Chart: Before Great Recession hit, lower-income households expanded work hours more than average: Average annual hours worked, bottom 20 percent of working-age households by income and all households, selected years, 1979–2016

Table 3

Before Great Recession hit, lower-income households expanded work hours more than average: Average annual hours worked, bottom 20 percent of working-age households by income and all households, selected years, 1979–2016

	Annual hours worked						Change
	1979	1989	1995	2000	2007	2016	1995–2000	2007–2016	1979–2007
All	3,092	3,286	3,317	3,378	3,314	3,335	1.8%	0.6%	7.2%
Bottom fifth	1,716	1,884	1,837	1,977	1,880	1,829	7.6%	-2.7%	9.6%

Note: Working-age households are those headed by someone under age 65. Data are for money income. Percentage changes are approximated by taking the difference of natural logs of wages and hours.

Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement microdata

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Why punitive work-hours tests in SNAP and Medicaid would harm workers and do nothing to raise employment

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