Chart Detail

Hourly and weekly earnings of private production and nonsupervisory workers, 1947–2011 (2011 dollars)

Real average earnings
Hourly Weekly
1947 $10.67 $428.98
1967 16.79 636.48
1973 18.74 690.63
1979 18.31 651.82
1989 17.17 592.72
1995 17.08 586.44
2000 18.32 628.57
2007 18.91 640.23
2011 19.47 654.87
Annual percent change
1947–1967 2.3% 2.0%
1967–1973 1.9 1.4
1973–1979 -0.4 -1.0
1979–1989 -0.6 -0.9
1989–2000 0.6 0.5
1989–1995 -0.1 -0.2
1995–2000 1.4 1.4
2000–2007 0.5 0.3
2007–2011 0.7 0.6
1979–2011 0.2 -0.1

Note: Private production and nonsupervisory workers account for more than 80 percent of wage and salary employment.

Source: Authors' analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics

Documentation and methodology

Underlying data are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics program data from the Employment, Hours, and Earnings–National database, deflated using CPI-U-RS.

Updated May 14, 2012

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