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Real average hourly earnings up 0.2 percent for year ending May 2023

June 21, 2023

Real average hourly earnings of all employees increased 0.2 percent from May 2022 to May 2023. Real earnings are earnings that have been adjusted for changes in consumer prices. The change in real average hourly earnings combined with a 0.9-percent decrease in the average workweek resulted in a 0.7-percent decrease in real average weekly earnings over this period.

12-month percent change in real average hourly earnings of all private nonfarm employees, by industry, January 2020–May 2023
Month Total private Mining and logging Construction Manufacturing Wholesale trade Retail trade Transportation and warehousing Utilities

Jan 2020

0.5 2.1 0.5 0.8 0.3 1.6 -0.4 0.6

Feb 2020

0.7 2.2 0.8 0.6 0.4 1.7 -0.4 0.2

Mar 2020

2.1 2.9 1.2 1.8 0.3 3.3 0.0 0.1

Apr 2020

7.7 4.0 1.9 6.1 4.0 7.9 3.6 3.7

May 2020

6.5 4.1 2.2 5.1 3.5 6.0 3.2 2.8

Jun 2020

4.4 3.3 2.2 3.0 1.9 4.3 0.9 3.5

Jul 2020

3.8 1.2 2.3 2.7 2.5 5.2 0.8 4.0

Aug 2020

3.4 0.2 1.8 2.8 1.7 5.3 0.6 3.7

Sep 2020

3.4 -0.1 1.5 2.4 1.6 6.0 0.5 4.1

Oct 2020

3.4 -0.7 1.6 2.2 2.1 4.8 0.9 5.1

Nov 2020

3.3 -1.3 1.6 2.3 2.1 4.8 1.2 4.4

Dec 2020

4.1 -1.2 1.5 1.7 2.3 4.8 2.5 3.1

Jan 2021

3.7 -1.0 1.7 1.6 2.5 4.5 1.4 2.6

Feb 2021

3.5 -1.6 1.2 1.5 2.2 3.3 0.9 1.8

Mar 2021

1.6 -3.1 0.1 0.2 1.5 2.4 -0.2 1.0

Apr 2021

-3.4 -4.0 -0.2 -3.8 -1.4 -1.7 -2.6 -1.1

May 2021

-2.6 -5.1 -0.8 -3.0 -1.8 0.2 -2.5 -1.4

Jun 2021

-1.3 -5.5 -1.4 -1.8 -1.2 1.1 0.0 -2.5

Jul 2021

-0.9 -4.2 -1.4 -1.6 -0.9 -0.5 0.1 -2.1

Aug 2021

-0.7 -3.4 -1.2 -1.8 -1.0 -1.0 -0.3 -2.2

Sep 2021

-0.4 -4.0 -0.8 -1.4 -0.8 -1.3 -0.4 -2.2

Oct 2021

-0.8 -4.5 -1.4 -1.8 -1.4 -0.6 -1.2 -3.9

Nov 2021

-1.3 -3.5 -2.2 -2.5 -2.1 -1.2 -0.4 -4.1

Dec 2021

-2.0 -4.0 -2.1 -2.4 -2.2 -1.7 -1.5 -2.4

Jan 2022

-1.8 -4.9 -2.2 -2.1 -2.9 -1.7 -1.1 -2.4

Feb 2022

-2.5 -4.7 -2.5 -3.3 -3.0 -1.1 -1.2 -3.1

Mar 2022

-2.4 -4.6 -2.4 -3.4 -3.6 -1.7 -1.3 -2.0

Apr 2022

-2.2 -6.3 -2.6 -2.9 -3.4 -2.5 -2.0 -2.9

May 2022

-2.7 -5.6 -2.7 -3.7 -4.3 -3.6 -1.5 -2.2

Jun 2022

-3.2 -5.0 -3.1 -4.4 -4.3 -4.1 -3.9 -2.2

Jul 2022

-2.7 -4.0 -2.6 -4.0 -3.9 -3.1 -3.7 -2.5

Aug 2022

-2.7 -4.6 -2.5 -3.9 -3.9 -2.9 -2.9 -3.1

Sep 2022

-2.9 -4.2 -2.6 -4.0 -4.3 -3.6 -2.4 -2.2

Oct 2022

-2.7 -4.3 -2.0 -3.7 -3.5 -3.3 -2.1 -1.2

Nov 2022

-2.1 -3.9 -1.1 -3.0 -2.8 -2.0 -3.0 -1.1

Dec 2022

-1.6 -2.9 -0.6 -2.5 -2.2 -1.9 -2.7 -1.4

Jan 2023

-1.8 -1.6 -0.9 -2.6 -1.1 -1.9 -2.4 -1.1

Feb 2023

-1.2 -1.5 -0.5 -2.0 -1.0 -1.1 -1.9 -0.2

Mar 2023

-0.6 -0.2 0.3 -0.9 -0.2 -1.0 -0.7 0.1

Apr 2023

-0.6 1.9 0.3 -1.0 0.1 -0.3 -0.2 0.9

May 2023

0.2 2.0 0.9 -0.1 1.2 0.6 -0.5 1.0
 12-month percent change in real average hourly earnings of all private nonfarm employees, by industry, January 2020–May 2023 … continued
Month Information Financial Activities Professional and business services Education and health services Leisure and hospitality Other services

Jan 2020

0.3 0.9 1.1 -0.9 0.9 -0.2

Feb 2020

0.7 1.6 1.1 -0.7 0.8 0.8

Mar 2020

1.4 2.4 1.9 0.2 1.4 4.6

Apr 2020

3.9 4.1 6.6 3.0 9.0 10.6

May 2020

3.8 4.8 5.6 3.6 5.4 9.0

Jun 2020

2.9 4.6 4.0 3.0 2.3 5.9

Jul 2020

3.7 4.1 2.9 2.3 0.9 4.9

Aug 2020

1.3 4.4 2.8 2.1 1.2 3.5

Sep 2020

2.7 4.7 2.6 2.1 1.1 3.9

Oct 2020

4.4 5.8 2.4 2.1 1.1 3.3

Nov 2020

3.3 5.4 2.1 2.5 0.3 4.0

Dec 2020

2.4 5.7 2.3 4.4 0.5 4.1

Jan 2021

2.2 5.7 2.2 3.7 0.6 3.7

Feb 2021

2.2 5.5 2.1 3.5 1.4 3.4

Mar 2021

-0.7 5.0 0.9 2.2 1.5 0.0

Apr 2021

-2.6 2.6 -3.3 0.5 -4.8 -5.2

May 2021

-3.7 2.0 -2.5 -0.4 -1.2 -5.2

Jun 2021

-3.3 0.8 -1.4 -0.5 2.7 -2.3

Jul 2021

-4.6 1.2 -0.5 0.0 4.1 -1.5

Aug 2021

-4.4 -0.2 -0.4 0.3 4.9 -0.3

Sep 2021

-4.4 -0.3 -0.5 1.0 5.0 -0.5

Oct 2021

-5.6 -1.4 -0.4 0.5 6.1 -0.5

Nov 2021

-6.1 -1.9 -0.8 -0.2 6.4 -1.7

Dec 2021

-5.1 -2.8 -1.0 -1.4 6.3 -1.8

Jan 2022

-5.7 -3.2 -0.9 -0.3 4.9 -1.9

Feb 2022

-5.7 -4.7 -1.7 -1.4 3.6 -3.2

Mar 2022

-4.9 -4.9 -1.3 -1.6 3.3 -3.9

Apr 2022

-4.6 -4.7 -1.2 -1.7 2.8 -3.4

May 2022

-4.0 -5.6 -1.9 -1.9 1.9 -4.1

Jun 2022

-3.7 -5.1 -2.9 -2.1 0.1 -4.3

Jul 2022

-3.2 -4.5 -2.3 -1.5 0.6 -3.7

Aug 2022

-1.3 -3.9 -2.4 -1.7 -0.1 -3.9

Sep 2022

-0.4 -3.4 -2.7 -2.9 -0.6 -3.7

Oct 2022

-1.2 -3.8 -2.6 -2.4 -1.3 -3.7

Nov 2022

-0.9 -3.3 -1.9 -1.7 -0.7 -2.8

Dec 2022

-0.5 -2.1 -1.4 -1.5 0.1 -2.9

Jan 2023

-0.5 -2.3 -1.6 -2.1 0.6 -2.4

Feb 2023

-0.8 -1.5 -1.1 -1.5 0.6 -1.6

Mar 2023

0.6 -0.9 -0.5 -1.0 0.9 -1.6

Apr 2023

-0.5 -1.4 -0.7 -0.9 0.7 -0.6

May 2023

1.1 -0.2 0.2 -0.3 1.3 0.3

From May 2022 to May 2023, the largest increases in real average hourly earnings of all employees occurred in mining and logging (+2.0 percent) and leisure and hospitality (+1.3 percent). The 12-month percent change in real earnings in leisure and hospitality is down from its most recent high of 6.4 percent in November 2021, but up from its most recent low of −1.3 percent in October 2022.

From May 2022 to May 2023, real average hourly earnings decreased the most in transportation and warehousing, with an over-the-year decline of 0.5 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 — May 2023." 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 0.2 percent for year ending May 2023 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/real-average-hourly-earnings-up-0-2-percent-for-year-ending-may-2023.htm (visited November 13, 2024).

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