The lowest-wage workers had the strongest wage growth during the pandemic: Real wage growth across the wage distribution, 2019–2023
| Wage group | Wage change |
|---|---|
| Low-wage<br>(10th percentile) | 12.1% |
| Lower-middle-wage<br>(avg 20th–40th) | 5.0% |
| Middle-wage<br>(avg 40th–60th) | 3.0% |
| Upper-middle-wage<br>(avg 60th–80th) | 2.0% |
| High-wage<br>(90th percentile) | 0.9% |
Notes: Low-wage is represented by the 10th percentile and high-wage is represented by the 90th percentile. The lower-middle, middle, and upper-middle-wages are the averages of the 20th–40th percentiles, the 40th–60th percentiles, and the 60th–80th percentiles, respectively.
Source: EPI analysis of the Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata, EPI Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0.48 (2024a), https://microdata.epi.org.