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Money for Nothing

Two-line chart showing U.S. average weekly earnings, comparing base to real. Chart subtitle: Real wages have been trending lower since early 2021. Chart visual description: Left Y-axis shows U.S. Average Weekly Earnings, ranging from $850 to $1,150, and corresponds to light purple line. Right Y-axis shows U.S. Average Weekly Real Earnings, ranging from $360 to $405, and corresponds to slate line. X-axis is dates spanning May 2019 through March 2022, in 3-month increments. Chart data description: Both lines begin near each other, with average weekly earnings at $958 and real at $375 in May 2019. At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, both increased sharply, with average weekly earnings peaking at $1,031 and real earnings at $403 in May 2020. Since then, the Average Weekly Earnings has continued to climb relatively steadily and as of March 2022, hit $1,099. However, inflation has impacted Average Weekly Real Earnings significantly and despite a few slight upticks since May 2020, have steadily decreased and as of March, are only at $382. Chart source: Bureau of Labor Statistics as of March 31, 2022. End chart description.
Posted on May 11, 2022May 11, 2022 Full size 1433 × 775

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