Real Median Weekly Earnings
Real median weekly earnings, full-time workers
Where the Real Median Weekly Earnings stands now
The Real Median Weekly Earnings was $370 in the third quarter of 2026, down from the $393 peak in the second quarter of 2020.
How the Real Median Weekly Earnings has moved since 1979
Real Median Weekly Earnings: down since Q2 2026
Median usual weekly earnings, full-time wage and salary workers, 1982-84 dollars, seasonally adjusted: $370 in the third quarter of 2026, down from $376 a year earlier. Quarterly, 1979–2026.
What the Real Median Weekly Earnings measures
A lower amount is worse for households.
Real Median Weekly Earnings by quarter, 1979 to 2026
Every quarter since 1979, newest first. The change compares each quarter with the same quarter a year earlier.
The source changed how it measures this in Q1 1994. BLS redesigned the Current Population Survey questionnaire in January 1994, letting people report earnings in the time frame easiest for them; in the 1993 parallel survey the full-time median came out somewhat higher under the new questions, so earlier values are not like-for-like. Figures on either side are not directly comparable, so the change column stays blank where a comparison would cross that date. Source documentation.
| Quarter | Amount | Change from a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $370 | −$6 |
| Q2 2026 | $378 | +$2 |
| Q1 2026 | $376 | +$3 |
| Q3 2025 | $376 | +$5 |
| Q2 2025 | $376 | +$8 |
| Q1 2025 | $373 | +$8 |
| Q4 2024 | $374 | +$5 |
| Q3 2024 | $371 | +$5 |
| Q2 2024 | $368 | +$3 |
| Q1 2024 | $365 | +$1 |
| Q4 2023 | $369 | +$7 |
| Q3 2023 | $366 | +$4 |
| Q2 2023 | $365 | +$6 |
| Q1 2023 | $364 | +$1 |
| Q4 2022 | $362 | — |
| Q3 2022 | $362 | — |
| Q2 2022 | $359 | — |
| Q1 2022 | $363 | — |
| Q4 2021 | $361 | — |
| Q3 2021 | $367 | — |
| Q2 2021 | $371 | — |
| Q1 2021 | $373 | — |
| Q4 2020 | $376 | — |
| Q3 2020 | $384 | — |
| Q2 2020 | $393 | — |
| Q1 2020 | $367 | +$12 |
| Q4 2019 | $362 | +$7 |
| Q3 2019 | $360 | +$6 |
| Q2 2019 | $358 | +$7 |
| Q1 2019 | $355 | +$4 |
| Q4 2018 | $355 | +$10 |
| Q3 2018 | $354 | +$2 |
| Q2 2018 | $351 | −$3 |
| Q1 2018 | $351 | −$1 |
| Q4 2017 | $345 | −$4 |
| Q3 2017 | $352 | +$5 |
| Q2 2017 | $354 | +$9 |
| Q1 2017 | $352 | +$6 |
| Q4 2016 | $349 | +$4 |
| Q3 2016 | $347 | +$7 |
| Q2 2016 | $345 | +$6 |
| Q1 2016 | $346 | +$5 |
| Q4 2015 | $345 | +$9 |
| Q3 2015 | $340 | +$4 |
| Q2 2015 | $339 | +$9 |
| Q1 2015 | $341 | +$6 |
| Q4 2014 | $336 | +$2 |
| Q3 2014 | $336 | +$2 |
| Q2 2014 | $330 | −$5 |
| Q1 2014 | $335 | +$4 |
| Q4 2013 | $334 | +$1 |
| Q3 2013 | $334 | +$1 |
| Q2 2013 | $335 | −$2 |
| Q1 2013 | $331 | −$4 |
| Q4 2012 | $333 | −$2 |
| Q3 2012 | $333 | −$3 |
| Q2 2012 | $337 | +$1 |
| Q1 2012 | $335 | −$3 |
| Q4 2011 | $335 | −$6 |
| Q3 2011 | $336 | −$6 |
| Q2 2011 | $336 | −$6 |
| Q1 2011 | $338 | −$6 |
| Q4 2010 | $341 | −$3 |
| Q3 2010 | $342 | −$3 |
| Q2 2010 | $342 | −$3 |
| Q1 2010 | $344 | −$1 |
| Q4 2009 | $344 | +$4 |
| Q3 2009 | $345 | +$14 |
| Q2 2009 | $345 | +$10 |
| Q1 2009 | $345 | +$10 |
| Q4 2008 | $340 | +$8 |
| Q3 2008 | $331 | −$5 |
| Q2 2008 | $335 | $0 |
| Q1 2008 | $335 | −$1 |
| Q4 2007 | $332 | −$5 |
| Q3 2007 | $336 | +$2 |
| Q2 2007 | $335 | +$6 |
| Q1 2007 | $336 | +$4 |
| Q4 2006 | $337 | +$5 |
| Q3 2006 | $334 | +$3 |
| Q2 2006 | $329 | −$5 |
| Q1 2006 | $332 | −$4 |
| Q4 2005 | $332 | −$5 |
| Q3 2005 | $331 | −$4 |
| Q2 2005 | $334 | −$7 |
| Q1 2005 | $336 | −$1 |
| Q4 2004 | $337 | $0 |
| Q3 2004 | $335 | −$2 |
| Q2 2004 | $341 | +$3 |
| Q1 2004 | $337 | +$2 |
| Q4 2003 | $337 | +$1 |
| Q3 2003 | $337 | $0 |
| Q2 2003 | $338 | −$1 |
| Q1 2003 | $335 | −$6 |
| Q4 2002 | $336 | −$4 |
| Q3 2002 | $337 | −$1 |
| Q2 2002 | $339 | +$3 |
| Q1 2002 | $341 | +$8 |
| Q4 2001 | $340 | +$6 |
| Q3 2001 | $338 | +$3 |
| Q2 2001 | $336 | +$2 |
| Q1 2001 | $333 | −$1 |
| Q4 2000 | $334 | −$1 |
| Q3 2000 | $335 | +$5 |
| Q2 2000 | $334 | +$5 |
| Q1 2000 | $334 | +$10 |
| Q4 1999 | $335 | +$7 |
| Q3 1999 | $330 | +$9 |
| Q2 1999 | $329 | +$10 |
| Q1 1999 | $324 | +$5 |
| Q4 1998 | $328 | +$14 |
| Q3 1998 | $321 | +$7 |
| Q2 1998 | $319 | +$5 |
| Q1 1998 | $319 | +$6 |
| Q4 1997 | $314 | +$1 |
| Q3 1997 | $314 | $0 |
| Q2 1997 | $314 | +$2 |
| Q1 1997 | $313 | +$1 |
| Q4 1996 | $313 | $0 |
| Q3 1996 | $314 | −$3 |
| Q2 1996 | $312 | −$2 |
| Q1 1996 | $312 | −$1 |
| Q4 1995 | $313 | −$1 |
| Q3 1995 | $317 | +$3 |
| Q2 1995 | $314 | −$3 |
| Q1 1995 | $313 | −$3 |
| Q4 1994 | $314 | — |
| Q3 1994 | $314 | — |
| Q2 1994 | $317 | — |
| Q1 1994 | $316 | — |
| Q4 1993 | $319 | +$7 |
| Q3 1993 | $319 | +$5 |
| Q2 1993 | $317 | +$4 |
| Q1 1993 | $315 | $0 |
| Q4 1992 | $312 | −$1 |
| Q3 1992 | $314 | +$2 |
| Q2 1992 | $313 | +$1 |
| Q1 1992 | $315 | −$1 |
| Q4 1991 | $313 | +$1 |
| Q3 1991 | $312 | −$1 |
| Q2 1991 | $312 | −$7 |
| Q1 1991 | $316 | −$3 |
| Q4 1990 | $312 | −$10 |
| Q3 1990 | $313 | −$9 |
| Q2 1990 | $319 | −$3 |
| Q1 1990 | $319 | −$4 |
| Q4 1989 | $322 | −$2 |
| Q3 1989 | $322 | −$3 |
| Q2 1989 | $322 | −$3 |
| Q1 1989 | $323 | −$6 |
| Q4 1988 | $324 | −$4 |
| Q3 1988 | $325 | −$5 |
| Q2 1988 | $325 | −$3 |
| Q1 1988 | $329 | +$1 |
| Q4 1987 | $328 | −$3 |
| Q3 1987 | $330 | +$2 |
| Q2 1987 | $328 | $0 |
| Q1 1987 | $328 | +$7 |
| Q4 1986 | $331 | +$11 |
| Q3 1986 | $328 | +$8 |
| Q2 1986 | $328 | +$5 |
| Q1 1986 | $321 | +$7 |
| Q4 1985 | $320 | +$4 |
| Q3 1985 | $320 | +$7 |
| Q2 1985 | $323 | +$11 |
| Q1 1985 | $314 | +$1 |
| Q4 1984 | $316 | +$4 |
| Q3 1984 | $313 | −$2 |
| Q2 1984 | $312 | −$2 |
| Q1 1984 | $313 | −$2 |
| Q4 1983 | $312 | −$1 |
| Q3 1983 | $315 | +$4 |
| Q2 1983 | $314 | $0 |
| Q1 1983 | $315 | +$3 |
| Q4 1982 | $313 | +$1 |
| Q3 1982 | $311 | +$2 |
| Q2 1982 | $314 | +$3 |
| Q1 1982 | $312 | −$2 |
| Q4 1981 | $312 | −$3 |
| Q3 1981 | $309 | −$10 |
| Q2 1981 | $311 | −$4 |
| Q1 1981 | $314 | −$7 |
| Q4 1980 | $315 | −$11 |
| Q3 1980 | $319 | −$11 |
| Q2 1980 | $315 | −$20 |
| Q1 1980 | $321 | −$14 |
| Q4 1979 | $326 | — |
| Q3 1979 | $330 | — |
| Q2 1979 | $335 | — |
| Q1 1979 | $335 | — |
Quarterly · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data retrieved via FRED (LES1252881600Q)
Counties with the highest labor scores
There's no county figure for this measure, so this list uses the labor part of our County Distress Index.
| Rank | County | Score (0–100) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apache County, AZ | 99.2 |
| 2 | Mingo County, WV | 98.7 |
| 3 | Navajo County, AZ | 97.3 |
| 4 | Luna County, NM | 97.2 |
| 5 | McKinley County, NM | 96.8 |
| 6 | Lake County, CA | 96.8 |
| 7 | Clare County, MI | 96.6 |
| 8 | Harlan County, KY | 96.2 |
| 9 | Wyoming County, WV | 96.2 |
| 10 | Pike County, KY | 96.1 |
Questions about the Real Median Weekly Earnings
What are real median weekly earnings now?
BLS's latest figure, for the third quarter of 2026, is $370 a week in 1982-84 dollars. That is lower than a year earlier, when it was $376. Stated in today's dollars the same paycheck is several times larger; the 1982-84 base keeps every quarter comparable after inflation.
Is this what the typical American earns?
No. It covers full-time wage and salary workers only, at their main job, before taxes. Part-time workers, the self-employed and people without jobs are left out, and it is one worker's weekly pay, not household income.
Why are 2020 and 2021 left out of comparisons?
In 2020 job losses fell hardest on lower-paid workers, so the median of those still working jumped even though pay for the same workers did not. BLS said so at the time. Comparing against the quarters from April 2020 through 2021 would mix that shift in who was working with changes in pay.
Where does this data come from?
BLS publishes it each quarter in its Usual Weekly Earnings release, about three weeks after the quarter ends. It comes from the Current Population Survey, a survey of about 60,000 households that the Census Bureau runs for BLS; earnings questions go to a quarter of the sample.
Sources and method for the Real Median Weekly Earnings
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data retrieved via FRED (LES1252881600Q) We use the quarterly figures as published, from the first quarter of 1979 through the third quarter of 2026, with no adjustment of our own. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’s report
We write with assistance from AI tools. Figures come from the data and sources named on this page.