×
Join the LISEP mailing list

True Weekly Earnings

LISEP’s measure of the weekly earnings of all members of the workforce

True
Weekly Earnings
$
1,000
$
52,014
 Annualized
Q2 2025
Headline
Weekly Earnings
$
1,196
$
62,192
 Annualized
Q2 2025
vs.
For every dollar of earnings reported by the BLS,
the TWE is ...
For every dollar
earned by White workers
Black workers earn ...
For every dollar
earned by White workers
Hispanic workers earn ...
For every dollar
earned by male workers
female workers earn ...
Using data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),we calculate the median earnings of everyone who is employed or actively seeking employment. Thus, we take the median earnings of the whole U.S. labor force as defined by the BLS.
By comparison, the BLS headline numbers only include those who are employed at full-time jobs. Thus, if a low-income worker moves from full time to part time, or becomes unemployed, the BLS metric will report that earnings have risen, giving a false sense that earnings are getting better. TWE, on the other hand, gives policymakers access to a more comprehensive indicator of how the job market is performing as a whole.
Note: Both LISEP and BLS exclude the self-employed from their sample for measurement reasons.
True
Weekly Earnings
The True Weekly Earnings (TWE), as defined by LISEP, measures the weekly earnings of all members of the workforce — including part time and jobless who are seeking work.
True Weekly Earnings
vs. Headline Weekly Earnings
$
1,000
True Earnings
$
1,196
Headline Earnings
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
$
52,014
True Earnings
$
62,192
Headline Earnings
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
True Weekly Earnings
By Income Group*
$615
Bottom Quartile
$
1,000
Median
$1,682
Third Quartile
$2,683
Ninth Decile
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
*
In the graph above, first quartile refers to the exact person at the 25th percentile in the distribution. So this person has earnings higher than 25% of the population and lower than 75%. Third quartile refers to the person that has earnings higher than 75% of the population and lower than 25%. Ninth decile refers to the person with earnings higher than 90% and lower than 10% of the population. Note that this does not mean that the ninth decile is the average of the top 10%; rather, it is the exact 90th percentile earner.
$31,998
Bottom Quartile
$
52,014
Median
$87,443
Third Quartile
$139,521
Ninth Decile
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
True Weekly Earnings
By Race
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
$832
Black
$807
Hispanic
$1,124
White
$1,304
Asian
$43,241
Black
$41,940
Hispanic
$58,470
White
$67,797
Asian
True Weekly Earnings
Earnings Gap: Black and Hispanic vs. White Workers
For every dollar earned by White workers, Black and Hispanic workers earn ...
74¢
Black
72¢
Hispanic
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
True Weekly Earnings
By Sex
$891
Female
$1,142
Male
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
$46,337
Female
$59,374
Male
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
True Weekly Earnings
Earnings Gap: Female vs. Male Workers
For every dollar earned by male workers, female workers earn ...
78¢
Female
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
True Weekly Earnings
By Education
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
$678
No High School
$862
High School Diploma
$966
Some College
$1,427
Bachelors Degree
$1,835
Advanced Degree
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
$35,242
No High School
$44,842
High School Diploma
$50,242
Some College
$74,208
Bachelors Degree
$95,431
Advanced Degree
True Weekly Earnings
Growth by Education
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
16%
No High School
2%
High School Diploma
-3%
Some College
1%
Bachelors Degree
2%
Advanced Degree
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.