When it comes to wages, young college grads are stuck in 1989: Real average hourly wages of young college graduates, 1989–2014

 Year All Men Women
1989 $16.59 $17.24 $16.12
1990 $17.10 $18.12 $16.37
1991 $16.39 $17.34 $15.67
1992 $15.82 $16.39 $15.39
1993 $15.89 $16.63 $15.34
1994 $15.88 $16.95 $15.08
1995 $15.45 $16.21 $14.91
1996 $15.59 $15.94 $15.34
1997 $16.19 $17.32 $15.36
1998 $17.96 $20.12 $16.34
1999 $18.07 $18.82 $17.58
2000 $18.41 $19.24 $17.82
2001 $18.55 $20.00 $17.51
2002 $18.33 $19.78 $17.36
2003 $17.68 $18.42 $17.13
2004 $17.97 $18.79 $17.38
2005 $17.67 $19.13 $16.66
2006 $17.85 $18.80 $17.20
2007 $18.24 $19.95 $17.00
2008 $17.87 $18.55 $17.39
2009 $18.33 $20.48 $16.85
2010 $17.29 $18.87 $16.21
2011 $17.41 $18.96 $16.30
2012 $16.85 $18.07 $15.87
2013 $17.04 $18.92 $15.54
2013-04-01 $16.99 $19.15 $15.29

Note: Data are for college graduates age 21–24 who do not have an advanced degree and are not enrolled in further schooling. Data for 2014 represent 12-month average from April 2013–March 2014. Shaded areas denote recessions.

Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata

Adapted from Figure N in The Class of 2014 The Weak Economy Is Idling Too Many Young Graduates

Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata from the CPS survey con­ducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics [machine-readable microdata file]. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau.

 

Adapted from Figure N in The Class of 2014 The Weak Economy Is Idling Too Many Young Graduates by Heidi Shierholz, Alyssa Davis, and Will Kimball, Economic Policy Institute, 2014

View the underlying data on epi.org.