Bradley Valentin 
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Usual Weekly Earnings Summary today. The summary shows that the median weekly earnings for the full-time workers were $1,196, about $62,000 per year. This is a 4.6% increase over the same time period last year.
Statistics
The average earnings in the second quarter of 2024 were $1,143. Male earners 16 and over increased their weekly earnings from $1,253 to $1,330, a 6.1% increase. Female workers 16 and over increased their weekly earnings from $1,017 to $1,078, a 6% increase.
Working men increased 1.7% from 66 million to 67.1 million from quarter two 2024 to quarter two of 2025.. Working women increased by about 0.8% during the same time frame. Today, we see about 121.5 million full-time workers, compared to last year when we saw about 119.9 million workers, about a 1.3% increase. The current unemployment rate remains at 4.1%.
Inflation
The latest CPI report showed inflation increasing 0.3% for June. CPI gain was 2.4% over the same period that wages grew 4.6% price. Purchasing power outpaced inflation for this period, which is much-needed relief for the economy and consumers.
Tariffs remain a question for the economy, as U.S. import prices advanced 0.1% in June, after a decrease of 0.4% in May. This increase, while small, helps us understand why inflation slightly moved up from 0.1% to 0.3% from May to June. Volatile energy prices remained the biggest factor for inflation, but a small increase in prices from imports, which some attribute to tariffs, could continue to slowly build over the next several months as tariff trade deals kick in, and pauses drop off.
About the Author
