Sustained lower unemployment would help shrink Black–white wage gaps: Black–white median wage gap, actual and under three counterfactual scenarios, 1973–2019
| Actual | 1.0 ppt. lower average unemployment | 1.5 ppt. lower average unemployment | 2.0 ppt. lower average unemployment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 28.6% | 28.6% | 28.6% | 28.6% |
| 1974 | 24.8% | 24.5% | 24.3% | 24.2% |
| 1975 | 23.7% | 23.1% | 22.8% | 22.5% |
| 1976 | 23.4% | 22.5% | 22.0% | 21.6% |
| 1977 | 23.2% | 22.0% | 21.4% | 20.8% |
| 1978 | 25.1% | 23.6% | 22.9% | 22.1% |
| 1979 | 19.6% | 17.9% | 17.1% | 16.3% |
| 1980 | 20.9% | 18.9% | 17.9% | 16.9% |
| 1981 | 21.1% | 18.8% | 17.6% | 16.5% |
| 1982 | 24.0% | 21.3% | 19.9% | 18.6% |
| 1983 | 22.5% | 19.5% | 18.1% | 16.6% |
| 1984 | 24.2% | 20.9% | 19.3% | 17.7% |
| 1985 | 23.9% | 20.3% | 18.5% | 16.8% |
| 1986 | 24.9% | 21.0% | 19.1% | 17.2% |
| 1987 | 24.4% | 20.2% | 18.1% | 16.1% |
| 1988 | 22.5% | 18.1% | 16.0% | 13.9% |
| 1989 | 25.6% | 20.7% | 18.4% | 16.1% |
| 1990 | 25.2% | 20.0% | 17.6% | 15.2% |
| 1991 | 28.4% | 22.8% | 20.1% | 17.5% |
| 1992 | 25.8% | 20.0% | 17.2% | 14.5% |
| 1993 | 24.8% | 18.7% | 15.9% | 13.1% |
| 1994 | 25.1% | 18.8% | 15.8% | 12.8% |
| 1995 | 26.3% | 19.6% | 16.4% | 13.3% |
| 1996 | 27.8% | 20.7% | 17.3% | 14.1% |
| 1997 | 27.3% | 20.0% | 16.5% | 13.1% |
| 1998 | 25.6% | 18.0% | 14.5% | 11.1% |
| 1999 | 24.4% | 16.7% | 13.0% | 9.5% |
| 2000 | 26.2% | 18.0% | 14.2% | 10.5% |
| 2001 | 29.3% | 20.6% | 16.5% | 12.6% |
| 2002 | 27.1% | 18.3% | 14.1% | 10.2% |
| 2003 | 25.3% | 16.3% | 12.1% | 8.1% |
| 2004 | 24.8% | 15.6% | 11.3% | 7.2% |
| 2005 | 26.7% | 17.1% | 12.6% | 8.3% |
| 2006 | 25.9% | 16.1% | 11.5% | 7.1% |
| 2007 | 28.7% | 18.3% | 13.4% | 8.8% |
| 2008 | 30.0% | 19.2% | 14.2% | 9.4% |
| 2009 | 27.1% | 16.3% | 11.3% | 6.5% |
| 2010 | 26.9% | 15.8% | 10.7% | 5.8% |
| 2011 | 28.5% | 16.9% | 11.6% | 6.6% |
| 2012 | 32.7% | 20.4% | 14.8% | 9.4% |
| 2013 | 29.1% | 16.9% | 11.3% | 6.0% |
| 2014 | 31.8% | 19.0% | 13.2% | 7.6% |
| 2015 | 34.4% | 21.1% | 15.0% | 9.2% |
| 2016 | 29.8% | 16.6% | 10.6% | 5.0% |
| 2017 | 33.8% | 20.0% | 13.7% | 7.7% |
| 2018 | 36.4% | 22.0% | 15.4% | 9.2% |
| 2019 | 32.2% | 18.0% | 11.5% | 5.4% |
Notes: The wage gap is how much less in percent terms the median Black worker earns in hourly wages than the median white worker.
Source: Reproduced from Figure C in Josh Bivens, The Promise and Limits of High-Pressure Labor Markets for Narrowing Racial Gaps, August 2021. For original data sources and regression coefficients used to construct counterfactual wage growth see Figures B and C in the report.