Productivity growth is only “effective” if it boosts families' capacity to pay for goods and services: Nonfarm business productivity, total economy productivity, and hourly compensation, 1948–2019

 

Year NFB productivity Total economy productivity Total economy productivity, net “Effective” total economy productivity, net Average hourly compensation, NFB (index)
1948 46.45 47.06 48.05 45.80 49.72
1949 47.94 47.88 48.80 46.95 51.69
1950 51.11 51.11 52.54 50.35 54.13
1951 52.45 52.20 53.93 51.02 54.53
1952 53.44 53.78 55.49 52.67 56.25
1953 54.75 55.69 57.38 54.80 58.95
1954 55.83 57.06 58.35 55.84 60.62
1955 58.21 59.19 60.73 59.18 62.98
1956 57.88 59.47 60.83 60.17 65.85
1957 59.37 61.29 62.48 61.88 67.40
1958 60.74 63.05 63.78 63.00 68.20
1959 62.88 65.05 66.14 65.64 70.17
1960 63.63 66.25 67.30 66.69 72.13
1961 65.71 68.42 69.37 68.88 73.73
1962 68.70 70.83 71.98 71.70 75.79
1963 71.04 73.33 74.49 74.09 77.41
1964 73.05 75.57 76.86 76.65 78.73
1965 75.38 77.81 79.25 79.32 80.08
1966 78.10 80.13 81.66 81.78 82.35
1967 79.58 81.41 82.64 82.61 84.79
1968 82.37 83.91 85.11 85.40 87.46
1969 82.53 84.48 85.46 86.14 88.63
1970 83.75 86.17 86.66 87.67 89.56
1971 87.04 89.41 89.90 91.54 91.18
1972 90.07 91.66 92.36 95.25 94.03
1973 92.84 93.84 94.64 96.87 95.25
1974 91.32 93.00 93.14 94.16 93.95
1975 93.83 95.56 95.19 96.85 95.11
1976 97.11 97.84 97.83 99.23 96.89
1977 98.78 98.90 99.01 100.18 98.45
1978 100.14 99.80 100.07 101.27 99.90
1979 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
1980 99.98 100.14 99.36 97.34 99.70
1981 101.46 102.17 101.15 99.08 99.77
1982 100.68 102.19 100.13 98.22 101.01
1983 104.76 104.96 103.07 101.22 101.23
1984 107.11 107.22 105.81 103.66 101.30
1985 108.99 109.12 107.47 105.31 102.76
1986 112.25 111.67 109.69 107.80 106.75
1987 112.89 112.18 109.94 107.16 107.22
1988 114.74 113.77 111.48 108.68 108.75
1989 115.79 114.89 112.49 109.43 107.28
1990 117.77 116.65 113.86 109.81 108.36
1991 119.70 118.03 114.60 110.51 109.58
1992 125.07 122.29 118.92 114.82 113.51
1993 125.21 122.84 119.42 115.31 112.12
1994 126.09 123.71 120.39 116.37 110.89
1995 127.47 124.50 120.90 116.47 110.98
1996 130.16 126.91 123.14 117.94 111.81
1997 132.68 129.26 125.30 119.78 113.70
1998 136.76 132.26 127.93 122.25 118.68
1999 141.97 136.20 131.42 124.92 121.65
2000 146.70 139.65 134.31 126.37 125.91
2001 150.70 142.72 136.35 127.83 127.81
2002 157.23 147.11 140.09 131.61 128.70
2003 163.21 152.09 144.76 135.82 130.51
2004 167.91 156.12 148.65 139.53 132.89
2005 171.59 159.27 151.52 141.60 133.26
2006 173.44 160.81 152.63 142.28 134.05
2007 176.48 162.50 153.68 143.21 135.99
2008 178.51 164.33 154.45 141.37 134.76
2009 184.82 169.49 157.99 146.80 136.43
2010 191.12 173.90 162.54 150.74 136.75
2011 191.12 174.00 162.53 149.32 135.53
2012 192.74 174.81 163.19 149.75 136.24
2013 193.71 175.86 163.86 150.97 135.94
2014 195.36 176.96 164.80 151.98 137.47
2015 198.41 178.66 166.48 154.82 141.53
2016 199.15 179.39 166.87 155.13 141.24
2017 201.58 181.17 168.48 156.32 143.14
2018 204.50 183.07 170.31 158.04 144.41
2019 208.09 185.46 172.22 159.87 147.04

Note: All five lines are indices set to 100 in 1979.To calculate “effective” net productivity growth, we use a different price deflator for output growth in the productivity series, substituting the consumer price index research series (CPI-U-RS) for the output deflator used in the total economy productivity data.

Source: Nonfarm business sector data from the BLS Labor Productivity and Costs (LPC) program; unpublished total economy productivity data provided by the BLS upon request; BEA NIPA tables, and BLS consumer price index.

View the underlying data on epi.org.