Full text of Third Quarter 2006 : Text File, 06-1819
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Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 06-1819
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact: 691-5902 Thursday, October 19, 2006
USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS:
THIRD QUARTER 2006
Median weekly earnings of the nation�s 108.2 million full-time wage and
salary workers were $675 in the third quarter of 2006, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This was 4.0
percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 3.3 percent in
the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same
period.
Data on usual earnings are collected as part of the Current Population
Survey, a nationwide sample survey of households in which respondents are
asked, among other things, how much each wage and salary worker usually
earns. (See the Explanatory Note.) Highlights from the third-quarter data
are:
--Women who usually worked full time had median earnings of $599 per
week, or 80.0 percent of the $749 median for men. The female-to-
male earnings ratios were higher among Hispanics or Latinos (87.3
percent), Asians (84.9 percent), and blacks (83.8 percent) than among
whites (79.6 percent). (See table 1.)
--Median earnings for black men working at full-time jobs were $610 per
week, 79.8 percent of the median for white men ($764). The difference
was less among women, as black women�s median earnings ($511) were 84.0
percent of those for their white counterparts ($608). Overall, median
earnings of Hispanics or Latinos who worked full time ($485) were lower
than those of blacks ($555), whites ($692), and Asians ($798). (See
table 1.)
--For both men and women, median weekly earnings were highest for those
age 45 to 54 ($894 and $662, respectively) and age 55 to 64 ($886 and
$661, respectively). (See table 2.)
--Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in man-
agerial, professional, and related occupations had the highest median
weekly earnings--$1,147 for men and $856 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 $420 compared with $602 for high school
graduates (no college) and $1,047 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 $2,882 or more per week
compared with $2,089 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
2005 2006
III III III III
2005 2006 2005 2006
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 105,428 108,169 $649 $675 $318 $320
Men, 16 years and over................................. 59,778 60,996 716 749 351 355
16 to 24 years....................................... 7,017 7,313 407 409 200 194
25 years and over.................................... 52,761 53,683 768 808 377 383
Women, 16 years and over............................... 45,649 47,173 585 599 287 284
16 to 24 years....................................... 5,022 5,273 379 393 186 187
25 years and over.................................... 40,627 41,901 615 629 301 299
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White.................................................. 85,558 87,956 667 692 327 328
Men.................................................. 49,557 50,852 737 764 361 362
Women................................................ 36,001 37,103 594 608 291 289
Black or African American.............................. 12,714 12,857 520 555 255 263
Men.................................................. 6,159 6,070 533 610 261 289
Women................................................ 6,555 6,787 509 511 250 243
Asian.................................................. 4,674 4,873 761 798 373 378
Men.................................................. 2,665 2,703 834 857 409 407
Women................................................ 2,009 2,170 659 728 323 345
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity........................... 14,913 15,886 462 485 226 230
Men.................................................. 9,581 10,096 483 504 237 239
Women................................................ 5,332 5,790 418 440 205 209
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 2006, 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 2006 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......................................... 108,169 $675 60,996 $749 47,173 $599
16 to 24 years.......................................... 12,586 403 7,313 409 5,273 393
16 to 19 years........................................ 2,393 323 1,403 340 990 308
20 to 24 years........................................ 10,193 419 5,910 422 4,283 414
25 years and over....................................... 95,584 726 53,683 808 41,901 629
25 to 54 years........................................ 79,768 724 45,119 800 34,649 627
25 to 34 years...................................... 25,849 630 14,916 683 10,934 585
35 to 44 years...................................... 27,379 758 15,717 854 11,662 651
45 to 54 years...................................... 26,540 782 14,487 894 12,053 662
55 years and over..................................... 15,816 741 8,564 867 7,252 641
55 to 64 years...................................... 13,644 765 7,323 886 6,320 661
65 years and over................................... 2,172 581 1,241 649 931 516
White
16 years and over......................................... 87,956 692 50,852 764 37,103 608
16 to 24 years.......................................... 10,389 404 6,189 411 4,201 391
25 years and over....................................... 77,566 743 44,664 830 32,903 643
25 to 54 years........................................ 64,216 739 37,282 820 26,934 640
55 years and over..................................... 13,350 760 7,382 889 5,969 656
Black or African American
16 years and over......................................... 12,857 555 6,070 610 6,787 511
16 to 24 years.......................................... 1,466 380 712 373 754 386
25 years and over....................................... 11,391 588 5,358 647 6,033 528
25 to 54 years........................................ 9,831 588 4,664 645 5,167 523
55 years and over..................................... 1,560 592 694 678 866 576
Asian
16 years and over......................................... 4,873 798 2,703 857 2,170 728
16 to 24 years.......................................... 336 480 177 438 159 513
25 years and over....................................... 4,536 839 2,526 893 2,010 761
25 to 54 years........................................ 3,892 855 2,167 905 1,725 787
55 years and over..................................... 644 727 359 831 285 590
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
16 years and over......................................... 15,886 485 10,096 504 5,790 440
16 to 24 years.......................................... 2,482 374 1,658 384 823 350
25 years and over....................................... 13,405 507 8,438 534 4,967 462
25 to 54 years........................................ 12,115 506 7,707 533 4,408 462
55 years and over..................................... 1,290 515 731 536 559 464
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 2006, 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
2005 2006 2005 2006
TOTAL
Management, professional, and related occupations.............. 37,060 37,876 $935 $974
Management, business, and financial operations occupations... 14,891 15,319 992 1,046
Professional and related occupations......................... 22,168 22,557 897 935
Service occupations............................................ 14,648 15,413 410 423
Sales and office occupations................................... 25,936 26,206 570 592
Sales and related occupations................................ 10,352 10,657 606 627
Office and administrative support occupations................ 15,584 15,549 550 580
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations... 12,288 13,104 618 663
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................... 903 881 352 371
Construction and extraction occupations...................... 7,031 7,331 604 637
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............ 4,354 4,892 705 743
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations.... 15,496 15,571 524 569
Production occupations....................................... 8,453 8,491 516 578
Transportation and material moving occupations............... 7,043 7,079 541 558
Men
Management, professional, and related occupations.............. 18,305 18,612 1,103 1,147
Management, business, and financial operations occupations... 8,186 8,270 1,147 1,209
Professional and related occupations......................... 10,120 10,342 1,057 1,104
Service occupations............................................ 7,262 7,566 464 494
Sales and office occupations................................... 10,153 10,117 682 718
Sales and related occupations................................ 5,792 5,924 748 770
Office and administrative support occupations................ 4,361 4,193 616 635
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations... 11,734 12,516 622 672
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................... 719 713 361 384
Construction and extraction occupations...................... 6,867 7,157 605 642
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............ 4,148 4,647 704 745
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations.... 12,324 12,185 577 615
Production occupations....................................... 6,090 5,994 594 659
Transportation and material moving occupations............... 6,234 6,191 556 587
Women
Management, professional, and related occupations.............. 18,754 19,264 812 856
Management, business, and financial operations occupations... 6,706 7,049 860 905
Professional and related occupations......................... 12,049 12,215 785 827
Service occupations............................................ 7,385 7,847 383 391
Sales and office occupations................................... 15,783 16,089 514 541
Sales and related occupations................................ 4,559 4,733 457 484
Office and administrative support occupations................ 11,223 11,355 530 563
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations... 554 588 471 518
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................... 184 169 324 319
Construction and extraction occupations...................... 164 174 459 527
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............ 207 245 720 725
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations.... 3,173 3,386 418 432
Production occupations....................................... 2,363 2,498 416 441
Transportation and material moving occupations............... 810 888 429 414
NOTE: Beginning in January 2006, 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 2006 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.................................. 108,169 $317 $441 $675 $1,023 $1,536
Men..................................................... 60,996 344 487 749 1,144 1,731
Women................................................... 47,173 296 404 599 893 1,300
White................................................... 87,956 321 454 692 1,048 1,555
Men................................................... 50,852 350 496 764 1,162 1,743
Women................................................. 37,103 297 409 608 898 1,316
Black or African American............................... 12,857 295 390 555 847 1,178
Men................................................... 6,070 313 413 610 904 1,269
Women................................................. 6,787 286 372 511 768 1,134
Asian................................................... 4,873 371 514 798 1,304 1,888
Men................................................... 2,703 381 554 857 1,406 1,919
Women................................................. 2,170 352 492 728 1,154 1,737
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity............................ 15,886 280 348 485 709 1,060
Men................................................... 10,096 290 371 504 746 1,123
Women................................................. 5,790 262 315 440 635 961
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years and over................................ 95,584 344 485 726 1,087 1,603
Less than a high school diploma....................... 9,295 262 320 420 588 805
High school graduates, no college (1)................. 27,792 323 423 602 856 1,150
Some college or associate degree...................... 26,256 363 493 701 971 1,330
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)...................... 32,240 511 728 1,047 1,557 2,209
Bachelor's degree only.............................. 20,772 483 673 979 1,455 1,935
Advanced degree..................................... 11,469 605 838 1,171 1,783 2,509
Men, 25 years and over................................ 53,683 382 534 808 1,201 1,780
Less than a high school diploma..................... 6,185 284 354 468 655 873
High school graduates, no college (1)............... 16,334 368 492 694 957 1,246
Some college or associate degree.................... 13,541 417 577 808 1,102 1,467
Bachelor's degree and higher (2).................... 17,623 575 801 1,191 1,765 2,406
Bachelor's degree only............................ 11,377 528 747 1,126 1,629 2,198
Advanced degree................................... 6,245 642 923 1,403 1,922 2,882
Women, 25 years and over.............................. 41,901 310 427 629 935 1,362
Less than a high school diploma..................... 3,110 236 287 363 472 599
High school graduates, no college (1)............... 11,459 290 377 501 676 920
Some college or associate degree.................... 12,715 320 430 603 833 1,104
Bachelor's degree and higher (2).................... 14,618 477 658 920 1,301 1,877
Bachelor's degree only............................ 9,394 441 616 851 1,223 1,738
Advanced degree................................... 5,223 578 765 1,022 1,412 2,089
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 2006, 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
2005 2006 2005 2006
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over.................................. 21,465 20,659 $206 $211
Men, 16 years and over................................. 6,641 6,579 196 198
16 to 24 years....................................... 3,348 3,352 163 161
25 years and over.................................... 3,293 3,228 257 259
Women, 16 years and over............................... 14,824 14,079 210 218
16 to 24 years....................................... 4,800 4,365 159 160
25 years and over.................................... 10,024 9,715 246 256
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White.................................................. 18,076 17,318 207 213
Men.................................................. 5,546 5,337 199 199
Women................................................ 12,530 11,981 212 221
Black or African American.............................. 2,001 2,032 193 202
Men.................................................. 651 767 185 200
Women................................................ 1,350 1,266 197 203
Asian.................................................. 845 796 209 216
Men.................................................. 275 287 183 192
Women................................................ 571 509 223 228
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity........................... 2,497 2,220 198 200
Men.................................................. 833 733 211 202
Women................................................ 1,664 1,487 191 200
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 2006, data reflect revised
population controls used in the household survey.