Technical information:  (202) 691-6378      USDL 04-646
               http://www.bls.gov/cps/
                                            For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                691-5902      Friday, April 16, 2004


   USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:  FIRST QUARTER 2004


   Median weekly earnings of the nation's 99.7 million full-time wage and
salary workers were $634 in the first quarter of 2004, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  This was
2.3 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 1.8 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 first-quarter
data are:
   
   --Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $567 per
week, or 79.7 percent of the $711 median for men.  The female-to-male
earnings ratios were higher among blacks (87.8 percent) and Hispanics or
Latinos (87.2 percent) than among whites (79.6 percent) or Asians (77.8
percent).  (See table 1.)
   
   --Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $567 per
week, 77.8 percent of the median for white men ($729).  The difference was
less among women, as black women's median earnings ($498) were 85.9 percent
of those for their white counterparts ($580).  Overall, median earnings of
Hispanics or Latinos who worked full time ($450) were lower than those of
blacks ($521), whites ($652), and Asians ($712).  (See table 1.)
   
   --Among men, those age 45 to 54 and age 55 to 64 had the highest median
weekly earnings, $849 and $844, respectively.  Among women, earnings also
were highest for these two age groups--$620 for 45- to 54-year olds and $606
for 55- to 64-year olds.  (See table 2.)
   
   --Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in
managerial, professional, and related occupations had the highest median
weekly earnings--$1,099 for men and $767 for women.  Men and women in
service occupations earned the least.  (See table 3.)
   
   --Full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma had
median weekly earnings of $396, compared with $562 for high school graduates
(no college) and $996 for college graduates holding at least a bachelor's
degree.  Among college graduates with advanced degrees (professional or
master's degree and above), the highest-earning 10 percent of male workers
made $2,712 or more per week, compared with $1,883 or more for their female
counterparts.  (See table 4.)




Explanatory Note
     
     
     The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current
Population Survey (CPS), which provides the basic information on the labor
force, employment, and unemployment.  The survey is conducted monthly for
the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau from a scienti-
fically selected national sample of about 60,000 households, with coverage
in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  The earnings data are 
collected from one-quarter of the CPS monthly sample and are limited to
wages and salaries.  The data, therefore, exclude self-employment income.
     
     Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired 
individuals upon request.  Voice phone:  202-691-5200; TDD message referral 
phone number:  1-800-877-8339.
     
Reliability
     
     Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsam-
pling error.  When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed,
there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true"
population values they represent.  The exact difference, or sampling error,
varies depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability is
measured by the standard error of the estimate.  There is about a 90-percent
chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will
differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value
because of sampling error.  BLS analyses are generally conducted at the
90-percent level of confidence.

     The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error.  Nonsampling error
can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the
population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in
the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct
information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.

     For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and
information on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and
Estimates of Error" section of Employment and Earnings.
     
Definitions
     
     The principal definitions used in connection with the earnings series
are described briefly below.
     
     Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before taxes and other
deductions and include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips usually
received (at the main job in the case of multiple jobholders.)  Prior to
1994, respondents were asked how much they usually earned per week.  Since
January 1994, respondents have been asked to identify the easiest way for
them to report earnings (hourly, weekly, biweekly, twice monthly, monthly,
annually, other) and how much they usually earn in the reported time
period.  Earnings reported on a basis other than weekly are converted to a
weekly equivalent.  The term "usual" is as perceived by the respondent.  If
the respondent asks for a definition of usual, interviewers are instructed
to define the term as more than half the weeks worked during the past 4 or
5 months.
     
     Medians (and other quantiles) of weekly earnings. The median (or upper
limit of the second quartile) is the amount which divides a given earnings
distribution into two equal groups, one having earnings above the median
and the other having earnings below the median.  Ten percent of a given
distribution have earnings below the upper limit of the first decile (90
percent have higher earnings); 25 percent have earnings below the upper
limit of the first quartile (75 percent have higher earnings); 75 percent
have earnings below the upper limit of the third quartile (25 percent have
higher earnings); and 90 percent have earnings below the upper limit of the
ninth decile (10 percent have higher earnings).

                                  - 2 -

     The estimating procedure places each reported or calculated weekly
earnings value into $50-wide intervals which are centered around multiples
of $50.  The actual value is estimated through the linear interpolation of
the interval in which the quantile boundary lies.
     
     Over-the-year changes in the medians (and other quantile boundaries)
for specific groups may not necessarily be consistent with the movements
estimated for the overall quantile boundary.  The most common reasons for
this possible anomaly are: (1) There could be a change in the relative
weights of the subgroups.  For example, the medians of both 16-to-24 year
olds and those 25 years and over may rise; but if the lower-earning 16-to-
24 group accounts for a greatly increased share of the total, the overall
median could actually fall. (2) There could be a large change in the shape
of the distribution of reported earnings, particularly near a quantile
boundary.  This could be caused by survey observations that are clustered
at rounded values, e.g., $250, $300, $400.  An estimate lying in a $50-wide
centered interval containing such a cluster or "spike" tends to change more
slowly than one in other intervals.
     
     Wage and salary workers. Workers who receive wages, salaries,
commissions, tips, payment in kind, or piece rates.  The group includes
employees in both the private and public sectors but, for the purposes of
the earnings series, excludes all self-employed persons, regardless of
whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

     Full-time workers. Workers who usually work 35 hours or more per week
at their sole or principal job.
     
     Part-time workers. Workers who usually work fewer than 35 hours per
week at their sole or principal job.
     
     Constant dollars. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
(CPI-U) is used to convert current dollars to constant (1982) dollars.
     
     Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Refers to persons who identified them-
selves in the enumeration process as being Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino.  
Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any 
race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race.
 
 
 
 

 Table 1.  Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages,
 not seasonally adjusted
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                                                               Number of workers              Median weekly earnings          
                                                                 (in thousands)                                               
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                       Characteristic                                                In current dollars     In constant (1982) 
                                                                                                                 dollars       
                                                                  I          I                                                
                                                                2003       2004                                               
                                                                                         I          I          I          I    
                                                                                       2003       2004       2003       2004   
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
                        SEX AND AGE                                                                                          
                                                                                                                             
 Total, 16 years and over..................................    98,988     99,720       $620       $634       $327       $328 
                                                                                                                             
    Men, 16 years and over.................................    55,162     55,888        695        711        366        368 
      16 to 24 years.......................................     5,829      5,762        396        410        209        212 
      25 years and over....................................    49,333     50,126        741        757        391        392 
                                                                                                                             
    Women, 16 years and over...............................    43,826     43,832        551        567        291        294 
      16 to 24 years.......................................     4,266      4,342        384        387        202        200 
      25 years and over....................................    39,560     39,490        581        592        306        307 
                                                                                                                             
        RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX                                                                          
                                                                                                                             
    White..................................................    80,878     81,271        636        652        336        338 
      Men..................................................    46,184     46,562        713        729        376        378 
      Women................................................    34,694     34,709        563        580        297        300 
                                                                                                                             
    Black or African American..............................    11,706     11,796        516        521        272        270 
      Men..................................................     5,443      5,585        552        567        291        293 
      Women................................................     6,263      6,211        493        498        260        258 
                                                                                                                             
    Asian..................................................     4,230      4,440        718        712        379        369 
      Men..................................................     2,365      2,489        793        790        418        409 
      Women................................................     1,865      1,951        620        615        327        318 
                                                                                                                             
    Hispanic or Latino.....................................    13,653     13,648        447        450        236        233 
      Men..................................................     8,611      8,678        471        478        249        248 
      Women................................................     5,042      4,970        416        417        219        216 

    NOTE:  Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because
 data are not presented for all races.  In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of
 any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race.  Beginning in January 2004, data reflect revised
 population controls used in the household survey.





 Table 2.  Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and
 sex, first quarter 2004 averages, not seasonally adjusted
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                                                                    Total                  Men                  Women        
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
        Age, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity           Number                Number                Number             
                                                                of       Median       of       Median       of       Median  
                                                              workers    weekly     workers    weekly     workers    weekly  
                                                                (in     earnings      (in     earnings      (in     earnings 
                                                            thousands)            thousands)            thousands)           
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
                           TOTAL                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    99,720       $634     55,888       $711     43,832       $567 
   16 to 24 years..........................................    10,104        399      5,762        410      4,342        387 
     16 to 19 years........................................     1,282        315        787        320        495        307 
     20 to 24 years........................................     8,822        412      4,974        427      3,847        398 
   25 years and over.......................................    89,616        676     50,126        757     39,490        592 
     25 to 54 years........................................    75,937        673     42,746        749     33,191        592 
       25 to 34 years......................................    24,397        603     14,154        648     10,243        551 
       35 to 44 years......................................    26,694        695     15,287        773     11,407        600 
       45 to 54 years......................................    24,845        740     13,305        849     11,540        620 
     55 years and over.....................................    13,679        696      7,380        817      6,299        593 
       55 to 64 years......................................    11,827        719      6,371        844      5,456        606 
       65 years and over...................................     1,852        521      1,009        645        843        456 
                                                                                                                             
                           White                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    81,271        652     46,562        729     34,709        580 
   16 to 24 years..........................................     8,204        401      4,798        413      3,407        389 
   25 years and over.......................................    73,067        696     41,764        780     31,302        602 
     25 to 54 years........................................    61,478        692     35,431        769     26,047        603 
     55 years and over.....................................    11,589        722      6,333        858      5,255        601 
                                                                                                                             
                 Black or African American                                                                                   
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    11,796        521      5,585        567      6,211        498 
   16 to 24 years..........................................     1,229        358        599        365        630        353 
   25 years and over.......................................    10,567        549      4,986        600      5,581        512 
     25 to 54 years........................................     9,190        545      4,339        591      4,851        510 
     55 years and over.....................................     1,378        586        648        661        730        524 
                                                                                                                             
                           Asian                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................     4,440        712      2,489        790      1,951        615 
   16 to 24 years..........................................       357        432        189        449        168        419 
   25 years and over.......................................     4,083        742      2,299        847      1,784        647 
     25 to 54 years........................................     3,562        756      2,012        888      1,550        661 
     55 years and over.....................................       521        636        287        722        234        600 
                                                                                                                             
                     Hispanic or Latino                                                                                      
                                                                                                                             
 16 years and over.........................................    13,648        450      8,678        478      4,970        417 
   16 to 24 years..........................................     2,082        358      1,376        359        706        355 
   25 years and over.......................................    11,566        480      7,302        501      4,264        438 
     25 to 54 years........................................    10,540        476      6,669        498      3,871        436 
     55 years and over.....................................     1,026        511        633        583        393        464 

    NOTE:  Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because
 data are not presented for all races.  In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of
 any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race.  Beginning in January 2004, data reflect revised
 population controls used in the household survey.




  Table 3.  Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, quarterly averages, 
  not seasonally adjusted
                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
                                                                    Number of workers             Median weekly earnings    
                                                                      (in thousands)                                        
                      Occupation and sex                                                                                    
                                                                                                                            
                                                                     I               I                 I               I      
                                                                   2003            2004              2003            2004     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
                            TOTAL                                                                                           
                                                                                                                            
   Managerial, professional, and related occupations........      35,451          36,362             $893            $914   
     Management, business, and financial operations                                                                         
      occupations...........................................      14,374          15,047              954             982   
     Professional and related occupations...................      21,077          21,315              854             865   
   Service occupations......................................      13,327          12,985              407             410   
   Sales and office occupations.............................      24,625          24,705              541             555   
     Sales and related occupations..........................       9,853           9,978              594             605   
     Office and administrative support occupations..........      14,772          14,726              522             532   
   Natural resources, construction, and maintenance                                                                         
    occupations.............................................      10,581          10,617              610             629   
     Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.............         678             637              365             327   
     Construction and extraction occupations................       5,561           5,641              601             608   
     Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations......       4,342           4,340              668             713   
   Production, transportation, and material moving                                                                          
    occupations.............................................      15,005          15,052              519             519   
     Production occupations.................................       8,493           8,588              524             522   
     Transportation and material moving occupations.........       6,511           6,465              513             515   
                                                                                                                            
                             Men                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
   Managerial, professional, and related occupations........      17,569          18,013            1,058           1,099   
     Management, business, and financial operations                                                                         
      occupations...........................................       7,936           8,277            1,140           1,168   
     Professional and related occupations...................       9,633           9,736            1,018           1,037   
   Service occupations......................................       6,620           6,510              477             476   
   Sales and office occupations.............................       9,192           9,380              645             656   
     Sales and related occupations..........................       5,416           5,620              703             741   
     Office and administrative support occupations..........       3,776           3,759              583             566   
   Natural resources, construction, and maintenance                                                                         
    occupations.............................................      10,116          10,240              615             635   
     Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.............         541             505              376             345   
     Construction and extraction occupations................       5,408           5,543              605             608   
     Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations......       4,167           4,192              669             712   
   Production, transportation, and material moving                                                                          
    occupations.............................................      11,665          11,745              563             575   
     Production occupations.................................       6,014           6,118              581             594   
     Transportation and material moving occupations.........       5,651           5,627              534             538   
                                                                                                                            
                            Women                                                                                           
                                                                                                                            
   Managerial, professional, and related occupations........      17,882          18,349              756             767   
     Management, business, and financial operations                                                                         
      occupations...........................................       6,437           6,769              793             809   
     Professional and related occupations...................      11,444          11,579              740             750   
   Service occupations......................................       6,707           6,475              366             375   
   Sales and office occupations.............................      15,432          15,325              503             515   
     Sales and related occupations..........................       4,437           4,358              461             476   
     Office and administrative support occupations..........      10,996          10,967              512             523   
   Natural resources, construction, and maintenance                                                                         
    occupations.............................................         466             377              483             460   
     Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.............         137             132              323             306   
     Construction and extraction occupations................         153              98              480             (1)      
     Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations......         175             147              631             724   
   Production, transportation, and material moving                                                                          
    occupations.............................................       3,339           3,308              407             404   
     Production occupations.................................       2,479           2,469              411             400   
     Transportation and material moving occupations.........         860             838              397             413   

    1 Data not shown where base is less than 100,000.
    NOTE:  Beginning in January 2004, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.





 Table 4.  Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected
 characteristics, first quarter 2004 averages, not seasonally adjusted
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                                                              Number                       Upper limit of:                   
                                                                of                                                           
                       Characteristic                         workers                                                        
                                                                (in       First      First     Second      Third      Ninth  
                                                            thousands)   decile    quartile   quartile   quartile    decile  
                                                                                              (median)                       
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
        SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY                                                                          
                                                                                                                             
 Total, 16 years and over..................................    99,720       $307       $421       $634       $973     $1,458 
   Men.....................................................    55,888        325        473        711      1,102      1,649 
   Women...................................................    43,832        290        388        567        829      1,201 
                                                                                                                             
   White...................................................    81,271        311        434        652        999      1,490 
     Men...................................................    46,562        330        484        729      1,132      1,685 
     Women.................................................    34,709        295        396        580        847      1,226 
                                                                                                                             
   Black or African American...............................    11,796        285        364        521        748      1,098 
     Men...................................................     5,585        300        391        567        823      1,178 
     Women.................................................     6,211        273        344        498        694      1,003 
                                                                                                                             
   Asian...................................................     4,440        323        448        712      1,144      1,758 
     Men...................................................     2,489        370        505        790      1,270      2,075 
     Women.................................................     1,951        294        404        615        957      1,482 
                                                                                                                             
   Hispanic or Latino......................................    13,648        264        323        450        671        988 
     Men...................................................     8,678        276        333        478        702      1,018 
     Women.................................................     4,970        247        309        417        603        926 
                                                                                                                             
                   EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT                                                                                    
                                                                                                                             
   Total, 25 years and over................................    89,616        323        456        676      1,019      1,518 
     Less than a high school diploma.......................     8,433        248        304        396        551        758 
     High school graduates, no college(1)..................    26,999        301        397        562        773      1,055 
     Some college or associate degree......................    24,361        345        470        649        925      1,255 
     Bachelor's degree and higher(2).......................    29,824        491        689        996      1,460      2,023 
       Bachelor's degree only..............................    19,334        461        639        926      1,362      1,901 
       Advanced degree.....................................    10,489        586        790      1,149      1,662      2,380 
                                                                                                                             
     Men, 25 years and over................................    50,126        353        506        757      1,152      1,737 
       Less than a high school diploma.....................     5,624        268        323        434        606        828 
       High school graduates, no college(1)................    15,147        337        462        640        884      1,187 
       Some college or associate degree....................    12,791        383        530        747      1,046      1,420 
       Bachelor's degree and higher(2).....................    16,563        534        777      1,148      1,704      2,322 
         Bachelor's degree only............................    10,816        502        734      1,070      1,557      2,120 
         Advanced degree...................................     5,748        618        909      1,352      1,902      2,712 
                                                                                                                             
     Women, 25 years and over..............................    39,490        300        406        592        862      1,243 
       Less than a high school diploma.....................     2,809        231        279        339        441        582 
       High school graduates, no college(1)................    11,852        278        350        479        634        859 
       Some college or associate degree....................    11,570        320        416        571        773      1,042 
       Bachelor's degree and higher(2).....................    13,260        456        618        855      1,213      1,634 
         Bachelor's degree only............................     8,519        421        585        782      1,118      1,497 
         Advanced degree...................................     4,741        556        727        982      1,349      1,883 

   1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
   2 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees. 
   NOTE:  Ten percent of all full-time wage and salary workers earn less than the upper limit of the first decile; 25
 percent earn less than the upper limit of the first quartile; 50 percent earn less than the upper limit of the second
 quartile, or median; 75 percent earn less than the upper limit of the third quartile; and 90 percent earn less than the
 upper limit of the ninth decile.  Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not
 sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.  In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic
 or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race.  Beginning in January 2004,
 data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.






  Table 5.  Median usual weekly earnings of part-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly
  averages, not seasonally adjusted
                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
                                                                    Number of workers             Median weekly earnings    
                                                                      (in thousands)                                        
                        Characteristic                                                                                      
                                                                                                                            
                                                                     I               I                 I               I      
                                                                   2003            2004              2003            2004     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
                         SEX AND AGE                                                                                        
                                                                                                                            
  Total, 16 years and over..................................      22,154          22,127             $184            $192   
                                                                                                                            
     Men, 16 years and over.................................       6,988           7,057              172             180   
       16 to 24 years.......................................       3,557           3,624              137             140   
       25 years and over....................................       3,431           3,433              225             240   
                                                                                                                            
     Women, 16 years and over...............................      15,165          15,071              191             198   
       16 to 24 years.......................................       4,696           4,614              129             136   
       25 years and over....................................      10,469          10,457              224             232   
                                                                                                                            
         RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX                                                                        
                                                                                                                            
     White..................................................      18,761          18,665              185             194   
       Men..................................................       5,754           5,813              167             179   
       Women................................................      13,007          12,852              193             200   
                                                                                                                            
     Black or African American..............................       2,050           2,098              178             191   
       Men..................................................         762             721              192             200   
       Women................................................       1,287           1,377              169             189   
                                                                                                                            
     Asian..................................................         804             856              202             168   
       Men..................................................         298             342              206             161   
       Women................................................         506             514              198             175   
                                                                                                                            
     Hispanic or Latino.....................................       2,183           2,338              181             195   
       Men..................................................         775             825              200             203   
       Women................................................       1,408           1,513              171             190   

     NOTE:  Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because
  data are not presented for all races.  In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of
  any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race.  Beginning in January 2004, data reflect revised
  population controls used in the household survey.