Figure 5
Black workers' hourly wages as a percent of white hourly wages at the 10th, 50th, and 95th wage percentiles, 1979–2014
| 10th percentile | 50th percentile | 95th percentile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 94.7% | 82.8% | 78.9% |
| 1980 | 93.2% | 81.9% | 78.1% |
| 1981 | 95.9% | 82.4% | 79.5% |
| 1982 | 95.4% | 79.6% | 75.3% |
| 1983 | 95.3% | 80.6% | 76.2% |
| 1984 | 94.3% | 79.6% | 77.4% |
| 1985 | 93.7% | 78.4% | 75.1% |
| 1986 | 92.6% | 80.2% | 75.2% |
| 1987 | 91.0% | 80.1% | 77.5% |
| 1988 | 89.5% | 81.2% | 77.3% |
| 1989 | 88.7% | 79.5% | 76.0% |
| 1990 | 87.8% | 78.5% | 72.9% |
| 1991 | 88.7% | 78.8% | 75.9% |
| 1992 | 91.2% | 79.2% | 77.5% |
| 1993 | 92.4% | 79.8% | 78.2% |
| 1994 | 92.8% | 78.3% | 76.2% |
| 1995 | 92.4% | 78.2% | 75.8% |
| 1996 | 89.7% | 77.8% | 73.4% |
| 1997 | 88.2% | 76.6% | 73.8% |
| 1998 | 92.2% | 80.0% | 73.8% |
| 1999 | 92.3% | 78.6% | 72.8% |
| 2000 | 90.9% | 79.4% | 72.2% |
| 2001 | 89.7% | 77.2% | 72.4% |
| 2002 | 92.1% | 77.8% | 72.6% |
| 2003 | 93.0% | 79.7% | 73.2% |
| 2004 | 92.1% | 79.8% | 72.6% |
| 2005 | 90.3% | 76.9% | 72.6% |
| 2006 | 90.0% | 78.2% | 74.4% |
| 2007 | 92.1% | 76.4% | 73.1% |
| 2008 | 92.6% | 76.2% | 72.4% |
| 2009 | 93.9% | 77.5% | 70.5% |
| 2010 | 93.9% | 77.7% | 70.6% |
| 2011 | 93.4% | 76.8% | 72.9% |
| 2012 | 91.6% | 75.8% | 70.8% |
| 2013 | 90.8% | 76.6% | 70.0% |
| 2014 | 90.0% | 74.8% | 72.3% |
Note: The xth-percentile wage is the wage at which x% of wage earners earn less and (100-x)% earn more. Race/ethnicity categories are mutually exclusive (i.e., white non-Hispanic and black non-Hispanic).
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata
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