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Earnings of Men Aged 20–59, 1989–2019

Released: May 2022

DEFINITION: Earnings consist of all wages, salaries, and self-employment income in covered and noncovered employment, including earnings that exceed the annual taxable maximum.

Chart. Title: Real Median Annual Earnings of Men Aged 20-59 (in 2019 dollars). Line chart with tabular version below.
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Table equivalent for chart: Real Median Annual Earnings of Men Aged 20–59 (in 2019 dollars)
Year Aged 20–29 Aged 30–39 Aged 40–49 Aged 50–59
1989 26,830 50,680 64,130 61,820
1990 25,927 49,005 62,385 60,147
1991 24,261 47,098 60,456 58,639
1992 23,742 46,837 60,058 59,207
1993 23,526 45,840 58,891 58,523
1994 23,728 45,582 58,147 58,607
1995 24,164 45,420 57,799 58,716
1996 24,391 45,461 57,226 58,917
1997 25,097 46,238 57,306 59,853
1998 26,358 47,749 58,211 61,115
1999 26,760 48,380 58,030 61,060
2000 27,010 48,905 57,963 60,576
2001 26,185 48,880 57,257 59,838
2002 25,409 48,878 56,806 59,435
2003 24,899 48,790 56,505 58,901
2004 24,805 49,116 56,751 58,990
2005 24,937 49,187 56,500 58,692
2006 25,194 49,478 56,700 58,550
2007 25,026 49,187 56,595 58,093
2008 24,408 48,169 55,879 57,044
2009 22,950 46,870 54,610 55,750
2010 22,017 46,214 54,593 55,594
2011 21,770 45,738 54,774 55,619
2012 21,782 45,380 54,580 55,510
2013 22,118 45,760 55,260 55,872
2014 22,726 46,085 56,061 56,392
2015 23,814 47,421 57,707 57,863
2016 24,429 47,629 58,009 57,786
2017 25,007 47,909 57,919 57,765
2018 26,041 48,850 58,908 58,620
2019 26,830 49,540 59,470 59,220
  • Overall, men aged 30–59 experienced a decline in real median annual earnings over the 31-year time period from 1989 through 2019, while these earnings were unchanged among men aged 20–29 during the same time period.
  • For men aged 30–59, real median annual earnings were higher in 1989 than in any subsequent year, while for men aged 20–29, the highest year was 2000.
  • For all age groups, real median annual earnings—
    • declined from 1989 through 2009 and increased from 2009 through 2019, and
    • were lowest in 2011 or 2012, shortly after the Great Recession of 2007–2009.
Change in Real Median Annual Earnings (in 2019 Dollars)
Time span Aged 20–29 Aged 30–39 Aged 40–49 Aged 50–59
1989–2019 $0
0.0%		 −$1,140
−2.2%		 −$4,660
−7.3%		 −$2,600
−4.2%
1989–1999 −$70
−0.3%		 −$2,300
−4.5%		 −$6,100
−9.5%		 −$760
−1.2%
1999–2009 −$3,810
−14.2%		 −$1,510
−3.1%		 −$3,420
−5.9%		 −$5,310
−8.7%
2009–2019 $3,880
16.9%		 $2,670
5.7%		 $4,860
8.9%		 $3,470
6.2%
 

SOURCE: Social Security Administration's Continuous Work History Sample.

NOTES: Earnings are indexed to 2019 values based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers and rounded to the nearest $10.

Includes workers with annual earnings equal to or greater than one earnings credit. In 2019 dollars, the earnings required to earn a single credit were $1,031 in 1989, $1,136 in 1999, $1,299 in 2009, and $1,360 in 2019.