Percent of Workforce Making Over $100,000

The US Census Bureau Current Population Survey (CPS Table PINC-10) reports that in 2008, 99,038,000 people worked at full time jobs for 50 weeks or more. Of these, 9,480,000 had wage or salary income of $100k or more.

In other words, 9.6% of the full time workforce makes $100k+. See the report for $250k+.

Summary by industry sector

Here is an estimate of the percent of the workforce making $100k+ by industry.

Industry		Percent at $100k+
Total nonfarm		9.6%
Natural resources and mining		9.5%
Construction		9.5%
Manufacturing		10.0%
Wholesale trade		10.4%
Retail trade		9.3%
Information		11.7%
Financial activities		9.7%
Professional and business services		9.7%
Educational services		8.0%
Health care and social assistance		8.8%
Leisure and hospitality		9.6%
Other services		8.8%
Government		5.8%

Hiring rates defined

This is the BLS JOLTS definition:

Hires are the total number of additions to the payroll occurring at any time during the reference month, including both new and rehired employees, full-time and part-time, permanent, short-term and seasonal employees, employees recalled to the location after a layoff lasting more than 7 days, on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated, and transfers from other locations.

The hires count does not include transfers or promotions within the reporting site, employees returning from strike, employees of temporary help agencies or employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.