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1 Technical information: Media contact: (202) 691-6378 http://www.bls.gov/cps/ 691-5902 USDL 02-224 For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT Wednesday, April 17, 2002 USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS: FIRST QUARTER 2002 Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 97.2 million full-time wage and salary workers were $614 in the first quarter of 2002, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This was 3.7 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 1.3 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period. Data on usual earnings are collected as part of the Current Population Survey, a nationwide sample survey of households in which respondents are asked, among other things, how much each wage and salary worker usually earns. (See the explanatory note.) Highlights from the first-quarter data are: —Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $535 per week, or 77.8 percent of the $688 median for men. The female-to-male earnings ratios were higher among blacks (91.8 percent) and Hispanics (85.1 percent) than among whites (77.5 percent). (See table 1.) —Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $538 per week, 76.0 percent of the median for white men ($708). The difference was much less among women, as black women’s median earnings ($494) were 90.0 percent of those for their white counterparts ($549). Overall, median earnings of Hispanics who worked full time ($421) were lower than those of blacks ($511) and whites ($629). (See table 1.) —Among men, the $810 median weekly earnings of 45- to 54-year-olds was the highest of any age group. Men age 55 to 64 had the second-highest earnings ($795). Among women, earnings also were highest for those 45 to 54 years old ($605) and second highest for 55- to 64-year-olds ($581). (See table 2.) —Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in managerial and professional specialty occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,053 for men and $760 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 $386, compared with $536 for high school graduates (no college) and $940 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 $2,716 or more per week, compared with $1,751 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 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 Number of workers (in thousands) Characteristic Median weekly earnings In current dollars In constant (1982) dollars I 2001 I 2002 Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 99,054 97,165 $592 $614 $325 $333 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 25 years and over ................................................................................ 55,382 6,195 49,187 54,188 5,640 48,548 668 384 718 688 410 734 367 211 394 373 222 398 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 25 years and over ................................................................................ 43,673 4,831 38,842 42,977 4,521 38,456 508 358 535 535 375 574 279 197 294 290 204 311 White ..................................................................................................... Men ...................................................................................................... Women ................................................................................................ 81,758 46,862 34,896 80,357 45,739 34,618 610 695 520 629 708 549 335 381 286 341 384 298 Black ...................................................................................................... Men ...................................................................................................... Women ................................................................................................ 12,527 5,899 6,628 12,101 5,820 6,281 477 505 440 511 538 494 262 277 241 277 291 268 Hispanic origin ....................................................................................... Men ...................................................................................................... Women ................................................................................................ 11,627 7,083 4,543 11,582 7,067 4,515 407 424 377 421 456 388 223 233 207 228 247 210 I 2001 I 2002 I 2001 I 2002 SEX AND AGE RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX 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, first quarter 2002 averages, not seasonally adjusted Total Age, race, and Hispanic origin Number of workers (in thousands) Men Median weekly earnings Number of workers (in thousands) Women Median weekly earnings Number of workers (in thousands) Median weekly earnings TOTAL 16 years and over ..................................................................................... 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 16 to 19 years ....................................................................................... 20 to 24 years ....................................................................................... 25 years and over ................................................................................... 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 25 to 34 years ..................................................................................... 35 to 44 years ..................................................................................... 45 to 54 years ..................................................................................... 55 years and over ................................................................................. 55 to 64 years ..................................................................................... 65 years and over ............................................................................... 97,165 10,160 1,605 8,555 87,004 75,161 23,583 28,021 23,557 11,843 10,337 1,506 $614 393 316 408 649 649 598 667 707 650 671 494 54,188 5,640 916 4,724 48,548 42,042 13,444 15,882 12,715 6,506 5,607 899 $688 410 331 425 734 730 635 759 810 770 795 524 42,977 4,521 689 3,832 38,456 33,119 10,139 12,139 10,842 5,337 4,730 607 $535 375 301 390 574 575 543 565 605 567 581 435 80,357 8,602 71,756 61,540 10,215 629 398 669 669 671 45,739 4,870 40,870 35,186 5,684 708 416 755 749 799 34,618 3,732 30,886 26,355 4,531 549 378 584 584 579 12,101 1,133 10,968 9,778 1,190 511 356 534 535 522 5,820 580 5,240 4,665 575 538 349 575 577 555 6,281 554 5,728 5,113 614 494 367 511 512 499 11,582 1,918 9,664 8,701 964 421 343 456 452 485 7,067 1,197 5,870 5,278 592 456 349 491 491 488 4,515 721 3,794 3,422 372 388 332 404 399 479 White 16 years and over ..................................................................................... 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 25 years and over ................................................................................... 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 55 years and over ................................................................................. Black 16 years and over ..................................................................................... 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 25 years and over ................................................................................... 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 55 years and over ................................................................................. Hispanic origin 16 years and over ..................................................................................... 16 to 24 years ......................................................................................... 25 years and over ................................................................................... 25 to 54 years ....................................................................................... 55 years and over ................................................................................. NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted Number of workers (in thousands) Median weekly earnings Occupation and sex I 2001 I 2002 I 2001 I 2002 31,990 15,754 16,236 28,412 3,715 10,239 14,458 11,025 380 2,101 8,544 12,120 4,143 4,405 3,572 14,312 6,220 4,108 3,984 1,196 32,099 15,823 16,276 27,277 3,506 9,745 14,026 11,196 302 2,314 8,580 11,407 3,994 4,228 3,185 13,872 5,608 4,376 3,888 1,315 $853 865 844 519 660 579 483 367 265 613 330 622 654 603 619 454 446 556 390 370 $887 901 875 550 691 603 502 378 267 665 347 644 679 623 627 486 485 574 400 359 16,179 8,331 7,848 10,708 1,905 5,617 3,186 5,420 23 1,755 3,642 11,016 3,921 4,324 2,771 11,022 4,030 3,731 3,261 1,036 15,843 8,263 7,580 10,400 1,717 5,426 3,257 5,474 14 1,881 3,579 10,479 3,781 4,154 2,544 10,932 3,776 4,046 3,111 1,059 1,029 1,059 1,009 681 796 725 583 429 (1) $639 366 643 661 605 684 491 504 576 405 376 1,053 1,091 1,021 691 851 727 580 442 (1) $721 372 656 683 623 671 516 532 585 411 370 15,811 7,423 8,387 17,704 1,810 4,622 11,272 5,605 357 346 4,902 1,104 222 81 801 3,290 2,190 377 723 159 16,255 7,559 8,696 16,877 1,788 4,320 10,769 5,722 288 433 5,000 928 213 74 640 2,939 1,832 330 777 256 731 710 745 469 556 423 464 319 269 483 317 466 556 1 ( ) $432 361 368 412 317 344 760 741 774 487 584 445 485 332 264 470 328 495 591 1 ( ) $454 388 393 440 363 314 TOTAL Managerial and professional specialty .................................................... Executive, administrative, and managerial ............................................ Professional specialty ............................................................................ Technical, sales, and administrative support ........................................... Technicians and related support ........................................................... Sales occupations ................................................................................. Administrative support, including clerical ............................................... Service occupations ................................................................................ Private household .................................................................................. Protective service .................................................................................. Service, except private household and protective ................................. Precision production, craft, and repair ..................................................... Mechanics and repairers ....................................................................... Construction trades ............................................................................... Other precision production, craft, and repair ......................................... Operators, fabricators, and laborers ........................................................ Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors ................................... Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ........................... Farming, forestry, and fishing .................................................................. Men Managerial and professional specialty .................................................... Executive, administrative, and managerial ............................................ Professional specialty ............................................................................ Technical, sales, and administrative support ........................................... Technicians and related support ........................................................... Sales occupations ................................................................................. Administrative support, including clerical ............................................... Service occupations ................................................................................ Private household .................................................................................. Protective service .................................................................................. Service, except private household and protective ................................. Precision production, craft, and repair ..................................................... Mechanics and repairers ....................................................................... Construction trades ............................................................................... Other precision production, craft, and repair ......................................... Operators, fabricators, and laborers ........................................................ Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors ................................... Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ........................... Farming, forestry, and fishing .................................................................. Women Managerial and professional specialty .................................................... Executive, administrative, and managerial ............................................ Professional specialty ............................................................................ Technical, sales, and administrative support ........................................... Technicians and related support ........................................................... Sales occupations ................................................................................. Administrative support, including clerical ............................................... Service occupations ................................................................................ Private household .................................................................................. Protective service .................................................................................. Service, except private household and protective ................................. Precision production, craft, and repair ..................................................... Mechanics and repairers ....................................................................... Construction trades ............................................................................... Other precision production, craft, and repair ......................................... Operators, fabricators, and laborers ........................................................ Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors ................................... Transportation and material moving occupations .................................. Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ........................... Farming, forestry, and fishing .................................................................. 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, first 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 ........................................................................... Men ......................................................................................................... Women ................................................................................................... 97,165 54,188 42,977 $295 319 275 $407 455 370 $614 688 535 $926 1,031 781 $1,377 1,559 1,115 White ...................................................................................................... Men ....................................................................................................... Women ................................................................................................. 80,357 45,739 34,618 300 326 278 417 474 378 629 708 549 948 1,063 793 1,425 1,589 1,133 Black ....................................................................................................... Men ....................................................................................................... Women ................................................................................................. 12,101 5,820 6,281 276 287 263 357 378 337 511 538 494 757 803 711 1,067 1,140 1,010 Hispanic .................................................................................................. Men ....................................................................................................... Women ................................................................................................. 11,582 7,067 4,515 244 263 224 307 322 286 421 456 388 631 685 576 916 978 775 Total, 25 years and over ......................................................................... Less than a high school diploma .......................................................... High school graduates, no college ....................................................... Some college or associate degree ....................................................... College graduates, total ........................................................................ Bachelor's degree only ....................................................................... Advanced degree ............................................................................... 87,004 8,081 26,478 24,549 27,896 18,329 9,567 308 234 291 326 483 454 573 433 291 386 447 663 622 752 649 386 536 633 940 879 1,065 969 524 756 897 1,401 1,284 1,593 1,443 733 1,020 1,200 1,975 1,852 2,315 Men, 25 years and over ........................................................................ Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ High school graduates, no college ..................................................... Some college or associate degree ..................................................... College graduates, total ...................................................................... Bachelor's degree only ..................................................................... Advanced degree ............................................................................. 48,548 5,203 15,083 12,936 15,326 10,019 5,307 342 255 321 370 549 519 610 493 319 438 509 752 724 849 734 418 617 723 1,103 1,018 1,253 1,096 594 857 999 1,632 1,510 1,878 1,625 798 1,143 1,350 2,319 2,086 2,716 Women, 25 years and over .................................................................. Less than a high school diploma ........................................................ High school graduates, no college ..................................................... Some college or associate degree ..................................................... College graduates, total ...................................................................... Bachelor's degree only ..................................................................... Advanced degree ............................................................................. 38,456 2,878 11,395 11,613 12,570 8,310 4,260 283 200 261 300 426 397 524 388 258 338 399 597 562 688 574 318 456 556 799 752 914 816 418 613 759 1,102 1,026 1,274 1,151 556 808 1,016 1,555 1,448 1,751 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT NOTE: Ten percent of all full-time wage and salary workers earn less than the upper limit of the first decile; 25 percent earn less than the upper limit of the first quartile; 50 percent earn less than the upper limit of the second quartile, or median; 75 percent earn less than the upper limit of the third quartile; and 90 percent earn less than the upper limit of the ninth decile. Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Table 5. Median usual weekly earnings of part-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted Number of workers (in thousands) Median weekly earnings Characteristic I 2001 I 2002 I 2001 I 2002 Total, 16 years and over ........................................................................... 21,431 21,658 $175 $179 Men, 16 years and over ......................................................................... 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 25 years and over ................................................................................ 6,799 3,696 3,103 6,957 3,731 3,226 163 129 221 170 143 219 Women, 16 years and over ................................................................... 16 to 24 years ...................................................................................... 25 years and over ................................................................................ 14,632 4,752 9,880 14,701 4,700 10,001 181 127 214 184 133 215 White ..................................................................................................... Men ...................................................................................................... Women ................................................................................................ 18,488 5,654 12,835 18,564 5,796 12,767 175 163 182 180 170 186 Black ...................................................................................................... Men ...................................................................................................... Women ................................................................................................ 1,959 737 1,222 2,061 754 1,306 170 151 181 168 168 168 Hispanic origin ....................................................................................... Men ...................................................................................................... Women ................................................................................................ 2,027 716 1,310 2,166 716 1,451 175 174 176 184 190 181 SEX AND AGE RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX 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.