What are Percentile Wages?

A percentile wage shows the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more.

The following table provides an example of an occupation's percentile wages:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
Median 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $11.00 $15.00 $20.00 $24.00 $29.00
Annual Wage $22,880 $31,200 $41,600 $49,920 $60,320

The hourly wage estimates in this example indicate that:

  • 10% of employees earn less than $11.00 per hour; therefore the remaining 90% earn more than $11.00 per hour.
  • 25% earn less than $15.00; 75% earn more than $15.00.
  • 50% earn less than $20.00; 50% earn more than $20.00 (The 50th percentile is called the Median).
  • 75% earn less than $24.00; 25% earn more than $24.00.
  • 90% earn less than $29.00; 10% earn more than $29.00.

The annual wage estimates in this example indicate that:

  • 10% of employees earn less than $22,880 per year; therefore the remaining 90% earn more than $22,880 per year.
  • 25% earn less than $31,200; 75% earn more than $31,200.
  • 50% earn less than $41,600; 50% earn more than $41,600 (The 50th percentile is called the Median).
  • 75% earn less than $49,920; 25% earn more than $49,920.
  • 90% earn less than $60,320; 10% earn more than $60,320.

 

Last Modified Date: October 24, 2007