For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Thursday, January 20, 2011                USDL-11-0062

Technical information:  (202) 691-6378  *  cpsinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/cps
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov


              USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS 
                             FOURTH QUARTER 2010              


Median weekly earnings of the nation's 100.1 million full-time wage and salary 
workers were $752 in the fourth quarter of 2010 (not seasonally adjusted), the U.S. 
Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This was 0.5 percent higher than a year 
earlier, compared with a gain of 1.3 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All 
Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period.

Data on usual weekly 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 
Technical Note.) Data shown in this release are not seasonally adjusted unless 
otherwise specified. Highlights from fourth-quarter data are:

   --Seasonally adjusted median weekly earnings were $751 in the fourth quarter 
     of 2010, an increase of 0.8 percent from the previous quarter, $745. (See 
     table 1.)

   --On a not seasonally adjusted basis, median weekly earnings were $752 in the 
     fourth quarter of 2010. Women who usually worked full time had median weekly 
     earnings of $679, or 81.8 percent of the $830 median for men. (See table 2.)

   --The female-to-male earnings ratio varied by race and ethnicity. White women 
     earned 81.1 percent of their male counterparts, compared with black (96.2 
     percent), Asian (75.9 percent), and Hispanic women (89.9 percent). (See 
     table 2.)

   --Among the major race and ethnicity groups, median weekly earnings for black 
     men working at full-time jobs were $629 per week or 73.4 percent of the me-
     dian for white men ($857). The difference was less among women, as black
     women's median earnings ($605) were 87.1 percent of those for white women 
     ($695). Overall, median earnings of Hispanics who worked full time ($539) 
     were lower than those of blacks ($614), whites ($772), and Asians ($828). 
     (See table 2.)

   --Usual weekly earnings of full-time workers varied by age. Among men, those 
     age 55 to 64 had the highest median weekly earnings, $1,003. Usual weekly 
     earnings were highest for women age 35 to 44 and age 55 to 64, $737 and 
     $742, respectively. Among all full-time workers, usual weekly earnings were 
     lowest for those age 16 to 24 ($443). (See table 3.)

   --Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in manage-
     ment, professional, and related occupations had the highest median weekly 
     earnings--$1,267 for men and $937 for women. Men and women employed in ser-
     vice jobs earned the least, $585 and $421, respectively. (See table 4.)

   --By educational attainment, full-time workers age 25 and over without a high 
     school diploma had median weekly earnings of $438, compared with $633 for 
     high school graduates (no college) and $1,139 for those holding at least 
     a bachelor's degree. Among college graduates with advanced degrees (profes-
     sional or master's degree and above), the highest earning 10 percent of 
     male workers made $3,383 or more per week, compared with $2,216 or more for 
     their female counterparts. (See table 5.)

Annual Averages for 2009 and 2010

In addition to the data for the fourth quarter, this release includes 2009 and 
2010 annual average weekly earnings for major demographic and occupational groups, 
and 2010 annual average data for educational attainment groups. (See tables 7, 8, 
and 9.) Annual average data on median usual earnings for men and women by detailed 
occupational categories will appear in the January 2011 edition of Employment and
Earnings Online at www.bls.gov/opub/ee/home.htm.



  ____________________________________________________________________________
 |                                                                            |
 |        Revision of Seasonally Adjusted Usual Weekly Earnings Data          |
 |                                                                            |
 |Seasonally adjusted median usual weekly earnings data shown in table 1 of   |
 |this release have been revised using updated seasonal adjustment factors    |
 |from the Current Population Survey, a procedure done at the end of each     |
 |calendar year. The revisions directly affected the number of full-time wage |
 |and salary workers and current dollar estimates of median weekly earnings;  |
 |estimates of constant (1982-84) dollar median weekly earnings were indi-    |
 |rectly affected. Seasonally adjusted estimates back to the first quarter    |
 |of 2006 were subject to revision.                                           |
 |                                                                            |
 |The Usual Weekly Earnings news release for the first quarter of 2011, sche- |
 |duled for release on April 19, 2011, will incorporate revisions to the sea- |
 |sonally adjusted data for the median weekly earnings in constant (1982-84)  |
 |dollars. Seasonally adjusted constant (1982-84) dollar estimates back to    |
 |the first quarter of 2006 will be subject to revision due to annual revi-   |
 |sions to seasonally adjusted data for the Consumer Price Index for All Ur-  |
 |ban Consumers (CPI-U).                                                      |
 |                                                                            |
  ____________________________________________________________________________

Technical Note


   The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current Pop-
ulation Survey (CPS), which provides 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 
scientifically selected national sample of about 60,000 households, 
with coverage in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  The earn-
ings data are collected from one-quarter of the CPS monthly sample and 
are limited to wage and salary workers (both incorporated and unincor-
porated self-employed are excluded).  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;
Federal Relay Service:  (800) 877-8339.

Reliability

   Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and non-
sampling 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
errors 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 on a timely basis, mistakes made by
respondents, and errors made in the collection or processing of the
data.

   A full discussion of the reliability of data from the Current Pop-
ulation Survey and information on estimating standard errors is avail-
able on the BLS Web site www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.

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 in-
structed 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).
   
   The estimation 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 rel-
ative 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, such as $250, $300,
or $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, com-
missions, tips, payment in kind, or piece rates.  The group includes em-
ployees 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 (1982-84) dollars.

   Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.  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.

Seasonal adjustment

   Over the course of a year, the size of the nation's labor force and 
other measures of labor market activity undergo regularly occurring 
fluctuations. These recurring events include seasonal changes in weather, 
major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools. The effect of 
such seasonal variations can be very large.

   Because seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each 
year, their influence on the level of a series can be tempered by adjust-
ing for regular seasonal variation. These adjustments make nonseasonal 
developments easier to spot. The seasonally adjusted figures provide a more 
useful tool with which to analyze changes in quarter-to-quarter activity.

   At the end of each calendar year, the seasonally adjusted data are re-
vised for the past 5 years when the seasonal adjustment factors are updated.  
More information on seasonal adjustment is available on the BLS Web site at 
www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#sa.

Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by sex, quarterly averages, seasonally adjusted

Year and quarter	Number of workers (in thousands)			Median weekly earnings
	Total	Men	Women	In current dollars			In constant (1982-84) dollars
				Total $	Men $	Women $	Total $	Men $	Women $
2001
4th Quarter	100,343	56,541	43,802	603	677	519	340	382	292
2002
1st Quarter	99,924	56,096	43,829	607	677	525	341	380	295
2nd Quarter	100,286	56,640	43,646	608	678	524	339	378	292
3rd Quarter	100,183	56,390	43,793	608	679	531	337	376	294
4th Quarter	99,895	56,224	43,670	610	683	540	336	376	298
2003
1st Quarter	100,136	56,079	44,057	615	689	546	335	376	297
2nd Quarter	100,255	56,013	44,242	619	692	551	338	378	301
3rd Quarter	100,139	56,178	43,961	621	697	554	337	378	300
4th Quarter	100,628	56,607	44,021	623	702	560	337	379	302
2004
1st Quarter	100,905	56,848	44,057	629	705	562	337	378	301
2nd Quarter	101,135	56,914	44,221	642	715	576	341	380	306
3rd Quarter	101,148	56,931	44,217	635	712	574	335	376	303
4th Quarter	101,658	57,289	44,369	646	720	577	337	376	302
2005
1st Quarter	102,091	57,710	44,381	647	723	580	336	376	302
2nd Quarter	103,201	58,099	45,101	647	714	584	334	369	301
3rd Quarter	104,310	58,843	45,467	651	723	588	331	368	299
4th Quarter	104,605	58,967	45,638	658	730	588	332	368	296
2006
1st Quarter	104,708	58,960	45,748	662	737	594	332	370	298
2nd Quarter	105,798	59,831	45,966	663	732	597	329	364	296
3rd Quarter	107,041	60,060	46,981	678	755	603	334	372	297
4th Quarter	106,847	60,140	46,707	681	748	607	337	370	300
2007
1st Quarter	107,134	60,063	47,072	687	751	609	336	368	298
2nd Quarter	106,819	60,346	46,473	693	765	610	335	370	295
3rd Quarter	107,156	60,220	46,936	698	774	620	336	372	298
4th Quarter	108,251	60,571	47,680	700	774	614	332	368	292
2008
1st Quarter	107,740	60,328	47,412	712	782	633	335	368	297
2nd Quarter	107,061	59,588	47,473	723	801	637	335	372	296
3rd Quarter	106,088	59,246	46,841	724	803	636	331	367	291
4th Quarter	105,711	58,601	47,109	727	807	646	340	378	302
2009
1st Quarter	101,612	56,231	45,381	731	814	645	344	383	303
2nd Quarter	100,033	55,246	44,787	737	817	655	345	383	307
3rd Quarter	98,949	54,425	44,525	742	820	663	345	381	308
4th Quarter	98,702	54,534	44,168	747	825	665	345	380	307
2010
1st Quarter	98,071	54,026	44,044	747	834	662	343	383	304
2nd Quarter	99,674	55,062	44,612	744	813	674	342	374	310
3rd Quarter	100,242	55,524	44,718	745	822	668	342	377	306
4th Quarter	100,132	55,620	44,512	751	829	675	342	378	307
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.

Table 2. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic	Number of workers (in thousands)		Median weekly earnings
	4th 2009	4th 2010	In current dollars		In constant (1982-84) dollars
			4th 2009	4th 2010	4th 2009	4th 2010
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over	98,720	100,120	$748	$752	$346	$344
Men, 16 years and over	54,422	55,500	825	830	382	379
16 to 24 years	4,658	4,652	476	449	220	205
25 years and over	49,764	50,848	871	878	403	401
Women, 16 years and over	44,298	44,620	670	679	310	310
16 to 24 years	3,648	3,612	436	436	202	199
25 years and over	40,650	41,008	700	709	324	324
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White	79,964	81,038	763	772	353	353
Men	45,152	45,917	850	857	393	391
Women	34,813	35,121	679	695	314	318
Black or African American	11,530	11,838	629	614	291	281
Men	5,324	5,535	653	629	302	287
Women	6,207	6,303	610	605	282	276
Asian	4,968	4,951	877	828	406	378
Men	2,744	2,771	941	947	435	433
Women	2,224	2,180	786	719	364	329
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity	14,513	15,054	547	539	253	246
Men	9,007	9,374	581	567	269	259
Women	5,506	5,680	503	510	233	233
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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.

Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 4th quarter 2010 averages, not seasonally adjusted

Age, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity	Total		Men		Women
	Number of workers (in thousands)	Median weekly earnings	Number of workers (in thousands)	Median weekly earnings	Number of workers (in thousands)	Median weekly earnings
TOTAL
16 years and over	100,120	$752	55,500	$830	44,620	$679
16 to 24 years	8,264	443	4,652	449	3,612	436
16 to 19 years	933	360	588	377	345	335
20 to 24 years	7,331	465	4,064	476	3,267	454
25 years and over	91,856	788	50,848	878	41,008	709
25 to 54 years	73,801	778	41,203	858	32,598	705
25 to 34 years	24,330	687	13,878	706	10,451	663
35 to 44 years	24,108	837	13,674	917	10,434	737
45 to 54 years	25,363	844	13,650	955	11,713	722
55 years and over	18,055	833	9,645	980	8,410	723
55 to 64 years	15,277	872	8,058	1,003	7,220	742
65 years and over	2,778	685	1,588	768	1,190	598
White
16 years and over	81,038	772	45,917	857	35,121	695
16 to 24 years	6,658	454	3,766	461	2,892	445
25 years and over	74,380	814	42,151	901	32,229	725
25 to 54 years	59,202	803	33,886	879	25,317	720
55 years and over	15,178	869	8,266	1,007	6,912	739
Black or African American
16 years and over	11,838	614	5,535	629	6,303	605
16 to 24 years	1,099	408	587	406	512	411
25 years and over	10,739	648	4,947	678	5,792	625
25 to 54 years	8,940	643	4,167	661	4,773	626
55 years and over	1,799	678	780	771	1,019	622
Asian
16 years and over	4,951	828	2,771	947	2,180	719
16 to 24 years	240	551	137	551	103	551
25 years and over	4,711	858	2,634	986	2,077	736
25 to 54 years	3,903	877	2,181	1,004	1,722	748
55 years and over	808	766	453	859	355	657
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
16 years and over	15,054	539	9,374	567	5,680	510
16 to 24 years	1,684	396	1,029	397	656	393
25 years and over	13,369	573	8,346	591	5,024	524
25 to 54 years	11,803	573	7,417	588	4,386	531
55 years and over	1,566	575	928	609	638	505
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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.

Table 4. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted

Occupation and sex	Number of workers (in thousands)		Median weekly earnings
	4th 2009	4th 2010	4th 2009	4th 2010
TOTAL
Management, professional, and related occupations	39,555	39,415	$1,036	$1,069
Management, business, and financial operations occupations	15,814	15,670	1,115	1,162
Professional and related occupations	23,741	23,746	994	1,016
Service occupations	14,002	14,144	482	485
Sales and office occupations	22,950	23,086	633	633
Sales and related occupations	9,391	9,384	662	661
Office and administrative support occupations	13,559	13,702	623	622
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	9,685	9,569	742	718
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	670	738	414	414
Construction and extraction occupations	5,119	4,598	737	712
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3,895	4,234	811	793
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	12,529	13,905	612	592
Production occupations	6,475	7,280	617	592
Transportation and material moving occupations	6,054	6,626	605	592
Men
Management, professional, and related occupations	18,965	19,022	1,227	1,267
Management, business, and financial operations occupations	8,576	8,506	1,278	1,396
Professional and related occupations	10,388	10,516	1,169	1,171
Service occupations	6,991	7,175	566	585
Sales and office occupations	9,116	8,982	737	732
Sales and related occupations	5,359	5,253	780	767
Office and administrative support occupations	3,757	3,730	673	673
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	9,317	9,210	751	724
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	546	621	428	433
Construction and extraction occupations	5,025	4,512	738	713
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3,747	4,077	817	799
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	10,034	11,111	651	641
Production occupations	4,775	5,338	680	661
Transportation and material moving occupations	5,259	5,773	624	617
Women
Management, professional, and related occupations	20,591	20,394	909	937
Management, business, and financial operations occupations	7,238	7,163	943	967
Professional and related occupations	13,353	13,230	892	922
Service occupations	7,011	6,969	418	421
Sales and office occupations	13,834	14,104	593	602
Sales and related occupations	4,032	4,131	519	517
Office and administrative support occupations	9,803	9,973	611	615
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	368	360	506	533
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	124	117	374	356
Construction and extraction occupations	95	86	687	626
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	149	157	632	620
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	2,495	2,794	482	468
Production occupations	1,700	1,941	483	478
Transportation and material moving occupations	795	853	480	446
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.

Table 5. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, 4th quarter 2010 averages, not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic	Number of workers (in thousands)	Upper limit of:
		First decile	First quartile	Second quartile (median)	Third quartile	Ninth decile
SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
Total, 16 years and over	100,120	$354	$495	$752	$1,161	$1,820
Men	55,500	372	529	830	1,301	1,972
Women	44,620	336	463	679	1,008	1,495
White	81,038	358	506	772	1,193	1,866
Men	45,917	375	551	857	1,346	2,002
Women	35,121	339	477	695	1,029	1,518
Black or African American	11,838	329	421	614	912	1,357
Men	5,535	338	443	629	963	1,447
Women	6,303	323	412	605	860	1,252
Asian	4,951	376	514	828	1,364	2,104
Men	2,771	399	583	947	1,551	2,300
Women	2,180	333	477	719	1,172	1,873
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity	15,054	297	377	539	805	1,223
Men	9,374	303	386	567	837	1,277
Women	5,680	289	359	510	762	1,112
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years and over	91,856	375	519	788	1,208	1,877
Less than a high school diploma	7,004	285	339	438	600	801
High school graduates, no college(1)	24,920	344	454	633	910	1,261
Some college or associate degree	25,650	384	511	727	1,035	1,444
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	34,283	563	778	1,139	1,740	2,486
Bachelor's degree only	22,048	515	732	1,049	1,574	2,281
Advanced degree	12,235	656	911	1,334	1,918	2,891
Men, 25 years and over	50,848	393	578	878	1,363	2,019
Less than a high school diploma	4,788	297	362	479	644	876
High school graduates, no college(1)	14,817	374	502	718	1,010	1,416
Some college or associate degree	13,175	425	588	846	1,174	1,637
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	18,068	599	873	1,331	1,920	2,896
Bachelor's degree only	11,743	574	818	1,196	1,834	2,519
Advanced degree	6,325	711	1,036	1,559	2,312	3,383
Women, 25 years and over	41,008	352	484	709	1,042	1,541
Less than a high school diploma	2,216	265	307	392	502	618
High school graduates, no college(1)	10,103	317	405	539	743	1,007
Some college or associate degree	12,474	354	467	633	881	1,193
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	16,214	515	726	981	1,423	1,996
Bachelor's degree only	10,305	485	672	910	1,287	1,889
Advanced degree	5,910	620	840	1,126	1,585	2,216
Footnotes (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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.

Table 6. Median usual weekly earnings of part-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted

Characteristic	Number of workers (in thousands)		Median weekly earnings
	4th 2009	4th 2010	4th 2009	4th 2010
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over	24,548	24,409	$228	$226
Men, 16 years and over	8,299	8,349	224	217
16 to 24 years	3,285	3,541	171	168
25 years and over	5,015	4,808	273	266
Women, 16 years and over	16,249	16,061	230	232
16 to 24 years	4,623	4,620	165	164
25 years and over	11,625	11,440	266	267
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White	20,685	20,225	227	228
Men	6,859	6,768	221	217
Women	13,826	13,457	231	235
Black or African American	2,351	2,519	225	211
Men	877	924	244	211
Women	1,474	1,595	214	212
Asian	856	1,038	268	245
Men	297	366	276	240
Women	559	672	265	248
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity	3,548	3,341	223	228
Men	1,466	1,411	234	239
Women	2,082	1,930	218	220
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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.

Table 7. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, annual averages

Characteristic	Number of workers (in thousands)		Median weekly earnings
	2009	2010	In current dollars		In constant (1982-84) dollars
			2009	2010	2009	2010
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over	99,820	99,531	$739	$747	$345	$342
Men, 16 years and over	55,108	55,059	819	824	382	378
16 to 24 years	5,014	4,770	458	443	214	203
25 years and over	50,094	50,289	873	874	407	401
Women, 16 years and over	44,712	44,472	657	669	306	307
16 to 24 years	3,943	3,782	424	422	198	194
25 years and over	40,769	40,691	687	704	320	323
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
White	80,873	80,656	757	765	353	351
Men	45,730	45,685	845	850	394	390
Women	35,144	34,971	669	684	312	313
Black or African American	11,713	11,658	601	611	280	280
Men	5,386	5,376	621	633	289	290
Women	6,327	6,283	582	592	271	271
Asian	4,923	4,946	880	855	410	392
Men	2,727	2,753	952	936	444	429
Women	2,196	2,193	779	773	363	355
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity	14,624	14,837	541	535	252	245
Men	9,150	9,239	569	560	265	257
Women	5,474	5,598	509	508	237	233
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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.

Table 8. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, annual averages

Occupation and sex	Number of workers (in thousands)		Median weekly earnings
	2009	2010	2009	2010
TOTAL
Management, professional, and related occupations	39,080	39,145	$1,044	$1,063
Management, business, and financial operations occupations	15,879	15,648	1,138	1,155
Professional and related occupations	23,201	23,497	994	1,008
Service occupations	14,299	14,424	470	479
Sales and office occupations	23,503	23,060	624	631
Sales and related occupations	9,489	9,121	665	666
Office and administrative support occupations	14,014	13,939	612	619
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	10,216	9,869	719	719
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	707	729	416	416
Construction and extraction occupations	5,267	5,020	718	709
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	4,242	4,120	781	794
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	12,722	13,034	605	599
Production occupations	6,576	6,861	610	599
Transportation and material moving occupations	6,145	6,172	599	599
Men
Management, professional, and related occupations	18,928	19,009	1,248	1,256
Management, business, and financial operations occupations	8,635	8,552	1,334	1,363
Professional and related occupations	10,293	10,457	1,191	1,179
Service occupations	7,113	7,294	524	543
Sales and office occupations	9,045	8,840	737	736
Sales and related occupations	5,281	5,058	793	805
Office and administrative support occupations	3,765	3,782	657	656
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	9,800	9,464	727	726
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	572	577	428	438
Construction and extraction occupations	5,154	4,918	719	710
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	4,075	3,968	787	799
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	10,222	10,453	648	640
Production occupations	4,865	5,085	678	664
Transportation and material moving occupations	5,357	5,368	618	618
Women
Management, professional, and related occupations	20,152	20,136	907	923
Management, business, and financial operations occupations	7,244	7,096	955	971
Professional and related occupations	12,908	13,040	880	900
Service occupations	7,187	7,129	418	423
Sales and office occupations	14,458	14,220	590	597
Sales and related occupations	4,208	4,063	525	516
Office and administrative support occupations	10,249	10,158	602	612
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	416	406	542	537
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	135	151	372	369
Construction and extraction occupations	113	102	673	646
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	167	152	644	683
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	2,500	2,581	472	473
Production occupations	1,712	1,776	472	481
Transportation and material moving occupations	788	805	472	447
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.

Table 9. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, 2010 annual averages

Characteristic	Number of workers (in thousands)	Upper limit of:
		First decile	First quartile	Second quartile (median)	Third quartile	Ninth decile
TOTAL
Total, 25 years and over	90,979	$377	$520	$782	$1,203	$1,848
Less than a high school diploma	7,153	282	342	444	605	824
High school graduates, no college(1)	25,200	345	453	626	901	1,236
Some college or associate degree	24,896	387	518	734	1,037	1,444
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	33,731	554	773	1,144	1,732	2,460
Bachelor's degree only	21,593	510	725	1,038	1,551	2,270
Advanced degree	12,138	658	918	1,351	1,911	2,885
Men
Total, 25 years and over	50,289	397	577	874	1,357	2,004
Less than a high school diploma	4,832	295	370	486	661	898
High school graduates, no college(1)	14,751	378	502	710	1,001	1,381
Some college or associate degree	12,878	427	593	845	1,169	1,608
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	17,828	594	871	1,330	1,915	2,888
Bachelor's degree only	11,428	553	807	1,188	1,810	2,519
Advanced degree	6,400	705	1,030	1,552	2,285	3,291
Women
Total, 25 years and over	40,691	351	484	704	1,041	1,535
Less than a high school diploma	2,321	252	308	388	502	633
High school graduates, no college(1)	10,449	318	405	543	739	997
Some college or associate degree	12,018	356	476	638	889	1,203
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	15,903	515	717	986	1,427	1,922
Bachelor's degree only	10,164	485	655	909	1,291	1,830
Advanced degree	5,738	621	845	1,158	1,619	2,213
White, total
Total, 25 years and over	73,665	382	537	808	1,237	1,882
Less than a high school diploma	5,859	281	342	446	610	834
High school graduates, no college(1)	20,403	353	473	649	927	1,271
Some college or associate degree	19,961	395	535	758	1,072	1,483
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	27,442	573	791	1,159	1,756	2,507
Bachelor's degree only	17,671	522	737	1,065	1,587	2,306
Advanced degree	9,771	674	935	1,368	1,921	2,903
White men
Total, 25 years and over	41,711	404	591	899	1,389	2,076
Less than a high school diploma	4,110	294	368	488	665	899
High school graduates, no college(1)	12,194	386	520	736	1,027	1,428
Some college or associate degree	10,616	446	613	877	1,208	1,649
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	14,790	608	897	1,354	1,963	2,908
Bachelor's degree only	9,622	575	835	1,231	1,867	2,675
Advanced degree	5,168	729	1,059	1,578	2,307	3,468
White women
Total, 25 years and over	31,954	356	493	719	1,061	1,557
Less than a high school diploma	1,749	249	306	382	501	635
High school graduates, no college(1)	8,209	323	412	558	751	1,011
Some college or associate degree	9,345	362	485	654	905	1,228
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	12,651	524	724	996	1,438	1,973
Bachelor's degree only	8,049	491	661	918	1,309	1,865
Advanced degree	4,602	629	856	1,169	1,627	2,218
Black or African American, total
Total, 25 years and over	10,625	340	447	638	945	1,354
Less than a high school diploma	771	284	341	426	577	761
High school graduates, no college(1)	3,381	313	401	532	761	1,028
Some college or associate degree	3,534	351	452	614	867	1,182
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	2,938	494	674	934	1,350	1,836
Bachelor's degree only	1,960	483	634	874	1,242	1,711
Advanced degree	978	575	762	1,065	1,532	2,070
Black or African American men
Total, 25 years and over	4,876	359	479	665	991	1,460
Less than a high school diploma	423	301	375	466	624	862
High school graduates, no college(1)	1,738	336	428	593	849	1,107
Some college or associate degree	1,525	$377	$493	$657	$942	$1,271
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	1,189	489	678	1,010	1,508	1,993
Bachelor's degree only	795	482	646	941	1,417	1,888
Advanced degree	394	508	815	1,176	1,730	2,306
Black or African American women
Total, 25 years and over	5,749	328	423	615	896	1,262
Less than a high school diploma	348	264	313	402	493	613
High school graduates, no college(1)	1,643	301	381	490	685	930
Some college or associate degree	2,009	338	420	587	797	1,100
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	1,749	497	673	889	1,232	1,692
Bachelor's degree only	1,164	484	624	841	1,165	1,573
Advanced degree	585	588	756	1,010	1,426	1,846
Asian, total
Total, 25 years and over	4,679	386	565	885	1,459	2,106
Less than a high school diploma	302	277	347	457	593	794
High school graduates, no college(1)	811	329	410	579	774	1,130
Some college or associate degree	779	382	507	704	981	1,346
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	2,786	519	788	1,217	1,839	2,457
Bachelor's degree only	1,574	453	696	1,062	1,558	2,076
Advanced degree	1,212	661	933	1,466	2,083	2,797
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, total
Total, 25 years and over	13,164	306	395	571	848	1,301
Less than a high school diploma	3,906	278	330	414	560	736
High school graduates, no college(1)	4,044	312	396	543	770	1,117
Some college or associate degree	2,885	360	487	660	932	1,316
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	2,330	438	642	949	1,451	2,128
Bachelor's degree only	1,684	418	607	860	1,307	1,906
Advanced degree	647	523	841	1,241	1,843	2,724
Hispanic or Latino men
Total, 25 years and over	8,189	317	407	590	897	1,400
Less than a high school diploma	2,811	289	351	443	596	783
High school graduates, no college(1)	2,602	329	416	590	842	1,215
Some college or associate degree	1,540	388	528	731	1,027	1,468
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	1,236	480	694	1,065	1,645	2,501
Bachelor's degree only	881	467	647	977	1,488	2,277
Advanced degree	355	562	896	1,387	2,178	3,242
Hispanic or Latino women
Total, 25 years and over	4,975	293	372	527	773	1,154
Less than a high school diploma	1,095	247	299	364	467	594
High school graduates, no college(1)	1,442	295	362	490	653	889
Some college or associate degree	1,345	334	439	601	797	1,102
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	1,094	409	606	849	1,252	1,770
Bachelor's degree only	803	396	578	771	1,112	1,571
Advanced degree	291	508	769	1,126	1,575	2,063
Footnotes (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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.