Median Weekly Pay Hit $1,232 in Q3 2026: Earnings by Age, Gender and Education
- Median weekly earnings of full-time workers were $1,232 in the third quarter of 2026, up 1.5% from a year earlier.
- Consumer prices (CPI-U) rose 3.5% over the same period.
- Workers age 25+ with at least a bachelor’s degree had median weekly earnings of $1,752, versus $993 for high school graduates.
The quarterly Usual Weekly Earnings report is a quick check on what typical full-time workers actually earn. Here are the third-quarter 2026 numbers (BLS Usual Weekly Earnings, third quarter 2026).
Headline numbers
The nation’s 122.2 million full-time wage and salary workers had median weekly earnings of $1,232 (not seasonally adjusted). Seasonally adjusted, the median was $1,239, down from $1,258 in the previous quarter.
By gender
Women had median weekly earnings of $1,127, or 83.4% of the $1,352 median for men. Men’s and women’s earnings were closer among younger workers: women ages 16 to 24 earned 88.6% as much as men the same age, compared with 78.1% for those 55 and older.
By age
| Group | Median weekly earnings, Q3 2026 |
|---|---|
| Men 35–44 | $1,536 |
| Men 45–54 | $1,563 |
| Men 55–64 | $1,545 |
| Women 35–44 | $1,263 |
| Women 45–54 | $1,230 |
| Women 55–64 | $1,177 |
| Men 16–24 | $813 |
| Women 16–24 | $720 |
By occupation and education
Full-time workers in management, professional and related occupations had the highest medians, $1,910 for men and $1,493 for women. Service occupations earned the least: $876 for men and $760 for women. By education, workers 25 and older without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $819, high school graduates $993, and those with at least a bachelor’s degree $1,752.
Use it
- Multiply weekly figures by 52 for a rough annual number ($1,232 × 52 = about $64,064).
- Compare your pay with your age and occupation group, not just the overall median.
- Pay rose more slowly than prices over the year, so a raise that just matches 1.5% is a real pay cut.
Published October 27, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original graphic by JobPayRaise.com.
Comments (1)
One more comparison from the BLS union report: in 2025, full-time union members had median weekly earnings of $1,404, versus $1,174 for nonunion workers. BLS notes that gap reflects differences in occupation, industry and other factors as well as union coverage. Source: BLS Union Members, 2025.