July 21, 2003 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Variation in worker earnings, July 2002

Mean hourly earnings of white-collar workers were $21.09 in July 2002, while earnings of blue-collar workers averaged $14.51. Hourly earnings of workers in service occupations were $10.32 per hour.

Mean hourly earnings by worker characteristics, July 2002
[Chart data—TXT]

Full-time workers, on average, earned nearly double what part-time workers earned per hour. Mean hourly earnings of full-time workers were $18.14, compared with $9.66 for part-time workers.

Union members earned $20.65 per hour, about a quarter more than the $16.42 earned by nonunion workers.

Overall, earnings averaged $17.18 per hour in July 2002.

These data are from the BLS National Compensation Survey program. Wage data in this article are for workers in private industry and in State and local government. Learn more in National Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the United States, July 2002, Summary 03-02 (PDF 539K).

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