Figure 1

Cumulative change in productivity and real hourly compensation, 1948–2013

Year % Cumulative growth in real hourly compensation since 1948 % Cumulative growth in net productivity since 1948
1947
1948 0.0% 0.0%
1949 6.3% 1.5%
1950 10.5% 9.3%
1951 11.8% 12.4%
1952 15.0% 15.6%
1953 20.8% 19.5%
1954 23.5% 21.6%
1955 28.7% 26.5%
1956 33.9% 26.7%
1957 37.1% 30.1%
1958 38.2% 32.8%
1959 42.6% 37.6%
1960 45.5% 40.0%
1961 48.0% 44.4%
1962 52.5% 49.8%
1963 55.0% 55.0%
1964 58.5% 60.0%
1965 62.5% 64.9%
1966 64.9% 70.0%
1967 66.9% 72.1%
1968 70.7% 77.2%
1969 74.7% 77.9%
1970 76.6% 80.4%
1971 82.0% 87.1%
1972 91.3% 92.0%
1973 91.3% 96.7%
1974 87.0% 93.6%
1975 86.9% 97.9%
1976 89.7% 103.4%
1977 93.2% 105.8%
1978 96.0% 107.8%
1979 93.4% 108.1%
1980 88.6% 106.5%
1981 87.6% 111.0%
1982 87.8% 107.9%
1983 88.3% 114.1%
1984 87.0% 119.7%
1985 86.4% 123.4%
1986 87.3% 128.0%
1987 84.6% 129.1%
1988 83.9% 131.8%
1989 83.7% 133.7%
1990 82.2% 137.0%
1991 82.1% 138.9%
1992 83.1% 147.6%
1993 83.4% 148.4%
1994 83.8% 150.8%
1995 82.7% 150.9%
1996 82.8% 157.0%
1997 84.8% 160.6%
1998 89.2% 165.9%
1999 92.0% 172.8%
2000 93.0% 179.2%
2001 95.7% 183.5%
2002 99.6% 191.4%
2003 101.8% 200.9%
2004 101.1% 209.1%
2005 100.3% 214.5%
2006 100.4% 216.5%
2007 101.9% 218.8%
2008 102.1% 219.4%
2009 110.1% 226.0%
2010 112.1% 235.4%
2011 109.6% 236.7%
2012 107.7% 240.9%
2013 109.2% 243.1%
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Note: Hourly compensation is based on the wage data for production/nonsupervisory workers from the Current Employment Statistics. Wages are coverted to hourly compensation by scaling by the real compensation/wage ratio from NIPA data. Compensation from that ratio is defined as the sum of wages and salaries (wage and salary accruals divided by hours worked of full-time and part-time workers) and benefits (payroll taxes; and health, pension, and other nonwage benefits). These data were deflated using the NIPA personal consumption expenditure (PCE, chain-weighted) index, with health insurance adjusted by the PCE medical care (chained) index. Productivity reflects total economy productivity net capital depreciation.

Source: Economic Policy Institute analysis of unpublished Total Economy Productivity data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Labor Productivity and Costs program, BLS Current Employment Statistics, and Bureau of Economic Analysis National Income and Product Account (NIPA)

UPDATED FROM: Figure 4U in The State of Working America, 12th Edition, an Economic Policy Institute book published by Cornell University Press in 2012.

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