Cumulative percent change in real annual wages, by wage group, 1979–2016
| Year | Bottom 90% | 90th–95th | 95th–99th | Top 1% | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1980 | -2.2% | -1.3% | -0.2% | 3.4% | -1.4% |
| 1981 | -2.6% | -1.1% | -0.1% | 3.1% | -1.7% |
| 1982 | -3.9% | -0.9% | 2.2% | 9.5% | -1.9% |
| 1983 | -3.7% | 0.7% | 3.6% | 13.6% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | -1.8% | 2.5% | 6.0% | 20.7% | 1.2% |
| 1985 | -1.0% | 4.0% | 8.1% | 23.0% | 2.4% |
| 1986 | 1.1% | 6.4% | 12.5% | 32.6% | 5.3% |
| 1987 | 2.1% | 7.4% | 15.0% | 53.5% | 7.9% |
| 1988 | 2.2% | 8.2% | 18.4% | 68.7% | 9.7% |
| 1989 | 1.8% | 8.1% | 18.2% | 63.3% | 9.0% |
| 1990 | 1.1% | 7.1% | 16.5% | 64.8% | 8.3% |
| 1991 | 0.0% | 6.9% | 15.5% | 53.6% | 6.5% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | 9.0% | 19.2% | 74.3% | 9.8% |
| 1993 | 0.9% | 9.2% | 20.6% | 67.9% | 9.1% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | 11.2% | 21.0% | 63.4% | 9.8% |
| 1995 | 2.8% | 12.2% | 24.1% | 70.2% | 11.3% |
| 1996 | 4.1% | 13.6% | 27.0% | 79.0% | 13.3% |
| 1997 | 7.0% | 16.9% | 32.3% | 100.6% | 17.9% |
| 1998 | 11.0% | 21.3% | 38.2% | 113.1% | 22.8% |
| 1999 | 13.2% | 25.0% | 42.9% | 129.7% | 26.5% |
| 2000 | 15.3% | 26.8% | 48.0% | 144.8% | 29.9% |
| 2001 | 15.7% | 29.0% | 46.4% | 130.4% | 29.3% |
| 2002 | 15.6% | 29.0% | 43.2% | 109.3% | 27.2% |
| 2003 | 15.7% | 30.3% | 44.9% | 113.9% | 27.9% |
| 2004 | 15.6% | 30.8% | 47.1% | 127.2% | 29.2% |
| 2005 | 15.0% | 30.8% | 48.6% | 135.3% | 29.5% |
| 2006 | 15.7% | 32.5% | 52.1% | 143.5% | 31.3% |
| 2007 | 16.7% | 34.1% | 55.4% | 156.2% | 33.4% |
| 2008 | 16.1% | 34.2% | 53.9% | 137.6% | 31.5% |
| 2009 | 16.0% | 35.3% | 53.5% | 116.2% | 29.9% |
| 2010 | 15.2% | 35.7% | 55.7% | 130.8% | 30.8% |
| 2011 | 14.6% | 36.3% | 56.9% | 134.1% | 30.8% |
| 2012 | 14.7% | 36.4% | 58.4% | 148.4% | 32.1% |
| 2013 | 15.2% | 37.2% | 59.5% | 137.7% | 31.9% |
| 2014 | 16.7% | 38.9% | 62.6% | 149.3% | 34.3% |
| 2015 | 20.7% | 43.4% | 68.3% | 156.7% | 38.9% |
| 2016 | 21.3% | 43.8% | 68.5% | 148.6% | 38.7% |
Note: Shaded areas denote recessions.
Source: EPI analysis of Kopczuk, Saez, and Song (2010, Table A3) and Social Security Administration wage statistics