Lower-Wage US Workers Post 5.5% Pay Gain, Outpacing 4.6% Median Earnings Growth
Updated
Updated · Forex Factory · Aug 6
Lower-Wage US Workers Post 5.5% Pay Gain, Outpacing 4.6% Median Earnings Growth
3 articles · Updated · Forex Factory · Aug 6
Summary
US workers at the 25th earnings percentile saw pay rise 5.5% year over year in the latest quarter, the fastest growth across the wage distribution and above inflation.
Median weekly earnings climbed 4.6%, also outpacing inflation, indicating wage gains were broad rather than limited to the lowest-paid workers.
The latest data showed lower-wage workers' earnings growth was more than three times that of workers at the 75th percentile, undercutting claims of a K-shaped labor market.
The report casts the gains as a reversal from the purchasing-power losses many households experienced during the Biden administration, with the wage data presented as evidence of improving Main Street conditions.