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Real Compensation per Hour
Inflation-adjusted pay per hour worked, as an index.
110.1
Index 2017=100 · latest, Jan 2026
vs prior quarter▼ 0.3%
vs year ago▲ 0.6%
| Year | Real Compensation per Hour |
|---|---|
| 1947 | 34.8 |
| 1948 | 35.6 |
| 1949 | 36.6 |
| 1950 | 38.4 |
| 1951 | 38.9 |
| 1952 | 40.5 |
| 1953 | 42.0 |
| 1954 | 43.4 |
| 1955 | 45.1 |
| 1956 | 47.0 |
| 1957 | 47.9 |
| 1958 | 48.7 |
| 1959 | 49.7 |
| 1960 | 50.9 |
| 1961 | 52.4 |
| 1962 | 53.8 |
| 1963 | 55.0 |
| 1964 | 55.9 |
| 1965 | 57.0 |
| 1966 | 58.4 |
| 1967 | 60.0 |
| 1968 | 62.0 |
| 1969 | 62.6 |
| 1970 | 62.9 |
| 1971 | 64.3 |
| 1972 | 66.8 |
| 1973 | 66.5 |
| 1974 | 65.9 |
| 1975 | 66.7 |
| 1976 | 68.7 |
| 1977 | 69.5 |
| 1978 | 70.4 |
| 1979 | 70.0 |
| 1980 | 70.2 |
| 1981 | 70.0 |
| 1982 | 70.9 |
| 1983 | 70.9 |
| 1984 | 71.3 |
| 1985 | 72.9 |
| 1986 | 75.9 |
| 1987 | 75.4 |
| 1988 | 76.3 |
| 1989 | 75.4 |
| 1990 | 75.6 |
| 1991 | 77.7 |
| 1992 | 79.7 |
| 1993 | 78.5 |
| 1994 | 77.7 |
| 1995 | 78.0 |
| 1996 | 78.4 |
| 1997 | 80.8 |
| 1998 | 84.0 |
| 1999 | 86.0 |
| 2000 | 88.5 |
| 2001 | 90.1 |
| 2002 | 89.9 |
| 2003 | 92.9 |
| 2004 | 93.4 |
| 2005 | 93.0 |
| 2006 | 94.8 |
| 2007 | 94.7 |
| 2008 | 96.5 |
| 2009 | 96.2 |
| 2010 | 96.1 |
| 2011 | 93.3 |
| 2012 | 96.6 |
| 2013 | 95.1 |
| 2014 | 96.8 |
| 2015 | 98.8 |
| 2016 | 98.9 |
| 2017 | 101.0 |
| 2018 | 101.2 |
| 2019 | 103.3 |
| 2020 | 111.6 |
| 2021 | 109.1 |
| 2022 | 104.4 |
| 2023 | 106.5 |
| 2024 | 108.8 |
| 2025 | 110.5 |
| 2026 | 110.1 |
Hover the line to read any month. Drag across the chart to zoom; double-click to reset.
Source: FRED · COMPRNFB · series · Jan 1947 to Jan 2026 · latest-revised
Refreshed Jul 31, 2026 from FRED.
Inflation-adjusted pay per hour worked, as an index.
Inflation-adjusted hourly compensation in the nonfarm business sector, indexed to 2017=100.
Source: FRED · Jan 2026 · Full lesson → Learn
About the bands. Shaded spans are NBER-dated US recessions, drawn as factual overlays. They mark when the economy contracted, not why. Lining an event up with a move is not evidence it caused the move.