Wives who earn more than their husbands, 1987–2010

XLS version of table

(Numbers in thousands)
Year Families in which wives have earnings but husbands may not (1) Families in which both wives and husbands have earnings (2)
Married-couple families in which wife (but not necessarily husband) had earnings from work Wives who earn more than their husbands Percent of wives who earn more than their husbands Married-couple families in which both wife and husband had earnings from work Wives who earn more than their husbands Percent of wives who earn more than their husbands

1987

 32,025 7,581 23.7 29,755 5,311 17.8

1988

 32,810 7,827 23.9 30,503 5,520 18.1

1989

 33,119 8,068 24.4 30,848 5,796 18.8

1990

 33,093 8,221 24.8 30,794 5,923 19.2

1991

 33,516 8,983 26.8 30,998 6,465 20.9

1992

 33,987 9,715 28.6 31,221 6,948 22.3

1993

 34,286 10,000 29.2 31,264 6,978 22.3

1994

 35,066 10,184 29.0 32,091 7,209 22.5

1995

 34,819 9,822 28.2 32,030 7,033 22.0

1996

 35,120 10,070 28.7 32,389 7,340 22.7

1997

 35,613 10,309 28.9 32,745 7,441 22.7

1998

 35,806 10,467 29.2 32,782 7,443 22.7

1999

 36,454 10,548 28.9 33,340 7,434 22.3

2000

 37,037 11,070 29.9 33,873 7,906 23.3

2001

 36,864 11,329 30.7 33,665 8,130 24.1

2002

 36,905 11,765 31.9 33,531 8,391 25.0

2003

 36,761 11,923 32.4 33,189 8,351 25.2

2004

 36,710 11,985 32.6 33,110 8,386 25.3

2005

 37,055 12,215 33.0 33,364 8,524 25.5

2006

 37,733 12,601 33.4 33,838 8,707 25.7

2007

 37,536 12,570 33.5 33,678 8,712 25.9

2008

 37,988 13,104 34.5 33,905 9,020 26.6

2009

 36,858 13,903 37.7 32,280 9,326 28.9

2010

 36,024 13,798 38.3 31,373 9,147 29.2

Footnotes:
(1) Includes families in which husband had no earnings from work.
(2) Excludes families in which husband had no earnings from work.

NOTE: These data, collected in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), reflect the earnings and work experience of the entire year. Earnings include self-employment earnings.

 

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1988–2011 Annual Social and Economic Supplements to the Current Population Survey (CPS).

 

Last Modified Date: May 25, 2012