Indicator 29. Median Income

This indicator compares the median income of different racial/ethnic groups in 2007 by educational attainment. Median income is the reported annual wage and salary earnings of full-time, full-year workers ages 25 years and over.

The median income in 2007 for all full-time, full-year workers ages 25 and over was $41,000. Generally, for both sexes and all races/ethnicities, higher median earnings were associated with higher educational attainment. For example, those with at least a bachelor's degree had a median income of $58,900, while those who had completed high school had a median income of $32,000.

In 2007, the median income of male workers was higher than the median income of female workers ($48,000 vs. $36,000). Males generally had higher median incomes than females for each race/ethnicity and at each educational level, although the income gaps varied in size. For example, White males with at least a bachelor's degree out-earned their female peers by $21,000. At the same level of educational attainment, Black males out-earned their female peers by $10,000. Among Blacks with a master's degree, no measurable difference was found between the income of males and the income of females.

Among males, Asians and Whites had higher median incomes ($52,000 and $50,000, respectively) than males of other racial/ethnic groups, except Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander males.³² Hispanic males had a lower median income ($33,000) than Black males ($38,000), American Indian/Alaska Native males ($39,000), Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander males ($45,000), and males of two or more races ($45,000). At all levels of educational attainment, other than doctorate/first-professional, the median income for Black males was lower than the median income for White males. Similarly, at each level of educational attainment, other than master's, the median income for Hispanic males was lower than the income for White males. Additionally, the median income of Asian males with at least a bachelor's degree was higher than that of Black males and Hispanic males with the same level of educational attainment. Among those with at least a bachelor's degree, the median income was $71,000 for White males and $69,000 for Asian males, compared with $55,000 for Black males and $54,000 for Hispanic males.

Among females, Asians had a higher median income ($42,000) than females of other racial/ethnic groups, except Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.³³ In addition, White females and females of two or more races had higher median incomes ($38,000 and $35,000, respectively) than Black ($31,000) and Hispanic ($30,000) females. White females who had completed high school, some college, or an associate's degree had a higher median income than Black and Hispanic females with similar educational attainment. Asian females with at least a bachelor's degree had higher median earnings ($54,000) compared to White females ($50,000), Black females ($45,000), and Hispanic females ($43,000). In addition, Asian females with a master's degree had higher median earnings ($67,000) than other females with the same level of education (ranging between $52,500 and $55,000).

View Figure 29
View Table 29

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