Full text of First Quarter 2005 : Text File, 05-689
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Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 05-689
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact: 691-5902 Thursday, April 21, 2005
USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS: FIRST QUARTER 2005
Median weekly earnings of the nation's 100.9 million full-time wage and
salary workers were $653 in the first quarter of 2005, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This was 3.0
percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 3.0 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 $586 per
week, or 80.4 percent of the $729 median for men. The female-to-male
earnings ratios were higher among Hispanics or Latinos (88.7 percent)
and blacks (88.6 percent) than among Asians (84.0 percent) or whites
(79.8 percent). (See table 1.)
--Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $555 per
week, 73.9 percent of the median for white men ($751). The difference was
less among women, as black women's median earnings ($492) were 82.1 percent
of those for their white counterparts ($599). Overall, median earnings of
Hispanics or Latinos who worked full time ($470) were lower than those of
blacks ($513), whites ($677), and Asians ($738). (See table 1.)
--Among men, the highest median weekly earnings were for those age 55
to 64 and age 45 to 54, $877 and $853, respectively. Among women, earnings
were highest for 45- to 54-year olds ($657). (See table 2.)
--Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in
managerial, professional, and related occupations had the highest median
weekly earnings--$1,127 for men and $804 for women. Men and women in
service jobs earned the least. (See table 3.)
--Full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma had
median weekly earnings of $404, compared with $579 for high school graduates
(no college) and $1,013 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 $2,896 or more per week, compared with $1,902 or more for their female
counterparts. (See table 4.)
- 2 -
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.
- 3 -
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 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
2004 2005
I I I I
2004 2005 2004 2005
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 99,720 100,884 $634 $653 $328 $328
Men, 16 years and over................................. 55,888 56,719 711 729 368 367
16 to 24 years....................................... 5,762 5,904 410 401 212 201
25 years and over.................................... 50,126 50,815 757 775 392 390
Women, 16 years and over............................... 43,832 44,165 567 586 294 295
16 to 24 years....................................... 4,342 4,331 387 380 200 191
25 years and over.................................... 39,490 39,834 592 610 307 307
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White.................................................. 81,271 82,155 652 677 338 340
Men.................................................. 46,562 47,364 729 751 378 378
Women................................................ 34,709 34,790 580 599 300 301
Black or African American.............................. 11,796 12,023 521 513 270 258
Men.................................................. 5,585 5,722 567 555 293 279
Women................................................ 6,211 6,301 498 492 258 247
Asian.................................................. 4,440 4,425 712 738 369 371
Men.................................................. 2,489 2,403 790 798 409 401
Women................................................ 1,951 2,022 615 670 318 337
Hispanic or Latino..................................... 13,648 14,040 450 470 233 236
Men.................................................. 8,678 9,021 478 488 248 245
Women................................................ 4,970 5,019 417 433 216 218
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 2005, 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 2005 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......................................... 100,884 $653 56,719 $729 44,165 $586
16 to 24 years.......................................... 10,235 392 5,904 401 4,331 380
16 to 19 years........................................ 1,279 311 771 313 507 307
20 to 24 years........................................ 8,956 403 5,132 411 3,824 392
25 years and over....................................... 90,649 696 50,815 775 39,834 610
25 to 54 years........................................ 76,404 691 43,061 765 33,344 610
25 to 34 years...................................... 24,515 610 14,264 658 10,250 556
35 to 44 years...................................... 26,509 725 15,193 828 11,315 617
45 to 54 years...................................... 25,381 751 13,603 853 11,778 657
55 years and over..................................... 14,245 730 7,755 851 6,490 609
55 to 64 years...................................... 12,423 746 6,687 877 5,735 622
65 years and over................................... 1,822 553 1,067 655 755 481
White
16 years and over......................................... 82,155 677 47,364 751 34,790 599
16 to 24 years.......................................... 8,340 399 4,948 409 3,391 384
25 years and over....................................... 73,815 723 42,416 805 31,399 623
25 to 54 years........................................ 61,767 716 35,762 790 26,005 624
55 years and over..................................... 12,048 751 6,654 884 5,394 619
Black or African American
16 years and over......................................... 12,023 513 5,722 555 6,301 492
16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,253 338 597 322 655 348
25 years and over....................................... 10,770 540 5,124 591 5,646 506
25 to 54 years........................................ 9,381 539 4,472 594 4,909 503
55 years and over..................................... 1,389 548 652 556 737 542
Asian
16 years and over......................................... 4,425 738 2,403 798 2,022 670
16 to 24 years.......................................... 290 411 168 405 121 419
25 years and over....................................... 4,135 775 2,235 853 1,900 694
25 to 54 years........................................ 3,548 784 1,900 876 1,648 715
55 years and over..................................... 587 743 335 810 252 532
Hispanic or Latino
16 years and over......................................... 14,040 $470 9,021 488 5,019 433
16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,997 337 1,377 332 620 349
25 years and over....................................... 12,043 498 7,644 515 4,398 454
25 to 54 years........................................ 10,899 499 6,959 515 3,940 456
55 years and over..................................... 1,144 485 686 517 458 437
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 2005, 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
2004 2005 2004 2005
TOTAL
Managerial, professional, and related occupations.............. 36,362 36,935 $914 $937
Management, business, and financial operations occupations... 15,047 15,034 982 1,016
Professional and related occupations......................... 21,315 21,901 865 895
Service occupations............................................ 12,985 13,467 410 416
Sales and office occupations................................... 24,705 24,142 555 570
Sales and related occupations................................ 9,978 9,304 605 623
Office and administrative support occupations................ 14,726 14,838 532 543
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations... 10,617 11,218 629 634
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................... 637 690 327 370
Construction and extraction occupations...................... 5,641 6,164 608 615
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............ 4,340 4,365 713 712
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations.... 15,052 15,122 519 543
Production occupations....................................... 8,588 8,475 522 539
Transportation and material moving occupations............... 6,465 6,646 515 550
Men
Managerial, professional, and related occupations.............. 18,013 18,403 1,099 1,127
Management, business, and financial operations occupations... 8,277 8,086 1,168 1,234
Professional and related occupations......................... 9,736 10,317 1,037 1,048
Service occupations............................................ 6,510 6,846 476 477
Sales and office occupations................................... 9,380 8,865 656 691
Sales and related occupations................................ 5,620 5,140 741 772
Office and administrative support occupations................ 3,759 3,726 566 598
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations... 10,240 10,745 635 639
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................... 505 562 345 387
Construction and extraction occupations...................... 5,543 6,028 608 616
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............ 4,192 4,155 712 713
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations.... 11,745 11,860 575 592
Production occupations....................................... 6,118 6,046 594 606
Transportation and material moving occupations............... 5,627 5,814 538 579
Women
Managerial, professional, and related occupations.............. 18,349 18,532 767 804
Management, business, and financial operations occupations... 6,769 6,948 809 838
Professional and related occupations......................... 11,579 11,584 750 784
Service occupations............................................ 6,475 6,620 375 381
Sales and office occupations................................... 15,325 15,277 515 519
Sales and related occupations................................ 4,358 4,164 476 487
Office and administrative support occupations................ 10,967 11,113 523 527
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations... 377 473 460 505
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................... 132 128 306 326
Construction and extraction occupations...................... 98 136 (1) 592
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............ 147 210 724 680
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations.... 3,308 3,262 404 432
Production occupations....................................... 2,469 2,430 400 433
Transportation and material moving occupations............... 838 832 413 429
1 Data not shown where base is less than 100,000.
NOTE: Beginning in January 2005, 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 2005 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.................................. 100,884 $312 $433 $653 $999 $1,509
Men..................................................... 56,719 331 478 729 1,130 1,692
Women................................................... 44,165 294 400 586 856 1,244
White................................................... 82,155 319 452 677 1,028 1,542
Men................................................... 47,364 341 492 751 1,154 1,735
Women................................................. 34,790 300 411 599 871 1,257
Black or African American............................... 12,023 284 367 513 764 1,127
Men................................................... 5,722 293 386 555 854 1,208
Women................................................. 6,301 276 351 492 714 996
Asian................................................... 4,425 330 474 738 1,160 1,753
Men................................................... 2,403 364 499 798 1,310 1,884
Women................................................. 2,022 308 422 670 1,046 1,544
Hispanic or Latino...................................... 14,040 277 332 470 695 1,033
Men................................................... 9,021 283 345 488 732 1,079
Women................................................. 5,019 262 315 433 639 927
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years and over................................ 90,649 333 473 696 1,050 1,558
Less than a high school diploma....................... 8,427 257 309 404 578 789
High school graduates, no college(1).................. 26,777 311 412 579 799 1,084
Some college or associate degree...................... 25,074 357 484 667 956 1,319
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)....................... 30,372 496 704 1,013 1,529 2,099
Bachelor's degree only.............................. 19,587 470 643 931 1,395 1,908
Advanced degree..................................... 10,785 602 840 1,176 1,744 2,476
Men, 25 years and over................................ 50,815 367 512 775 1,173 1,756
Less than a high school diploma..................... 5,640 281 334 449 641 886
High school graduates, no college(1)................ 15,388 350 475 644 913 1,198
Some college or associate degree.................... 13,219 398 540 769 1,088 1,447
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)..................... 16,569 560 792 1,171 1,755 2,407
Bachelor's degree only............................ 10,653 511 734 1,081 1,617 2,205
Advanced degree................................... 5,916 675 937 1,401 1,918 2,896
Women, 25 years and over.............................. 39,834 307 421 610 890 1,278
Less than a high school diploma..................... 2,786 228 279 341 430 597
High school graduates, no college(1)................ 11,389 286 369 496 667 857
Some college or associate degree.................... 11,855 326 434 587 791 1,084
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)..................... 13,804 465 628 877 1,235 1,721
Bachelor's degree only............................ 8,934 439 587 798 1,144 1,556
Advanced degree................................... 4,870 563 752 1,003 1,403 1,902
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 2005,
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
2004 2005 2004 2005
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 22,127 22,398 $192 $197
Men, 16 years and over................................. 7,057 6,951 180 188
16 to 24 years....................................... 3,624 3,404 140 146
25 years and over.................................... 3,433 3,547 240 248
Women, 16 years and over............................... 15,071 15,447 198 201
16 to 24 years....................................... 4,614 4,707 136 138
25 years and over.................................... 10,457 10,740 232 242
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White.................................................. 18,665 19,040 194 197
Men.................................................. 5,813 5,851 179 188
Women................................................ 12,852 13,190 200 202
Black or African American.............................. 2,098 1,948 191 186
Men.................................................. 721 609 200 188
Women................................................ 1,377 1,340 189 184
Asian.................................................. 856 815 168 220
Men.................................................. 342 276 161 211
Women................................................ 514 539 175 223
Hispanic or Latino..................................... 2,338 2,497 195 193
Men.................................................. 825 953 203 200
Women................................................ 1,513 1,544 190 188
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 2005, data reflect revised
population controls used in the household survey.