TED: The Editor's Desk

November 30, 2007 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Wives who earn more than their husbands, 1987-2005

In 2005, 26 percent of working wives whose husbands also worked earned more than their husbands.

Percent of wives who earn more than their husbands (families where both have earnings), 1987-2005
[Chart data—TXT]

This is up from 18 percent in 1987.

Among all married-couple families in which the wife (but not necessarily the husband) had earnings from work in 2005, 33 percent of the wives earned more than their husbands. This is about a third higher than the 1987 figure of 24 percent.

These data on earnings are from the Current Population Survey. For more information see "Women in the Labor Force: A Databook (2007 Edition)," BLS Report 1002.

Of interest

Spotlight on Statistics: The Recession of 2007–2009

The most recent recession in the United States began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009, though many of the statistics that describe the U.S. economy have yet to return to their pre-recession values. In this Spotlight, we present BLS data that compare the recent recession to previous recessions. Read more »