Table 4. Quartiles and selected deciles of usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected
characteristics, third quarter 2008 averages, not seasonally adjusted
Number of Upper limit of:
workers
Characteristic (in
thousand- First First Second Third Ninth
s) decile quartile quartile quartile decile
(median)
SEX, RACE, AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
Total, 16 years and over....................................... 107,194 $345 $484 $720 $1,131 $1,708
Men.......................................................... 60,170 376 519 796 1,246 1,886
Women........................................................ 47,025 319 435 631 966 1,435
White........................................................ 86,600 352 493 739 1,154 1,745
Men........................................................ 49,727 380 529 816 1,272 1,897
Women...................................................... 36,873 325 450 649 985 1,460
Black or African American.................................... 12,878 311 411 589 882 1,307
Men........................................................ 6,085 337 470 646 952 1,374
Women...................................................... 6,793 294 386 530 789 1,243
Asian........................................................ 5,266 368 525 854 1,362 1,916
Men........................................................ 3,004 401 606 960 1,561 2,261
Women...................................................... 2,261 330 470 723 1,121 1,645
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity................................. 16,095 301 387 529 803 1,199
Men........................................................ 10,197 316 403 566 852 1,255
Women...................................................... 5,898 286 354 498 723 1,103
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years and over....................................... 95,869 374 513 763 1,180 1,766
Less than a high school diploma.............................. 7,841 284 347 471 631 877
High school graduates, no college (1)........................ 27,759 341 453 618 887 1,240
Some college or associate degree............................. 26,599 382 514 725 1,039 1,435
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)............................. 33,671 552 761 1,131 1,666 2,329
Bachelor's degree only..................................... 21,979 507 712 1,020 1,542 2,116
Advanced degree............................................ 11,692 642 896 1,333 1,895 2,881
Men, 25 years and over....................................... 53,731 403 578 857 1,328 1,911
Less than a high school diploma............................ 5,459 298 382 505 697 924
High school graduates, no college (1)...................... 16,239 385 508 710 993 1,366
Some college or associate degree........................... 13,805 431 593 835 1,182 1,596
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................... 18,227 603 866 1,291 1,889 2,719
Bachelor's degree only................................... 12,025 579 811 1,173 1,760 2,386
Advanced degree.......................................... 6,202 695 988 1,509 2,139 3,192
Women, 25 years and over..................................... 42,139 338 469 666 1,011 1,487
Less than a high school diploma............................ 2,381 256 305 381 492 647
High school graduates, no college (1)...................... 11,520 306 396 518 710 983
Some college or associate degree........................... 12,794 343 471 622 880 1,189
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........................... 15,443 499 685 968 1,401 1,906
Bachelor's degree only................................... 9,954 461 631 888 1,265 1,764
Advanced degree.......................................... 5,490 608 824 1,166 1,605 2,287
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.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
