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Median weekly earnings of the nation's 115.3 million full-time wage and salary workers were $1,001 in the third quarter of 2021. Women had median weekly earnings of $916, or 83.3 percent of the $1,100 median for men.
Race and ethnicity | Total | Men | Women |
---|---|---|---|
Total |
$1,001 | $1,100 | $916 |
White |
1,024 | 1,134 | 929 |
Black or African American |
799 | 813 | 783 |
Asian |
1,309 | 1,414 | 1,189 |
Hispanic or Latino |
779 | 826 | 723 |
In the third quarter of 2021, median weekly earnings for Black men were $813, or 71.7 percent of the median for White men ($1,134). Median earnings for Hispanic men were $826, or 72.8 percent of the median for White men. The difference was less among women, as Black women's median earnings were $783, or 84.3 percent of those for White women ($929), and earnings for Hispanic women were $723, or 77.8 percent of those for White women. Earnings of Asian men ($1,414) and women ($1,189) were higher than those of their White counterparts.
Among full-time workers age 25 and over, median weekly earnings for women with a bachelor's degree or higher were $1,311 in the third quarter of 2021, or 79.4 percent of the median for men with a bachelor’s degree or higher ($1,652). The difference was greater among workers with less than a high school diploma, as women ($534) earned 77.5 percent as much as their male ($689) counterparts.
Quarter | Men | Women | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Less than a high school diploma | High school graduates, no college | Some college or associate degree | Bachelor's degree or higher | Less than a high school diploma | High school graduates, no college | Some college or associate degree | Bachelor's degree or higher | |
Q1 2000 |
$412 | $586 | $688 | $1,011 | $302 | $423 | $495 | $749 |
Q2 2000 |
416 | 598 | 687 | 1,020 | 304 | 412 | 501 | 748 |
Q3 2000 |
400 | 587 | 689 | 1,039 | 303 | 425 | 511 | 758 |
Q4 2000 |
397 | 592 | 700 | 1,013 | 308 | 423 | 513 | 768 |
Q1 2001 |
416 | 591 | 707 | 1,066 | 313 | 431 | 515 | 776 |
Q2 2001 |
420 | 609 | 728 | 1,048 | 320 | 446 | 523 | 780 |
Q3 2001 |
423 | 621 | 726 | 1,095 | 316 | 442 | 518 | 785 |
Q4 2001 |
416 | 616 | 729 | 1,068 | 314 | 452 | 523 | 803 |
Q1 2002 |
419 | 618 | 718 | 1,110 | 326 | 451 | 551 | 798 |
Q2 2002 |
435 | 616 | 740 | 1,078 | 323 | 459 | 538 | 800 |
Q3 2002 |
418 | 617 | 726 | 1,071 | 330 | 454 | 533 | 826 |
Q4 2002 |
418 | 617 | 737 | 1,112 | 322 | 468 | 551 | 810 |
Q1 2003 |
431 | 627 | 731 | 1,129 | 338 | 464 | 561 | 819 |
Q2 2003 |
437 | 621 | 740 | 1,134 | 322 | 474 | 555 | 841 |
Q3 2003 |
427 | 632 | 736 | 1,120 | 327 | 480 | 559 | 830 |
Q4 2003 |
423 | 632 | 750 | 1,138 | 331 | 477 | 566 | 834 |
Q1 2004 |
434 | 640 | 747 | 1,148 | 339 | 479 | 571 | 855 |
Q2 2004 |
455 | 657 | 760 | 1,123 | 326 | 489 | 580 | 850 |
Q3 2004 |
442 | 634 | 763 | 1,136 | 334 | 491 | 580 | 859 |
Q4 2004 |
449 | 648 | 774 | 1,163 | 335 | 491 | 575 | 873 |
Q1 2005 |
449 | 644 | 769 | 1,171 | 341 | 496 | 587 | 877 |
Q2 2005 |
456 | 654 | 754 | 1,150 | 343 | 491 | 583 | 873 |
Q3 2005 |
461 | 650 | 764 | 1,168 | 343 | 491 | 594 | 874 |
Q4 2005 |
452 | 658 | 775 | 1,187 | 338 | 493 | 583 | 905 |
Q1 2006 |
473 | 672 | 792 | 1,223 | 352 | 498 | 603 | 868 |
Q2 2006 |
475 | 669 | 779 | 1,200 | 356 | 496 | 597 | 923 |
Q3 2006 |
468 | 694 | 808 | 1,191 | 363 | 501 | 603 | 920 |
Q4 2006 |
461 | 674 | 802 | 1,207 | 363 | 506 | 604 | 917 |
Q1 2007 |
480 | 684 | 806 | 1,200 | 368 | 511 | 612 | 908 |
Q2 2007 |
490 | 680 | 820 | 1,244 | 377 | 508 | 605 | 943 |
Q3 2007 |
472 | 697 | 816 | 1,250 | 368 | 512 | 612 | 938 |
Q4 2007 |
482 | 697 | 799 | 1,265 | 365 | 516 | 606 | 937 |
Q1 2008 |
479 | 701 | 819 | 1,274 | 375 | 518 | 624 | 950 |
Q2 2008 |
497 | 715 | 843 | 1,277 | 378 | 521 | 632 | 942 |
Q3 2008 |
505 | 710 | 835 | 1,291 | 381 | 518 | 622 | 968 |
Q4 2008 |
503 | 710 | 826 | 1,297 | 377 | 525 | 634 | 960 |
Q1 2009 |
493 | 712 | 844 | 1,353 | 388 | 527 | 627 | 962 |
Q2 2009 |
503 | 714 | 836 | 1,337 | 387 | 550 | 630 | 973 |
Q3 2009 |
495 | 715 | 824 | 1,310 | 382 | 545 | 624 | 981 |
Q4 2009 |
506 | 721 | 833 | 1,273 | 371 | 547 | 640 | 963 |
Q1 2010 |
494 | 710 | 850 | 1,333 | 383 | 551 | 642 | 978 |
Q2 2010 |
485 | 714 | 846 | 1,311 | 377 | 542 | 645 | 993 |
Q3 2010 |
485 | 701 | 838 | 1,338 | 400 | 542 | 632 | 992 |
Q4 2010 |
479 | 718 | 846 | 1,331 | 392 | 539 | 633 | 981 |
Q1 2011 |
487 | 714 | 825 | 1,338 | 388 | 555 | 650 | 1,007 |
Q2 2011 |
496 | 721 | 838 | 1,314 | 393 | 557 | 656 | 988 |
Q3 2011 |
489 | 720 | 839 | 1,331 | 404 | 545 | 625 | 993 |
Q4 2011 |
482 | 723 | 855 | 1,341 | 394 | 562 | 648 | 1,005 |
Q1 2012 |
494 | 733 | 854 | 1,356 | 380 | 565 | 668 | 1,008 |
Q2 2012 |
515 | 742 | 876 | 1,377 | 399 | 572 | 660 | 1,001 |
Q3 2012 |
503 | 726 | 822 | 1,366 | 381 | 571 | 653 | 1,004 |
Q4 2012 |
518 | 738 | 874 | 1,387 | 381 | 539 | 655 | 991 |
Q1 2013 |
488 | 732 | 866 | 1,373 | 400 | 574 | 652 | 1,050 |
Q2 2013 |
502 | 722 | 869 | 1,390 | 404 | 581 | 657 | 1,040 |
Q3 2013 |
509 | 742 | 846 | 1,378 | 404 | 569 | 654 | 1,031 |
Q4 2013 |
499 | 732 | 858 | 1,433 | 390 | 564 | 666 | 1,051 |
Q1 2014 |
501 | 756 | 859 | 1,393 | 410 | 564 | 658 | 1,063 |
Q2 2014 |
533 | 737 | 863 | 1,377 | 407 | 584 | 655 | 1,049 |
Q3 2014 |
519 | 753 | 877 | 1,366 | 408 | 590 | 660 | 1,019 |
Q4 2014 |
518 | 756 | 885 | 1,407 | 412 | 568 | 669 | 1,065 |
Q1 2015 |
506 | 747 | 876 | 1,429 | 410 | 575 | 654 | 1,048 |
Q2 2015 |
522 | 758 | 885 | 1,397 | 420 | 593 | 664 | 1,051 |
Q3 2015 |
515 | 753 | 887 | 1,416 | 424 | 588 | 675 | 1,064 |
Q4 2015 |
548 | 776 | 887 | 1,439 | 418 | 589 | 662 | 1,091 |
Q1 2016 |
526 | 751 | 893 | 1,461 | 415 | 596 | 689 | 1,102 |
Q2 2016 |
529 | 762 | 890 | 1,431 | 421 | 596 | 673 | 1,086 |
Q3 2016 |
550 | 785 | 895 | 1,461 | 426 | 600 | 694 | 1,099 |
Q4 2016 |
586 | 779 | 906 | 1,501 | 436 | 603 | 695 | 1,117 |
Q1 2017 |
576 | 792 | 922 | 1,490 | 433 | 602 | 695 | 1,135 |
Q2 2017 |
583 | 797 | 917 | 1,474 | 444 | 620 | 707 | 1,134 |
Q3 2017 |
591 | 799 | 915 | 1,460 | 447 | 608 | 703 | 1,128 |
Q4 2017 |
586 | 798 | 915 | 1,507 | 467 | 611 | 697 | 1,125 |
Q1 2018 |
616 | 808 | 934 | 1,502 | 457 | 605 | 714 | 1,128 |
Q2 2018 |
606 | 810 | 938 | 1,522 | 462 | 620 | 720 | 1,141 |
Q3 2018 |
610 | 823 | 935 | 1,518 | 476 | 615 | 712 | 1,154 |
Q4 2018 |
595 | 835 | 989 | 1,541 | 480 | 622 | 720 | 1,155 |
Q1 2019 |
633 | 821 | 986 | 1,589 | 483 | 622 | 718 | 1,158 |
Q2 2019 |
644 | 851 | 987 | 1,565 | 496 | 644 | 734 | 1,179 |
Q3 2019 |
654 | 857 | 997 | 1,573 | 501 | 629 | 755 | 1,227 |
Q4 2019 |
643 | 849 | 995 | 1,569 | 499 | 636 | 742 | 1,230 |
Q1 2020 |
661 | 858 | 1,014 | 1,609 | 527 | 661 | 754 | 1,182 |
Q2 2020 |
685 | 878 | 1,014 | 1,646 | 523 | 682 | 783 | 1,253 |
Q3 2020 |
696 | 901 | 1,056 | 1,665 | 523 | 677 | 785 | 1,270 |
Q4 2020 |
647 | 884 | 1,039 | 1,646 | 529 | 665 | 791 | 1,234 |
Q1 2021 |
664 | 893 | 1,021 | 1,658 | 533 | 675 | 794 | 1,259 |
Q2 2021 |
669 | 887 | 1,045 | 1,668 | 569 | 674 | 786 | 1,252 |
Q3 2021 |
689 | 916 | 1,074 | 1,652 | 534 | 707 | 816 | 1,311 |
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: Third Quarter 2021" and more charts of usual weekly earnings data. Full-time workers usually work 35 hours or more per week at their sole or main job. The median is the midpoint in the earnings distribution; half of workers earn more than the median and half earn less. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Median weekly earnings were $916 for women in third quarter 2021, 83.3 percent of men's earnings at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2021/median-weekly-earnings-were-916-for-women-in-third-quarter-2021-83-3-percent-of-mens-earnings.htm (visited December 07, 2024).