Black–white wage gaps have widened since the late 1970s: Median and regression-adjusted average Black–white wage gaps, 1970s through 2020
| Median | Average, adjusted | |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 28.6% | – |
| 1974 | 24.8% | |
| 1975 | 23.7% | |
| 1976 | 23.4% | |
| 1977 | 23.2% | |
| 1978 | 25.1% | |
| 1979 | 19.6% | 10.4% |
| 1980 | 20.9% | 10.4% |
| 1981 | 21.1% | 10.0% |
| 1982 | 24.0% | 12.2% |
| 1983 | 22.5% | 11.4% |
| 1984 | 24.2% | 12.6% |
| 1985 | 23.9% | 13.3% |
| 1986 | 24.9% | 13.1% |
| 1987 | 24.4% | 13.2% |
| 1988 | 22.5% | 12.2% |
| 1989 | 25.6% | 13.4% |
| 1990 | 25.2% | 13.9% |
| 1991 | 28.4% | 13.6% |
| 1992 | 25.8% | 13.6% |
| 1993 | 24.8% | 13.5% |
| 1994 | 25.1% | 13.4% |
| 1995 | 26.3% | 13.5% |
| 1996 | 27.8% | 16.8% |
| 1997 | 27.3% | 15.7% |
| 1998 | 25.6% | 13.4% |
| 1999 | 24.4% | 13.7% |
| 2000 | 26.2% | 13.0% |
| 2001 | 29.3% | 15.0% |
| 2002 | 27.1% | 14.7% |
| 2003 | 25.3% | 13.7% |
| 2004 | 24.8% | 13.4% |
| 2005 | 26.7% | 16.1% |
| 2006 | 25.9% | 14.6% |
| 2007 | 28.7% | 16.0% |
| 2008 | 30.0% | 16.6% |
| 2009 | 27.1% | 15.3% |
| 2010 | 26.9% | 15.7% |
| 2011 | 28.5% | 16.3% |
| 2012 | 32.7% | 16.8% |
| 2013 | 29.1% | 17.4% |
| 2014 | 31.8% | 18.5% |
| 2015 | 34.4% | 19.7% |
| 2016 | 29.8% | 18.4% |
| 2017 | 33.8% | 21.4% |
| 2018 | 36.4% | 22.3% |
| 2019 | 32.2% | 20.3% |
| 2020 | 30.9% | 19.0% |
Notes: The median wage gap is measured as the ratio of the white median wage to the Black median wage, minus 1, i.e., the gap measures how much less in percent terms the median-earning Black worker makes than the median-earning white worker. The average, adjusted wage gap shows how much less the average Black worker makes than their white counterpart of similar educational attainment, gender, ethnicity, and age.
Source: Author’s analysis using data from the Economic Policy Institute State of Working America Data Library (EPI 2021b).