For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Tuesday, July 18, 2023 USDL-23-1586
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
SECOND QUARTER 2023
Median weekly earnings of the nation's 121.5 million full-time wage and salary workers were
$1,100 in the second quarter of 2023 (not seasonally adjusted), the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics reported today. This was 5.7 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with
a gain of 4.0 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 in
this news release.) Data shown in this news release are not seasonally adjusted unless
otherwise specified.
Highlights from the second-quarter data:
--Median weekly earnings of full-time workers were $1,100 in the second quarter of 2023.
Women had median weekly earnings of $993, or 84.1 percent of the $1,181 median for men.
--The women's-to-men's earnings ratio varied by race and ethnicity. White women earned
84.6 percent as much as their male counterparts, compared with 89.9 percent for Black
women, 81.0 percent for Asian women, and 88.3 percent for Hispanic women.
--Among the major race and ethnicity groups, median weekly earnings of Blacks ($913)
and Hispanics ($851) working full-time jobs were lower than those of Whites ($1,126)
and Asians ($1,449). By sex, median weekly earnings for Black men were $975, or 81.2
percent of the median for White men ($1,201). Median earnings for Hispanic men were
$892, or 74.3 percent of the median for White men. The difference was less among women,
as Black women's median earnings were $877, or 86.3 percent of those for White women
($1,016), and earnings for Hispanic women were $788, or 77.6 percent of those for White
women. Earnings of Asian men ($1,617) and women ($1,310) were higher than those of their
White counterparts.
--By age, usual weekly earnings were highest for men ages 35 to 64: median weekly earnings
were $1,319 for men ages 35 to 44, $1,385 for men ages 45 to 54, and $1,341 for men ages 55 to 64. Among women, usual weekly earnings were also highest for workers ages 35 to 64:
median weekly earnings were $1,134 for women ages 35 to 44, $1,095 for women ages 45 to 54, and $1,043 for women ages 55 to 64. Men and women ages 16 to 24 had the lowest median weekly earnings, $714 and $672, respectively. Men's and women's earnings were closer among younger workers than older workers; for example, women ages 16 to 24 earned 94.1 percent as much as men in the same age group, while the women's-to-men's earnings ratio was 79.6 percent for those age 55 and over.
--Among the major occupational groups, persons employed full time in management, professional, and related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings--$1,751 for men and $1,312 for women. Both men ($777) and women ($675) earned the least when employed in service occupations.
--By educational attainment, full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $713, compared with $889 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,588 for those holding at least a bachelor's degree. Among college graduates with advanced degrees (master's, professional, and doctoral degrees), the highest earning 10 percent of male workers made $4,715 or more per week, compared with $3,447 or more for their female counterparts
--Seasonally adjusted median weekly earnings were $1,107 in the second quarter of 2023, little changed from the previous quarter ($1,095).
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