Middle-class wages are stagnant—Middle-wage workers' hourly wage is up 6% since 1979, low-wage workers' wages are down 5%, while those with very high wages saw a 41% increase: Cumulative change in real hourly wages of all workers, by wage percentile,* 1979–2013
| YEAR | Very high wage | Middle wage | Low wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979/01/01 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| 1980/01/01 | -1.90% | -1.00% | -5.50% |
| 1981/01/01 | -1.70% | -3.60% | -4.00% |
| 1982/01/01 | 0.20% | -2.20% | -7.70% |
| 1983/01/01 | 3.40% | -2.70% | -10.50% |
| 1984/01/01 | 4.20% | -2.20% | -12.70% |
| 1985/01/01 | 6.00% | -1.30% | -14.10% |
| 1986/01/01 | 7.60% | 0.50% | -14.30% |
| 1987/01/01 | 7.40% | 0.60% | -14.50% |
| 1988/01/01 | 10.10% | 0.00% | -14.50% |
| 1989/01/01 | 7.50% | -0.60% | -14.60% |
| 1990/01/01 | 9.60% | -0.60% | -13.10% |
| 1991/01/01 | 10.30% | 0.00% | -11.50% |
| 1992/01/01 | 8.50% | 0.80% | -11.70% |
| 1993/01/01 | 7.60% | 0.10% | -12.00% |
| 1994/01/01 | 13.10% | -1.60% | -12.90% |
| 1995/01/01 | 13.20% | -2.40% | -13.10% |
| 1996/01/01 | 13.80% | -2.80% | -13.50% |
| 1997/01/01 | 15.20% | -0.50% | -10.60% |
| 1998/01/01 | 18.00% | 2.30% | -5.70% |
| 1999/01/01 | 21.50% | 5.40% | -4.30% |
| 2000/01/01 | 25.20% | 5.10% | -3.40% |
| 2001/01/01 | 27.70% | 7.40% | -0.40% |
| 2002/01/01 | 32.00% | 8.30% | 0.70% |
| 2003/01/01 | 30.30% | 9.60% | 0.30% |
| 2004/01/01 | 31.60% | 9.60% | -1.10% |
| 2005/01/01 | 32.50% | 8.30% | -2.80% |
| 2006/01/01 | 33.20% | 8.70% | -2.20% |
| 2007/01/01 | 36.10% | 7.80% | -1.00% |
| 2008/01/01 | 37.60% | 8.30% | -1.90% |
| 2009/01/01 | 39.00% | 10.10% | -1.10% |
| 2010/01/01 | 38.70% | 8.60% | -1.90% |
| 2011/01/01 | 37.10% | 5.70% | -4.30% |
| 2012/01/01 | 39.00% | 5.00% | -5.90% |
| 2013/01/01 | 40.60% | 6.10% | -5.30% |
* Low wage is 10th percentile, middle wage is 50th percentile, very high wage is 95th percentile.
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata
Reproduced from Figure F in Why America’s Workers Need Faster Wage Growth—And What We Can Do About It
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.
Reproduced from Figure F in Why America’s Workers Need Faster Wage Growth—And What We Can Do About It, by Elise Gould, Economic Policy Institute, 2014