1

Technical information: (202) 691-6378

http://www.bls.gov/cps/

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 03-17

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Friday, January 17, 2003

USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:

FOURTH QUARTER 2002

Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 97.7 million full-time wage and salary workers were $615 in the

fourth quarter of 2002, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This

was 1.7 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 2.2 percent in the Consumer Price Index

for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period.

Data on usual earnings are collected as part of the Current Population Survey, a nationwide sample

survey of households in which respondents are asked, among other things, how much each wage and salary

worker usually earns. (See the Explanatory Note.) Highlights from the fourth-quarter data are:

—Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $543 per week, or 78.5 percent of the

$692 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratio was higher among blacks (90.0 percent) and

Hispanics (88.7 percent) than among whites (78.8 percent). (See table 1.)

—Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $522 per week, 72.8 percent of the

median for white men ($717). The difference was much less among women, as black women’s median

earnings ($470) were 83.2 percent of those for their white counterparts ($565). Overall, median earnings

of Hispanics who worked full time ($436) were lower than those of blacks ($497) and whites ($634).

(See table 1.)

—Among men, the $805 median weekly earnings of 45- to 54-year-olds was the highest of any age

group. Among women, earnings also were highest for those 45 to 54 years old ($609). (See table 2.)

—Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in managerial and professional

specialty occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,082 for men and $754 for women.

Men and women in service and farm jobs earned the least. (See table 3.)

—Full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of

$389, compared with $545 for high school graduates (no college) and $944 for college graduates. Among

college graduates with advanced degrees (professional or master’s degree and above), the highest-earning

10 percent of male workers made $2,601 or more per week, compared with $1,767 or more for their

female counterparts. (See table 4.)
2

Annual Averages for 2001 and 2002

In addition to the data for the fourth quarter, this release includes 2001 and 2002 annual average weekly

earnings for major demographic, occupation, and education groups (tables 6, 7, and 8). Annual average data

on median usual earnings for men and women by detailed occupational categories will appear in the January

2003 issue of Employment and Earnings.
Explanatory Note

The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current

Population Survey (CPS), which provides the basic information on the

labor force, employment, and unemployment. The survey is conducted

monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S.Census Bureau

from a scientifically selected national sample of about 60,000

households, with coverage in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The earnings data are collected from one-quarter of the CPS monthly

sample and are limited to wages and salaries. The data, therefore,

exclude self-employment income.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory

impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200;

TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.

Reliability

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and

nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire population,

is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from

the "true" population values they represent. The exact difference, or

sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected,

and this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate.

There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an

estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard

errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error.

BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of

confidence.

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample

a segment of the population, inability to obtain information for all

respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents

to provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or

processing of the data.

For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and

information on estimating standard errors, see the “Explanatory Notes

and Estimates of Error” section of the February 1994 and subsequent

issues of Employment and Earnings.

Definitions

The principal definitions used in connection with the earnings

series are described briefly below.

Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before taxes and

other deductions and include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips

usually received (at the main job in the case of multiple jobholders.)

Prior to 1994, respondents were asked how much they usually earned

per week. Since January 1994, respondents have been asked to

identify the easiest way for them to report earnings (hourly, weekly,

biweekly, twice monthly, monthly, annually, other) and how much

they usually earn in the reported time period. Earnings reported on a

basis other than weekly are converted to a weekly equivalent. The term

“usual” is as perceived by the respondent. If the respondent asks for

a definition of usual, interviewers are instructed to define the term as

more than half the weeks worked during the past 4 or 5 months.

Medians (and other quantiles) of weekly earnings. The median (or

upper limit of the second quartile) is the amount which divides a given

earnings distribution into two equal groups, one having earnings above

the median and the other having earnings below the median. Ten

percent of a given distribution have earnings below the upper limit of

the first decile (90 percent have higher earnings); 25 percent have

earnings below the upper limit of the first quartile (75 percent have

higher earnings); 75 percent have earnings below the upper limit of the

third quartile (25 percent have higher earnings); and 90 percent have

earnings below the upper limit of the ninth decile (10 percent have

higher earnings).

The estimating procedure places each reported or calculated weekly

earnings value into $50-wide intervals which are centered around

multiples of $50. The actual value is estimated through the linear

interpolation of the interval in which the quantile boundary lies.

Over-the-year changes in the medians (and other quantile

boundaries) for specific groups may not necessarily be consistent with

the movements estimated for the overall quantile boundary. The most

common reasons for this possible anomaly are: (1) There could be a

change in the relative weights of the subgroups. For example, the

medians of both 16-to-24 year olds and those 25 years and over may

rise; but if the lower-earning 16-to-24 group accounts for a greatly

increased share of the total, the overall median could actually fall. (2)

There could be a large change in the shape of the distribution of

reported earnings, particularly near a quantile boundary. This could

be caused by survey observations that are clustered at rounded values,

e.g., $250, $300, $400. An estimate lying in a $50-wide centered

interval containing such a cluster or “spike” tends to change more

slowly than one in other intervals.

Wage and salary workers. Workers who receive wages, salaries,

commissions, tips, payment in kind, or piece rates. The group

includes employees in both the private and public sectors but, for the

purposes of the earnings series, excludes all self-employed persons,

regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

Full-time workers. Workers who usually work 35 hours or more

per week at their sole or principal job.

Part-time workers. Workers who usually work fewer than 35

hours per week at their sole or principal job.

Constant dollars. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban

Consumers (CPI-U) is used to convert current dollars to constant

(1982) dollars.

Hispanic origin. Refers to persons who are of Mexican, Puerto

Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Hispanic origin

or descent. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race; hence, they

are included in the numbers for the white and black populations.
Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages,

not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

IV

2001

IV

2002

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

IV

2001

IV

2002

IV

2001

IV

2002

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 98,396 97,747 $605 $615 $330 $327

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 55,317 54,808 683 692 372 368

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 6,228 6,026 400 393 218 209

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 49,089 48,782 731 742 398 395

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 43,079 42,940 517 543 282 289

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,783 4,506 361 383 196 204

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 38,296 38,434 550 577 299 307

RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 81,096 80,524 621 634 338 337

 Men ...................................................................................................... 46,626 46,129 703 717 383 382

 Women ................................................................................................ 34,470 34,395 533 565 290 301

 Black ...................................................................................................... 12,381 12,242 486 497 265 265

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,945 5,884 525 522 286 278

 Women ................................................................................................ 6,436 6,357 450 470 245 250

 Hispanic origin ....................................................................................... 11,817 11,822 419 436 228 232

 Men ...................................................................................................... 7,270 7,345 437 460 238 245

 Women ................................................................................................ 4,547 4,477 398 408 217 217

 NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not

sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented

and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups.
Table 2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic origin, and sex, 

fourth quarter 2002 averages, not seasonally adjusted

Age, race, and Hispanic origin

Total Men Women

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Median

weekly

earnings

TOTAL

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 97,747 $615 54,808 $692 42,940 $543

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 10,531 389 6,026 393 4,506 383

 16 to 19 years ....................................................................................... 1,650 308 971 318 679 290

 20 to 24 years ....................................................................................... 8,881 405 5,055 409 3,826 400

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 87,216 655 48,782 742 38,434 577

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 74,590 654 41,957 738 32,633 578

 25 to 34 years ..................................................................................... 23,537 595 13,536 642 10,002 533

 35 to 44 years ..................................................................................... 27,221 680 15,558 766 11,662 580

 45 to 54 years ..................................................................................... 23,831 710 12,863 805 10,969 609

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 12,626 655 6,825 769 5,801 569

 55 to 64 years ..................................................................................... 11,094 681 5,963 797 5,131 585

 65 years and over ............................................................................... 1,532 516 862 595 670 418

White

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 80,524 634 46,129 717 34,395 565

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 8,700 396 5,044 400 3,656 389

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 71,824 679 41,085 765 30,739 592

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 60,989 680 35,180 762 25,808 595

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 10,836 672 5,905 794 4,931 579

Black

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 12,242 497 5,884 522 6,357 470

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 1,381 320 716 317 664 324

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 10,861 519 5,168 574 5,693 490

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 9,592 515 4,565 562 5,027 487

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 1,269 586 603 613 666 537

Hispanic origin

16 years and over ..................................................................................... 11,822 436 7,345 460 4,477 408

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 1,928 342 1,263 339 665 352

 25 years and over ................................................................................... 9,894 470 6,082 497 3,812 420

 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 8,961 471 5,539 497 3,421 420

 55 years and over ................................................................................. 933 453 543 495 390 417

 NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not

sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented

and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups.
Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, quarterly averages, 

not seasonally adjusted

Occupation and sex

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

IV

2001

IV

2002

IV

2001

IV

2002

TOTAL

 Managerial and professional specialty .................................................... 32,102 32,602 $866 $889

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ............................................ 15,360 15,904 869 885

 Professional specialty ............................................................................ 16,742 16,699 863 892

 Technical, sales, and administrative support ........................................... 27,498 26,881 532 559

 Technicians and related support ........................................................... 3,807 3,670 694 718

 Sales occupations ................................................................................. 9,965 9,834 580 611

 Administrative support, including clerical ............................................... 13,726 13,377 494 506

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 11,039 10,974 395 395

 Private household .................................................................................. 368 323 283 259

 Protective service .................................................................................. 2,260 2,239 671 672

 Service, except private household and protective ................................. 8,411 8,413 365 361

 Precision production, craft, and repair ..................................................... 11,832 11,517 649 626

 Mechanics and repairers ....................................................................... 4,148 4,008 676 665

 Construction trades ............................................................................... 4,566 4,569 623 606

 Other precision production, craft, and repair ......................................... 3,118 2,940 645 628

 Operators, fabricators, and laborers ........................................................ 14,438 14,120 466 481

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors ................................... 5,725 5,507 458 480

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 4,625 4,551 572 573

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ........................... 4,087 4,062 382 401

 Farming, forestry, and fishing .................................................................. 1,487 1,653 355 359

Men

 Managerial and professional specialty .................................................... 15,947 15,935 1,046 1,082

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ............................................ 7,979 8,227 1,111 1,109

 Professional specialty ............................................................................ 7,968 7,708 1,005 1,063

 Technical, sales, and administrative support ........................................... 10,573 10,649 677 705

 Technicians and related support ........................................................... 1,828 1,888 811 842

 Sales occupations ................................................................................. 5,489 5,493 691 739

 Administrative support, including clerical ............................................... 3,256 3,267 592 569

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 5,353 5,174 473 472

 Private household .................................................................................. 16 22 1( ) 1( )

 Protective service .................................................................................. 1,834 1,853 $704 $723

 Service, except private household and protective ................................. 3,503 3,299 391 389

 Precision production, craft, and repair ..................................................... 10,854 10,624 672 646

 Mechanics and repairers ....................................................................... 3,949 3,836 679 674

 Construction trades ............................................................................... 4,477 4,479 627 606

 Other precision production, craft, and repair ......................................... 2,428 2,309 729 688

 Operators, fabricators, and laborers ........................................................ 11,295 11,032 503 509

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors ................................... 3,799 3,648 516 531

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 4,272 4,128 582 588

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ........................... 3,224 3,256 391 410

 Farming, forestry, and fishing .................................................................. 1,296 1,394 372 381

Women

 Managerial and professional specialty .................................................... 16,155 16,667 742 754

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ............................................ 7,381 7,676 710 731

 Professional specialty ............................................................................ 8,774 8,991 767 772

 Technical, sales, and administrative support ........................................... 16,926 16,233 482 500

 Technicians and related support ........................................................... 1,979 1,782 599 601

 Sales occupations ................................................................................. 4,476 4,341 441 455

 Administrative support, including clerical ............................................... 10,470 10,110 479 496

 Service occupations ................................................................................ 5,686 5,800 354 351

 Private household .................................................................................. 352 301 284 258

 Protective service .................................................................................. 426 386 527 523

 Service, except private household and protective ................................. 4,908 5,114 348 346

 Precision production, craft, and repair ..................................................... 979 893 486 509

 Mechanics and repairers ....................................................................... 200 173 615 593

 Construction trades ............................................................................... 89 90 1( ) 1( )

 Other precision production, craft, and repair ......................................... 690 631 $463 $464

 Operators, fabricators, and laborers ........................................................ 3,143 3,088 374 386

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors ................................... 1,926 1,858 371 386

 Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. 353 423 457 421

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ........................... 864 806 361 365

 Farming, forestry, and fishing .................................................................. 191 259 299 301

1 Data not shown where base is less than 100,000.
Table 4. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected

characteristics, fourth quarter 2002 averages, not seasonally adjusted

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 ........................................................................... 97,747 $299 $412 $615 $931 $1,391

 Men ......................................................................................................... 54,808 319 452 692 1,044 1,559

 Women ................................................................................................... 42,940 280 380 543 790 1,128

 White ...................................................................................................... 80,524 306 423 634 960 1,430

 Men ....................................................................................................... 46,129 328 470 717 1,086 1,602

 Women ................................................................................................. 34,395 286 389 565 807 1,147

 Black ....................................................................................................... 12,242 268 348 497 736 990

 Men ....................................................................................................... 5,884 286 375 522 771 1,045

 Women ................................................................................................. 6,357 250 330 470 681 954

 Hispanic .................................................................................................. 11,822 251 314 436 646 953

 Men ....................................................................................................... 7,345 273 329 460 679 1,005

 Women ................................................................................................. 4,477 227 293 408 604 863

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

 Total, 25 years and over ......................................................................... 87,216 316 443 655 972 1,443

 Less than a high school diploma .......................................................... 7,879 245 301 389 522 732

 High school graduates, no college ....................................................... 26,623 297 396 545 769 1,018

 Some college or associate degree ....................................................... 24,527 336 459 633 897 1,220

 College graduates, total ........................................................................ 28,187 477 663 944 1,401 1,910

 Bachelor's degree only ....................................................................... 18,473 441 617 871 1,263 1,757

 Advanced degree ............................................................................... 9,714 579 766 1,126 1,628 2,300

 Men, 25 years and over ........................................................................ 48,782 349 495 742 1,117 1,629

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 5,149 277 324 420 588 794

 High school graduates, no college ..................................................... 15,100 330 452 619 867 1,163

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 12,886 383 523 740 1,002 1,356

 College graduates, total ...................................................................... 15,646 510 745 1,119 1,598 2,285

 Bachelor's degree only ..................................................................... 10,082 482 702 1,019 1,467 1,988

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 5,564 600 856 1,327 1,869 2,601

 Women, 25 years and over .................................................................. 38,434 291 397 577 828 1,157

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ 2,730 212 272 323 415 555

 High school graduates, no college ..................................................... 11,523 273 348 470 623 827

 Some college or associate degree ..................................................... 11,641 306 406 553 754 1,023

 College graduates, total ...................................................................... 12,541 440 599 811 1,130 1,515

 Bachelor's degree only ..................................................................... 8,390 410 553 750 1,018 1,389

 Advanced degree ............................................................................. 4,150 531 711 939 1,341 1,767

 NOTE: Ten percent of all full-time wage and salary workers earn less

than the upper limit of the first decile; 25 percent earn less than the upper

limit of the first quartile; 50 percent earn less than the upper limit of the

second quartile, or median; 75 percent earn less than the upper limit of the

third quartile; and 90 percent earn less than the upper limit of the ninth

decile. Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to

totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and

Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups.
Table 5. Median usual weekly earnings of part-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages,

not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

IV

2001

IV

2002

IV

2001

IV

2002

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 21,540 21,914 $180 $186

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 6,727 6,808 175 170

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 3,487 3,662 139 134

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 3,241 3,146 228 237

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 14,813 15,106 183 193

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 4,754 4,789 132 135

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 10,059 10,317 218 231

RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 18,502 18,806 180 187

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,656 5,785 175 169

 Women ................................................................................................ 12,846 13,021 183 194

 Black ...................................................................................................... 2,067 2,089 178 178

 Men ...................................................................................................... 724 668 181 182

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,343 1,421 176 176

 Hispanic origin ....................................................................................... 2,133 2,198 180 186

 Men ...................................................................................................... 721 721 193 194

 Women ................................................................................................ 1,412 1,477 173 183

 NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not

sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented

and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population

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

Characteristic

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

2001 2002

In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars

2001 2002 2001 2002

SEX AND AGE

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 99,599 98,366 $597 $610 $325 $328

 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 55,928 55,226 672 685 366 367

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 6,554 6,248 392 394 214 211

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 49,374 48,979 722 737 393 395

 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 43,671 43,139 511 531 279 285

 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 5,098 4,835 354 367 193 197

 25 years and over ................................................................................ 38,573 38,304 542 572 296 307

RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX

 White ..................................................................................................... 82,149 81,122 612 627 334 337

 Men ...................................................................................................... 47,279 46,569 694 709 378 380

 Women ................................................................................................ 34,871 34,553 521 550 284 295

 Black ...................................................................................................... 12,533 12,305 487 499 265 267

 Men ...................................................................................................... 5,925 5,924 518 524 282 281

 Women ................................................................................................ 6,607 6,381 451 474 246 254

 Hispanic origin ....................................................................................... 11,790 11,790 414 424 226 227

 Men ...................................................................................................... 7,230 7,227 438 453 239 243

 Women ................................................................................................ 4,561 4,563 385 396 210 212

 NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not

sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented

and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups.
Table 7. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, annual averages

Occupation and sex

Number of workers

(in thousands) Median weekly earnings

2001 2002 2001 2002

TOTAL

Managerial and professional specialty ............................................................. 32,221 32,288 $859 $884

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ..................................................... 15,795 15,890 867 891

 Professional specialty ..................................................................................... 16,426 16,398 854 879

Technical, sales, and administrative support .................................................... 28,145 27,446 521 551

 Technicians and related support .................................................................... 3,753 3,607 673 693

 Sales occupations .......................................................................................... 10,173 10,055 574 602

 Administrative support, including clerical ........................................................ 14,219 13,784 486 503

Service occupations ......................................................................................... 11,143 11,263 377 385

 Private household ........................................................................................... 354 330 255 277

 Protective service ........................................................................................... 2,166 2,283 629 647

 Service, except private household and protective .......................................... 8,622 8,650 349 355

Precision production, craft, and repair .............................................................. 12,030 11,518 629 633

 Mechanics and repairers ................................................................................ 4,153 4,011 665 675

 Construction trades ........................................................................................ 4,501 4,390 611 609

 Other precision production, craft, and repair .................................................. 3,376 3,117 622 621

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................................................................. 14,568 14,237 467 484

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors ............................................ 6,073 5,655 457 476

 Transportation and material moving occupations ........................................... 4,505 4,562 573 581

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers .................................... 3,990 4,020 389 401

Farming, forestry, and fishing ........................................................................... 1,493 1,613 354 364

Men

Managerial and professional specialty ............................................................. 16,265 16,014 1,038 1,059

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ..................................................... 8,349 8,343 1,060 1,084

 Professional specialty ..................................................................................... 7,916 7,672 1,021 1,038

Technical, sales, and administrative support .................................................... 10,733 10,709 667 702

 Technicians and related support .................................................................... 1,870 1,794 783 840

 Sales occupations .......................................................................................... 5,599 5,666 692 744

 Administrative support, including clerical ........................................................ 3,264 3,249 576 585

Service occupations ......................................................................................... 5,331 5,375 438 449

 Private household ........................................................................................... 15 24 1 ( ) 1 ( )

 Protective service ........................................................................................... 1,783 1,877 $658 $690

 Service, except private household and protective .......................................... 3,532 3,474 374 380

Precision production, craft, and repair .............................................................. 11,018 10,603 648 650

 Mechanics and repairers ................................................................................ 3,951 3,820 670 679

 Construction trades ........................................................................................ 4,407 4,297 613 610

 Other precision production, craft, and repair .................................................. 2,660 2,485 684 673

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................................................................. 11,310 11,178 501 513

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors ............................................ 3,954 3,754 512 523

 Transportation and material moving occupations ........................................... 4,149 4,198 587 592

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers .................................... 3,207 3,226 401 412

Farming, forestry, and fishing ........................................................................... 1,271 1,347 366 378

Women

Managerial and professional specialty ............................................................. 15,956 16,274 732 756

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ..................................................... 7,446 7,548 706 737

 Professional specialty ..................................................................................... 8,510 8,726 749 773

Technical, sales, and administrative support .................................................... 17,411 16,737 473 490

 Technicians and related support .................................................................... 1,883 1,813 580 590

 Sales occupations .......................................................................................... 4,574 4,389 429 441

 Administrative support, including clerical ........................................................ 10,954 10,535 469 488

Service occupations ......................................................................................... 5,812 5,888 335 343

 Private household ........................................................................................... 340 306 255 277

 Protective service ........................................................................................... 383 406 509 500

 Service, except private household and protective .......................................... 5,089 5,175 332 339

Precision production, craft, and repair .............................................................. 1,012 915 479 482

 Mechanics and repairers ................................................................................ 201 192 594 594

 Construction trades ........................................................................................ 94 92 437 577

 Other precision production, craft, and repair .................................................. 717 631 451 447

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................................................................. 3,258 3,060 368 385

 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors ............................................ 2,119 1,901 369 387

 Transportation and material moving occupations ........................................... 356 365 439 451

 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers .................................... 783 794 342 360

Farming, forestry, and fishing ........................................................................... 222 266 308 308

1 Data not shown where base is less than 50,000.
Table 8. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected

characteristics, 2002 annual averages 

Educational attainment,

sex, and race

Number

of

workers

(in

thousands)

Upper limit of:

First

decile

First

quartile

Second

quartile

(median)

Third

quartile

Ninth

decile

TOTAL

Total, 25 years and over ........................................................... 87,283 $313 $437 $650 $971 $1,442

 Less than a high school diploma ............................................ 8,121 239 297 388 529 735

 High school graduates, no college ......................................... 26,583 295 391 538 760 1,026

 Some college or associate degree ......................................... 24,313 333 452 631 892 1,219

 College graduates, total .......................................................... 28,266 476 660 943 1,391 1,914

 Bachelor's degree only ......................................................... 18,698 444 619 879 1,266 1,787

 Advanced degree ................................................................. 9,568 570 760 1,100 1,598 2,294

Men

Total, 25 years and over ........................................................... 48,979 346 494 737 1,107 1,614

 Less than a high school diploma ............................................ 5,323 264 321 423 595 802

 High school graduates, no college ......................................... 15,050 328 445 618 867 1,163

 Some college or associate degree ......................................... 12,864 379 519 734 1,002 1,370

 College graduates, total .......................................................... 15,741 516 743 1,094 1,579 2,281

 Bachelor's degree only ......................................................... 10,318 491 699 1,005 1,461 1,983

 Advanced degree ................................................................. 5,423 600 856 1,267 1,849 2,611

Women

Total, 25 years and over ........................................................... 38,304 289 391 572 819 1,159

 Less than a high school diploma ............................................ 2,798 209 266 323 415 544

 High school graduates, no college ......................................... 11,533 270 343 460 617 821

 Some college or associate degree ......................................... 11,449 304 400 546 747 997

 College graduates, total .......................................................... 12,525 435 600 810 1,129 1,548

 Bachelor's degree only ......................................................... 8,380 405 565 756 1,036 1,429

 Advanced degree ................................................................. 4,145 528 696 930 1,310 1,766

White men

Total, 25 years and over ........................................................... 41,235 358 510 760 1,140 1,655

 Less than a high school diploma ............................................ 4,460 265 324 432 603 814

 High school graduates, no college ......................................... 12,506 342 469 643 893 1,193

 Some college or associate degree ......................................... 10,786 390 544 757 1,032 1,421

 College graduates, total .......................................................... 13,483 539 759 1,127 1,618 2,301

 Bachelor's degree only ......................................................... 8,857 509 720 1,036 1,497 2,078

 Advanced degree ................................................................. 4,626 612 869 1,288 1,874 2,684

White women

Total, 25 years and over ........................................................... 30,593 295 402 586 836 1,178

 Less than a high school diploma ............................................ 2,121 210 267 324 420 557

 High school graduates, no college ......................................... 9,235 277 354 472 630 836

 Some college or associate degree ......................................... 8,999 312 409 562 760 1,020

 College graduates, total .......................................................... 10,237 446 608 821 1,142 1,570

 Bachelor's degree only ......................................................... 6,732 415 577 764 1,051 1,460

 Advanced degree ................................................................. 3,506 535 699 937 1,321 1,773

Black men

Total, 25 years and over ........................................................... 5,244 302 402 569 804 1,141

 Less than a high school diploma ............................................ 626 260 311 400 548 719

 High school graduates, no college ......................................... 1,991 293 382 505 698 936

 Some college or associate degree ......................................... 1,583 328 431 598 799 1,060

 College graduates, total .......................................................... 1,044 427 592 835 1,186 1,637

 Bachelor's degree only ......................................................... 760 421 578 777 1,092 1,539

 Advanced degree ................................................................. 283 466 670 947 1,477 1,911

Black women

Total, 25 years and over ........................................................... 5,718 263 342 492 711 988

 Less than a high school diploma ............................................ 513 207 256 313 393 503

 High school graduates, no college ......................................... 1,839 243 309 409 552 751

 Some college or associate degree ......................................... 1,987 284 369 500 672 895

 College graduates, total .......................................................... 1,378 404 573 759 1,006 1,359

 Bachelor's degree only ......................................................... 996 372 522 711 955 1,229

 Advanced degree ................................................................. 383 518 683 892 1,193 1,571

 NOTE: See note table 4.