Full text of Second Quarter 2001 : Text File, 01-228
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Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 01-228
http://www.bls.gov/cpshome.htm
For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact: 691-5902 Thursday, July 19, 2001
USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:
SECOND QUARTER 2001
Median weekly earnings of the nation's 99.9 million full-time wage and
salary workers were $595 in the second quarter of 2001, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This was 5.1
percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 3.4 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 second-quarter
data are:
--Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $514 per
week, or 77.1 percent of the $667 median for men. The female-to-male
earnings ratios were higher among Hispanics (86.1 percent) and blacks (85.7
percent) than among whites (76.0 percent). (See table 1.)
--Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $537 per
week, 78.2 percent of the median for white men ($687). The difference was
much less among women, as black women's median earnings ($460) were 88.1
percent of those for their white counterparts ($522). Overall, median
earnings of Hispanics who worked full time ($417) were lower than those of
blacks ($495) and whites ($609). (See table 1.)
--Among men, the $802 median weekly earnings level of 45- to 54-year-olds
was the highest of any age group. Among women, earnings also were highest
for those 45 to 54 years old ($595). (See table 2.)
--Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in
managerial and professional specialty occupations had the highest median
weekly earnings--$1,017 for men and $728 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 $384, compared with $521 for high school
graduates (no college) and $919 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 $2,391 or more
per week, compared with $1,731 or more for their female counterparts. (See
table 4.)
Explanatory Note
The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current
Population Survey (CPS), which provides the basic information on the labor
force, employment, and unemployment. The survey is conducted monthly for
the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau from a scienti-
fically selected national sample of about 50,000 households, with coverage
in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The earnings data are
collected from one-quarter of the CPS monthly sample and are limited to
wages and salaries. The data, therefore, exclude self-employment income.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; 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 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).
- 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 origin. Refers to persons who are of Mexican, Puerto Rican,
Cuban, Central or South American, or other Hispanic origin or descent.
Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race; hence, they are included in
the numbers for the white and black populations.
Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages,
not seasonally adjusted
Number of workers Median weekly earnings
(in thousands)
Characteristic In current dollars In constant (1982)
dollars
II II
2000 2001
II II II II
2000 2001 2000 2001
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 100,220 99,917 $566 $595 $318 $323
Men, 16 years and over................................. 56,472 55,896 640 667 360 363
16 to 24 years....................................... 6,852 6,385 371 394 209 214
25 years and over.................................... 49,620 49,511 694 716 390 389
Women, 16 years and over............................... 43,748 44,021 485 514 273 280
16 to 24 years....................................... 5,167 5,240 333 348 187 189
25 years and over.................................... 38,581 38,781 508 547 285 297
RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX
White.................................................. 82,937 82,348 584 609 328 331
Men.................................................. 47,939 47,292 660 687 371 374
Women................................................ 34,997 35,056 494 522 278 284
Black.................................................. 12,603 12,635 467 495 263 269
Men.................................................. 5,950 5,887 514 537 289 292
Women................................................ 6,652 6,747 416 460 234 250
Hispanic origin........................................ 11,932 12,012 388 417 218 227
Men.................................................. 7,427 7,375 409 445 230 242
Women................................................ 4,505 4,637 349 383 196 208
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,
second quarter 2001 averages, not seasonally adjusted
Total Men Women
Age, race, and Hispanic origin Number Number Number
of Median of Median of Median
workers weekly workers weekly workers weekly
(in earnings (in earnings (in earnings
thousands) thousands) thousands)
TOTAL
16 years and over......................................... 99,917 $595 55,896 $667 44,021 $514
16 to 24 years.......................................... 11,625 375 6,385 394 5,240 348
16 to 19 years........................................ 2,119 298 1,209 316 910 283
20 to 24 years........................................ 9,506 395 5,175 413 4,330 371
25 years and over....................................... 88,293 627 49,511 716 38,781 547
25 to 54 years........................................ 77,074 629 43,220 714 33,853 552
25 to 34 years...................................... 24,697 572 14,087 611 10,609 515
35 to 44 years...................................... 28,668 652 16,342 747 12,326 550
45 to 54 years...................................... 23,709 696 12,791 802 10,918 595
55 years and over..................................... 11,219 612 6,291 729 4,928 515
55 to 64 years...................................... 9,825 620 5,447 749 4,377 523
65 years and over................................... 1,394 513 843 624 551 397
White
16 years and over......................................... 82,348 609 47,292 687 35,056 522
16 to 24 years.......................................... 9,728 378 5,521 395 4,207 353
25 years and over....................................... 72,620 650 41,771 735 30,849 563
25 to 54 years........................................ 62,996 654 36,293 734 26,702 572
55 years and over..................................... 9,624 623 5,478 754 4,147 517
Black
16 years and over......................................... 12,635 495 5,887 537 6,747 460
16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,428 333 608 381 820 312
25 years and over....................................... 11,206 517 5,279 572 5,927 486
25 to 54 years........................................ 10,063 517 4,727 577 5,336 486
55 years and over..................................... 1,143 509 552 529 591 491
Hispanic origin
16 years and over......................................... 12,012 417 7,375 445 4,637 383
16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,946 313 1,256 317 690 306
25 years and over....................................... 10,066 452 6,119 485 3,947 402
25 to 54 years........................................ 9,114 452 5,523 484 3,591 405
55 years and over..................................... 953 449 596 497 357 373
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 Median weekly earnings
(in thousands)
Occupation and sex
II II II II
2000 2001 2000 2001
TOTAL
Managerial and professional specialty.................... 30,856 32,209 $828 $846
Executive, administrative, and managerial.............. 15,274 15,891 835 846
Professional specialty................................. 15,582 16,318 821 845
Technical, sales, and administrative support............. 28,554 28,116 504 523
Technicians and related support........................ 3,652 3,673 641 659
Sales occupations...................................... 10,254 10,212 532 576
Administrative support, including clerical............. 14,648 14,231 474 489
Service occupations...................................... 11,446 10,951 349 379
Private household...................................... 447 328 264 245
Protective service..................................... 2,180 2,231 605 618
Service, except private household and protective....... 8,819 8,393 324 348
Precision production, craft, and repair.................. 12,145 12,027 607 620
Mechanics and repairers................................ 4,254 4,189 641 642
Construction trades.................................... 4,421 4,334 588 606
Other precision production, craft, and repair.......... 3,471 3,504 585 620
Operators, fabricators, and laborers..................... 15,611 14,983 454 476
Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......... 7,019 6,341 446 464
Transportation and material moving occupations......... 4,447 4,631 540 583
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.... 4,145 4,011 385 396
Farming, forestry, and fishing........................... 1,609 1,631 325 346
Men
Managerial and professional specialty.................... 15,658 16,174 999 1,017
Executive, administrative, and managerial.............. 8,293 8,334 995 1,009
Professional specialty................................. 7,365 7,840 1,001 1,025
Technical, sales, and administrative support............. 10,874 10,502 653 665
Technicians and related support........................ 1,829 1,853 754 750
Sales occupations...................................... 5,724 5,616 683 704
Administrative support, including clerical............. 3,322 3,032 552 574
Service occupations...................................... 5,475 5,200 405 437
Private household...................................... 28 10 (1) (1)
Protective service..................................... 1,845 1,834 636 655
Service, except private household and protective....... 3,602 3,355 351 374
Precision production, craft, and repair.................. 10,991 11,111 622 636
Mechanics and repairers................................ 4,001 4,043 645 650
Construction trades.................................... 4,339 4,229 590 608
Other precision production, craft, and repair.......... 2,651 2,839 649 677
Operators, fabricators, and laborers..................... 12,111 11,586 492 505
Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......... 4,611 4,093 498 518
Transportation and material moving occupations......... 4,122 4,306 555 595
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.... 3,378 3,188 401 405
Farming, forestry, and fishing........................... 1,363 1,323 342 357
Women
Managerial and professional specialty.................... 15,198 16,035 697 728
Executive, administrative, and managerial.............. 6,980 7,557 684 700
Professional specialty................................. 8,217 8,478 708 745
Technical, sales, and administrative support............. 17,679 17,614 451 478
Technicians and related support........................ 1,823 1,820 539 586
Sales occupations...................................... 4,530 4,595 379 434
Administrative support, including clerical............. 11,326 11,199 455 475
Service occupations...................................... 5,971 5,751 313 332
Private household...................................... 419 317 263 246
Protective service..................................... 334 396 470 517
Service, except private household and protective....... 5,218 5,038 311 327
Precision production, craft, and repair.................. 1,154 915 439 477
Mechanics and repairers................................ 253 146 588 528
Construction trades.................................... 81 105 (1) 536
Other precision production, craft, and repair.......... 820 665 409 447
Operators, fabricators, and laborers..................... 3,500 3,397 353 366
Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......... 2,408 2,249 353 364
Transportation and material moving occupations......... 325 325 421 458
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.... 767 823 329 354
Farming, forestry, and fishing........................... 245 309 288 312
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, second quarter 2001 averages, not seasonally adjusted
Number Upper limit of:
of
Characteristic workers
(in First First Second Third Ninth
thousands) decile quartile quartile quartile decile
(median)
SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC ORIGIN
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 99,917 $288 $396 $595 $893 $1,336
Men..................................................... 55,896 312 437 667 1,009 1,501
Women................................................... 44,021 267 356 514 745 1,063
White................................................... 82,348 293 405 609 919 1,370
Men................................................... 47,292 316 450 687 1,032 1,534
Women................................................. 35,056 272 366 522 761 1,104
Black................................................... 12,635 263 342 495 702 976
Men................................................... 5,887 287 382 537 768 1,101
Women................................................. 6,747 247 315 460 636 868
Hispanic................................................ 12,012 243 301 417 623 948
Men................................................... 7,375 254 314 445 661 1,021
Women................................................. 4,637 232 283 383 576 823
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years and over................................ 88,293 305 424 627 939 1,386
Less than a high school diploma....................... 8,657 235 292 384 529 719
High school graduates, no college..................... 27,660 287 380 521 739 1,008
Some college or associate degree...................... 24,504 329 441 619 858 1,173
College graduates, total.............................. 27,472 471 643 919 1,360 1,892
Bachelor's degree only.............................. 18,494 442 602 854 1,246 1,765
Advanced degree..................................... 8,979 569 747 1,067 1,529 2,120
Men, 25 years and over................................ 49,511 339 483 716 1,064 1,559
Less than a high school diploma..................... 5,567 256 317 424 586 795
High school graduates, no college................... 15,479 320 433 610 855 1,128
Some college or associate degree.................... 13,008 376 505 720 985 1,356
College graduates, total............................ 15,457 499 724 1,061 1,541 2,114
Bachelor's degree only............................ 10,370 479 679 971 1,444 1,923
Advanced degree................................... 5,088 597 833 1,211 1,732 2,391
Women, 25 years and over.............................. 38,781 281 381 547 773 1,117
Less than a high school diploma..................... 3,090 212 261 318 421 558
High school graduates, no college................... 12,181 259 330 446 600 790
Some college or associate degree.................... 11,496 296 397 534 709 940
College graduates, total............................ 12,015 433 590 782 1,104 1,480
Bachelor's degree only............................ 8,124 407 550 738 1,013 1,382
Advanced degree................................... 3,891 534 697 916 1,256 1,731
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 Median weekly earnings
(in thousands)
Characteristic
II II II II
2000 2001 2000 2001
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 20,538 20,956 $171 $176
Men, 16 years and over................................. 6,458 6,953 158 160
16 to 24 years....................................... 3,718 3,805 132 135
25 years and over.................................... 2,741 3,147 205 215
Women, 16 years and over............................... 14,080 14,003 178 186
16 to 24 years....................................... 4,549 4,441 136 134
25 years and over.................................... 9,531 9,562 210 220
RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX
White.................................................. 17,709 18,167 172 178
Men.................................................. 5,414 5,855 159 161
Women................................................ 12,295 12,312 179 188
Black.................................................. 1,911 1,924 161 162
Men.................................................. 703 694 146 146
Women................................................ 1,208 1,230 168 170
Hispanic origin........................................ 1,879 1,876 166 178
Men.................................................. 644 765 172 180
Women................................................ 1,235 1,111 163 177
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.