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.

Wages in the United States increased 4.72 percent in May of 2025 over the same month in the previous year. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Wages and Salaries Growth - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Graph and download economic data for Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private (CEU0500000003) from Mar 2006 to Jun 2025 about earnings, average, establishment survey, hours, wages, private, employment, and USA.

When adjusted for inflation, the 2024 federal minimum wage in the United States is over 40 percent lower than the minimum wage in 1970. Although the real dollar minimum wage in 1970 was only 1.60 U.S. dollars, when expressed in nominal 2024 dollars this increases to 13.05 U.S. dollars. This is a significant difference from the federal minimum wage in 2024 of 7.25 U.S. dollars.

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 Q1 2025 about full-time, salaries, workers, earnings, 16 years +, wages, median, real, employment, and USA.

Four of the selected Latin American countries experienced a decline in the average real minimum wage in the first quarter of 2024 when compared to the same period of 2023. Argentina registered the largest fall during that year, with a **** percent loss. By contrast, Jamaica had an increase on average real minimum wage of almost ** percent, the largest increase amongst the selection.

This dataset provides values for WAGE GROWTH reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

This statistic presents a timeline with the real growth of average wages in Latin America and the Caribbean from 2006 to 2017. The source estimated that average salaries in the region had increased 0.7 percent in 2017, compared to the previous year.

Graph and download economic data for 12-Month Moving Average of Unweighted Median Hourly Wage Growth: MSA Area (FRBATLWGT12MMUMHWGMSA) from Dec 1997 to Jun 2025 about growth, moving average, 1-year, average, wages, median, and USA.

In 2023, the average annual wage in California was ****** U.S. dollars, an increase from the year prior, when the average wage in the U.S. state was ******. The average annual wages are expected to rise in California, with the annual wage in 2027 estimated to reach over ******* U.S. dollars.

Wages in the United States increased to 31.24 USD/Hour in June from 31.15 USD/Hour in May of 2025. This dataset provides - United States Average Hourly Wages - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Graph and download economic data for 12-Month Moving Average of Unweighted Median Hourly Wage Growth: Overall (FRBATLWGT12MMUMHGO) from Dec 1997 to Jun 2025 about growth, moving average, 1-year, average, wages, median, and USA.

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.

In an online survey conducted in April 2024, around ** percent of respondents in the United States under 45 years old said that they strongly favored an increase in the federal minimum wage to ** U.S. dollars an hour. In comparison, around ** percent of survey participants in the ** and over age range said that they strongly supported a minimum wage increase to ** U.S. dollars per hour. The federal minimum wage is currently ***** per hour

In 2023, the average annual real wages in the United States amounted to ****** U.S. dollars. This shows the average annual wages in the United States from 2000 to 2023 in constant 2023 PPP-adjusted U.S. dollars.

Compared to the mid-20th century, wage increases in the United States' industrial sector did not change as drastically over the preceding 150 years. Industrial wages in the 1800s peaked in the final year of the American Civil War in 1865, and they were double the value of wages in 1830; yet wages did not exceed this value until the following century. Throughout the 1900s, however, the increase was much more pronounced; between 1943 and 1955 alone, industrial wages doubled, and quadrupled by 1972. In fact, wages in 1985 were over five times higher than they were in 1955, and ten times higher than in 1943. The only times during the 20th century when industrial wages fell was during the post-WWI recession in 1921, and again during the Great Depression in the 1930s.

United States Median Wage Growth: 12-Mo Mov Avg: Lower Half of Wage Dist data was reported at 4.300 % in Apr 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.500 % for Mar 2025. United States Median Wage Growth: 12-Mo Mov Avg: Lower Half of Wage Dist data is updated monthly, averaging 3.800 % from Dec 1997 (Median) to Apr 2025, with 329 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.300 % in Nov 2022 and a record low of 1.600 % in Jan 2011. United States Median Wage Growth: 12-Mo Mov Avg: Lower Half of Wage Dist data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G114: Atlanta Fed Wage Growth Tracker: 12-Month Moving Average.

Between 1914 and 1969, weekly wages in manufacturing industries in the United States grew by a factor of 12. In the first half of the century, the most significant periods of increase came during the World Wars, as manufacturing industries were at the core of the war effort. However, wages then fell sharply after both World Wars, due to post-war recessions and oversaturation of the job market as soldiers returned home. Interwar period Wage growth during the interwar period was often stagnant, despite the significant economic growth during the Roarin' 20s, and manufacturing wages remained steady at around 24 dollars from 1923 to 1929. This was, again, due to oversaturation of the job market, as employment in the agricultural sector declined due to mechanization and many rural workers flocked to industrial cities in search of employment. The Great Depression then saw the largest and most prolonged period of decline in manufacturing wages. From September 1929 to March 1933, weekly wages fell from 24 dollars to below 15 dollars, and it would take another four years for them to return to pre-Depression levels. Postwar prosperity After the 1945 Recession, the decades that followed the Second World War then saw consistent growth in manufacturing wages in almost every year, as the U.S. cemented itself as the foremost economic power in the world. This period is sometimes referred to as the Golden Age of Capitalism, and the U.S. strengthened its economic presence in Western Europe and other OECD countries, while expanding its political and military presence across Asia. Manufacturing and exports played a major role in the U.S.' economic growth in this period, and wages grew from roughly 40 dollars per week in 1945 to more than 120 dollars by the late 1960s.

In an April 2021 online survey, around 52 percent of Hispanic respondents in the United States said that they strongly favor an increase in the federal minimum wage to 15 U.S. dollars an hour. In comparison, around 28 percent of white survey participants said that they were strongly opposed to a minimum wage increase.

During the first quarter of 2025, the real hourly compensation in the manufacturing sector in the United States increased by 2.4 percent from the previous quarter. The data are seasonally adjusted at annual rates. Labor compensation includes accrued wages and salaries, supplements, employer contributions to employee benefit plans, and taxes.