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Real average hourly earnings up 3.7 percent, July 2019–July 2020

August 20, 2020

Real (adjusted for inflation) average hourly earnings increased 3.7 percent from July 2019 to July 2020, after increasing 4.1 percent over year ended June 2020. The recent large increases in hourly earnings reflect the substantial job loss among lower-paid workers as a result of the COVID-19 closures. The July increase in real earnings resulted from a 4.8-percent increase in average hourly earnings being partially offset by an increase of 1.0 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.

12-month percent change in average and real average hourly earnings of all private sector employees, and the Consumer Price Index, January 2019–July 2020
Month Average hourly earnings CPI for All Urban Consumers Real hourly earnings

Jan 2019

3.3% 1.6% 1.8%

Feb 2019

3.5 1.5 2.1

Mar 2019

3.4 1.9 1.6

Apr 2019

3.3 2.0 1.3

May 2019

3.3 1.8 1.5

Jun 2019

3.4 1.6 1.7

Jul 2019

3.5 1.8 1.6

Aug 2019

3.5 1.7 1.7

Sep 2019

3.1 1.7 1.3

Oct 2019

3.2 1.8 1.5

Nov 2019

3.3 2.1 1.2

Dec 2019

3.0 2.3 0.7

Jan 2020

3.1 2.5 0.5

Feb 2020

3.0 2.3 0.6

Mar 2020

3.4 1.5 1.7

Apr 2020

8.0 0.3 7.5

May 2020

6.6 0.1 6.3

Jun 2020

4.9 0.6 4.1

Jul 2020

4.8 1.0 3.7

Note: Earnings data for the most recent two months are preliminary.

During 2019, the 12-month increase in real average hourly earnings ranged from 0.7 percent to 2.1 percent.

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics survey and are seasonally adjusted. Earnings for the most recent 2 months are preliminary. For more information, see "Real Earnings — July 2020." The Consumer Price Index is used to adjust earnings for inflation.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Real average hourly earnings up 3.7 percent, July 2019–July 2020 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/real-average-hourly-earnings-up-3-point-7-percent-july-2019-july-2020.htm (visited October 31, 2024).

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