ASHINGTON, March 24 (AP) — Women are less likely than men to reach the highest salary brackets and are more likely to live in poverty, according to a government survey released today.

Nearly 16 percent of men age 15 and older who worked full time in 2001 earned at least $75,000 a year, compared with 6 percent of women, the Census Bureau reported.

About 20 percent of men earned $50,000 to $75,000, compared with 12 percent of women.

Women are far more likely than men to live in poverty, especially at older ages. Twelve percent of women age 65 and older lived in poverty, compared with 7 percent of men.

The estimates are from a survey conducted in March 2002 by the Census Bureau. They are being released to coincide with Women's History Month.

A separate Census Bureau report last week showed that earning levels for women were at record highs, with those holding college diplomas benefiting the most.

The number of women with at least a bachelor's degree is also at a record high.

In the workplace, 9.4 million women worked in executive or managerial positions, accounting for 45 percent of such jobs in 2002. Women held a majority of the jobs in the field of technical or related support services.

Nearly 25 percent of the 63.6 million working women in 2002 worked in administrative or clerical positions, a field larger than any other.

The survey showed that of the 282.1 million residents of the United States in March 2002, 51 percent were women.

In addition, women age 15 and older were slightly less likely than men in the same age group to be married and living with their spouses — 51 percent of women compared with 54 percent of men.

Women were much more likely to be widowed than men, with 10 percent of women living as widows while 3 percent of men survived a spouse.

The survey did not cover people living in group quarters like jails or nursing homes.