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Jared Bernstein points us today to this chart from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It shows how much worker compensation has changed since 2007.
The red line is the one to look at: it displays total compensation, including benefits like health insurance, paid leave, and so forth. As you can see, 80 percent of all workers—that is, everyone with an income less than about $65,000—saw their compensation fall. Only the top 20 percent saw their compensation go up, and only the top 10 percent saw it go up by more than a pittance.
The recession might be over for those with high incomes, but not for anybody else. For everyone with modest or low incomes, they’re still making less than they made in 2007.
