EPI’s State of Working America Data Library, which contains easily accessible, up-to-date, and comprehensive historical data on the American labor force, has been updated with the latest data on wages in 2016, as well as new datasets on employment, wages, and benefits. It is compiled from EPI analysis of government data sources and can be used to research wages, inequality, and other economic indicators over time and among demographic groups.

“The new data and analysis added to the State of Working America Data Library makes it an invaluable tool for researchers, reporters, and the public,” said Senior EPI Economist Elise Gould. “It helps provide a clear, accessible, and in-depth view of the economy and the people in it.”

New data on wages includes historical series (going back to 1947), entry-level wages, annual wages and work hours, annual wages by wage group, minimum wage (real and nominal value), poverty-level wages by gender and race, union coverage, and wage decomposition (a measure of wage inequality).

A new section on benefits and compensation includes data on health insurance coverage, pension coverage, total compensation, and productivity vs. hourly compensation. Many datasets in the Data Library can be sorted by gender, race, education, and percentile.

Members of the media can arrange an interview with an EPI economist to discuss their analysis and interpretation of trends in the Data Library by emailing news@epi.org.