The typical full-time worker in the US earned $1,232 a week in the third quarter of 2026, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on October 21. That is 1.5 percent more than a year earlier, well short of the 3.5 percent rise in consumer prices over the same period.
Key takeaways
- Median weekly earnings: $1,232 for 122.2 million full-time wage and salary workers.
- Women earned $1,127, or 83.4 percent of the $1,352 median for men.
- Workers 25 and over with a bachelor's degree earned $1,752, against $993 for high school graduates.
- Seasonally adjusted, weekly pay slipped from $1,258 in Q2 to $1,239.
How does pay vary by job and education?
Management and professional workers had the highest medians, $1,910 for men and $1,493 for women. Service workers earned the least, $876 for men and $760 for women. Education still pays: a degree holder's median is about 76 percent higher than a high school graduate's.
How does pay change with age?
Earnings peak between 35 and 64. Workers aged 16 to 24 had the lowest medians, $813 for men and $720 for women.
How can you use these numbers?
Use them as a reality check when comparing offers. Then look at pay for your exact role, using our guides on what counts as a middle-class salary and good salaries by country.
What is the background?
This BLS series comes from the monthly household survey and reports what people say they usually earn each week, before tax. Because it is a median, it shows what the typical worker earns rather than an average pulled up by very high earners. A 1.5 percent rise against 3.5 percent inflation means the typical full-time worker lost buying power over the year.
Who is affected most?
Lower-paid groups have the least room to absorb rising prices. Service workers earned medians of $876 for men and $760 for women, and workers aged 16 to 24 earned the least of any age group. The gender gap also persists: women's median weekly pay was 83.4 percent of men's, and the gap widens with age, to 78.1 percent for workers 55 and over.
What should job seekers do with these figures?
- Use the medians as a starting point, then check pay for your exact job and city.
- Ask for the pay range early. Several US states and cities require it in job ads; see our guide to posted salary ranges.
- Consider training. Degree holders earned a median $1,752 a week, but shorter routes such as certifications can also raise pay.
- Prepare a number before interviews with our guide to salary expectations.
What happens next?
BLS will publish fourth-quarter figures in January 2027. That release will also include annual revisions to seasonally adjusted data going back to early 2022.
Source: BLS Usual Weekly Earnings, Q3 2026.
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