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Jobs · October 23, 2026 · 2 min read

Median weekly earnings rose 1.5% to $1,232 in Q3 2026 while CPI climbed 3.5%, BLS reports

By Econ Data Tools Editorial Team

Published October 23, 2026 • Updated October 23, 2026

Reviewed by Instinct source QC

Median usual weekly earnings for the nation's 122.2 million full-time wage and salary workers reached $1,232 in the third quarter of 2026, up 1.5% from a year earlier, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported - against a 3.5% increase in the Consumer Price Index over the same period. Seasonally adjusted median earnings fell to $1,239 from $1,258 in the prior quarter.

Median usual weekly earnings of the nation's 122.2 million full-time wage and salary workers were $1,232 in the third quarter of 2026 on a not seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. That was 1.5% higher than a year earlier, compared with a 3.5% gain in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers over the same period - a gap of two percentage points between nominal earnings growth and consumer inflation. On a seasonally adjusted basis, median weekly earnings were $1,239 in the third quarter, down from $1,258 in the second quarter of 2026. The data are collected as part of the Current Population Survey, in which households report what each wage and salary worker usually earns. Women who worked full time had median weekly earnings of $1,127, or 83.4% of the $1,352 median for men. The women's-to-men's earnings ratio was 95.6% for Black women, 89.4% for Hispanic women, 81.6% for White women and 81.8% for Asian women. Among major race and ethnicity groups, median weekly earnings were $981 for Hispanic workers, $1,012 for Black workers, $1,261 for White workers and higher for Asian workers, with Asian men earning a median of $1,841. By educational attainment, full-time workers age 25 and over without a high school diploma earned a median of $819 per week, compared with $993 for high school graduates with no college and $1,752 for those holding at least a bachelor's degree. Management and professional occupations paid the most - $1,910 for men and $1,493 for women - while service occupations paid the least, at $876 and $760 respectively.

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