The True Weekly Earnings (TWE), as defined by the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity (LISEP), measures the weekly earnings of all members of the workforce — including part time and jobless who are seeking work.
Using data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),we calculate the median earnings of everyone who is employed or actively seeking employment. Thus, we take the median earnings of the whole U.S. labor force as defined by the BLS.
By comparison, the BLS headline numbers only include those who are employed at full-time jobs. Thus, if a low-income worker moves from full time to part time, or becomes unemployed, the BLS metric will report that earnings have risen, giving a false sense that earnings are getting better. TWE, on the other hand, gives policymakers access to a more comprehensive indicator of how the job market is performing as a whole.
Note: Both LISEP and BLS exclude the self-employed from their sample for measurement reasons.
For a more in-depth explanation of True Weekly Earnings, please reference this white paper.
OVERVIEW
True Weekly Earnings
1982-2020
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
1985
2015
2020
OVERVIEW
True Weekly Earnings vs. Gross Domestic Product
In 2012 Dollars, 2000-2020
Select any point on the chart to see the data for that quarter.
2005
2010
2015
2020
2000
By INCOME GROUP
True Weekly Earnings by Income Group*
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
$463
Bottom Quartile
Q4 2020
$1,361
Third Quartile
Q4 2020
$2,139
Ninth Decile
Q4 2020
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
1985
2015
2020
* In the graph above, first quartile refers to the exact person at the 25th percentile in the distribution. So this person has earnings higher than 25% of the population and lower than 75%. Third quartile refers to the person that has earnings higher than 75% of the population and lower than 25%. Ninth decile refers to the person with earnings higher than 90% and lower than 10% of the population. Note that this does not mean that the ninth decile is the average of the top 10%; rather, it is the exact 90th percentile earner.
By RACE
True Weekly Earnings by Race
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
$653
Black
Q4 2020
$622
Hispanic
Q4 2020
$913
White
Q4 2020
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
1985
2015
2020
By RACE
True Weekly Earnings Gap: Black and Hispanic vs. White Workers
For every dollar earned by White workers, Black and Hispanic workers earn ...
Q4 2020
72¢
Black
68¢
Hispanic
Since 1982
Select any point on the chart to see the data for that quarter.
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
1985
2015
2020
By SEX
True Weekly Earnings by Sex
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
$707
Female
Q4 2020
$905
Male
Q4 2020
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
1985
2015
2020
By SEX
True Weekly Earnings Gap: Female vs. Male Workers
For every dollar earned by male workers, female workers earn ...
Q4 2020
78¢
Female
Since 1982
Select any point on the chart to see the data for that quarter.
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
1985
2015
2020
By EDUCATION
True Weekly Earnings by Education
Select any point on the chart to see the True Weekly Earnings for that quarter.
$531
No High School
Q4 2020
$707
High School Diploma
Q4 2020
$830
Some College
Q4 2020
$1,165
Bachelors Degree
Q4 2020
$1,501
Advanced Degree
Q4 2020
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
1995
By EDUCATION
True Weekly Earnings Growth by Education
Earnings growth since 2000
Select any point on the chart to see the data for that quarter.
10%
No High School
Q4 2020
-3%
High School Diploma
Q4 2020
-3%
Some College
Q4 2020
0%
Bachelors Degree
Q4 2020
2%
Advanced Degree
Q4 2020
2007
2012
2018
2002
True Rate of Unemployment by State
August 2020
Select any state or percentage to see the most recent True Rate of Unemployment.