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Real average hourly earnings up 0.2 percent in 2013; real weekly earnings unchanged

January 22, 2014

Real average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose 0.2 percent from December 2012 to December 2013. This increase stems from a 1.8‑percent increase in average hourly earnings that was partially offset by a 1.5‑percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.

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Chart Data

Percent annual change in real average hourly and weekly earnings of all workers on nonfarm payrolls, seasonally adjusted, 2007–2013

Percent annual change in real average hourly and weekly earnings of all workers on nonfarm payrolls, seasonally adjusted, 2007–2013
Year	Average hourly earnings	Average weekly earnings
2007	-0.9	-1.2
2008	3.6	2.1
2009	-1.0	-1.6
2010	0.3	1.5
2011	-1.0	-0.4
2012	0.4	0.3
2013^(p)	0.2	0.0
Footnotes: ^(p) = preliminary Note: The percentage changes are calculated based on the earnings levels in December of each year from 2006 to 2013.

The increase in real average hourly earnings, combined with a 0.3‑percent decline in the average workweek, resulted in no net change in real average weekly earnings in 2013.

In 2012, real average hourly and weekly earnings increased slightly, by 0.4 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively. That followed alternating decreases and increases in real average hourly and weekly earnings each year back to 2007.

The net effect of all the decreases and increases in real earnings since 2007 is that real average hourly earnings were 1.6 percent higher in December 2013 than they were in December 2006. Real average weekly earnings were 0.8 percent higher at the end of 2013 than at the end of 2006.

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Chart Data

Real average hourly and weekly earnings of all workers on nonfarm payrolls, seasonally adjusted, December 2006–December 2013

Real average hourly and weekly earnings of all workers on nonfarm payrolls, seasonally adjusted, December 2006–December 2013
Month	Average hourly earnings		Average weekly earnings
Month	Value in 1982–1984 dollars	Index	Value in 1982–1984 dollars	Index
December 2006	$10.14	100.0	$351.78	100.0
January 2007	10.14	100.0	349.69	99.4
February 2007	10.14	100.0	349.69	99.4
March 2007	10.13	99.9	350.40	99.6
April 2007	10.12	99.8	350.03	99.5
May 2007	10.11	99.7	349.76	99.4
June 2007	10.13	99.9	350.62	99.7
July 2007	10.13	99.9	350.33	99.6
August 2007	10.14	100.0	350.89	99.7
September 2007	10.11	99.7	348.89	99.2
October 2007	10.10	99.6	348.31	99.0
November 2007	10.05	99.1	346.58	98.5
December 2007	10.05	99.1	347.73	98.8
January 2008	10.02	98.8	346.86	98.6
February 2008	10.03	98.9	347.16	98.7
March 2008	10.04	99.0	348.55	99.1
April 2008	10.02	98.8	346.74	98.6
May 2008	10.00	98.6	346.15	98.4
June 2008	9.94	98.0	343.83	97.7
July 2008	9.89	97.5	341.04	96.9
August 2008	9.95	98.1	343.28	97.6
September 2008	9.95	98.1	342.31	97.3
October 2008	10.06	99.2	346.07	98.4
November 2008	10.29	101.5	353.05	100.4
December 2008	10.41	102.7	355.04	100.9
January 2009	10.39	102.5	355.31	101.0
February 2009	10.37	102.3	352.74	100.3
March 2009	10.40	102.6	352.68	100.3
April 2009	10.41	102.7	351.90	100.0
May 2009	10.39	102.5	351.33	99.9
June 2009	10.32	101.8	348.87	99.2
July 2009	10.35	102.1	349.78	99.4
August 2009	10.34	102.0	349.39	99.3
September 2009	10.33	101.9	350.02	99.5
October 2009	10.32	101.8	348.96	99.2
November 2009	10.31	101.7	349.51	99.4
December 2009	10.31	101.7	349.50	99.4
January 2010	10.33	101.9	351.13	99.8
February 2010	10.34	102.0	350.45	99.6
March 2010	10.35	102.1	351.92	100.0
April 2010	10.37	102.3	353.74	100.6
May 2010	10.39	102.5	355.33	101.0
June 2010	10.38	102.4	353.98	100.6
July 2010	10.39	102.5	355.37	101.0
August 2010	10.39	102.5	355.46	101.0
September 2010	10.40	102.6	356.64	101.4
October 2010	10.39	102.5	356.48	101.3
November 2010	10.37	102.3	354.67	100.8
December 2010	10.34	102.0	354.72	100.8
January 2011	10.35	102.1	354.12	100.7
February 2011	10.32	101.8	353.81	100.6
March 2011	10.27	101.3	352.21	100.1
April 2011	10.26	101.2	352.79	100.3
May 2011	10.25	101.1	352.50	100.2
June 2011	10.24	101.0	351.12	99.8
July 2011	10.25	101.1	352.70	100.3
August 2011	10.21	100.7	350.30	99.6
September 2011	10.20	100.6	351.05	99.8
October 2011	10.24	101.0	352.30	100.1
November 2011	10.23	100.9	351.81	100.0
December 2011	10.24	101.0	353.30	100.4
January 2012	10.23	100.9	352.87	100.3
February 2012	10.22	100.8	353.65	100.5
March 2012	10.22	100.8	352.61	100.2
April 2012	10.23	100.9	352.91	100.3
May 2012	10.25	101.1	352.50	100.2
June 2012	10.27	101.3	353.13	100.4
July 2012	10.29	101.5	353.87	100.6
August 2012	10.23	100.9	351.89	100.0
September 2012	10.21	100.7	352.12	100.1
October 2012	10.18	100.4	349.18	99.3
November 2012	10.24	101.0	352.38	100.2
December 2012	10.28	101.4	354.50	100.8
January 2013	10.29	101.5	353.82	100.6
February 2013	10.23	100.9	353.05	100.4
March 2013	10.26	101.2	354.88	100.9
April 2013	10.32	101.8	356.05	101.2
May 2013	10.31	101.7	355.67	101.1
June 2013	10.30	101.6	355.45	101.0
July 2013	10.28	101.4	353.71	100.5
August 2013	10.30	101.6	355.31	101.0
September 2013	10.30	101.6	354.23	100.7
October 2013	10.31	101.7	354.73	100.8
November 2013^(p)	10.33	101.9	356.23	101.3
December 2013^(p)	10.30	101.6	354.44	100.8
Footnotes: ^(p) = preliminary Note: For the index numbers, December 2006 = 100.0

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent two months are preliminary. To learn more, see "Real Earnings — December 2013," (HTML) (PDF) news release USDL‑14‑0038. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers is used to deflate the earnings data.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Real average hourly earnings up 0.2 percent in 2013; real weekly earnings unchanged at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2014/ted_20140122.htm (visited April 16, 2024).

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