The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in the second quarter of 2025, median weekly earnings for the U.S.’s 121.5 million full-time wage and salary workers reached $1,196—up 4.6% from a year earlier, outpacing the 2.4% rise in consumer prices. Women earned a median of $1,078, which is approximately 81.1% of men’s median income of $1,330. Earnings varied by race, age, occupation, and education. Asians had the highest median earnings among racial groups, while workers in service occupations and those without a high school diploma earned the least. Workers aged 35–54 had the highest earnings, and the gender pay gap was smaller among younger workers. The BLS writes:
Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 121.5 million full-time wage and salary workers were $1,196 in the second quarter of 2025 (not seasonally adjusted), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This was 4.6 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 2.4 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period.
Data on usual weekly earnings are collected as part of the Current Population Survey, a nationwide sample survey of households in which respondents are asked, among other things, how much each wage and salary worker usually earns. Data shown in this news release are not seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified.
Highlights from the second-quarter data:
-
Median weekly earnings of $1,196 for full-time workers. Women earned $1,078 weekly, or 81.1 percent of the $1,330 median for men.
-
The women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio varied by race and ethnicity. White women earned 81.1 percent as much as White men, compared with 89.5 percent for Black women, 77.5 percent for Asian women, and 87.6 percent for Hispanic women.
-
Among major race and ethnicity groups, median earnings for full-time Hispanic workers ($947) were lower than those for Blacks ($991), Whites ($1,225), and Asians ($1,553). By sex, Black men earned $1,053, or 77.6 percent of White men’s median earnings ($1,357), while Hispanic men earned $1,005, or 74.1 percent of White men’s earnings. Differences were smaller among women; Black women earned $942 (85.6 percent of White women’s $1,100), and Hispanic women earned $880 (80.0 percent of White women’s earnings). Asian men ($1,759) and women ($1,363) earned more than their White counterparts.
-
By age, median weekly earnings were highest for men ages 35 to 54: $1,502 for ages 35 to 44 and $1,520 for ages 45 to 54. Women in the same age groups earned $1,190 and $1,189, respectively. Younger workers (ages 16 to 24) had the lowest median earnings—$797 for men and $712 for women. The gender pay gap was smaller among younger workers, with women ages 16 to 24 earning 89.3 percent of men’s earnings in that group, compared to 78.2 percent for those age 55 and over.
-
Among major occupational groups, full-time workers in management, professional, and related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings—$1,907 for men and $1,429 for women. Those in service occupations earned the least, with $882 for men and $706 for women.
-
Educational attainment also influenced earnings. Full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $750; high school graduates with no college earned $960, and those with at least a bachelor’s degree earned $1,732. Among college graduates with advanced degrees, the top 10 percent of male earners made $5,346 or more per week, while the highest-earning women made $3,484 or more.
-
Seasonally adjusted median weekly earnings were $1,206 in the second quarter of 2025, little changed from the previous quarter.
Read more here.