October 20, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Weekly earnings of full-time workers in third quarter

Median weekly earnings of the nation's 101.5 million full-time wage and salary workers were 5.3 percent higher in the third quarter of 2000 than a year earlier. Over the same period, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 3.5 percent.

Percent change in median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers, by selected characteristics, not seasonally adjusted, 1999 III to 2000 III
[Chart data—TXT]

Among those who usually worked full time, median weekly earnings rose most—8.9 percent—among men aged 16 to 24. For men 25 and older, weekly earnings were up 4.8 percent.

Among women who usually worked full time, median weekly earnings rose 3.7 percent for those age 16 to 24 and 3.8 percent for those 25 and over.

Data on weekly earnings are from the Current Population Survey. Find more information on earnings in "Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers: Third Quarter 2000," news release USDL 00-301.