Table 4.1

Average wages and work hours, 1967–2010 (2011 dollars)

 Productivity
per hour
(2005=100)
Real wage levels Hours worked
Annual wages Weekly wages Hourly wages Annual hours Weeks/ year Hours/ week
1967 52.3  $29,555  $678.58  $17.24  1,716  43.5  39.3
1973 60.2  34,378  791.40  20.50  1,679  43.4  38.6
1979 64.2  34,632  789.79  20.34  1,703  43.8  38.8
1989 73.1  37,685  830.34  21.13  1,783  45.4  39.3
1995 78.8  38,768  843.83  21.22  1,827  45.9  39.8
2000 88.5  43,616  929.04  23.24  1,876  46.9  40.0
2007 102.0  43,615  920.91  23.16  1,883  47.4  39.8
2010 108.2  43,194  928.18  23.79  1,815  46.5  39.0
Annual growth rate*
1967–1973 2.4% 2.5% 2.6% 2.9% -0.4% 0.0% -0.3%
1973–1979 1.1 0.1 0.0 -0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1
1979–1989 1.3 0.8 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.1
1989–2000 1.7 1.3 1.0 0.9 0.5 0.3 0.2
1989–1995 1.3 0.5 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.2
1995–2000 2.3 2.4 1.9 1.8 0.5 0.4 0.1
2000–2007 2.0 0.0 -0.1 -0.1 0.1 0.1 -0.1
2007–2010 2.0 -0.3 0.3 0.9 -1.2 -0.6 -0.6

* Log growth rate

Source: Authors' analysis of unpublished Total Economy Productivity data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Labor Productivity and Costs program, Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement microdata, and Murphy and Welch (1989)

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