According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics article posted today, real average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees fell 0.1%, seasonally adjusted, in the month of September. Real average hourly earnings fell despite an increase of 0.1% in average hourly earnings because of a 0.2% increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, which measures the change in pricing of certain items and goods purchased by urban consumers. Real average weekly earnings also saw a 0.1% decrease, as the working week remained the same while real average hourly earnings fell.

Even with the decrease this month, real average weekly earnings have increased 2.1% since a low point in June 2009. The article cites information from a report filed recently, also from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The report also compares wage earnings of people of different races, ages, genders, ethnicity groups, occupations and education levels.

Among racial groups, Hispanics who worked full time in the third quarter of 2010 had the lowest median earnings, making only $522, as compared with blacks ($611), whites ($759) and Asians ($854).