Wage compression narrowed the 90–10 wage gap in the most recent business cycle: Annual change in select wage ratios, 1979–2019 and 2019–2024
| 1979–2019 | 2019–2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| 90–50 wage ratio | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| 90–10 wage ratio | 0.03 | -0.07 |
Note: The average annual change in the wage ratios is determined by comparing these ratios over time and dividing by the number of years in each period.
Source: EPI analysis of the Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata, EPI Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0.61 (2025a), https://microdata.epi.org.