NEWS Release - Real average hourly earnings up 1.4 percent, May 2015 to May 2016
Real (adjusted for inflation) average hourly earnings increased 1.4 percent from May 2015 to May 2016. Before adjusting for inflation, average hourly earnings increased 2.5 percent over the 12 months ended in May 2016.
Over the same period, the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U), which is used to calculate real hourly earnings, increased 1.1 percent.
Since May 2014, the 12-month change in average hourly earnings ranged from 1.7 percent to 2.6 percent. Over the same period, the 12-month change in the CPI-U ranged from −0.2 percent to 2.1 percent. The resulting 12-month change in real hourly earnings ranged from 0.0 percent to 2.5 percent.
The change in the CPI-U has generally been less than the change in average hourly earnings since early 2013, resulting in increases in real average hourly earnings. During 2011 and 2012, the opposite was often true: the change in the CPI-U was higher than the change in average hourly earnings. This resulted in decreases in real hourly earnings.
These data are from the Current Employment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent two months are preliminary. For more information, see "Real Earnings — May 2016" (HTML) (PDF). Data from the Consumer Price Index are used as deflators to adjust earnings for inflation.
page source http://www.bls.gov/
