Cumulative percent change in inflation-adjusted median hourly wages for all workers by race/ethnicity, 1979–2017
| White | Black | Hispanic | Asian American/Pacific Islander (imputed) | Asian American/Pacific Islander | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| 1980 | 0.308261 | -1.24816 | -1.34228 | -0.97339 | |
| 1981 | -2.40444 | -3.30396 | -5.59284 | 1.10318 | |
| 1982 | -0.61652 | -3.52423 | -3.80313 | -0.64893 | |
| 1983 | -1.10974 | -4.62555 | -5.36913 | -2.46593 | |
| 1984 | -0.06165 | -3.01028 | -3.95227 | 2.84E-14 | |
| 1985 | -1.47965 | -4.03818 | -4.77256 | 2.790396 | |
| 1986 | 3.082614 | -2.27606 | -4.17599 | 1.752109 | |
| 1987 | 2.219482 | -2.34949 | -4.99627 | 4.931862 | |
| 1988 | 2.219482 | 0.220264 | -5.4437 | 2.855289 | 2.855289% |
| 1989 | 2.836005 | -3.89134 | -7.08427 | 3.958469 | |
| 1990 | 2.774353 | -1.90896 | -7.00969 | 4.400845 | |
| 1991 | 4.377312 | -2.79001 | -10.2908 | 8.63502 | |
| 1992 | 3.390875 | -1.54185 | -9.3214 | 5.980761 | |
| 1993 | 0.863132 | -3.89134 | -8.50112 | 3.389699 | |
| 1994 | 0.246609 | -5.28634 | -11.0365 | 2.188963 | |
| 1995 | 1.541307 | -3.96476 | -12.528 | 2.631339 | |
| 1996 | 3.329223 | -4.91924 | -10.3654 | 1.809783 | |
| 1997 | 4.808878 | -1.46843 | -11.0365 | 6.043958 | |
| 1998 | 8.816276 | 2.56975 | -6.78598 | 7.244694 | |
| 1999 | 10.17263 | 5.800294 | -5.9657 | 13.81714 | |
| 2000 | 11.71393 | 4.919236 | -6.41312 | 16.91378 | |
| 2001 | 14.48829 | 5.506608 | -1.41685 | 20.01041 | |
| 2002 | 15.16646 | 7.782673 | -0.44743 | 18.05132 | |
| 2003 | 16.09125 | 10.57269 | -2.68456 | 22.91746 | |
| 2004 | 17.5709 | 11.96769 | -5.21999 | 20.51599 | |
| 2005 | 13.74846 | 8.370044 | -3.72856 | 24.37098 | |
| 2006 | 14.18002 | 8.443465 | -2.31171 | 26.64606 | |
| 2007 | 14.42663 | 6.240822 | -0.37286 | 28.03639 | |
| 2008 | 15.65968 | 6.461087 | -0.22371 | 26.83565 | |
| 2009 | 17.4476 | 10.64611 | 0.149142 | 32.96573 | |
| 2010 | 17.4476 | 9.17768 | -1.49142 | 25.8877 | |
| 2011 | 15.16646 | 5.800294 | -4.47427 | 23.54943 | |
| 2012 | 16.02959 | 3.671072 | -3.95227 | 25.57172 | |
| 2013 | 14.36498 | 5.947137 | -3.95227 | 25.25574 | |
| 2014 | 14.91985 | 4.185022 | -1.71514 | 28.16278 | |
| 2015 | 18.61899 | 4.111601 | 0.820283 | 32.14417 | |
| 2016 | 18.55734 | 9.985316 | 4.399702 | 32.71294 | |
| 2017 | 23.30456 | 10.13216 | 11.85682 | 36.69433 |
Note: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were included in the “Other” race category until 1989. From 1979 to 1989, we estimate wage growth for Asians Americans and Pacific Islanders using the “Other” category, which includes Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and other groups. Race/ethnicity categories are mutually exclusive (i.e., white non-Hispanic, black non-Hispanic, Asian American/Pacific Islander non-Hispanic, and Hispanic any race).
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata