Full text of Fourth Quarter 2003 : Text File, 04-46
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Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 04-46
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact: 691-5902 Friday, January 16, 2004
USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:
FOURTH QUARTER 2003
Median weekly earnings of the nation's 100.4 million full-time wage and
salary workers were $625 in the fourth quarter of 2003, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This was 2.0
percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 1.9 percent in
the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same
period.
Data on usual earnings are collected as part of the Current Population
Survey, a nationwide sample survey of households in which respondents are
asked, among other things, how much each wage and salary worker usually
earns. (See the Explanatory Note.) Highlights from the fourth-quarter
data are:
--Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $561 per
week, or 79.7 percent of the $704 median for men. The female-to-male
earnings ratios were higher among blacks (89.6 percent) and Hispanics
or Latinos (87.6 percent) than among whites (79.1 percent) or Asians
(73.9 percent). (See table 1.)
--Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $560 per
week, 76.9 percent of the median for white men ($728). The difference was
less among women, as black women's median earnings ($502) were 87.2 percent
of those for their white counterparts ($576). Overall, median earnings of
Hispanics or Latinos who worked full time ($441) were lower than those of
blacks ($522), whites ($646), and Asians ($680).
--Among men, those age 55 to 64 ($841) had the highest median weekly
earnings. Among women, earnings also were highest for those 55 to 64 years
old ($613). (See table 2.)
--Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in
managerial, professional, and related occupations had the highest median
weekly earnings--$1,072 for men and $766 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 $397, compared with $556 for high school graduates
(no college) and $967 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 $2,562 or more per week, compared with $1,749 or more for their female
counterparts. (See table 4.)
Annual Averages for 2002 and 2003
In addition to the data for the fourth quarter, this release includes
2002 and 2003 annual average weekly earnings for major demographic, occu-
pation, and education groups (tables 6, 7, and 8). Annual average data
on median usual earnings for men and women by detailed occupational
categories will appear in the January 2004 issue of Employment and
Earnings.
Explanatory Note
The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current
Population Survey (CPS), which provides the basic information on the labor
force, employment, and unemployment. The survey is conducted monthly for
the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau from a 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. This refers to persons who identified
themselves 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
IV IV
2002 2003
IV IV IV IV
2002 2003 2002 2003
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 99,575 100,407 $613 $625 $326 $327
Men, 16 years and over................................. 56,029 56,459 686 704 365 368
16 to 24 years....................................... 6,111 5,851 390 409 208 214
25 years and over.................................... 49,918 50,608 737 750 393 392
Women, 16 years and over............................... 43,545 43,948 542 561 289 293
16 to 24 years....................................... 4,483 4,408 384 372 204 194
25 years and over.................................... 39,062 39,540 576 588 306 307
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White(1)............................................... 81,782 81,815 630 646 335 338
Men.................................................. 47,043 46,976 710 728 378 380
Women................................................ 34,740 34,839 564 576 300 301
Black or African American(1)........................... 12,075 11,977 495 522 264 273
Men.................................................. 5,769 5,773 520 560 277 293
Women................................................ 6,307 6,204 469 502 250 262
Asian(1)............................................... 4,718 4,402 667 680 355 356
Men.................................................. 2,645 2,489 756 784 402 410
Women................................................ 2,073 1,913 570 579 303 303
Hispanic or Latino..................................... 13,227 13,454 435 441 232 230
Men.................................................. 8,443 8,737 457 468 243 245
Women................................................ 4,784 4,717 408 410 217 214
1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected more than one race group only are not
included. Prior to 2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they indentified as the
main race.
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 2003, 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, fourth quarter 2003 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......................................... 100,407 $625 56,459 $704 43,948 $561
16 to 24 years.......................................... 10,259 395 5,851 409 4,408 372
16 to 19 years........................................ 1,409 311 830 322 580 301
20 to 24 years........................................ 8,849 409 5,021 422 3,828 390
25 years and over....................................... 90,148 667 50,608 750 39,540 588
25 to 54 years........................................ 76,625 664 43,232 741 33,393 587
25 to 34 years...................................... 24,700 596 14,379 629 10,321 547
35 to 44 years...................................... 27,219 702 15,593 791 11,626 596
45 to 54 years...................................... 24,706 718 13,260 822 11,446 606
55 years and over..................................... 13,524 690 7,376 813 6,147 593
55 to 64 years...................................... 11,732 719 6,343 841 5,389 613
65 years and over................................... 1,792 515 1,034 609 758 460
White(1)
16 years and over......................................... 81,815 646 46,976 728 34,839 576
16 to 24 years.......................................... 8,423 403 4,854 418 3,569 380
25 years and over....................................... 73,392 689 42,122 770 31,270 598
25 to 54 years........................................ 61,886 686 35,787 760 26,099 599
55 years and over..................................... 11,506 708 6,335 843 5,171 593
Black or African American(1)
16 years and over......................................... 11,977 522 5,773 560 6,204 502
16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,250 352 645 365 605 344
25 years and over....................................... 10,727 560 5,128 595 5,599 517
25 to 54 years........................................ 9,404 549 4,480 588 4,925 513
55 years and over..................................... 1,323 607 648 618 675 584
Asian(1)
16 years and over......................................... 4,402 680 2,489 784 1,913 579
16 to 24 years.......................................... 239 411 132 429 107 366
25 years and over....................................... 4,162 700 2,357 836 1,806 585
25 to 54 years........................................ 3,659 699 2,056 853 1,602 582
55 years and over..................................... 504 702 301 737 203 642
Hispanic or Latino
16 years and over......................................... 13,454 $441 8,737 468 4,717 $410
16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,953 351 1,297 373 655 321
25 years and over....................................... 11,501 466 7,440 489 4,061 426
25 to 54 years........................................ 10,514 461 6,808 485 3,706 424
55 years and over..................................... 987 503 632 546 356 457
1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected more than one race group only are not
included. Prior to 2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they indentified as the
main race.
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 2003, 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
IV IV IV IV
2002 2003 2002 2003
TOTAL
Managerial, professional, and related occupations........ 35,650 35,874 $865 $894
Management, business, and financial operations
occupations........................................... 14,468 14,413 921 991
Professional and related occupations................... 21,181 21,461 837 848
Service occupations...................................... 12,828 12,826 405 409
Sales and office occupations............................. 24,527 25,213 533 549
Sales and related occupations.......................... 9,638 9,854 597 605
Office and administrative support occupations.......... 14,889 15,359 514 526
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations............................................. 11,082 11,510 594 610
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations............. 886 915 320 355
Construction and extraction occupations................ 6,100 6,062 583 613
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations...... 4,096 4,533 670 680
Production, transportation, and material moving
occupations............................................. 15,488 14,985 509 523
Production occupations................................. 8,675 8,514 511 522
Transportation and material moving occupations......... 6,813 6,471 506 523
Men
Managerial, professional, and related occupations........ 17,713 17,838 1,040 1,072
Management, business, and financial operations
occupations........................................... 7,963 8,058 1,130 1,170
Professional and related occupations................... 9,750 9,781 994 994
Service occupations...................................... 6,584 6,531 475 475
Sales and office occupations............................. 9,229 9,429 634 675
Sales and related occupations.......................... 5,429 5,483 727 749
Office and administrative support occupations.......... 3,800 3,946 528 599
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations............................................. 10,589 11,031 598 618
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations............. 723 765 342 370
Construction and extraction occupations................ 5,944 5,924 584 618
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations...... 3,921 4,342 675 686
Production, transportation, and material moving
occupations............................................. 11,915 11,630 555 576
Production occupations................................. 6,051 6,011 577 584
Transportation and material moving occupations......... 5,864 5,619 525 560
Women
Managerial, professional, and related occupations........ 17,936 18,036 735 766
Management, business, and financial operations
occupations........................................... 6,505 6,356 745 810
Professional and related occupations................... 11,431 11,680 730 752
Service occupations...................................... 6,244 6,295 359 372
Sales and office occupations............................. 15,298 15,783 501 504
Sales and related occupations.......................... 4,209 4,371 444 468
Office and administrative support occupations.......... 11,089 11,413 510 514
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations............................................. 494 479 455 402
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations............. 163 150 291 306
Construction and extraction occupations................ 156 138 524 499
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations...... 175 191 605 517
Production, transportation, and material moving
occupations............................................. 3,573 3,355 400 410
Production occupations................................. 2,624 2,503 401 417
Transportation and material moving occupations......... 949 852 398 385
NOTE: Occupations reflect the introduction of the 2002 Census occupational classification system derived from the
2000 Standard Occupational Classification system into the Current Population Survey. Beginning in January 2003, 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, fourth quarter 2003 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.................................. 100,407 $303 $416 $625 $956 $1,440
Men..................................................... 56,459 320 461 704 1,073 1,592
Women................................................... 43,948 288 386 561 818 1,169
White(1)................................................ 81,815 308 427 646 982 1,473
Men................................................... 46,976 328 479 728 1,111 1,653
Women................................................. 34,839 291 392 576 831 1,194
Black or African American(1)............................ 11,977 283 375 522 774 1,086
Men................................................... 5,773 292 388 560 817 1,153
Women................................................. 6,204 274 359 502 735 1,009
Asian(1)................................................ 4,402 307 421 680 1,132 1,669
Men................................................... 2,489 324 479 784 1,235 1,772
Women................................................. 1,913 291 390 579 911 1,401
Hispanic or Latino...................................... 13,454 263 315 441 653 944
Men................................................... 8,737 276 327 468 684 986
Women................................................. 4,717 247 300 410 601 857
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years and over................................ 90,148 318 449 667 999 1,487
Less than a high school diploma....................... 8,530 248 302 397 551 758
High school graduates, no college..................... 27,182 302 398 556 776 1,043
Some college or associate degree...................... 24,806 340 469 648 913 1,247
Bachelor's degree and higher.......................... 29,630 471 669 967 1,451 1,970
Bachelor's degree only.............................. 19,403 443 620 901 1,351 1,879
Advanced degree..................................... 10,227 535 763 1,124 1,639 2,288
Men, 25 years and over................................ 50,608 345 499 750 1,135 1,666
Less than a high school diploma..................... 5,765 274 320 423 611 841
High school graduates, no college................... 15,418 333 457 632 869 1,152
Some college or associate degree.................... 13,155 381 535 750 1,031 1,427
Bachelor's degree and higher........................ 16,271 503 758 1,138 1,657 2,303
Bachelor's degree only............................ 10,634 482 715 1,061 1,538 2,113
Advanced degree................................... 5,637 593 855 1,317 1,893 2,562
Women, 25 years and over.............................. 39,540 298 405 588 849 1,213
Less than a high school diploma..................... 2,765 227 278 331 446 593
High school graduates, no college................... 11,764 281 355 477 630 860
Some college or associate degree.................... 11,652 313 413 566 760 1,010
Bachelor's degree and higher........................ 13,359 442 606 834 1,163 1,582
Bachelor's degree only............................ 8,770 422 582 772 1,067 1,494
Advanced degree................................... 4,589 502 722 953 1,335 1,749
1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected more than one race group only are not
included. Prior to 2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they indentified as the
main race.
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 2003, 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
IV IV IV IV
2002 2003 2002 2003
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 22,028 22,455 $186 $189
Men, 16 years and over................................. 6,824 7,082 172 174
16 to 24 years....................................... 3,609 3,689 134 139
25 years and over.................................... 3,215 3,393 239 230
Women, 16 years and over............................... 15,204 15,373 193 197
16 to 24 years....................................... 4,700 4,697 136 135
25 years and over.................................... 10,504 10,675 229 233
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White(1)............................................... 18,833 19,014 187 190
Men.................................................. 5,765 5,957 171 173
Women................................................ 13,068 13,057 194 198
Black or African American(1)........................... 2,048 2,022 180 174
Men.................................................. 656 634 183 169
Women................................................ 1,392 1,387 178 177
Asian(1)............................................... 934 789 196 217
Men.................................................. 343 268 167 199
Women................................................ 591 521 216 220
Hispanic or Latino..................................... 2,347 2,618 189 197
Men.................................................. 800 918 199 206
Women................................................ 1,547 1,700 185 193
1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected more than one race group only are
not included. Prior to 2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they indentified
as the main race.
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 2003, data reflect revised
population controls used in the household survey.
Table 6. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, annual averages
Number of workers Median weekly earnings
(in thousands)
Characteristic In current dollars In constant (1982)
dollars
2002 2003
2002 2003 2002 2003
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 100,081 100,302 $608 $620 $326 $325
Men, 16 years and over.................................. 56,345 56,227 679 695 364 364
16 to 24 years......................................... 6,317 6,158 391 398 210 209
25 years and over...................................... 50,027 50,069 732 744 393 390
Women, 16 years and over................................ 43,737 44,076 529 552 284 290
16 to 24 years......................................... 4,804 4,632 367 371 197 195
25 years and over...................................... 38,933 39,444 568 584 305 306
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White (1)............................................... 82,324 81,916 623 636 334 334
Men................................................... 47,417 47,001 702 715 377 375
Women................................................. 34,908 34,916 547 567 294 298
Black (1)............................................... 12,109 11,887 498 514 267 269
Men................................................... 5,789 5,585 524 555 281 291
Women................................................. 6,319 6,301 473 491 254 257
Asian (1)............................................... 4,613 4,314 658 693 353 363
Men................................................... 2,556 2,442 756 772 405 405
Women................................................. 2,058 1,872 566 598 304 314
Hispanic or Latino...................................... 13,137 13,634 424 440 227 231
Men................................................... 8,272 8,677 451 464 242 243
Women................................................. 4,865 4,957 397 410 213 215
1 Beginning in 2003, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected more than one race group are not
included. Prior to 2003, persons who reported more than one race group were included in the group they identified as their
main race.
NOTE: Estimates for the 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 race. Data for 2002 have been revised to incorporate changes to the
class of worker status associated with the introduction of the 2002 Census industry and occupational classification systems
into the Current Population Survey. Beginning in January 2003, data reflect revised population controls used in the
household survey.
Table 7. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, annual averages
Number of workers Median weekly earnings
(in thousands)
Occupation and sex
2002 2003 2002 2003
TOTAL
Management, professional, and related occupations............. 35,441 35,680 $859 $887
Management, business, and financial operations occupations... 14,537 14,493 922 961
Professional and related occupations......................... 20,904 21,186 823 845
Service occupations........................................... 13,136 13,333 396 403
Sales and office occupations.................................. 24,983 25,108 527 545
Sales and related occupations................................ 9,772 9,924 592 598
Office and administrative support occupations................ 15,211 15,184 511 523
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.. 10,780 11,082 597 608
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................... 819 778 340 369
Construction and extraction occupations...................... 5,974 5,973 589 599
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............ 3,987 4,331 663 673
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations... 15,741 15,100 511 519
Production occupations....................................... 9,055 8,599 508 519
Transportation and material moving occupations............... 6,685 6,501 514 520
Men
Management, professional, and related occupations............. 17,779 17,718 1,019 1,059
Management, business, and financial operations occupations... 8,122 8,047 1,098 1,143
Professional and related occupations......................... 9,657 9,671 974 1,005
Service occupations........................................... 6,738 6,708 448 463
Sales and office occupations.................................. 9,398 9,456 647 658
Sales and related occupations................................ 5,514 5,557 730 731
Office and administrative support occupations................ 3,884 3,899 570 584
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.. 10,269 10,612 603 613
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................... 631 626 362 384
Construction and extraction occupations...................... 5,829 5,831 590 602
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............ 3,809 4,155 665 675
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations... 12,160 11,733 558 570
Production occupations....................................... 6,355 6,069 574 583
Transportation and material moving occupations............... 5,805 5,664 539 547
Women
Management, professional, and related occupations............. 17,662 17,962 735 758
Management, business, and financial operations occupations... 6,415 6,446 756 799
Professional and related occupations......................... 11,247 11,516 723 739
Service occupations........................................... 6,398 6,625 355 366
Sales and office occupations.................................. 15,584 15,652 488 502
Sales and related occupations................................ 4,257 4,367 430 452
Office and administrative support occupations................ 11,327 11,286 500 513
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.. 512 469 431 449
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................... 187 152 297 318
Construction and extraction occupations...................... 146 141 523 497
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............ 179 176 593 629
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations... 3,581 3,367 399 407
Production occupations....................................... 2,700 2,530 400 406
Transportation and material moving occupations............... 880 837 396 410
NOTE: Occupations reflect the introduction of the 2002 Census occupational classification system derived from the
2000 Standard Occupational Classification system into the Current Population Survey. Beginning in January 2003, data
reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
Table 8. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected
characteristics, 2003 annual averages
Number Upper limit of:
Educational attainment, of
sex, race, and Hispanic workers
or Latino ethnicity (in First First Second Third Ninth
thousands) decile quartile quartile quartile decile
(median)
TOTAL
Total, 25 years and over.......................... 89,513 $318 $447 $662 $994 $1,470
Less than a high school diploma................. 8,594 243 302 396 535 753
High school graduates, no college............... 27,082 301 399 554 772 1,049
Some college or associate degree................ 24,610 339 462 639 907 1,235
College graduates, total........................ 29,226 477 671 964 1,430 1,976
Bachelor's degree only........................ 19,217 447 624 900 1,330 1,879
Advanced degree............................... 10,009 578 772 1,126 1,621 2,278
Men
Total, 25 years and over.......................... 50,069 352 498 744 1,131 1,655
Less than a high school diploma................. 5,755 269 324 429 599 827
High school graduates, no college............... 15,272 339 458 628 875 1,163
Some college or associate degree................ 12,891 385 524 740 1,023 1,406
College graduates, total........................ 16,151 516 755 1,131 1,636 2,293
Bachelor's degree only........................ 10,596 492 709 1,044 1,525 2,090
Advanced degree............................... 5,555 609 875 1,315 1,881 2,548
Women
Total, 25 years and over.......................... 39,444 295 400 584 843 1,195
Less than a high school diploma................. 2,839 217 273 329 430 575
High school graduates, no college............... 11,810 277 351 474 631 847
Some college or associate degree................ 11,719 310 409 560 759 1,012
College graduates, total........................ 13,075 439 608 832 1,157 1,580
Bachelor's degree only........................ 8,621 412 578 767 1,061 1,472
Advanced degree............................... 4,454 526 719 953 1,324 1,800
White, total
Total, 25 years and over.......................... 72,994 325 463 683 1,020 1,515
Less than a high school diploma................. 6,972 247 304 401 547 767
High school graduates, no college............... 22,054 307 409 576 794 1,079
Some college or associate degree................ 19,898 349 478 659 934 1,267
College graduates, total........................ 24,069 490 689 988 1,463 2,030
Bachelor's degree only........................ 15,794 463 641 925 1,365 1,904
Advanced degree............................... 8,275 588 792 1,139 1,647 2,299
White men
Total, 25 years and over.......................... 41,811 363 511 766 1,153 1,727
Less than a high school diploma................. 4,853 272 325 432 601 833
High school graduates, no college............... 12,648 351 478 652 898 1,185
Some college or associate degree................ 10,699 397 547 761 1,054 1,434
College graduates, total........................ 13,612 544 781 1,151 1,676 2,320
Bachelor's degree only........................ 9,004 511 737 1,081 1,558 2,181
Advanced degree............................... 4,608 626 905 1,339 1,892 2,680
White women
Total, 25 years and over.......................... 31,183 299 408 595 855 1,221
Less than a high school diploma................. 2,120 224 275 331 435 578
High school graduates, no college............... 9,407 281 359 484 646 856
Some college or associate degree................ 9,200 316 415 573 771 1,032
College graduates, total........................ 10,457 450 616 839 1,167 1,622
Bachelor's degree only........................ 6,790 417 584 771 1,072 1,495
Advanced degree............................... 3,667 550 728 964 1,338 1,827
Black or African American, total
Total, 25 years and over.......................... 10,664 290 386 542 786 1,112
Less than a high school diploma................. 1,061 219 287 376 509 714
High school graduates, no college............... 3,719 280 357 476 652 901
Some college or associate degree................ 3,383 304 402 551 759 1,010
College graduates, total........................ 2,502 407 584 793 1,133 1,490
Bachelor's degree only........................ 1,808 393 553 762 1,054 1,413
Advanced degree............................... 693 471 665 887 1,271 1,722
Black or African American men
Total, 25 years and over.......................... 4,979 310 410 588 830 1,171
Less than a high school diploma................. 565 250 316 421 606 809
High school graduates, no college............... 1,868 305 393 519 723 988
Some college or associate degree................ 1,497 322 434 609 852 1,133
College graduates, total........................ 1,049 402 587 790 1,171 1,549
Bachelor's degree only........................ 771 396 568 774 1,114 1,444
Advanced degree............................... 278 442 643 863 1,381 1,889
Black or African American women
Total, 25 years and over.......................... 5,685 277 364 508 749 1,037
Less than a high school diploma................. 496 198 260 324 423 597
High school graduates, no college............... 1,851 259 326 434 582 797
Some college or associate degree................ 1,886 293 384 510 685 907
College graduates, total........................ 1,453 412 582 797 1,091 1,451
Bachelor's degree only........................ 1,037 390 545 756 1,022 1,384
Advanced degree............................... 416 482 686 893 1,230 1,604
Asian, total
Total, 25 years and over.......................... 3,984 314 460 723 1,142 1,729
Less than a high school diploma................. 325 226 289 369 490 611
High school graduates, no college............... 741 283 362 491 696 993
Some college or associate degree................ 671 324 442 624 891 1,204
College graduates, total........................ 2,247 425 635 954 1,429 1,912
Bachelor's degree only........................ 1,325 395 585 847 1,221 1,732
Advanced degree............................... 922 524 757 1,153 1,726 2,280
Hispanic or Latino, total
Total, 25 years and over.......................... 11,532 270 333 473 700 1,018
Less than a high school diploma................. 4,127 238 293 371 487 649
High school graduates, no college............... 3,410 280 352 485 676 907
Some college or associate degree................ 2,351 303 404 576 800 1,084
College graduates, total........................ 1,644 354 535 799 1,162 1,739
Bachelor's degree only........................ 1,190 335 502 747 1,078 1,575
Advanced degree............................... 454 437 652 949 1,426 1,905
Hispanic or Latino men
Total, 25 years and over.......................... 7,292 283 355 493 730 1,083
Less than a high school diploma................. 2,975 254 306 393 510 693
High school graduates, no college............... 2,106 298 386 522 735 987
Some college or associate degree................ 1,302 324 447 623 875 1,173
College graduates, total........................ 909 364 571 879 1,351 1,906
Bachelor's degree only........................ 643 342 515 810 1,230 1,863
Advanced degree............................... 265 459 694 1,090 1,544 2,260
Hispanic or Latino women
Total, 25 years and over.......................... 4,240 247 309 425 638 918
Less than a high school diploma................. 1,152 216 265 314 399 514
High school graduates, no college............... 1,304 248 311 415 584 781
Some college or associate degree................ 1,049 287 374 509 706 957
College graduates, total........................ 735 341 513 737 1,018 1,419
Bachelor's degree only........................ 546 326 492 694 959 1,381
Advanced degree............................... 189 398 616 833 1,145 1,663
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 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
race. Beginning in January 2003, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.