Occupation
median_earnings_by_occupationMedian earnings by occupation
Median adjusted earnings of full-time, year-round employed people in each occupation, including Armed Forces.
What this measure means
Median earnings, including zero and net losses in ACS period-end dollars for employed noninstitutionalized people ages 16–64, including Armed Forces (ESR 1, 2, 4, 5), who worked 50–52 weeks and usually at least 35 hours weekly, in each reported occupation. Total earnings use the Census PERNP recode with ADJINC; separately rounded wage and self-employment components are not substituted.
Who is included
- Population (universe)
- Full-time, year-round employed noninstitutionalized population age 16–64, including Armed Forces, with valid adjusted earnings, including zero and net losses and a reported occupation
- Age range
- 16–64
- Measure and unit
- Median; Dollars for the final year of the ACS period
- Denominator
- full-time, year-round employed people with valid adjusted earnings, including zero and net losses in each occupation category
Supported data sources and areas
These are the combinations this definition supports. Available estimates depend on the selected release, source coverage and reporting rules. National estimates can use annual or pooled ACS data; state estimates use pooled data. Eligible PUMA estimates use annual or pooled data with the selected release's native boundaries.
Products
- ACS 1-year
- ACS 5-year
Geographies
- United States
- Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA), using the selected release’s documented native boundaries
- State and District of Columbia
Compatible ACS release years
ACS 1-year: 2018 onward, excluding 2020; ACS 5-year: periods ending in 2018 onward
Analysis options defined for this measure
The explorer shows the options available in the selected release. Calculated changes between periods are currently unavailable.
Filters and breakdowns
- Occupation
Calculations
- Difference
- Ratio
Uncertainty and reliability
- When results are withheld
- Results are withheld when fewer than 351 survey records are included in the denominator. Medians are also withheld when the replicate method produces a standard error at or very near zero.
- When to use caution
- Results are marked unstable when the standard error exceeds 30% of the estimate's absolute value. This is the relative standard error (RSE). Use these estimates with caution.
Survey weights used: PWGTP and PWGTP1–PWGTP80
Version and sources
- Definition version
- ndc-definitions-2026.12
- Methodology version
- ndc-observatory-2026.3
- Change note
- Uses official PERNP total earnings rather than summing rounded WAGP and SEMP components; retains explicit full-time/year-round eligibility and includes zero earnings and net losses.