The study examines whether subjective social status (SSS) predicts rates of wintertime febrile acute respiratory illness (ARI).1,373 women and 346 men were enrolled from September 1 through November 30, 2010 as part of a prospective cohort study of health care personnel (HCP) at two medical centers. A questionnaire was completed at enrollment followed by 20 weeks of surveillance. ARI was an illness with fever and cough self-reported via weekly telephone or Internet-based surveillance.Women (but not men) with lower SSS were more likely to report an ARI during surveillance, and the SSS-ARI association was independent of demographics, occupational status, health, and health behaviors.