In 2023, the median hourly earnings of wage and salary workers in the United States was 19.24 U.S. dollars. This is an increase from 1979, when median hourly earnings were at 4.44 U.S. dollars. Hourly Workers The United States national minimum wage is 7.25 U.S. dollars per hour, which has been the minimum wage since 2009. However, each state has the agency to set their state minimum wage. Furthermore, some cities are able to create their minimum wage. Many argue that the minimum wage is too low and should be raised, because it is not considered a living wage. There has been a movement to raise the minimum wage to 15 U.S. dollars per hour, called “Fight for 15” which began in the early 2010s. While there has been no movement at the federal level, some states have moved to increase their minimum wages, with at least three states and the District of Columbia setting minimum wage rates at or above 15 dollars per hour. More recently, some proponents of increasing the minimum wage say that 15 dollars is too low, and lawmakers should strive toward a higher goal, especially given that a 2021 analysis found that the minimum wage in the U.S. should be 22.88 U.S. dollars if it grew at the same rate as economic productivity. Salary Workers On the other hand, salary workers in the United States do not get paid on an hourly basis. The median weekly earnings of salary workers have significantly increased since 1979. Asian salary workers had the highest hourly earnings in the U.S. in 2021. Among female salary workers, those ages 45 to 54 years old had the highest median hourly earnings in 2021, likewise for male salary workers.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Median usual weekly real earnings: Wage and salary workers: 16 years and over (LES1252881600Q) from Q1 1979 to Q2 2025 about full-time, salaries, workers, earnings, 16 years +, wages, median, employment, real, and USA.

This table contains 22 series, with data for years 1926 - 1960 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years), and was last released on 2000-02-18. This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (11 items: Canada; Newfoundland and Labrador; Nova Scotia; Prince Edward Island ...), Wages and salaries (2 items: Based on Standard Industrial Classification; 1948 (SIC); Based on Standard Industrial Classification; 1980 (SIC) ...).

In 2023, the usual median hourly rate of a worker's wage in the United States was 19.24 U.S. dollars, a decrease from the previous year. Dollar value is based on 2023 U.S. dollars. In 1979, the median hourly earnings in the U.S. was 17.48 dollars.

Wages in China increased to 120698 CNY/Year in 2023 from 114029 CNY/Year in 2022. This dataset provides - China Average Yearly Wages - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Wages in Sweden decreased to 206.90 SEK/Hour in July from 208.70 SEK/Hour in June of 2025. This dataset provides - Sweden Average Hourly Wages - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Graph and download economic data for Median Personal Income in the United States (MEPAINUSA646N) from 1974 to 2024 about personal income, personal, median, income, and USA.

In four decades, the average after-tax income of Canadians in the lowest decile rose from ***** to ****** Canadian dollars, an increase of around ** percent. The income of those in the highest decile rose by more than ** percent between 1980 and 2021, from ******* to ******* Canadian dollars. The gap in average income between the two deciles has therefore widened from approximately ******* dollars in 1980 to over ******* dollars in 2021.

Wages in Taiwan increased to 65583 TWD/Month in July from 56575 TWD/Month in June of 2025. This dataset provides - Taiwan Wages- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

This statistic shows the median household income in the United States from 1990 to 2023 in 2023 U.S. dollars. The median household income was 80,610 U.S. dollars in 2023, an increase from the previous year. Household incomeThe median household income depicts the income of households, including the income of the householder and all other individuals aged 15 years or over living in the household. Income includes wages and salaries, unemployment insurance, disability payments, child support payments received, regular rental receipts, as well as any personal business, investment, or other kinds of income received routinely. The median household income in the United States varies from state to state. In 2020, the median household income was 86,725 U.S. dollars in Massachusetts, while the median household income in Mississippi was approximately 44,966 U.S. dollars at that time. Household income is also used to determine the poverty line in the United States. In 2021, about 11.6 percent of the U.S. population was living in poverty. The child poverty rate, which represents people under the age of 18 living in poverty, has been growing steadily over the first decade since the turn of the century, from 16.2 percent of the children living below the poverty line in year 2000 to 22 percent in 2010. In 2021, it had lowered to 15.3 percent. The state with the widest gap between the rich and the poor was New York, with a Gini coefficient score of 0.51 in 2019. The Gini coefficient is calculated by looking at average income rates. A score of zero would reflect perfect income equality and a score of one indicates a society where one person would have all the money and all other people have nothing.

The median annual earnings for full-time employees in the United Kingdom was approximately 37,430 British pounds in 2024, compared with 34,963 pounds in the previous year. At the start of the provided time period, in 1999, the average full-time salary in the UK was 17,803 pounds per year, with median earnings exceeding 20,000 pounds per year in 2002, and 30,000 by 2019. Wages continue to grow faster than inflation in 2025 Between November 2021 and July 2023 inflation was higher than wage growth in the UK, with wages still outpacing inflation as of March 2025. At the peak of the recent wave of high inflation in October 2022, the CPI inflation rate reached a 41-year-high of 11.1 percent, wages were growing much slower at 6.1 percent. Since that peak, inflation remained persistently high for several months, only dropping below double figures in April 2023, when inflation was 8.7 percent, down from 10.1 percent in the previous month. For 2023 as a whole, the average annual rate of inflation was 7.3 percent but fell to 2.5 percent in 2024, but is forecast to increase to 3.2 percent in 2025. Highest and lowest-paid occupations As of 2023, the highest-paid occupation in the UK was that of Chief Executives and Senior Officials, who had an average weekly pay of approximately, 1,576 pounds. By contrast, the lowest-paid occupation that year was that of retail cashiers, and check-out operators, who earned approximately 383 pounds a week. For industry sectors as a whole, people who worked full-time in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply sector had the highest average earnings, at 955 pounds a week, compared with 505 pounds a week in the accommodation and food services sector, the lowest average earnings in 2023.

Key information about Italy Monthly Earnings

• Italy Monthly Earnings stood at 3,819 USD in Dec 2024, compared with the previous figure of 3,916 USD in Sep 2024
• Italy Monthly Earnings data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1980 to Dec 2024, with an average number of 2,863 USD
• The data reached the an all-time high of 4,412 USD in Jun 2008 and a record low of 992 USD in Mar 1985

CEIC calculates Monthly Earnings from quarterly Compensation of Employees and quarterly Number of Employees, and converts it into USD. Italian National Institute of Statistics provides Compensation of Employees in EUR based on ESA 2010 and Number of Employees. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Monthly Earnings include Social contributions. Monthly Earnings prior to Q1 1995 are based on ESA 1995.


Further information about Italy Monthly Earnings

• In the latest reports, Italy Population reached 59 million people in Dec 2023
• Unemployment Rate of Italy increased to 6 % in Jan 2025
• The country's Labour Force Participation Rate increased to 67 % in Jan 2025

Average annual wages (2013 inflation-adjusted dollars), 1980-2013

Graph and download economic data for Real Median Household Income in New York (MEHOINUSNYA672N) from 1984 to 2024 about NY, households, median, income, real, and USA.

As of 2023, the average annual wage of Germany was 48,301 euros per year, a growth of almost 6,000 Euros when compared with 2000. From 2000 until 2007, wages rose by less than a thousand euros, with wage growth accelerating mainly in the period after 2010. Comparisons with rest of the EU Within the European Union Luxembourg had an average annual salary of almost 80 thousand Euros, with Germany having an annual salary comparable to other large European Countries, such as the United Kingdom and France. In neighboring Poland, the average annual salary was just over 39 thousand U.S dollars, meaning that German’s earned, on average, 20 percent more than what their Polish counterparts did. German economy slowing in 2023 While Germany initially had one of the strongest recoveries from the 2008 financial crash and as of 2020 had the largest economy in Europe its economy has started to slow in recent years. For 2023 the German economy is contracted by 0.26 percent, and while 2024 marked a slight improvement, the expectations are that 2025 remains a year of slow growth.

Graph and download economic data for Income Before Taxes: Wages and Salaries by Generation: Birth Year from 1965 to 1980 (CXU900000LB1603M) from 2016 to 2020 about birth, salaries, tax, wages, income, and USA.

South Korea's Occupational Wage Survey (OWS) is an annual business establishment survey conducted since 1970 by South Korea's Ministry of Labor. The dataset contains detailed information on individual workers' earnings, hours worked, educational attainment, actual labor market experience, occupation, industry, and region. The surveyed establishments must employ at least ten workers and were selected by a stratified random sampling method. Because they exclude workers in small enterprises, the self-employed, family workers, temporary workers, and public sector workers, the surveys represent approximately one-half of South Korea's total nonagricultural labor force. The samples for each year are randomly drawn from the original surveys. The surveys cover all industries up through 1986. After 1986, agriculture, forestry, hunting, and fishing are excluded. This change in sampling procedure does not appear to cause a significant change in the types of nonfarm enterprises covered by the survey.

This statistic shows the percent of workers paid hourly rates at or below prevailing federal minimum wage in the United States from 1980 to 2023, by gender. In 2023, only 1.5 percent of the female wage and salary workers were paid hourly rates at or below the federal minimum wage, compared to 21.6 percent in 1980.

In March 2025, inflation amounted to 2.4 percent, while wages grew by 4.3 percent. The inflation rate has not exceeded the rate of wage growth since January 2023. Inflation in 2022 The high rates of inflation in 2022 meant that the real terms value of American wages took a hit. Many Americans report feelings of concern over the economy and a worsening of their financial situation. The inflation situation in the United States is one that was experienced globally in 2022, mainly due to COVID-19 related supply chain constraints and disruption due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The monthly inflation rate for the U.S. reached a 40-year high in June 2022 at 9.1 percent, and annual inflation for 2022 reached eight percent. Without appropriate wage increases, Americans will continue to see a decline in their purchasing power. Wages in the U.S. Despite the level of wage growth reaching 6.7 percent in the summer of 2022, it has not been enough to curb the impact of even higher inflation rates. The federally mandated minimum wage in the United States has not increased since 2009, meaning that individuals working minimum wage jobs have taken a real terms pay cut for the last twelve years. There are discrepancies between states - the minimum wage in California can be as high as 15.50 U.S. dollars per hour, while a business in Oklahoma may be as low as two U.S. dollars per hour. However, even the higher wage rates in states like California and Washington may be lacking - one analysis found that if minimum wage had kept up with productivity, the minimum hourly wage in the U.S. should have been 22.88 dollars per hour in 2021. Additionally, the impact of decreased purchasing power due to inflation will impact different parts of society in different ways with stark contrast in average wages due to both gender and race.

Key information about Japan Monthly Earnings

• Japan Monthly Earnings stood at 1,888 USD in Jan 2025, compared with the previous figure of 4,014 USD in Dec 2024
• Japan Monthly Earnings data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1971 to Jan 2025, with an average number of 2,419 USD
• The data reached the an all-time high of 7,322 USD in Dec 1994 and a record low of 164 USD in Feb 1971

CEIC converts Monthly Earnings into USD. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare provides Average Monthly Earnings in local currency. Federal Reserve Bank average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Monthly Earnings include Establishments with 5 or more employees. Monthly Earnings prior to January 2012 are based on Conventional Published Value.


Further information about Japan Monthly Earnings

• In the latest reports, Japan Population reached 124 million people in Dec 2024
• Unemployment Rate of Japan remained the same at 3 % in Jan 2025
• The country's Labour Force Participation Rate dropped to 63 % in Jan 2025