All workers’ wages—regardless of gender or race—have failed to rise in tandem with productivity: Hourly median wage growth by gender and race, compared with economy-wide productivity growth, 1979–2015

Year White men White women Black men  Black women  Productivity
1979 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1980 -2.8% -0.7% -1.5% -2.1% -0.8%
1981 -4.4% -2.3% -1.9% -0.2% 1.4%
1982 -3.4% -0.5% -5.4% -1.1% -0.1%
1983 -4.9% 0.7% -6.2% -2.7% 2.9%
1984 -6.2% 1.5% -4.9% -1.3% 5.6%
1985 -2.2% 2.2% -7.4% 1.4% 7.3%
1986 -2.8% 5.3% -3.4% 3.2% 9.5%
1987 -5.2% 7.7% -5.2% 2.9% 10.1%
1988 -4.7% 9.0% -3.9% 3.9% 11.4%
1989 -5.1% 8.0% -7.8% 6.1% 12.3%
1990 -7.1% 8.7% -9.8% 4.1% 13.9%
1991 -7.0% 9.3% -10.0% 5.5% 14.8%
1992 -7.1% 11.0% -10.5% 5.0% 18.9%
1993 -8.5% 12.1% -10.2% 7.2% 19.3%
1994 -9.9% 11.4% -10.8% 5.4% 20.5%
1995 -9.1% 11.7% -11.4% 3.9% 20.5%
1996 -8.7% 13.3% -11.9% 3.4% 23.4%
1997 -6.6% 14.0% -9.0% 5.9% 25.2%
1998 -4.0% 17.4% -7.2% 10.5% 27.7%
1999 -1.0% 20.8% -1.9% 10.8% 30.7%
2000 -1.4% 21.8% -3.4% 15.4% 33.8%
2001 0.6% 24.7% 0.6% 13.5% 35.9%
2002 0.6% 28.0% 0.0% 17.5% 39.7%
2003 1.8% 29.1% -0.9% 20.0% 44.2%
2004 0.8% 28.7% 1.2% 21.8% 48.1%
2005 -1.0% 29.4% -4.2% 14.7% 50.7%
2006 -0.5% 28.7% -1.8% 18.7% 51.6%
2007 1.1% 29.1% -2.6% 16.4% 52.6%
2008 0.0% 28.3% -2.7% 15.1% 52.9%
2009 3.5% 31.1% 0.6% 20.2% 56.0%
2010 1.8% 30.6% -1.1% 18.9% 60.6%
2011 -1.8% 29.7% -5.4% 15.6% 60.8%
2012 -2.6% 28.1% -6.0% 12.8% 61.7%
2013 -3.8% 29.5% -4.1% 15.4% 62.2%
2014 -3.6% 28.9% -7.6% 12.1% 63.0%
2015 -1.0% 31.6% -5.7% 15.2% 63.9%

Note: Race/ethnicity categories are mutually exclusive (i.e., white non-Hispanic, black non-Hispanic, and Hispanic any race).

Source: EPI analysis of unpublished Total Economy Productivity data from Bureau of Labor Statistics Labor Productivity and Costs program, and Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata

View the underlying data on epi.org.