Median wage growth greater than zero, but still lags potential growth since 1979: Cumulative growth rate of real median wages and productivity
| Median wage | Productivity | |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1980 | -0.8% | -2.5% |
| 1981 | -1.8% | -0.9% |
| 1982 | -1.9% | -1.9% |
| 1983 | -2.3% | 1.2% |
| 1984 | -1.4% | 3.6% |
| 1985 | -0.5% | 5.3% |
| 1986 | 1.4% | 7.7% |
| 1987 | 1.4% | 7.3% |
| 1988 | 1.0% | 8.7% |
| 1989 | 0.3% | 9.4% |
| 1990 | -0.2% | 9.8% |
| 1991 | 0.0% | 10.6% |
| 1992 | 0.2% | 14.8% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | 15.3% |
| 1994 | -0.4% | 16.3% |
| 1995 | -0.8% | 16.4% |
| 1996 | -1.3% | 17.9% |
| 1997 | -0.2% | 19.7% |
| 1998 | 3.7% | 22.1% |
| 1999 | 6.2% | 24.8% |
| 2000 | 6.6% | 26.4% |
| 2001 | 8.9% | 28.5% |
| 2002 | 10.7% | 32.7% |
| 2003 | 11.7% | 37.3% |
| 2004 | 12.0% | 41.4% |
| 2005 | 11.4% | 44.1% |
| 2006 | 11.9% | 45.1% |
| 2007 | 12.3% | 46.7% |
| 2008 | 12.2% | 45.5% |
| 2009 | 14.7% | 51.4% |
| 2010 | 13.6% | 55.9% |
| 2011 | 11.2% | 54.5% |
| 2012 | 10.6% | 55.1% |
| 2013 | 11.2% | 56.9% |
| 2014 | 11.2% | 58.0% |
| 2015 | 13.8% | 61.0% |
| 2016 | 16.4% | 62.0% |
| 2017 | 18.2% | 64.0% |
| 2018 | 19.3% | 66.2% |
| 2019 | 21.9% | 68.8% |
| 2020 | 29.9% | 75.4% |
| 2021 | 27.0% | 79.7% |
| 2022 | 25.8% | 77.2% |
| 2023 | 27.4% | 79.5% |
| 2024 | 29.0% | 83.1% |
Source: Median wage data from Economic Policy Institute, State of Working America Data Library, "Hourly wage percentiles - Real hourly wage (2024$)" and "Productivity and pay, real dollars per hour (2024$)".