Real average hourly and weekly earnings in May 2014

In May 2014, the 12-month change in real average hourly earnings for all employees was -0.1 percent; in May 2013, it was 0.6. The 12-month change in real average weekly earnings was also -0.1 percent in May 2014; a year earlier it was 0.9 percent. The May 2014 declines in real average hourly and weekly earnings resulted from a 2.1-percent increase in average earnings offset by a 2.1-percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U).  

 

In April 2014, real average hourly earnings were unchanged over the year; real average weekly earnings were up 0.3 percent in the 12 months from April 2013 to April 2014, while the 12-month change in the CPI-U in April 2014 was 2.0 percent. 

In March 2014 the 12-month changes in both real average hourly and real average weekly earnings were 0.6 percent, while the 12-month change in the CPI-U in March 2014 was 1.5.  

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics program. Data for the most recent 2 months are preliminary. To learn more, see “Real Earnings — May 2014” (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-14-1136. Information from the Consumer Price Index program is used to adjust the earnings estimates for inflation.