OBJECTIVES: To assess the association between overweight/obesity and employment to population ratio (E/P Ratio), hourly wage, and annual income in the U.S. METHODS: Adults (age 18-64) in the 2000-2002 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) were classified as normal weight (BMI:18.5-24.9), overweight (BMI:25-29.9), and obese (BMI: >=30). Underweight (BMI<18.5) individuals were excluded. E/P ratio, hourly wage, annual income, and poverty status of the overweight and obese adults were compared to that of the normal weight adults, respectively, adjusting for demographic characteristics using a stratification matching method. MEPS sampling weights were applied to ensure nationally representative estimates. The analyses were also conducted for population subgroups defined by gender, race, ethnicity, and physical activity. RESULTS: The study sample includes 35,989 adults, with 13,744 normal weight, 13,321 overweight, and 8,924 obese. The E/P ratio was 87.1% for the overweight sample, 1.8% higher (p<0.01) than the normal weight sample; and 82.4% for the obese sample, 1.7% lower (p<0.01) than the normal weight sample. The obese sample made $1.63 less per hour (p<0.01), and $3338 less annually compared to the normal weight sample (p<0.01). Compared to the normal weight sample, obese adults were more likely to be poor. No significant difference of annual income and poverty level were found between the overweight and the normal weight sample. Systematic differences between different population subgroups were found. CONCLUSIONS: Obese adults are less likely to be employed, have lower annual incomes and hourly wages, and are more likely to be poor than normal weight adults.