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Real Wage Growth (YoY)
Whether paychecks are outpacing inflation.
+0.5%
Percent change from year ago · latest, Apr 2026
vs prior quarter▼ 0.3 pp
vs year ago▼ 1.6 pp
| Year | Real Wage Growth (YoY) |
|---|---|
| 1980 | -3.4% |
| 1981 | -1.0% |
| 1982 | +0.3% |
| 1983 | -0.3% |
| 1984 | +1.3% |
| 1985 | +1.3% |
| 1986 | +3.4% |
| 1987 | -0.9% |
| 1988 | -1.2% |
| 1989 | -0.6% |
| 1990 | -3.1% |
| 1991 | +0.3% |
| 1992 | -0.3% |
| 1993 | +2.2% |
| 1994 | -1.6% |
| 1995 | -0.3% |
| 1996 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | +0.3% |
| 1998 | +4.5% |
| 1999 | +2.1% |
| 2000 | -0.3% |
| 2001 | +1.8% |
| 2002 | -1.2% |
| 2003 | +0.3% |
| 2004 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | -1.5% |
| 2006 | +1.5% |
| 2007 | -1.5% |
| 2008 | +2.4% |
| 2009 | +1.2% |
| 2010 | -0.9% |
| 2011 | -1.8% |
| 2012 | -0.6% |
| 2013 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | +0.6% |
| 2015 | +2.7% |
| 2016 | +1.2% |
| 2017 | -1.1% |
| 2018 | +2.9% |
| 2019 | +2.0% |
| 2020 | +3.9% |
| 2021 | -4.0% |
| 2022 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | +1.4% |
| 2025 | +1.3% |
| 2026 | +0.5% |
Hover the line to read any month. Drag across the chart to zoom; double-click to reset.
Source: FRED · LES1252881600Q · series · Jan 1980 to Apr 2026 · latest-revised
Refreshed Jul 31, 2026 from FRED.
Whether paychecks are outpacing inflation.
Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers, inflation-adjusted, change from a year ago.
Source: FRED · Apr 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.
Read across
No single number is the economy. These measure nearby parts of it — add one to compare, or open it on its own.
- Median Household Income What the middle household earns in a year, a level rather than a growth rate.
- CPI Inflation (YoY) The prices these wages are measured against.
- Top 1% Wealth Share Wealth held at the top, a separate question from what wages are doing.