real wages

Average hourly earnings in September increased a mere 0.2%, meaning real wages after inflation declined that month.

In all, Desai added, the administration “will continue to implement and emphasize these and other economic policies that are cutting costs, raising real wages and securing trillions in investments to make and hire in America.”

That relentless pressure from an organized working class “raised real wages and created a set of fringe benefits, including health insurance and retirement pay,” he says.

From 1840 to 1900 real wages doubled, and the average lifespan increased by 22%, from roughly 41 years to 50.

Real per capita income rose by 110% between 1865 and 1910, while real wages of manufacturing workers increased an estimated 173%.