Figure C-1
Hourly wages of black workers as a percent of white hourly wages, at the 10th, 50th, and 95th wage percentiles, 1979–2017
| Year | 10th percentile | 50th percentile | 95th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 96.2% | 82.0% | 79.0% |
| 1980 | 93.6% | 81.5% | 79.2% |
| 1981 | 94.6% | 82.2% | 78.8% |
| 1982 | 93.4% | 80.0% | 75.6% |
| 1983 | 92.8% | 81.5% | 76.6% |
| 1984 | 90.8% | 80.1% | 76.4% |
| 1985 | 89.2% | 78.8% | 75.0% |
| 1986 | 89.3% | 80.4% | 75.1% |
| 1987 | 89.5% | 80.6% | 77.3% |
| 1988 | 89.9% | 80.2% | 77.5% |
| 1989 | 89.0% | 79.9% | 76.0% |
| 1990 | 87.4% | 78.4% | 72.5% |
| 1991 | 88.6% | 79.1% | 76.4% |
| 1992 | 90.1% | 79.7% | 77.5% |
| 1993 | 92.4% | 79.4% | 78.0% |
| 1994 | 94.0% | 78.7% | 76.6% |
| 1995 | 92.9% | 78.4% | 76.4% |
| 1996 | 90.1% | 78.2% | 73.2% |
| 1997 | 87.8% | 76.8% | 73.6% |
| 1998 | 92.4% | 80.4% | 73.5% |
| 1999 | 92.6% | 78.8% | 72.7% |
| 2000 | 90.0% | 79.2% | 71.7% |
| 2001 | 90.2% | 77.7% | 72.3% |
| 2002 | 92.9% | 77.6% | 72.0% |
| 2003 | 93.1% | 79.8% | 73.3% |
| 2004 | 92.5% | 79.8% | 72.7% |
| 2005 | 91.5% | 77.0% | 72.6% |
| 2006 | 89.3% | 78.1% | 74.2% |
| 2007 | 92.6% | 75.9% | 72.0% |
| 2008 | 91.8% | 76.3% | 72.8% |
| 2009 | 94.4% | 78.2% | 70.7% |
| 2010 | 94.0% | 78.0% | 70.0% |
| 2011 | 93.6% | 77.1% | 72.8% |
| 2012 | 92.3% | 75.6% | 70.3% |
| 2013 | 90.2% | 76.5% | 69.8% |
| 2014 | 89.7% | 74.6% | 71.5% |
| 2015 | 88.3% | 74.2% | 68.9% |
| 2016 | 87.0% | 75.4% | 69.2% |
| 2017 | 89.2% | 74.6% | 66.0% |
Note: The xth-percentile wage is the wage at which x% of wage earners earn less and (100-x)% earn more. Shaded areas denote recessions. Race/ethnicity categories are mutually exclusive (i.e., white non-Hispanic, black non-Hispanic, and Hispanic any race).
Source: Authors' analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata
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