Changes in productivity, hourly compensation, wages and benefits, 1948-2014

Total economy Private Production worker
Ratio: compensation to wages Productivity Real hourly compensation Hourly wages Hourly compensation Hourly benefits
Year Index 2009=100 2014 dollars
1948 1.077 28.1 33.8 $11.32 $12.20 $0.88
1973 1.183 56.0 69.8 19.73 23.34 3.61
1979 1.224 59.7 71.3 19.28 23.60 4.31
1995 1.240 74.2 80.8 17.98 22.29 4.31
2000 1.221 83.2 90.4 19.27 23.53 4.26
2007 1.237 96.5 98.8 19.89 24.61 4.72
2009 1.246 100.0 100.0 20.53 25.58 5.05
2014 1.246 104.6 100.0 20.61 25.68 5.07
Annual growth
1948-1979 2.5% 2.4% 1.7% 2.2% 5.3%
1979-2014 1.6 1.0 0.2 0.2 0.5
Deceleration 0.9 1.5 1.5 1.9 4.8
Key subperiods
1995-2000 2.3% 2.3% 1.4% 1.1% -0.2%
2009-2014 0.9 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1
1979-2014 (excluding 1995-2000) 1.5 0.8 0.0 0.1 0.6

Note: For technical information on how the compensation-to-wages ratio is calculated, see the documentation and methodology from Table 4.2 of State of Working America 

Source: EPI analysis of Bureau of Economic Analysis National Income and Product Accounts tables, Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics public data series, and unpublished Total Economy Productivity data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Labor Productviity and Costs program

View the underlying data on epi.org.