Productivity-median hourly compensation gap ($2019), 1979-2019
| Year | Net effective productivity (CPI-deflated) | Real median hourly comp |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | $55.52 | $20.42 |
| 1980 | $54.04 | $20.36 |
| 1981 | $55.00 | $20.23 |
| 1982 | $54.53 | $20.23 |
| 1983 | $56.20 | $20.35 |
| 1984 | $57.55 | $20.43 |
| 1985 | $58.47 | $20.77 |
| 1986 | $59.85 | $20.94 |
| 1987 | $59.49 | $21.09 |
| 1988 | $60.34 | $20.80 |
| 1989 | $60.75 | $20.85 |
| 1990 | $60.96 | $20.84 |
| 1991 | $61.35 | $20.75 |
| 1992 | $63.74 | $21.10 |
| 1993 | $64.01 | $21.45 |
| 1994 | $64.60 | $21.15 |
| 1995 | $64.66 | $20.67 |
| 1996 | $65.48 | $20.21 |
| 1997 | $66.50 | $20.50 |
| 1998 | $67.87 | $21.18 |
| 1999 | $69.35 | $21.69 |
| 2000 | $70.16 | $21.82 |
| 2001 | $70.97 | $22.27 |
| 2002 | $73.07 | $22.76 |
| 2003 | $75.40 | $22.92 |
| 2004 | $77.46 | $23.22 |
| 2005 | $78.62 | $22.91 |
| 2006 | $78.99 | $22.87 |
| 2007 | $79.51 | $22.84 |
| 2008 | $78.49 | $22.69 |
| 2009 | $81.50 | $23.31 |
| 2010 | $83.69 | $23.19 |
| 2011 | $82.90 | $22.58 |
| 2012 | $83.14 | $22.21 |
| 2013 | $83.81 | $22.41 |
| 2014 | $84.37 | $22.35 |
| 2015 | $85.81 | $22.65 |
| 2016 | $85.92 | $23.00 |
| 2017 | $86.61 | $23.17 |
| 2018 | $87.51 | $23.58 |
| 2019 | 88.67 | 23.74 |
Notes: Data are for all workers. Productivity is ‘net effective productivity’, the growth of output of goods and services per hour worked minus depreciation. “Compensation” refers to total compensation, including wages and benefits, of the median worker. Net effective productivity and median hourly compensation are deflated by CPI-U-RS index.
Source: Author’s analysis of EPI Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0 (2020), https://microdata.epi.org; unpublished Total Economy Productivity data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Labor Productivity and Costs program; and Bureau of Economic Analysis National Income and Product Accounts. For more detailed information, see the appendix of Bivens and Mishel, Understanding the Historic Divergence Between Productivity and a Typical Worker’s Pay (2015).
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