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Real earnings decrease $0.01 per hour in August 2016

September 21, 2016

In August 2016, real or inflation-adjusted average hourly earnings for all private sector employees decreased $0.01 from the previous month. The decrease in real hourly earnings resulted from an increase of $0.03 in average hourly earnings (not adjusted for inflation) being offset by a 0.2-percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), which is used to adjust earnings for inflation.

Chart Image
Chart Data

Average hourly earnings of all employees, total private, seasonally adjusted, August 2006–August 2016
Month	Average hourly earnings	Index of average hourly earnings	Real average hourly earnings in constant 1982–84 dollars	Index of real average hourly earnings
Aug 2006	$20.32	100.0	$9.97	100.0
Sep 2006	20.41	100.4	10.06	100.9
Oct 2006	20.44	100.6	10.12	101.5
Nov 2006	20.50	100.9	10.15	101.8
Dec 2006	20.58	101.3	10.13	101.6
Jan 2007	20.60	101.4	10.13	101.6
Feb 2007	20.68	101.8	10.13	101.6
Mar 2007	20.73	102.0	10.10	101.3
Apr 2007	20.78	102.3	10.09	101.2
May 2007	20.84	102.6	10.08	101.1
Jun 2007	20.96	103.1	10.11	101.4
Jul 2007	20.96	103.1	10.10	101.3
Aug 2007	21.00	103.3	10.11	101.4
Sep 2007	21.04	103.5	10.09	101.2
Oct 2007	21.06	103.6	10.07	101.0
Nov 2007	21.13	104.0	10.02	100.5
Dec 2007	21.18	104.2	10.02	100.5
Jan 2008	21.20	104.3	9.99	100.2
Feb 2008	21.27	104.7	10.00	100.3
Mar 2008	21.36	105.1	10.01	100.4
Apr 2008	21.38	105.2	9.99	100.2
May 2008	21.48	105.7	9.98	100.1
Jun 2008	21.52	105.9	9.90	99.3
Jul 2008	21.60	106.3	9.86	98.9
Aug 2008	21.70	106.8	9.92	99.5
Sep 2008	21.73	106.9	9.93	99.6
Oct 2008	21.76	107.1	10.03	100.6
Nov 2008	21.87	107.6	10.26	102.9
Dec 2008	21.94	108.0	10.38	104.1
Jan 2009	21.96	108.1	10.36	103.9
Feb 2009	22.00	108.3	10.34	103.7
Mar 2009	22.06	108.6	10.38	104.1
Apr 2009	22.10	108.8	10.39	104.2
May 2009	22.11	108.8	10.38	104.1
Jun 2009	22.14	109.0	10.31	103.4
Jul 2009	22.18	109.2	10.33	103.6
Aug 2009	22.23	109.4	10.32	103.5
Sep 2009	22.26	109.5	10.31	103.4
Oct 2009	22.31	109.8	10.30	103.3
Nov 2009	22.34	109.9	10.28	103.1
Dec 2009	22.37	110.1	10.29	103.2
Jan 2010	22.42	110.3	10.31	103.4
Feb 2010	22.46	110.5	10.34	103.7
Mar 2010	22.46	110.5	10.33	103.6
Apr 2010	22.50	110.7	10.35	103.8
May 2010	22.53	110.9	10.37	104.0
Jun 2010	22.53	110.9	10.37	104.0
Jul 2010	22.59	111.2	10.38	104.1
Aug 2010	22.62	111.3	10.38	104.1
Sep 2010	22.67	111.6	10.39	104.2
Oct 2010	22.74	111.9	10.38	104.1
Nov 2010	22.74	111.9	10.36	103.9
Dec 2010	22.76	112.0	10.32	103.5
Jan 2011	22.85	112.5	10.33	103.6
Feb 2011	22.87	112.5	10.31	103.4
Mar 2011	22.87	112.5	10.25	102.8
Apr 2011	22.92	112.8	10.23	102.6
May 2011	22.99	113.1	10.23	102.6
Jun 2011	23.01	113.2	10.24	102.7
Jul 2011	23.11	113.7	10.25	102.8
Aug 2011	23.06	113.5	10.20	102.3
Sep 2011	23.11	113.7	10.20	102.3
Oct 2011	23.21	114.2	10.24	102.7
Nov 2011	23.19	114.1	10.21	102.4
Dec 2011	23.23	114.3	10.22	102.5
Jan 2012	23.25	114.4	10.20	102.3
Feb 2012	23.28	114.6	10.19	102.2
Mar 2012	23.36	115.0	10.21	102.4
Apr 2012	23.39	115.1	10.20	102.3
May 2012	23.40	115.2	10.23	102.6
Jun 2012	23.46	115.5	10.27	103.0
Jul 2012	23.52	115.7	10.29	103.2
Aug 2012	23.49	115.6	10.22	102.5
Sep 2012	23.58	116.0	10.21	102.4
Oct 2012	23.57	116.0	10.17	102.0
Nov 2012	23.64	116.3	10.22	102.5
Dec 2012	23.73	116.8	10.26	102.9
Jan 2013	23.75	116.9	10.25	102.8
Feb 2013	23.78	117.0	10.21	102.4
Mar 2013	23.81	117.2	10.25	102.8
Apr 2013	23.87	117.5	10.30	103.3
May 2013	23.89	117.6	10.30	103.3
Jun 2013	23.98	118.0	10.32	103.5
Jul 2013	23.98	118.0	10.30	103.3
Aug 2013	24.03	118.3	10.30	103.3
Sep 2013	24.07	118.5	10.30	103.3
Oct 2013	24.10	118.6	10.31	103.4
Nov 2013	24.17	118.9	10.32	103.5
Dec 2013	24.20	119.1	10.30	103.3
Jan 2014	24.23	119.2	10.29	103.2
Feb 2014	24.33	119.7	10.33	103.6
Mar 2014	24.33	119.7	10.31	103.4
Apr 2014	24.34	119.8	10.29	103.2
May 2014	24.40	120.1	10.30	103.3
Jun 2014	24.47	120.4	10.32	103.5
Jul 2014	24.48	120.5	10.32	103.5
Aug 2014	24.55	120.8	10.35	103.8
Sep 2014	24.56	120.9	10.34	103.7
Oct 2014	24.58	121.0	10.34	103.7
Nov 2014	24.68	121.5	10.40	104.3
Dec 2014	24.61	121.1	10.41	104.4
Jan 2015	24.76	121.9	10.54	105.7
Feb 2015	24.80	122.0	10.53	105.6
Mar 2015	24.87	122.4	10.54	105.7
Apr 2015	24.91	122.6	10.55	105.8
May 2015	24.97	122.9	10.54	105.7
Jun 2015	24.96	122.8	10.51	105.4
Jul 2015	25.03	123.2	10.53	105.6
Aug 2015	25.12	123.6	10.57	106.0
Sep 2015	25.14	123.7	10.59	106.2
Oct 2015	25.21	124.1	10.59	106.2
Nov 2015	25.27	124.4	10.60	106.3
Dec 2015	25.26	124.3	10.61	106.4
Jan 2016	25.38	124.9	10.66	106.9
Feb 2016	25.39	125.0	10.68	107.1
Mar 2016	25.45	125.2	10.70	107.3
Apr 2016	25.53	125.6	10.69	107.2
May 2016	25.59	125.9	10.69	107.2
Jun 2016	25.62	126.1	10.68	107.1
Jul 2016	25.70 (p)	126.5 (p)	10.72 (p)	107.5 (p)
Aug 2016	25.73 (p)	126.6 (p)	10.71 (p)	107.4 (p)
Footnotes: ^(p) Preliminary.

From August 2015 to August 2016, real average hourly earnings increased $0.14 per hour. This resulted from an increase in average hourly earnings of $0.61 over the year, combined with a 1.1-percent increase in the CPI-U over the same period.

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. For more information, see "Real Earnings — August 2016" (HTML) (PDF). The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) is used to adjust the earnings data for inflation.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Real earnings decrease $0.01 per hour in August 2016 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/real-earnings-decrease-1-cent-per-hour-in-august-2016.htm (visited March 12, 2026).

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