Full text of First Quarter 1998 : Text File, 98-148
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Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/newsrels.htm
Technical information: (202) 606-6378 USDL 98-148
For release:10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact: 606-5902 Monday, April 20, 1998
USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:
FIRST QUARTER 1998
Median weekly earnings of the nation's 93.2 million full-time wage and
salary workers were $521 in the first quarter of 1998, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This was 3.4
percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 1.5 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.) Major findings from the first-quarter
data follow.
--Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $455 a week,
or 76.3 percent of the $596 median for men. The female-to-male earnings
ratios were higher among blacks (87.4 percent) and Hispanics (86.6 percent)
than among whites. (See table 1.)
--Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $452 per
week, 74.0 percent of the median for white men ($611). The difference was
much less among women, as black women's median earnings ($395) were 84.6
percent of those for their white counterparts ($467). Overall, median
earnings of Hispanics who worked full time ($364) were lower than those of
blacks ($418) and whites ($543). (See table 1.)
--The highest median weekly earnings for full-time workers were $731 for
men in the 45- to 54-year-age group; second highest was the median for 55-
to 64-year-old men at $707. Among women, the highest-earning age group
also was 45- to 54-year olds, who had a median of $515, followed by 35- to
44-year-olds, with a median of $497. (See table 2.)
--Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in
managerial and professional specialty occupations had the highest median
weekly earnings--$865 for men and $647 for women--while men and women in
service and farm jobs earned the least. (See table 3.)
--Full-time workers age 25 and over with less than a high school diploma
had median weekly earnings of $326, compared with $469 for high school
graduates (no college) and $802 for college graduates. Among college
graduates with advanced degrees (professional or master's degree and
above), the highest 10 percent of male workers earned $2,118 or more,
compared with $1,537 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 Bureau of the Census from a
scientifically selected national sample of about 50,000 households, with
coverage in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The earnings data
are collected from 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: 202-606-STAT; TDD phone:
202-606-5897; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-326-2577.
Reliability
Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsam-
pling error. When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed,
there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true"
population values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error,
varies depending on the particular sample selected and this variability is
measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-percent
chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will
differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value
because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the
90-percent level of confidence.
The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error
can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the
population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in
the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct
information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.
For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and
information on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and
Estimates of Error" section of the February 1994 and subsequent issues of
Employment and Earnings.
Definitions
The principal definitions used in connection with the earnings series
are described briefly below.
Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before taxes and other
deductions and include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips usually
received (at the main job in the case of multiple jobholders.) Prior to
1994, respondents were asked how much they usually earned per week. Since
January 1994, respondents have been asked to identify the easiest way for
them to report earnings (hourly, weekly, biweekly, twice monthly, monthly,
annually, other) and how much they usually earn in the reported time
period. Earnings reported on a basis other than weekly are converted to a
weekly equivalent. The term "usual" is as perceived by the respondent. If
the respondent asks for a definition of usual, interviewers are instructed
to define the term as more than half the weeks worked during the past 4 or
5 months.
Medians (and other quantiles) of weekly earnings. The median (or upper
limit of the second quartile) is the amount which divides a given earnings
distribution into two equal groups, one having earnings above the median
and the other having earnings below the median. Ten percent of a given
distribution have earnings below the upper limit of the first decile (90
percent have higher earnings); 25 percent have earnings below the upper
limit of the first quartile (75 percent have higher earnings); 75 percent
have earnings below the upper limit of the third quartile (25 percent have
higher earnings); and 90 percent have earnings below the upper limit of the
ninth decile (10 percent have higher earnings).
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.
- 2 -
Full-time workers. Workers who usually work 35 hours or more per week
at their sole or principal job.
Part-time workers. Workers who usually work fewer than 35 hours per
week at their sole or principal job.
Constant dollars. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
(CPI-U) is used to convert current dollars to constant (1982) dollars.
Hispanic origin. Refers to persons who are of Mexican, Puerto Rican,
Cuban, Central or South American, or other Hispanic origin or descent.
Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race; hence, they are included in
the numbers for the white and black populations.
Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages,
not seasonally adjusted
Number of workers Median weekly earnings
(in thousands)
Characteristic In current dollars In constant (1982)
dollars
I I
1997 1998
I I I I
1997 1998 1997 1998
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 90,734 93,183 $504 $521 $304 $310
Men, 16 years and over................................. 51,604 52,791 582 596 352 355
16 to 24 years....................................... 5,409 5,560 319 337 193 201
25 years and over.................................... 46,195 47,230 615 629 372 375
Women, 16 years and over............................... 39,129 40,392 427 455 258 271
16 to 24 years....................................... 4,084 4,110 289 304 175 181
25 years and over.................................... 35,045 36,283 456 480 276 286
RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX
White.................................................. 75,743 77,526 519 543 314 323
Men.................................................. 44,009 44,840 599 611 362 364
Women................................................ 31,734 32,686 440 467 266 278
Black.................................................. 10,879 11,383 399 418 241 249
Men.................................................. 5,340 5,579 426 452 258 269
Women................................................ 5,539 5,803 372 395 225 235
Hispanic origin........................................ 9,623 10,183 349 364 211 217
Men.................................................. 6,145 6,475 369 381 223 227
Women................................................ 3,478 3,707 316 330 191 197
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. Beginning in January
1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and 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 origin, and sex, first
quarter 1998 averages, not seasonally adjusted
Total Men Women
Age, race, and Hispanic origin Number Number Number
of Median of Median of Median
workers weekly workers weekly workers weekly
(in earnings (in earnings (in earnings
thousands) thousands) thousands)
TOTAL
16 years and over......................................... 93,183 $521 52,791 $596 40,392 $455
16 to 24 years.......................................... 9,670 320 5,560 337 4,110 304
16 to 19 years........................................ 1,634 265 960 287 674 239
20 to 24 years........................................ 8,036 336 4,600 355 3,436 317
25 years and over....................................... 83,513 563 47,230 629 36,283 480
25 to 54 years........................................ 73,940 563 41,793 623 32,147 484
25 to 34 years...................................... 25,355 495 14,570 531 10,784 446
35 to 44 years...................................... 27,706 590 15,885 663 11,821 497
45 to 54 years...................................... 20,880 618 11,338 731 9,542 515
55 years and over..................................... 9,573 564 5,437 688 4,136 444
55 to 64 years...................................... 8,463 579 4,790 707 3,674 454
65 years and over................................... 1,109 433 647 524 462 344
White
16 years and over......................................... 77,526 543 44,840 611 32,686 467
16 to 24 years.......................................... 8,171 323 4,768 342 3,403 306
25 years and over....................................... 69,355 583 40,072 651 29,283 491
25 to 54 years........................................ 61,085 583 35,363 644 25,721 496
55 years and over..................................... 8,271 583 4,709 721 3,562 450
Black
16 years and over......................................... 11,383 418 5,579 452 5,803 395
16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,118 301 560 304 558 296
25 years and over....................................... 10,265 439 5,020 480 5,245 412
25 to 54 years........................................ 9,310 440 4,519 482 4,791 411
55 years and over..................................... 955 435 501 462 454 418
Hispanic origin
16 years and over......................................... 10,183 364 6,475 381 3,707 330
16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,600 290 1,042 295 558 277
25 years and over....................................... 8,583 390 5,434 410 3,149 352
25 to 54 years........................................ 7,864 389 5,017 410 2,847 352
55 years and over..................................... 718 398 416 411 302 349
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. Beginning in January
1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and 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
1997 1998 1997 1998
TOTAL
Managerial and professional specialty.................... 28,164 28,748 $740 $741
Executive, administrative, and managerial.............. 13,625 14,026 726 730
Professional specialty................................. 14,539 14,721 754 750
Technical, sales, and administrative support............. 25,841 26,602 453 476
Technicians and related support........................ 3,445 3,414 578 597
Sales occupations...................................... 8,783 9,285 482 505
Administrative support, including clerical............. 13,614 13,904 415 435
Service occupations...................................... 9,587 10,415 310 323
Private household...................................... 351 382 215 214
Protective service..................................... 1,870 2,197 570 595
Service, except private household and protective....... 7,365 7,836 292 301
Precision production, craft, and repair.................. 11,035 11,535 547 567
Mechanics and repairers................................ 3,901 4,127 578 596
Construction trades.................................... 3,675 3,788 532 535
Other precision production, craft, and repair.......... 3,460 3,620 524 552
Operators, fabricators, and laborers..................... 14,811 14,755 398 409
Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......... 7,256 7,057 388 405
Transportation and material moving occupations......... 3,968 4,228 492 505
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.... 3,588 3,469 336 342
Farming, forestry, and fishing........................... 1,294 1,128 294 302
Men
Managerial and professional specialty.................... 14,562 14,516 875 865
Executive, administrative, and managerial.............. 7,530 7,384 858 864
Professional specialty................................. 7,032 7,132 889 865
Technical, sales, and administrative support............. 9,861 10,222 591 606
Technicians and related support........................ 1,793 1,751 663 697
Sales occupations...................................... 4,939 5,179 604 619
Administrative support, including clerical............. 3,129 3,292 515 522
Service occupations...................................... 4,691 5,243 363 388
Private household...................................... 10 15 (1) (1)
Protective service..................................... 1,585 1,854 $582 $604
Service, except private household and protective....... 3,096 3,374 315 317
Precision production, craft, and repair.................. 10,095 10,564 572 585
Mechanics and repairers................................ 3,757 3,943 582 598
Construction trades.................................... 3,621 3,720 535 539
Other precision production, craft, and repair.......... 2,717 2,901 602 613
Operators, fabricators, and laborers..................... 11,295 11,309 429 452
Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......... 4,688 4,591 $443 $475
Transportation and material moving occupations......... 3,721 3,865 498 515
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.... 2,887 2,853 345 350
Farming, forestry, and fishing........................... 1,099 936 307 303
Women
Managerial and professional specialty.................... 13,602 14,231 630 647
Executive, administrative, and managerial.............. 6,095 6,642 597 620
Professional specialty................................. 7,507 7,589 663 671
Technical, sales, and administrative support............. 15,980 16,381 400 418
Technicians and related support........................ 1,652 1,663 496 512
Sales occupations...................................... 3,843 4,106 346 386
Administrative support, including clerical............. 10,485 10,612 398 414
Service occupations...................................... 4,896 5,172 279 290
Private household...................................... 341 367 214 211
Protective service..................................... 286 343 495 492
Service, except private household and protective....... 4,269 4,462 278 288
Precision production, craft, and repair.................. 940 971 366 404
Mechanics and repairers................................ 144 184 420 508
Construction trades.................................... 54 68 (1) (1)
Other precision production, craft, and repair.......... 742 719 $357 $385
Operators, fabricators, and laborers..................... 3,516 3,445 316 321
Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......... 2,568 2,466 311 323
Transportation and material moving occupations......... 247 363 392 325
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.... 701 616 312 308
Farming, forestry, and fishing........................... 195 193 240 297
1 Data not shown where base is less than 100,000.
Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and 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 1998 averages, not seasonally adjusted
Number Upper limit of:
of
Characteristic workers
(in First First Second Third Ninth
thousands) decile quartile quartile quartile decile
(median)
SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC ORIGIN
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 93,183 $255 $345 $521 $779 $1,142
Men..................................................... 52,791 278 386 596 882 1,259
Women................................................... 40,392 235 312 455 655 928
White................................................... 77,526 263 359 543 806 1,163
Men................................................... 44,840 285 401 611 904 1,291
Women................................................. 32,686 240 319 467 668 947
Black................................................... 11,383 230 297 418 624 894
Men................................................... 5,579 244 311 452 679 974
Women................................................. 5,803 218 283 395 588 790
Hispanic................................................ 10,183 212 268 364 557 793
Men................................................... 6,475 225 278 381 585 866
Women................................................. 3,707 196 250 330 504 702
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years and over................................ 83,513 272 373 563 819 1,169
Less than a high school diploma....................... 8,396 196 249 326 487 670
High school graduates, no college..................... 27,094 253 328 469 655 881
Some college or associate degree...................... 23,231 293 389 561 771 1,025
College graduates, total.............................. 24,793 412 577 802 1,161 1,700
Bachelor's degree only.............................. 16,494 384 524 737 1,077 1,529
Advanced degree..................................... 8,299 492 675 951 1,362 1,909
Men, 25 years and over................................ 47,230 294 418 629 921 1,313
Less than a high school diploma..................... 5,469 214 274 370 540 731
High school graduates, no college................... 15,347 286 385 543 751 971
Some college or associate degree.................... 12,616 320 453 639 878 1,156
College graduates, total............................ 13,798 454 633 930 1,341 1,903
Bachelor's degree only............................ 9,118 428 593 852 1,226 1,769
Advanced degree................................... 4,679 524 753 1,093 1,549 2,118
Women, 25 years and over.............................. 36,283 246 327 480 683 958
Less than a high school diploma..................... 2,926 180 221 280 369 499
High school graduates, no college................... 11,747 228 293 391 524 684
Some college or associate degree.................... 10,615 276 346 475 634 845
College graduates, total............................ 10,995 378 513 695 961 1,312
Bachelor's degree only............................ 7,376 $350 $484 $640 $879 $1,172
Advanced degree................................... 3,620 459 620 834 1,120 1,537
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.
Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and 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)
Age, race, and Hispanic origin
I I I I
1997 1998 1997 1998
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 21,302 21,705 $143 $152
Men, 16 years and over................................. 6,620 6,797 130 142
16 to 24 years....................................... 3,577 3,746 108 114
25 years and over.................................... 3,043 3,051 179 198
Women, 16 years and over............................... 14,682 14,908 148 155
16 to 24 years....................................... 4,456 4,845 107 111
25 years and over.................................... 10,226 10,062 172 184
RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX
White.................................................. 18,523 18,646 143 152
Men.................................................. 5,741 5,799 129 140
Women................................................ 12,782 12,847 149 157
Black.................................................. 2,023 2,165 138 147
Men.................................................. 586 659 132 149
Women................................................ 1,438 1,506 140 147
Hispanic origin........................................ 1,905 1,869 140 155
Men.................................................. 739 680 145 167
Women................................................ 1,166 1,190 137 150
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. Beginning in
January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in the household
survey.