Figure 1
Black–white wage gaps are wider now than 40 years ago and largely unexplained by factors associated with individual productivity: Average and regression-adjusted Black–white wage gaps, 1979–2019
| Black–white gap (average) | Black–white gap (regression-based) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 17.30% | 8.60% |
| 1980 | 17.40% | 8.60% |
| 1981 | 17.40% | 8.20% |
| 1982 | 19.10% | 9.90% |
| 1983 | 18.20% | 9.30% |
| 1984 | 19.00% | 10.20% |
| 1985 | 20.00% | 10.60% |
| 1986 | 20.30% | 10.40% |
| 1987 | 20.20% | 10.50% |
| 1988 | 19.70% | 9.80% |
| 1989 | 20.50% | 10.70% |
| 1990 | 21.20% | 10.90% |
| 1991 | 20.60% | 10.80% |
| 1992 | 20.40% | 10.80% |
| 1993 | 20.00% | 10.80% |
| 1994 | 20.00% | 10.70% |
| 1995 | 20.90% | 10.70% |
| 1996 | 23.00% | 12.90% |
| 1997 | 22.80% | 12.10% |
| 1998 | 21.80% | 10.50% |
| 1999 | 22.10% | 10.70% |
| 2000 | 21.80% | 10.20% |
| 2001 | 23.10% | 11.50% |
| 2002 | 23.20% | 11.30% |
| 2003 | 22.00% | 10.70% |
| 2004 | 22.10% | 10.50% |
| 2005 | 23.50% | 12.30% |
| 2006 | 22.10% | 11.40% |
| 2007 | 23.50% | 12.20% |
| 2008 | 24.10% | 12.60% |
| 2009 | 24.00% | 11.70% |
| 2010 | 23.90% | 11.90% |
| 2011 | 23.70% | 12.40% |
| 2012 | 24.60% | 12.70% |
| 2013 | 24.80% | 13.10% |
| 2014 | 24.80% | 13.90% |
| 2015 | 26.10% | 14.50% |
| 2016 | 26.20% | 13.60% |
| 2017 | 27.50% | 15.50% |
| 2018 | 27.50% | 16.20% |
| 2019 | 26.50% | 14.90% |
Source: Economic Policy Institute (EPI). 2020. Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0.4, https://microdata.epi.org.
Figure 2
The intersection of race and gender imposes dual wage penalties on Black women: Regression-adjusted hourly wage gaps relative to white men, by race and gender, 1979--2019
| Black men | Black women | White women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 14.90% | 42.50% | 39.70% |
| 1980 | 15.60% | 41.50% | 38.80% |
| 1981 | 14.70% | 40.30% | 37.80% |
| 1982 | 17.10% | 40.50% | 36.60% |
| 1983 | 16.20% | 38.90% | 35.50% |
| 1984 | 16.60% | 39.70% | 35.20% |
| 1985 | 18.60% | 39.40% | 35.40% |
| 1986 | 17.70% | 38.90% | 35.00% |
| 1987 | 17.50% | 38.20% | 34.30% |
| 1988 | 16.00% | 37.90% | 33.50% |
| 1989 | 17.80% | 36.10% | 31.10% |
| 1990 | 17.70% | 35.30% | 29.80% |
| 1991 | 18.40% | 32.70% | 28.30% |
| 1992 | 18.40% | 31.20% | 26.70% |
| 1993 | 18.20% | 30.60% | 25.70% |
| 1994 | 16.70% | 31.60% | 25.40% |
| 1995 | 17.50% | 31.70% | 26.40% |
| 1996 | 19.80% | 33.30% | 25.90% |
| 1997 | 19.50% | 32.90% | 26.40% |
| 1998 | 17.30% | 31.30% | 25.90% |
| 1999 | 17.70% | 31.80% | 26.50% |
| 2000 | 17.80% | 30.80% | 26.70% |
| 2001 | 18.60% | 32.10% | 25.70% |
| 2002 | 17.80% | 30.80% | 24.60% |
| 2003 | 18.00% | 30.00% | 24.80% |
| 2004 | 17.70% | 30.00% | 25.30% |
| 2005 | 19.40% | 31.30% | 24.50% |
| 2006 | 18.40% | 30.50% | 24.80% |
| 2007 | 19.80% | 31.30% | 25.40% |
| 2008 | 20.50% | 31.70% | 25.10% |
| 2009 | 19.70% | 30.60% | 25.20% |
| 2010 | 19.10% | 29.70% | 23.90% |
| 2011 | 18.70% | 29.60% | 22.80% |
| 2012 | 19.20% | 31.70% | 24.40% |
| 2013 | 20.20% | 31.30% | 23.90% |
| 2014 | 20.90% | 31.70% | 23.70% |
| 2015 | 21.00% | 32.70% | 24.50% |
| 2016 | 19.90% | 31.80% | 24.20% |
| 2017 | 22.20% | 33.40% | 23.80% |
| 2018 | 23.60% | 35.00% | 25.40% |
| 2019 | 22.20% | 33.70% | 25.70% |
Source: Economic Policy Institute (EPI). 2020. Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0.4, https://microdata.epi.org.
Figure 3
Wage growth was stronger among workers with a bachelor's degree in the late 1990s than during the current expansion : Real average wage growth, workers with a bachelor's degree, 1996–2000 and 2015–2019
| 1996-2000 | 2015-2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 12.5% | 5.3% |
| Women | 11.5% | 3.9% |
| White | 12.4% | 4.8% |
| Black | 12.8% | -0.7% |
Source: Economic Policy Institute (EPI). 2020. Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0.4, https://microdata.epi.org.