Figure 6
Wage gap between the 95th and 50th percentiles, by gender, 1973–2013
| Year | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 2.20 | 2.14 |
| 1974 | 2.18 | 2.14 |
| 1975 | 2.16 | 2.16 |
| 1976 | 2.17 | 2.21 |
| 1977 | 2.19 | 2.19 |
| 1978 | 2.13 | 2.16 |
| 1979 | 2.16 | 2.17 |
| 1980 | 2.13 | 2.18 |
| 1981 | 2.22 | 2.20 |
| 1982 | 2.28 | 2.28 |
| 1983 | 2.39 | 2.25 |
| 1984 | 2.43 | 2.31 |
| 1985 | 2.52 | 2.37 |
| 1986 | 2.39 | 2.36 |
| 1987 | 2.48 | 2.36 |
| 1988 | 2.53 | 2.42 |
| 1989 | 2.48 | 2.44 |
| 1990 | 2.53 | 2.47 |
| 1991 | 2.56 | 2.49 |
| 1992 | 2.60 | 2.52 |
| 1993 | 2.67 | 2.56 |
| 1994 | 2.72 | 2.65 |
| 1995 | 2.68 | 2.67 |
| 1996 | 2.70 | 2.68 |
| 1997 | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| 1998 | 2.70 | 2.65 |
| 1999 | 2.71 | 2.72 |
| 2000 | 2.77 | 2.69 |
| 2001 | 2.81 | 2.71 |
| 2002 | 2.85 | 2.71 |
| 2003 | 2.89 | 2.74 |
| 2004 | 2.99 | 2.75 |
| 2005 | 2.97 | 2.80 |
| 2006 | 2.98 | 2.82 |
| 2007 | 2.97 | 2.81 |
| 2008 | 3.03 | 2.83 |
| 2009 | 3.10 | 2.83 |
| 2010 | 3.15 | 2.90 |
| 2011 | 3.14 | 2.91 |
| 2012 | 3.32 | 2.99 |
| 2013 | 3.31 | 3.02 |
*Ratio of workers' wages at the 95th earnings percentile to wages at the 50th percentile
Note: The xth-percentile wage is the wage at which x% of wage earners earn less and (100-x)% earn more.
Source: Economic Policy Institute analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata
UPDATED FROM: Figure 4M in The State of Working America, 12th Edition, an Economic Policy Institute book published by Cornell University Press in 2012.
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