76 6.02 7.78 10.49 10.59 11.04 10.72 10.20 6.88

1983 .............................. 8.96 6.53 5.78 7.51 10.49 10.41 11.07 10.78 10.27 7.04

1984 .............................. 8.97 6.43 5.62 7.41 10.52 10.41 11.04 10.89 10.18 7.12

1985 .............................. 8.97 6.34 5.47 7.35 10.49 10.30 11.15 10.97 10.28 7.05

19861 ............................ 9.07 6.45 5.42 7.40 10.57 10.25 11.39 11.31 10.48 7.26

1987 .............................. 9.15 6.49 5.39 7.37 10.55 10.17 11.23 11.12 10.49 7.19

1988 .............................. 9.18 6.53 5.49 7.34 10.56 10.14 11.15 11.13 10.20 7.14

1989 .............................. 9.14 6.47 5.52 7.39 10.39 9.98 11.19 11.01 10.22 7.08

19901 ............................ 9.01 6.42 5.59 7.36 10.17 9.84 10.98 10.95 9.99 7.17

1991 .............................. 9.01 6.32 5.63 7.21 10.19 9.65 11.00 10.94 9.83 7.13

1992 .............................. 9.03 6.28 5.53 7.06 10.21 9.56 10.97 11.13 9.92 7.18

1993 .............................. 8.97 6.28 5.47 7.01 10.20 9.43 10.96 11.25 10.15 7.29

19941 ............................ 8.94 6.27 5.48 6.94 10.18 9.35 11.07 11.18 10.07 7.13

1995 .............................. 8.88 6.31 5.47 6.98 10.17 9.47 10.89 11.01 10.00 7.23

1996 .............................. 8.89 6.28 5.47 7.08 10.18 9.33 10.73 10.83 9.93 7.16

19971 ............................ 9.07 6.37 5.71 7.16 10.22 9.37 10.73 10.98 10.09 7.14

19981 ............................ 9.31 6.73 6.01 7.40 10.36 9.87 11.11 11.21 10.31 7.57

19991 ............................ 9.53 6.87 6.08 7.74 10.47 9.98 11.02 11.33 10.38 7.70

WOMEN

1979 .............................. 7.77 6.85 6.51 7.56 8.38 8.69 8.53 8.26 8.07 6.72

1980 .............................. 7.65 6.67 6.07 7.34 8.20 8.59 8.29 8.18 7.89 6.54

1981 .............................. 7.55 6.55 6.22 7.23 8.29 8.64 8.43 8.11 7.82 6.56

1982 .............................. 7.69 6.31 5.93 7.00 8.39 8.67 8.48 8.27 8.01 6.56

1983 .............................. 7.70 6.12 5.69 6.82 8.38 8.72 8.51 8.32 8.12 6.67

1984 .............................. 7.64 6.04 5.53 6.71 8.44 8.62 8.63 8.48 8.11 6.72

1985 .............................. 7.64 5.96 5.37 6.79 8.53 8.61 8.79 8.57 8.12 6.60

19861 ............................ 7.80 6.01 5.33 6.89 8.69 8.70 8.96 8.76 8.41 6.92

1987 .............................. 7.92 5.97 5.24 6.92 8.72 8.69 8.98 8.88 8.53 6.86

1988 .............................. 7.97 6.11 5.33 6.89 8.78 8.68 9.22 8.98 8.30 6.98

1989 .............................. 7.98 6.13 5.36 6.83 8.86 8.74 9.28 9.03 8.33 6.72

19901 ............................ 8.02 6.16 5.42 6.94 8.81 8.73 9.17 8.91 8.38 6.78

1991 .............................. 8.10 6.10 5.57 6.85 8.81 8.63 9.28 9.13 8.35 6.91

1992 .............................. 8.13 6.04 5.48 6.75 8.95 8.71 9.35 9.28 8.42 6.98

1993 .............................. 8.12 6.00 5.39 6.80 8.97 8.68 9.30 9.33 8.62 7.05

19941 ............................ 8.09 5.94 5.39 6.67 8.98 8.69 9.42 9.44 8.72 6.96

1995 .............................. 8.10 5.96 5.37 6.62 8.88 8.61 9.38 9.48 8.62 7.01

1996 .............................. 8.18 6.01 5.39 6.62 8.93 8.53 9.41 9.46 8.54 6.83

19971 ............................ 8.23 6.17 5.62 6.79 9.07 8.50 9.48 9.60 8.61 7.07

19981 ............................ 8.41 6.38 5.91 7.09 9.34 9.00 9.88 10.00 9.04 7.37

19991 ............................ 8.64 6.60 5.98 7.22 9.53 9.10 9.83 9.95 9.33 7.50

See footnotes at end of table.

30
Table 16. Median hourly earnings of wage and salary workers paid hourly rates in constant (1999) dollars by sex and age, 1979-99 annual averages —

Continued

Year and sex

Total, 16

years and

over

16 to 24 years 25 years and over

Total 16 to 19

years

20 to 24

years

Total 25 to 34

years

35 to 44

years

45 to 54

years

55 to 64

years

65 years

and over

MEN

1979 .............................. 12.15 8.39 6.86 9.98 14.39 13.71 15.31 15.27 14.16 7.66

1980 .............................. 11.79 7.94 6.53 9.51 13.96 13.40 15.11 15.05 14.00 7.33

1981 .............................. 11.60 7.62 6.43 9.03 13.75 12.96 14.66 15.01 13.93 7.45

1982 .............................. 11.44 7.30 6.11 8.55 13.49 12.80 14.83 14.83 13.59 7.45

1983 .............................. 11.09 7.02 5.88 8.09 13.32 12.41 14.77 14.68 14.01 7.61

1984 .............................. 10.96 7.03 5.72 7.94 13.23 12.13 14.63 14.91 13.64 7.55

1985 .............................. 10.91 6.97 5.59 7.79 13.17 11.90 14.59 14.84 13.46 7.42

19861 ............................ 11.09 7.01 5.59 7.94 13.18 11.74 14.61 14.83 13.94 7.58

1987 .............................. 10.99 6.94 5.59 8.03 12.96 11.68 14.28 14.48 13.74 7.53

1988 .............................. 10.80 6.86 5.65 7.90 12.79 11.47 13.95 14.59 13.29 7.54

1989 .............................. 10.59 6.76 5.73 7.87 12.69 11.19 13.85 14.22 13.07 7.71

19901 ............................ 10.30 6.77 5.78 7.69 12.26 11.00 13.36 13.86 12.67 7.57

1991 .............................. 10.32 6.70 5.69 7.48 11.98 10.74 13.19 14.05 12.10 7.46

1992 .............................. 10.14 6.61 5.61 7.30 11.77 10.55 12.79 14.06 12.15 7.55

1993 .............................. 10.10 6.55 5.55 7.22 11.61 10.37 12.73 13.86 12.50 7.65

19941 ............................ 10.05 6.56 5.56 7.33 11.48 10.16 12.84 13.50 12.34 7.41

1995 .............................. 10.03 6.56 5.59 7.41 11.66 10.29 12.92 13.39 12.08 7.45

1996 .............................. 10.08 6.53 5.56 7.40 11.41 10.26 12.60 13.12 11.80 7.45

19971 ............................ 10.19 6.68 5.82 7.44 11.51 10.28 12.51 13.26 12.22 7.21

19981 ............................ 10.28 7.06 6.11 7.95 11.99 10.45 12.76 13.33 12.50 7.91

19991 ............................ 10.31 7.12 6.18 8.03 12.00 10.84 12.78 13.68 12.21 7.86

WOMEN’S

EARNINGS

AS PERCENT

OF MEN’S2

1979 .............................. 64.0 81.6 94.9 75.7 58.2 63.3 55.7 54.1 57.0 87.6

1980 .............................. 64.9 84.0 93.1 77.2 58.7 64.2 54.9 54.3 56.3 89.2

1981 .............................. 65.1 85.9 96.6 80.1 60.3 66.7 57.5 54.1 56.2 88.1

1982 .............................. 67.2 86.4 97.0 81.8 62.2 67.8 57.2 55.8 59.0 88.1

1983 .............................. 69.4 87.1 96.9 84.3 62.9 70.2 57.6 56.7 58.0 87.6

1984 .............................. 69.7 85.9 96.6 84.4 63.8 71.1 59.0 56.9 59.5 89.1

1985 .............................. 70.0 85.6 96.1 87.1 64.8 72.4 60.3 57.7 60.3 88.9

19861 ............................ 70.3 85.7 95.5 86.9 65.9 74.0 61.3 59.0 60.3 91.3

1987 .............................. 72.0 86.0 93.7 86.2 67.2 74.4 62.9 61.3 62.0 91.1

1988 .............................. 73.8 89.1 94.4 87.2 68.6 75.7 66.1 61.6 62.4 92.6

1989 .............................. 75.4 90.7 93.4 86.9 69.9 78.1 67.0 63.5 63.8 87.1

19901 ............................ 77.9 91.0 93.8 90.2 71.8 79.3 68.6 64.3 66.1 89.5

1991 .............................. 78.5 91.2 97.8 91.5 73.6 80.4 70.4 65.0 69.0 92.6

1992 .............................. 80.2 91.4 97.7 92.5 76.1 82.6 73.1 66.0 69.3 92.5

1993 .............................. 80.3 91.6 97.2 94.1 77.3 83.7 73.1 67.3 68.9 92.2

19941 ............................ 80.5 90.6 97.0 91.1 78.2 85.5 73.4 69.9 70.7 94.0

1995 .............................. 80.8 90.9 96.0 89.3 76.2 83.7 72.6 70.8 71.4 94.1

1996 .............................. 81.2 92.0 96.9 89.5 78.2 83.1 74.7 72.1 72.4 91.7

19971 ............................ 80.7 92.3 96.6 91.3 78.8 82.6 75.8 72.4 70.4 98.1

19981 ............................ 81.8 90.3 96.7 89.1 77.9 86.1 77.4 75.0 72.4 93.1

19991 ............................ 83.8 92.7 96.7 89.8 79.4 84.0 76.9 72.7 76.4 95.4

1 The comparability of historical labor force data has been affected at

various times by methodological and conceptual changes in the Current

Population Survey (CPS). For an explanation, see the Explanatory Notes and

Estimates of Error section of the February 1994 and subsequent issues of

Employment and Earnings, a monthly BLS periodical. 2 These figures are computed using unrounded medians and may differ

slightly from percents computed using the rounded medians displayed in this

table.

 NOTE: The Consumer Price Index research series using current methods

(CPI-U-RS) is used to convert current dollars to constant dollars. See

Technical Note.

31
Table 17. Median hourly earnings of wage and salary workers paid hourly rates in constant (1999) dollars by sex,

race, and Hispanic origin, 1979-99 annual averages

Year and sex Total, 16 years and

over White Black Hispanic origin

BOTH SEXES

1979 .............................. $9.55 $9.69 $8.83 $8.77

1980 .............................. 9.33 9.43 8.60 8.58

1981 .............................. 9.10 9.16 8.66 8.50

1982 .............................. 9.01 9.13 8.45 8.37

1983 .............................. 8.96 9.08 8.25 8.16

1984 .............................. 8.97 9.08 8.25 8.11

1985 .............................. 8.97 9.08 8.18 8.14

19861 ............................ 9.07 9.18 8.48 8.26

1987 .............................. 9.15 9.28 8.47 8.24

1988 .............................. 9.18 9.29 8.39 8.12

1989 .............................. 9.14 9.26 8.40 7.94

19901 ............................ 9.01 9.13 8.48 7.82

1991 .............................. 9.01 9.13 8.40 7.76

1992 .............................. 9.03 9.15 8.26 7.77

1993 .............................. 8.97 9.09 8.18 7.78

19941 ............................ 8.94 9.05 8.14 7.73

1995 .............................. 8.88 9.04 8.33 7.61

1996 .............................. 8.89 9.07 8.21 7.59

19971 ............................ 9.07 9.21 8.30 7.66

19981 ............................ 9.31 9.43 8.58 8.10

19991 ............................ 9.53 9.74 8.85 8.07

WOMEN

1979 .............................. 7.77 7.79 7.63 7.39

1980 .............................. 7.65 7.66 7.51 7.31

1981 .............................. 7.55 7.57 7.41 7.25

1982 .............................. 7.69 7.70 7.50 7.24

1983 .............................. 7.70 7.70 7.56 7.09

1984 .............................. 7.64 7.66 7.50 7.16

1985 .............................. 7.64 7.65 7.50 7.18

19861 ............................ 7.80 7.82 7.56 7.31

1987 .............................. 7.92 7.94 7.64 7.22

1988 .............................. 7.97 8.00 7.66 7.20

1989 .............................. 7.98 8.02 7.69 7.23

19901 ............................ 8.02 8.05 7.75 7.23

1991 .............................. 8.10 8.12 7.86 7.18

1992 .............................. 8.13 8.18 7.77 7.22

1993 .............................. 8.12 8.16 7.83 7.20

19941 ............................ 8.09 8.19 7.74 7.15

1995 .............................. 8.10 8.20 7.74 7.18

1996 .............................. 8.18 8.25 7.61 7.16

19971 ............................ 8.23 8.29 7.86 7.06

19981 ............................ 8.41 8.52 8.07 7.38

19991 ............................ 8.64 8.73 8.13 7.46

See footnotes at end of table.

32
Table 17. Median hourly earnings of wage and salary workers paid hourly rates in constant (1999) dollars by sex,

race, and Hispanic origin, 1979-99 annual averages–Continued

Year and sex Total, 16 years and

over White Black Hispanic origin

MEN

1979 .............................. 12.15 12.46 10.51 10.30

1980 .............................. 11.79 12.04 10.02 9.72

1981 .............................. 11.60 11.86 10.26 9.48

1982 .............................. 11.44 11.66 9.97 9.57

1983 .............................. 11.09 11.33 9.54 9.31

1984 .............................. 10.96 11.17 9.47 9.29

1985 .............................. 10.91 11.29 9.15 9.03

19861 ............................ 11.09 11.38 9.60 9.05

1987 .............................. 10.99 11.22 9.53 9.00

1988 .............................. 10.80 10.99 9.46 8.88

1989 .............................. 10.59 10.83 9.25 8.70

19901 ............................ 10.30 10.65 9.18 8.40

1991 .............................. 10.32 10.59 9.09 8.26

1992 .............................. 10.14 10.40 8.91 8.18

1993 .............................. 10.10 10.34 8.74 8.12

19941 ............................ 10.05 10.27 8.84 8.00

1995 .............................. 10.03 10.46 8.87 7.89

1996 .............................. 10.08 10.36 8.65 8.06

19971 ............................ 10.19 10.32 8.99 8.18

19981 ............................ 10.28 10.40 9.29 8.43

19991 ............................ 10.31 10.61 9.77 8.61

WOMEN’S

EARNINGS

AS PERCENT

OF MEN’S2

1979 .............................. 64.0 62.5 72.6 71.7

1980 .............................. 64.9 63.6 74.9 75.2

1981 .............................. 65.1 63.8 72.2 76.4

1982 .............................. 67.2 66.1 75.2 75.6

1983 .............................. 69.4 68.0 79.2 76.1

1984 .............................. 69.7 68.6 79.2 77.1

1985 .............................. 70.0 67.8 82.0 79.5

19861 ............................ 70.3 68.7 78.7 80.8

1987 .............................. 72.0 70.8 80.2 80.2

1988 .............................. 73.8 72.8 80.9 81.2

1989 .............................. 75.4 74.0 83.1 83.1

19901 ............................ 77.9 75.6 84.5 86.0

1991 .............................. 78.5 76.7 86.5 86.9

1992 .............................. 80.2 78.7 87.1 88.3

1993 .............................. 80.3 78.9 89.6 88.6

19941 ............................ 80.5 79.7 87.5 89.3

1995 .............................. 80.8 78.4 87.2 90.9

1996 .............................. 81.2 79.6 88.0 88.8

19971 ............................ 80.7 80.3 87.5 86.3

19981 ............................ 81.8 81.9 86.9 87.5

19991 ............................ 83.8 82.2 83.2 86.6

1 The comparability of historical labor force data has

been affected at various times by methodological and

conceptual changes in the Current Population Survey

(CPS). For an explanation, see the Explanatory Notes and

Estimates of Error section of the February 1994 and

subsequent issues of Employment and Earnings, a monthly

BLS periodical. 2 These figures are computed using unrounded medians

and may differ slightly from percents computed using the

rounded medians displayed in this table.

 NOTE: Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race;

thus they are included in both the white and black

population groups. The Consumer Price Index research

series using current methods (CPI-U-RS) is used to convert

current dollars to constant dollars. See Technical Note.

33
Table 18. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage, by sex, 1979-99 annual

averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Year and sex

Total

wage and

salary

 workers

Workers paid hourly rates

Total

Percent of

total wage

and salary

workers

Below

prevailing

Federal

minimum

wage

At

prevailing

Federal

minimum

wage

Total at or below

prevailing Federal

minimum wage

Number

Percent

of hourly

paid 

workers

BOTH SEXES

1979 .............................. 87,529 51,721 59.1 2,916 3,997 6,912 13.4 

1980 .............................. 87,644 51,335 58.6 3,087 4,686 7,773 15.1 

1981 .............................. 88,516 51,869 58.6 3,513 4,311 7,824 15.1 

1982 .............................. 87,368 50,846 58.2 2,348 4,148 6,496 12.8 

1983 .............................. 88,290 51,820 58.7 2,077 4,261 6,338 12.2 

1984 .............................. 92,194 54,143 58.7 1,838 4,125 5,963 11.0 

1985 .............................. 94,521 55,762 59.0 1,639 3,899 5,538 9.9 

19861 ............................ 96,903 57,529 59.4 1,599 3,461 5,060 8.8 

1987 .............................. 99,303 59,552 60.0 1,468 3,229 4,698 7.9 

1988 .............................. 101,407 60,878 60.0 1,319 2,608 3,927 6.5 

1989 .............................. 103,480 62,389 60.3 1,372 1,790 3,162 5.1 

19901 ............................ 104,876 63,172 60.2 22,132 21,096 23,228 25.1 

1991 .............................. 103,723 62,627 60.4 22,377 22,906 25,283 28.4 

1992 .............................. 104,668 63,610 60.8 1,939 2,982 4,921 7.7 

1993 .............................. 106,101 64,274 60.6 1,707 2,625 4,332 6.7 

19941 ............................ 107,989 66,549 61.6 1,995 2,132 4,128 6.2 

1995 .............................. 110,038 68,354 62.1 1,699 1,956 3,656 5.3 

1996 .............................. 111,960 69,255 61.9 21,863 21,861 23,724 25.4 

19971 ............................ 114,533 70,735 61.8 22,990 21,764 24,754 26.7 

19981 ............................ 116,730 71,440 61.2 2,834 1,593 4,427 6.2 

19991 ............................ 118,963 72,306 60.8 2,194 1,146 3,340 4.6 

WOMEN

1979 .............................. 38,129 23,329 61.2 2,070 2,644 4,714 20.2 

1980 .............................. 38,944 23,626 60.7 2,104 2,990 5,095 21.6 

1981 .............................. 39,672 24,294 61.2 2,394 2,778 5,172 21.3 

1982 .............................. 39,777 24,365 61.3 1,651 2,561 4,212 17.3 

1983 .............................. 40,433 24,989 61.8 1,492 2,603 4,095 16.4 

1984 .............................. 42,172 26,003 61.7 1,348 2,499 3,847 14.8 

1985 .............................. 43,506 26,869 61.8 1,198 2,356 3,554 13.2 

19861 ............................ 44,961 27,863 62.0 1,192 2,125 3,317 11.9 

1987 .............................. 46,365 29,078 62.7 1,105 1,946 3,051 10.5 

1988 .............................. 47,495 29,820 62.8 1,008 1,542 2,550 8.6 

1989 .............................. 48,691 30,702 63.1 994 1,056 2,050 6.7 

19901 ............................ 49,323 31,069 63.0 21,420 2711 22,131 26.9 

1991 .............................. 49,105 30,988 63.1 21,582 21,792 23,374 210.9

1992 .............................. 49,842 31,454 63.1 1,286 1,751 3,036 9.7 

1993 .............................. 50,626 31,937 63.1 1,133 1,534 2,667 8.4 

19941 ............................ 51,419 33,021 64.2 1,322 1,241 2,563 7.8 

1995 .............................. 52,369 33,934 64.8 1,157 1,161 2,318 6.8 

1996 .............................. 53,488 34,418 64.3 21,244 21,106 22,350 26.8 

19971 ............................ 54,708 35,214 64.4 21,843 21,092 22,935 28.3 

19981 ............................ 55,757 35,680 64.0 1,794 965 2,760 7.7 

19991 ............................ 57,050 36,233 63.5 1,426 700 2,126 5.9 

See footnotes at end of table.

34
Table 18. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage, by sex, 1979-99 annual

averages–Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Year and sex

Total

wage and

salary

 workers

Workers paid hourly rates

Total

Percent of

total wage

and salary

workers

Below

prevailing

Federal

minimum

wage

At

prevailing

Federal

minimum

wage

Total at or below

prevailing Federal

minimum wage

Number

Percent

of hourly

paid 

workers

MEN

1979 .............................. 49,400 28,392 57.5 846 1,353 2,199 7.7 

1980 .............................. 48,700 27,709 56.9 983 1,696 2,678 9.7 

1981 .............................. 48,844 27,576 56.5 1,119 1,533 2,652 9.6 

1982 .............................. 47,591 26,481 55.6 697 1,587 2,284 8.6 

1983 .............................. 47,856 26,831 56.1 585 1,658 2,243 8.4 

1984 .............................. 50,022 28,140 56.3 490 1,626 2,116 7.5 

1985 .............................. 51,015 28,893 56.6 440 1,544 1,984 6.9 

19861 ............................ 51,942 29,666 57.1 408 1,336 1,743 5.9 

1987 .............................. 52,938 30,474 57.6 364 1,283 1,647 5.4 

1988 .............................. 53,912 31,058 57.6 311 1,066 1,377 4.4 

1989 .............................. 54,789 31,687 57.8 379 733 1,112 3.5 

19901 ............................ 55,553 32,104 57.8 2712 2385 21,097 23.4 

1991 .............................. 54,618 31,639 57.9 2795 21,114 21,909 26.0 

1992 .............................. 54,826 32,155 58.6 653 1,231 1,885 5.9 

1993 .............................. 55,475 32,337 58.3 573 1,091 1,664 5.1 

19941 ............................ 56,570 33,528 59.3 674 891 1,565 4.7 

1995 .............................. 57,669 34,420 59.7 542 796 1,338 3.9 

1996 .............................. 58,473 34,838 59.6 2619 2755 21,374 23.9 

19971 ............................ 59,825 35,521 59.4 21,147 2673 21,820 25.1 

19981 ............................ 60,973 35,761 58.7 1,039 628 1,667 4.7 

19991 ............................ 61,914 36,073 58.3 768 446 1,214 3.4 

1 The comparability of historical labor force data has been affected at

various times by methodological and conceptual changes in the Current

Population Survey (CPS). For an explanation, see the Explanatory Notes

and Estimates of Error section of the February 1994 and subsequent

issues of Employment and Earnings, a monthly BLS periodical. 2 Data for 1990-91 and 1996-97 reflect changes in the minimum wage

that took place in those years.

 NOTE: The prevailing Federal minimum wage was $2.90 in 1979, $3.10

in 1980, and $3.35 in 1981-89. The minimum wage rose to $3.80 in April

1990, to $4.25 in April 1991, to $4.75 in October 1996, and $5.15 in

September 1997. See Technical Note for more information about minimum

wage workers.

35
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 36
37

The estimates in this report were obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides a wide range

of information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment. The information is collected monthly for the

Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau from

a scientifically selected national sample of about 50,000

households, with coverage in all 50 States and the District

of Columbia. The earnings data are collected from onefourth of the CPS monthly sample.

Material in this report is in the public domain and, with

appropriate credit, may be used without permission. This

information is available to sensory impaired individuals

upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.

Concepts and definitions

The principal concepts and definitions used in connection

with the earnings data in this report are described below.

Usual weekly earnings. Data are collected on wages and

salaries before taxes and other deductions, and include any

overtime pay, commissions, or tips usually received (at the

principal job in the case of multiple jobholders). Self-employed workers are excluded, regardless of whether their

businesses are incorporated. 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 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 quantiles) of weekly earnings. The median

(or upper limit of the second quartile) is the amount that

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 BLS estimating procedure for determining the median of an earnings distribution places each reported or calculated weekly earnings value into a $50-wide interval, centered around a multiple of $50. The actual value of the

median is estimated through the linear interpolation of the

interval in which the median lies.

Over-the-year changes in the medians (and 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 age group accounts

for a greatly increased share of the total, the overall median

could actually fall. (2) There could be a large change in the

shape of the distribution of reported earnings, particularly

near a quantile boundary. This could be caused by survey

observations that are clustered at rounded values, for example, $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. Medians, for example, measure the central tendency of a

multipeaked distribution that shifts over time. As the distribution shifts, the median does not necessarily move at

the same rate. Specifically, the median takes relatively more

time to move through a frequently reported interval, but

once above the upper limit of such an interval, it can move

relatively quickly to the next frequently reported earnings

interval. BLS procedures for estimating medians (and other

quantile boundaries) mitigate such irregular movements of

the measures; however, users should be cautious of these

effects when evaluating short-term changes in the medians, as well as in ratios of the medians.

Constant dollars. The Consumer Price Index research series using current methods (CPI-U-RS) is used to convert

current dollars to constant dollars. BLS has made numerous improvements to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over

the past quarter-century. While these improvements make

the present and future CPI more accurate, historical price

index series are not adjusted to reflect the improvements.

However, many researchers have expressed interest in having a historical series that measures price change consistently over the entire period. Accordingly, the CPI-U-RS,

introduced in mid-1999, presents an estimate of the CPI

that incorporates most of the methodological improvements

made since 1978 into the entire series.

Wage and salary workers. These are workers who receive

wages, salaries, commissions, tips, payment in kind, or piece

rates. The group includes employees in both the private

and public sectors but, for purposes of the earnings series,

excludes all self-employed persons, regardless of whether

their businesses are incorporated.

Technical Note
38

Full-time workers. Workers who usually work 35 hours or

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

working full time.

Part-time workers. Workers who usually work less than 35

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

working part time.

Hourly paid workers. Workers who are paid an hourly wage

are a subset of wage and salary workers, representing approximately three-fifths of all wage and salary workers.

Workers paid by the hour are, therefore, included in the

full- and part-time worker tables in this report, along with

salaried workers and other workers not paid by the hour.

(Data for workers paid at hourly rates are presented separately in tables 10 to 12 and 16 to 18).

Workers paid at or below the Federal minimum wage. The

estimates of the numbers of workers with reported earnings

at or below the Federal minimum wage in tables 12 and 18

pertain only to workers who are paid hourly rates. Salaried

workers and other workers who are not paid by the hour are

not included, even though some have earnings that, when

converted to hourly rates, are at or below the minimum

wage. Consequently, the estimates presented in this report

likely understate the actual number of workers with hourly

earnings at or below the minimum wage. Research has

shown, however, that the degree of understatement is small.

BLS does not routinely estimate hourly earnings for workers not paid by the hour because of data quality concerns

associated with such an estimation process.

The prevailing Federal minimum wage was: $2.90 effective January 1979; $3.10 effective January 1980; $3.35

effective January 1981; $3.80 effective April 1990; $4.25

effective April 1991; $4.75 effective October 1996; and

$5.15 effective September 1997. Data for 1990-91 and 1996-

97 in table 18 reflect changes in the minimum wage that

took place during those years.

The presence of workers with hourly earnings below the

minimum wage does not necessarily indicate violations of

the Fair Labor Standards Act, as there are exemptions to

the minimum wage provisions of the law. In addition, some

workers might have rounded their hourly earnings to the

nearest dollar in response to survey questions. As a result,

some might have been reported with hourly earnings below

the minimum wage when, in fact, they earned the minimum wage or higher. This may be more likely to occur in

years during which the minimum wage level is just above a

whole dollar value, as was the case in 1998-99 ($5.15).

Reliability

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling

and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than an

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 standard errors included in this report were rounded

for presentation purposes, as were the earnings estimates.

Consequently, a precise confidence interval cannot be constructed using these data.

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.