Average Hourly Earnings

April 3, 2026

Average  hourly earnings rose 0.2% in March to $37.38 after having climbed 0.4% in February,  Earnings growth  in the past year has been 3.5%.

While nominal earnings have risen 3.5% in the past year, inflation has risen by 2.2% so real or inflation-adjusted earnings have risen only 1.3% in that same period of time which is roughly the same growth rate in real earnings that existed prior to the recession.

Average weekly earnings fell 0.1% in March to $1,278.40 after having risen 0.4% in February  In the past year weekly earnings have risen 3.5%.  But, like average hourly earnings, weekly earnings have been eroded by inflatiion  Real; weekly earnings have risen 1.6% in the past year.

Stephen Slifer

NumberNomics

Charleston, SC