Figure A
The upward march of inequality is firmly reestablishing itself: Cumulative percent change in real annual earnings, by earnings group, 1979–2017
| Year | Bottom 90% | Top 1% | Top 0.1% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1980 | -2.2% | 3.4% | 5.8% |
| 1981 | -2.6% | 3.1% | 7.3% |
| 1982 | -3.9% | 9.5% | 17.4% |
| 1983 | -3.7% | 13.6% | 28.7% |
| 1984 | -1.8% | 20.7% | 44.0% |
| 1985 | -1.0% | 23.0% | 45.8% |
| 1986 | 1.1% | 32.6% | 60.9% |
| 1987 | 2.1% | 53.5% | 106.6% |
| 1988 | 2.2% | 68.7% | 140.2% |
| 1989 | 1.8% | 63.3% | 123.9% |
| 1990 | 1.1% | 64.8% | 129.8% |
| 1991 | 0.0% | 53.6% | 104.6% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | 74.3% | 156.0% |
| 1993 | 0.9% | 67.9% | 140.2% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | 63.4% | 126.9% |
| 1995 | 2.8% | 70.2% | 137.0% |
| 1996 | 4.1% | 79.0% | 157.3% |
| 1997 | 7.0% | 100.6% | 225.6% |
| 1998 | 11.0% | 113.1% | 254.9% |
| 1999 | 13.2% | 129.7% | 300.5% |
| 2000 | 15.3% | 144.8% | 337.6% |
| 2001 | 15.7% | 130.4% | 300.5% |
| 2002 | 15.6% | 109.3% | 239.5% |
| 2003 | 15.7% | 113.9% | 250.1% |
| 2004 | 15.6% | 127.2% | 287.6% |
| 2005 | 15.0% | 135.3% | 306.9% |
| 2006 | 15.7% | 143.4% | 324.9% |
| 2007 | 16.7% | 156.2% | 362.5% |
| 2008 | 16.0% | 137.5% | 309.0% |
| 2009 | 16.0% | 116.2% | 241.6% |
| 2010 | 15.2% | 130.8% | 278.0% |
| 2011 | 14.5% | 134.0% | 279.0% |
| 2012 | 14.6% | 148.3% | 327.9% |
| 2013 | 15.1% | 137.5% | 289.3% |
| 2014 | 16.6% | 149.0% | 323.7% |
| 2015 | 20.5% | 156.2% | 337.9% |
| 2016 | 21.0% | 148.1% | 310.3% |
| 2017 | 22.2% | 157.3% | 343.2% |
Source: Adapted from Figure A in Lawrence Mishel and Julia Wolfe, “Top 1 Percent Reaches Highest Wages Ever—Up 157 Percent Since 1979,” Working Economics (Economic Policy Institute blog), October 18, 2018. Shaded areas denote recessions.
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