The gap between productivity and a typical worker's compensation has increased dramatically since 1979: Productivity growth and hourly compensation growth, 1948–2018
| Year | Hourly compensation | Net productivity |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| 1949 | 6.24% | 1.55% |
| 1950 | 10.46% | 9.34% |
| 1951 | 11.74% | 12.24% |
| 1952 | 15.02% | 15.49% |
| 1953 | 20.82% | 19.41% |
| 1954 | 23.48% | 21.44% |
| 1955 | 28.70% | 26.38% |
| 1956 | 33.89% | 26.59% |
| 1957 | 37.08% | 30.04% |
| 1958 | 38.08% | 32.72% |
| 1959 | 42.46% | 37.63% |
| 1960 | 45.38% | 40.06% |
| 1961 | 47.84% | 44.37% |
| 1962 | 52.32% | 49.80% |
| 1963 | 54.86% | 55.03% |
| 1964 | 58.32% | 59.94% |
| 1965 | 62.27% | 64.92% |
| 1966 | 64.70% | 69.95% |
| 1967 | 66.68% | 71.98% |
| 1968 | 71.05% | 77.13% |
| 1969 | 74.39% | 77.85% |
| 1970 | 76.81% | 80.35% |
| 1971 | 81.66% | 87.10% |
| 1972 | 91.34% | 92.20% |
| 1973 | 90.96% | 96.96% |
| 1974 | 87.05% | 93.83% |
| 1975 | 86.86% | 98.11% |
| 1976 | 89.35% | 103.59% |
| 1977 | 92.82% | 106.05% |
| 1978 | 95.66% | 108.27% |
| 1979 | 93.25% | 108.11% |
| 1980 | 88.05% | 106.77% |
| 1981 | 87.36% | 110.50% |
| 1982 | 87.70% | 108.37% |
| 1983 | 88.49% | 114.51% |
| 1984 | 87.03% | 120.21% |
| 1985 | 86.18% | 123.65% |
| 1986 | 87.25% | 128.28% |
| 1987 | 84.67% | 128.80% |
| 1988 | 84.02% | 132.01% |
| 1989 | 83.93% | 134.12% |
| 1990 | 82.37% | 136.95% |
| 1991 | 82.02% | 138.50% |
| 1992 | 83.20% | 147.48% |
| 1993 | 83.46% | 148.51% |
| 1994 | 83.89% | 150.54% |
| 1995 | 82.76% | 151.59% |
| 1996 | 82.87% | 156.24% |
| 1997 | 84.87% | 160.72% |
| 1998 | 89.27% | 166.21% |
| 1999 | 91.98% | 173.46% |
| 2000 | 92.96% | 179.47% |
| 2001 | 95.60% | 183.71% |
| 2002 | 99.49% | 191.50% |
| 2003 | 101.58% | 201.22% |
| 2004 | 100.56% | 209.29% |
| 2005 | 99.73% | 215.29% |
| 2006 | 99.88% | 217.61% |
| 2007 | 101.45% | 219.78% |
| 2008 | 101.39% | 221.39% |
| 2009 | 109.30% | 228.75% |
| 2010 | 111.00% | 238.23% |
| 2011 | 108.47% | 238.21% |
| 2012 | 106.50% | 239.57% |
| 2013 | 108.40% | 240.96% |
| 2014 | 109.08% | 242.91% |
| 2015 | 112.41% | 245.75% |
| 2016 | 114.39% | 246.34% |
| 2017 | 114.67% | 249.78% |
| 2018 | 115.62% | 252.90% |
Notes: Data are for compensation (wages and benefits) of production/nonsupervisory workers in the private sector and for net productivity of the total economy. “Net productivity” is the growth of output of goods and services less depreciation per hour worked.
Sources: EPI analysis of unpublished Total Economy Productivity data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Labor Productivity and Costs program and EPI analysis of wage data from BLS Current Employment Statistics, BLS Employment Cost Trends, BLS Consumer Price Index, and Bureau of Economic Analysis National Income and Product Accounts