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
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*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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