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Average Wage Index (AWI)

Updated October 17, 2007

For detailed information on the average wage data for any year, including a distribution by wage level, select a year and click "Go."

 

We use the term "wages" to refer to net compensation. Raw average wage data are presented in the table below. Note that an average wage is an average per worker, not an average per job. An increase in the latest such average wage over the previous one is multiplied by the last AWI to produce the next AWI. A table showing average and median wage growth is available.

AWI series and underlying data
[Number of workers in thousands; aggregate wage amounts in millions]
Year AWI series 1 SSA raw data
Amount Increase Average amount Number of workers Aggregate wages
1984 [see data for prior years] $15,250.75 112,666 $1,718,239
1985 16,822.51 4.26% 15,900.51 114,922 1,827,321
1986 17,321.82 2.97% 16,372.45 115,135 1,885,046
1987 18,426.51 6.38% 17,416.59 119,557 2,082,269
1988 19,334.04 4.93% 18,274.38 122,797 2,244,036
1989 20,099.55 3.96% 18,997.93 126,909 2,411,003
1990 21,027.98 4.62% 19,875.47 127,554 2,535,192
1990 2 -- -- 20,172.11 127,505 2,572,044
1991 21,811.60 3.73% 20,923.84 126,208 2,640,753
1992 22,935.42 5.15% 22,001.92 127,106 2,796,569
1993 23,132.67 0.86% 22,191.14 128,728 2,856,628
1994 23,753.53 2.68% 22,786.73 130,572 2,975,300
1995 24,705.66 4.01% 23,700.11 134,212 3,180,838
1996 25,913.90 4.89% 24,859.17 136,561 3,394,789
1997 27,426.00 5.84% 26,309.73 139,349 3,666,228
1998 28,861.44 5.23% 27,686.75 141,760 3,924,866
1999 30,469.84 5.57% 29,229.69 145,061 4,240,084
2000 32,154.82 5.53% 30,846.09 148,114 4,568,731
2001 32,921.92 2.39% 31,581.97 148,282 4,683,048
2002 33,252.09 1.00% 31,898.70 148,069 4,723,210
2003 34,064.95 2.44% 32,678.48 147,722 4,827,338
2004 35,648.55 4.65% 34,197.63 149,439 5,110,451
2005 36,952.94 3.66% 35,448.93 151,603 5,374,177
2006 38,651.41 4.60% 37,078.27 153,853 5,704,593
1 See Actuarial Note 103 for the development of the AWI series prior to 1978 and Actuarial Note 133 for further detail on average wages for 1985-90.
2 Data for 1990 and later include contributions to deferred compensation plans. Data shown here for 1990, though not used to compute the 1990 AWI, were needed to calculate the increase in raw average wages from 1990 to 1991 on the same basis (both including deferred compensation contributions) and thus provide a smooth transition in the AWI series.

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