Average hourly earnings of employees in United States

United States: Average hourly earnings of employees was 43.49 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
43.49 international-$ in 2021 prices
Change on year
up 4.9%
World rank
1st
of 64 countries
All-time high
43.49 international-$ in 2021 prices
in 2025
All-time low
14.32 international-$ in 2021 prices
in 1994
Years of data
32
1994–2025

Average hourly earnings of employees in United States, 1994–2025

102030401994200920251994: 14.3 international-$ in 2021 prices1995: 14.9 international-$ in 2021 prices1996: 15.1 international-$ in 2021 prices1997: 15.3 international-$ in 2021 prices1998: 16.7 international-$ in 2021 prices1999: 16.8 international-$ in 2021 prices2000: 17.5 international-$ in 2021 prices2001: 19 international-$ in 2021 prices2002: 19.4 international-$ in 2021 prices2003: 19.5 international-$ in 2021 prices2004: 20.4 international-$ in 2021 prices2005: 20.9 international-$ in 2021 prices2006: 21.6 international-$ in 2021 prices2007: 22 international-$ in 2021 prices2008: 22.9 international-$ in 2021 prices2009: 24.1 international-$ in 2021 prices2010: 24.2 international-$ in 2021 prices2011: 23.6 international-$ in 2021 prices2012: 24 international-$ in 2021 prices2013: 24.5 international-$ in 2021 prices2014: 24.8 international-$ in 2021 prices2015: 25.3 international-$ in 2021 prices2016: 25.9 international-$ in 2021 prices2017: 27.2 international-$ in 2021 prices2018: 27.7 international-$ in 2021 prices2019: 28.7 international-$ in 2021 prices2020: 32.3 international-$ in 2021 prices2021: 32.2 international-$ in 2021 prices2022: 34.9 international-$ in 2021 prices2023: 37.4 international-$ in 2021 prices2024: 41.5 international-$ in 2021 prices2025: 43.5 international-$ in 2021 prices

Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices.

Analysis

United States recorded 43.49 international-$ in 2021 prices for average hourly earnings of employees in 2025. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.

That represents a change of up 4.9% on the previous year and up 71.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average hourly earnings of employees in United States peaked at 43.49 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2025 and was at its lowest, 14.32 international-$ in 2021 prices, in 1994.

That places United States 1st out of 64 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 15.54 international-$ in 2021 prices 14.32 international-$ in 2021 prices 16.83 international-$ in 2021 prices 6
2000s 20.73 international-$ in 2021 prices 17.48 international-$ in 2021 prices 24.11 international-$ in 2021 prices 10
2010s 25.59 international-$ in 2021 prices 23.6 international-$ in 2021 prices 28.72 international-$ in 2021 prices 10
2020s 36.97 international-$ in 2021 prices 32.21 international-$ in 2021 prices 43.49 international-$ in 2021 prices 6

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 2 Switzerland 35.86 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  2. 3 Canada 33.04 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  3. 4 Iceland 28.04 international-$ in 2021 prices compare

See the full ranking of 64 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is average hourly earnings of employees in United States?
Average hourly earnings of employees in United States was 43.49 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest average hourly earnings of employees recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 43.49 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2025.
What is the lowest average hourly earnings of employees recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 14.32 international-$ in 2021 prices in 1994.
How does United States rank for average hourly earnings of employees?
United States ranks 1st out of 64 countries with data for 2025.
Is average hourly earnings of employees rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 71.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average hourly earnings of employees. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Average hourly earnings of employees
Unit
international-$ in 2021 prices
Source
International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
64 places, 923 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

Gross remuneration for time worked or work done, vacation, and other types of paid leave.