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Full-time workers age 25 and older without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $554 in the second quarter of 2018. That compares with $726 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,310 for those holding at least a bachelor's degree.
Characteristic | 10th percentile | 50th percentile (median) | 90th percentile |
---|---|---|---|
Total, 25 years and over |
$455 | $928 | $2,223 |
Men, 25 years and over |
489 | 1,015 | 2,492 |
Women, 25 years and over |
417 | 824 | 1,890 |
Total, less than a high school diploma |
350 | 554 | 1,005 |
Men, less than a high school diploma |
384 | 606 | 1,143 |
Women, less than a high school diploma |
310 | 462 | 763 |
Total, high school graduates, no college |
406 | 726 | 1,491 |
Men, high school graduates, no college |
444 | 810 | 1,597 |
Women, high school graduates, no college |
375 | 620 | 1,195 |
Total, some college or associate degree |
445 | 825 | 1,642 |
Men, some college or associate degree |
492 | 938 | 1,875 |
Women, some college or associate degree |
408 | 720 | 1,403 |
Total, bachelor's degree and higher |
627 | 1,310 | 2,907 |
Men, bachelor's degree and higher |
690 | 1,522 | 3,324 |
Women, bachelor's degree and higher |
590 | 1,141 | 2,317 |
Total, bachelor's degree only |
593 | 1,187 | 2,698 |
Men, bachelor's degree only |
641 | 1,372 | 2,920 |
Women, bachelor's degree only |
554 | 1,041 | 2,111 |
Total, advanced degree |
725 | 1,512 | 3,313 |
Men, advanced degree |
856 | 1,808 | 3,900 |
Women, advanced degree |
664 | 1,300 | 2,625 |
Among college graduates with advanced degrees (master's or professional degree and above), the highest earning 10 percent of male workers—the 90th percentile—made $3,900 or more per week. Women in the 90th percentile with advanced degrees had weekly earnings of $2,625 in the second quarter of 2018.
Weekly earnings for the lowest paid 10 percent of men with advanced degrees—whose earnings were below the 10th percentile—were less than $856 in the second quarter. That was higher than the median earnings—the 50th percentile—of men who had completed high school but never attended college.
These data are from the Current Population Survey and are not seasonally adjusted. For more information, see "Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers: Second Quarter 2018." Full-time workers usually work 35 hours or more per week at their sole or main job. The median or 50th percentile is the midpoint in the earnings distribution; half of workers earn more than the median and half earn less. Ten percent of workers have earnings below the upper limit of the 10th percentile, and 90 percent have higher earnings. Ninety percent of workers have earnings below the upper limit of the 90th percentile and 10 percent have higher earnings.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Weekly earnings by educational attainment in second quarter 2018 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/weekly-earnings-by-educational-attainment-in-second-quarter-2018.htm (visited December 12, 2024).