Top earners' wages grew four times faster than wages at the median: Cumulative change in real hourly wages of all workers, by wage percentile, 1979–2018
| 10th percentile | 50th percentile | 95th percentile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1980 | -6.7% | -0.6% | -1.8% |
| 1981 | -8.1% | -1.7% | -1.5% |
| 1982 | -11.8% | -2.1% | 0.5% |
| 1983 | -14.7% | -1.9% | 3.5% |
| 1984 | -16.4% | -1.4% | 3.9% |
| 1985 | -17.5% | 0.1% | 6.1% |
| 1986 | -17.2% | 0.8% | 8.6% |
| 1987 | -17.3% | 1.9% | 11.6% |
| 1988 | -16.5% | 0.5% | 14.3% |
| 1989 | -17.1% | 0.3% | 7.7% |
| 1990 | -16.5% | 0.2% | 9.1% |
| 1991 | -15.1% | -0.6% | 10.6% |
| 1992 | -14.4% | 0.4% | 8.8% |
| 1993 | -13.1% | 1.9% | 6.6% |
| 1994 | -13.8% | 0.8% | 12.4% |
| 1995 | -14.7% | -0.6% | 12.7% |
| 1996 | -15.7% | -2.3% | 13.4% |
| 1997 | -13.2% | -0.3% | 14.8% |
| 1998 | -7.8% | 3.3% | 18.3% |
| 1999 | -6.1% | 5.9% | 21.5% |
| 2000 | -6.7% | 6.5% | 24.9% |
| 2001 | -3.8% | 8.2% | 27.0% |
| 2002 | -0.8% | 9.8% | 31.6% |
| 2003 | -1.2% | 9.9% | 30.5% |
| 2004 | -3.0% | 11.1% | 31.7% |
| 2005 | -5.3% | 9.5% | 32.0% |
| 2006 | -5.9% | 9.9% | 33.2% |
| 2007 | -4.3% | 10.1% | 35.5% |
| 2008 | -3.2% | 9.3% | 36.3% |
| 2009 | -2.4% | 11.7% | 39.4% |
| 2010 | -3.2% | 11.0% | 38.6% |
| 2011 | -5.7% | 8.2% | 37.3% |
| 2012 | -7.3% | 6.9% | 39.0% |
| 2013 | -6.7% | 7.4% | 41.4% |
| 2014 | -5.9% | 7.5% | 39.4% |
| 2015 | -1.4% | 9.3% | 48.3% |
| 2016 | -0.6% | 11.2% | 49.8% |
| 2017 | 3.5% | 12.2% | 52.0% |
| 2018 | 4.1% | 14.0% | 56.1% |
Notes: Shaded areas denote recessions. The xth-percentile wage is the wage at which x% of wage earners earn less and (100−x)% earn more.
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata