From 2019 to 2024, Low-wage Workers experienced historically fast real wage growth - a tremendous 15.3%.

Yet, pay started at such a low point, they continue to suffer from wages grossly inadequate to sustain families.

Between 2019 and 2024, there has been a notable reversal of long-term trends in wage growth.

Low-wage Workers experienced historically fast real wage growth (adjusted for inflation) and the strongest wage growth compared with Workers at all other parts in the wage distribution.

The hourly wage for the lowest-paid Workers at the bottom 10% grew a tremendous 15.3% over this period.

The wage growth at the lower end of the wage distribution was exceptional, significantly faster than their average growth in the prior 40 years and faster than higher-wage Workers over the same five-year period.

Wage growth for low-wage Workers also far exceeded the 2.1% wage loss that characterized the five years following the start of the last pre-COVID business cycle (2007 to 2012).

Faster wage growth at lower-wage levels has resulted in a compression of wages (or a narrowing of the wage distribution among the bottom 90% of wage earners).

In addition, Black and Hispanic Workers, Young Workers and Workers with lower levels of educational attainment experienced relatively fast wage growth over the last five years.

Nevertheless, because pay at the bottom of the distribution started at such a low point in 2019, low-wage Workers today continue to suffer from wages that are grossly inadequate to sustain families, and significant wage gaps exist at all points in the distribution across demographic groups.

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