Full text of Third Quarter 2005 : Text File, 05-1977
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Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 05-1977
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact: 691-5902 Thursday, October 20, 2005
USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:
THIRD QUARTER 2005
Median weekly earnings of the nation's 105.4 million full-time wage and
salary workers were $649 in the third quarter of 2005, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This was 2.7
percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 3.8 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 third-quarter
data are:
--Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $585 per
week, or 81.7 percent of the $716 median for men. The female-to-male
earnings ratios were higher among blacks (95.5 percent) and Hispanics
or Latinos (86.5 percent) than among whites (80.6 percent) or Asians
(79.0 percent). (See table 1.)
--Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $533 per
week, 72.3 percent of the median for white men ($737). The difference was
less among women, as black women's median earnings ($509) were 85.7 percent
of those for their white counterparts ($594). Overall, median earnings of
Hispanics or Latinos who worked full time ($462) were lower than those of
blacks ($520), whites ($667), and Asians ($761). (See table 1.)
--Among men, those age 55 to 64 and age 45 to 54 had the highest median
weekly earnings, $858 and $848, respectively. Among women, earnings were
highest for 45- to 54-year-olds and 55- to 64-year-olds, $640 and $639,
respectively. (See table 2.)
--Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in
management, professional, and related occupations had the highest median
weekly earnings--$1,103 for men and $812 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 $413, compared with $583 for high school graduates
(no college) and $1,014 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 $2,729 or more per week, compared with $1,858 or more for their female
counterparts. (See table 4.)
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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
III III
2004 2005
III III III III
2004 2005 2004 2005
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 102,325 105,428 $632 $649 $322 $318
Men, 16 years and over................................. 57,898 59,778 704 716 358 351
16 to 24 years....................................... 6,865 7,017 400 407 204 200
25 years and over.................................... 51,033 52,761 759 768 386 377
Women, 16 years and over............................... 44,427 45,649 571 585 291 287
16 to 24 years....................................... 5,083 5,022 371 379 189 186
25 years and over.................................... 39,344 40,627 602 615 306 301
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White.................................................. 83,367 85,558 651 667 331 327
Men.................................................. 48,172 49,557 721 737 367 361
Women................................................ 35,195 36,001 583 594 297 291
Black or African American.............................. 12,136 12,714 531 520 270 255
Men.................................................. 5,757 6,159 570 533 290 261
Women................................................ 6,379 6,555 508 509 258 250
Asian.................................................. 4,408 4,674 701 761 357 373
Men.................................................. 2,581 2,665 801 834 408 409
Women................................................ 1,827 2,009 589 659 300 323
Hispanic or Latino..................................... 14,263 14,913 458 462 233 226
Men.................................................. 9,155 9,581 477 483 243 237
Women................................................ 5,108 5,332 430 418 219 205
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, third 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......................................... 105,428 $649 59,778 $716 45,649 $585
16 to 24 years.......................................... 12,039 395 7,017 407 5,022 379
16 to 19 years........................................ 2,283 310 1,362 322 921 293
20 to 24 years........................................ 9,756 415 5,655 427 4,101 401
25 years and over....................................... 93,388 697 52,761 768 40,627 615
25 to 54 years........................................ 78,744 691 44,605 760 34,138 613
25 to 34 years...................................... 25,289 615 14,931 643 10,357 584
35 to 44 years...................................... 27,582 730 15,697 822 11,886 622
45 to 54 years...................................... 25,872 745 13,977 848 11,895 640
55 years and over..................................... 14,645 726 8,156 837 6,489 621
55 to 64 years...................................... 12,731 741 6,988 858 5,743 639
65 years and over................................... 1,914 582 1,167 650 746 500
White
16 years and over......................................... 85,558 667 49,557 737 36,001 594
16 to 24 years.......................................... 9,920 398 5,906 411 4,015 379
25 years and over....................................... 75,638 717 43,652 792 31,986 625
25 to 54 years........................................ 63,356 712 36,706 782 26,650 623
55 years and over..................................... 12,282 743 6,946 871 5,336 636
Black or African American
16 years and over......................................... 12,714 520 6,159 533 6,555 509
16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,316 367 669 366 647 368
25 years and over....................................... 11,398 551 5,490 571 5,908 531
25 to 54 years........................................ 9,911 550 4,773 567 5,138 534
55 years and over..................................... 1,487 555 717 603 770 509
Asian
16 years and over......................................... 4,674 761 2,665 834 2,009 659
16 to 24 years.......................................... 349 408 194 405 155 412
25 years and over....................................... 4,325 790 2,471 872 1,855 690
25 to 54 years........................................ 3,722 795 2,125 871 1,597 692
55 years and over..................................... 603 770 345 877 257 684
Hispanic or Latino
16 years and over......................................... 14,913 462 9,581 483 5,332 418
16 to 24 years.......................................... 2,176 375 1,455 380 721 355
25 years and over....................................... 12,738 484 8,126 502 4,611 434
25 to 54 years........................................ 11,606 484 7,447 502 4,160 433
55 years and over..................................... 1,131 488 679 499 452 455
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
III III III III
2004 2005 2004 2005
TOTAL
Management, professional, and related occupations.............. 35,684 37,060 $916 $935
Management, business, and financial operations occupations... 14,421 14,891 958 992
Professional and related occupations......................... 21,263 22,168 886 897
Service occupations............................................ 14,188 14,648 411 410
Sales and office occupations................................... 25,399 25,936 566 570
Sales and related occupations................................ 10,056 10,352 598 606
Office and administrative support occupations................ 15,343 15,584 549 550
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations... 11,680 12,288 613 618
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................... 777 903 363 352
Construction and extraction occupations...................... 6,635 7,031 602 604
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............ 4,268 4,354 693 705
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations.... 15,375 15,496 520 524
Production occupations....................................... 8,561 8,453 519 516
Transportation and material moving occupations............... 6,814 7,043 521 541
Men
Management, professional, and related occupations.............. 17,719 18,305 1,111 1,103
Management, business, and financial operations occupations... 7,926 8,186 1,169 1,147
Professional and related occupations......................... 9,793 10,120 1,051 1,057
Service occupations............................................ 7,188 7,262 470 464
Sales and office occupations................................... 9,691 10,153 668 682
Sales and related occupations................................ 5,701 5,792 733 748
Office and administrative support occupations................ 3,990 4,361 606 616
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations... 11,247 11,734 618 622
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................... 655 719 366 361
Construction and extraction occupations...................... 6,523 6,867 603 605
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............ 4,068 4,148 699 704
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations.... 12,054 12,324 575 577
Production occupations....................................... 6,058 6,090 591 594
Transportation and material moving occupations............... 5,995 6,234 548 556
Women
Management, professional, and related occupations.............. 17,965 18,754 776 812
Management, business, and financial operations occupations... 6,494 6,706 799 860
Professional and related occupations......................... 11,470 12,049 767 785
Service occupations............................................ 7,001 7,385 382 383
Sales and office occupations................................... 15,708 15,783 516 514
Sales and related occupations................................ 4,355 4,559 456 457
Office and administrative support occupations................ 11,354 11,223 533 530
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations... 433 554 434 471
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................... 121 184 357 324
Construction and extraction occupations...................... 112 164 569 459
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............ 199 207 506 720
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations.... 3,321 3,173 398 418
Production occupations....................................... 2,502 2,363 394 416
Transportation and material moving occupations............... 819 810 406 429
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, third 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.................................. 105,428 $306 $422 $649 $994 $1,484
Men..................................................... 59,778 323 465 716 1,098 1,667
Women................................................... 45,649 289 392 585 862 1,246
White................................................... 85,558 311 435 667 1,016 1,524
Men................................................... 49,557 331 480 737 1,131 1,732
Women................................................. 36,001 290 398 594 873 1,264
Black or African American............................... 12,714 281 368 520 783 1,129
Men................................................... 6,159 283 379 533 815 1,136
Women................................................. 6,555 279 359 509 760 1,123
Asian................................................... 4,674 335 488 761 1,172 1,762
Men................................................... 2,665 373 527 834 1,333 1,917
Women................................................. 2,009 304 433 659 993 1,440
Hispanic or Latino...................................... 14,913 269 329 462 674 1,016
Men................................................... 9,581 283 347 483 700 1,067
Women................................................. 5,332 244 307 418 628 919
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years and over................................ 93,388 327 464 697 1,046 1,547
Less than a high school diploma....................... 9,302 257 311 413 565 782
High school graduates, no college(1).................. 27,640 308 408 583 815 1,117
Some college or associate degree...................... 25,655 345 476 678 950 1,290
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)....................... 30,791 490 705 1,014 1,504 2,092
Bachelor's degree only.............................. 19,875 457 650 941 1,384 1,918
Advanced degree..................................... 10,916 597 809 1,157 1,694 2,320
Men, 25 years and over................................ 52,761 355 505 768 1,158 1,760
Less than a high school diploma..................... 6,381 281 336 461 621 851
High school graduates, no college(1)................ 16,126 341 465 650 908 1,210
Some college or associate degree.................... 13,390 387 541 764 1,052 1,424
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)..................... 16,865 524 786 1,168 1,759 2,401
Bachelor's degree only............................ 10,982 496 734 1,081 1,587 2,264
Advanced degree................................... 5,883 625 923 1,382 1,912 2,729
Women, 25 years and over.............................. 40,627 304 415 615 905 1,290
Less than a high school diploma..................... 2,922 227 281 343 446 577
High school graduates, no college(1)................ 11,514 281 366 491 669 919
Some college or associate degree.................... 12,265 319 420 594 815 1,109
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)..................... 13,927 458 637 874 1,223 1,641
Bachelor's degree only............................ 8,893 427 596 812 1,143 1,554
Advanced degree................................... 5,033 580 744 992 1,359 1,858
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
III III III III
2004 2005 2004 2005
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 21,403 21,465 $199 $206
Men, 16 years and over................................. 6,774 6,641 190 196
16 to 24 years....................................... 3,407 3,348 159 163
25 years and over.................................... 3,367 3,293 232 257
Women, 16 years and over............................... 14,629 14,824 203 210
16 to 24 years....................................... 4,423 4,800 152 159
25 years and over.................................... 10,206 10,024 236 246
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White.................................................. 18,038 18,076 200 207
Men.................................................. 5,629 5,546 186 199
Women................................................ 12,408 12,530 206 212
Black or African American.............................. 2,026 2,001 189 193
Men.................................................. 702 651 191 185
Women................................................ 1,324 1,350 188 197
Asian.................................................. 842 845 217 209
Men.................................................. 275 275 231 183
Women................................................ 567 571 206 223
Hispanic or Latino..................................... 2,416 2,497 189 198
Men.................................................. 808 833 192 211
Women................................................ 1,607 1,664 187 191
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.