Figure G3
Most college graduates saw minimal wage growth since 2000: Cumulative percent change in real hourly wages of Black workers with a college degree for the average, median, and 90th-percentile wages, 2000–2020
| Year | 50th | 90th | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2001 | -0.2% | 0.8% | 1.8% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | 2.8% | 2.7% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | 2.8% | 2.5% |
| 2004 | -1.8% | 2.8% | 0.8% |
| 2005 | -0.8% | 4.2% | 1.7% |
| 2006 | -1.3% | 4.9% | 1.5% |
| 2007 | -0.9% | 5.6% | 2.3% |
| 2008 | -2.2% | 3.1% | 1.7% |
| 2009 | -1.8% | 3.7% | 2.5% |
| 2010 | -1.2% | 5.9% | 3.1% |
| 2011 | -3.4% | 2.1% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | -4.5% | 4.3% | 1.1% |
| 2013 | -5.3% | 5.2% | 1.9% |
| 2014 | -5.4% | 3.6% | 0.4% |
| 2015 | -3.7% | 9.5% | 4.6% |
| 2016 | -2.8% | 11.7% | 6.7% |
| 2017 | -1.5% | 12.8% | 7.0% |
| 2018 | -1.8% | 14.0% | 8.1% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | 15.2% | 9.6% |
| 2020 | 5.6% | 23.9% | 15.2% |
Note: Education groups are mutually exclusive, so “college” here refers to those with only a four-year college degree.
Source: Author’s analysis of EPI Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0 (2020), https://microdata.epi.org
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