Table 5. Average annual percent growth in inflation-adjusted hourly earnings from 1978-2008
by educational attainment, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and age

                                            Average annual percent growth in hourly earnings

         Characteristic                        Ages 18  Ages 23  Ages 28  Ages 33  Ages 39
                                                to 22    to 27    to 32    to 38    to 44

Total .....................................     6.8      5.2      3.1      3.5     1.4
  Less than a high school diploma..........     5.1      1.8      1.9      3.1      .4
  High school graduates, no college (1) ...     5.7      3.7      2.3      3.1     1.4
  Some college or associate degree.........     7.0      4.8      3.1      3.6     1.3
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ........     8.9      8.9      4.8      4.2     1.7

Men .......................................     7.0      5.8      3.3      3.8     1.2
  Less than a high school diploma..........     4.6      2.4      1.7      3.0     -.5
  High school graduates, no college (1)....     7.0      4.2      2.1      3.0     1.2
  Some college or associate degree.........     7.4      5.7      3.3      3.8     1.5
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ........     7.9     10.0      5.6      5.2     1.8

Women .....................................     6.7      4.5      3.0      3.2     1.5
  Less than a high school diploma..........     6.1       .6      2.3      3.2     1.8
  High school graduates, no college (1) ...     4.2      3.0      2.5      3.1     1.7
  Some college or associate degree.........     6.6      4.0      2.9      3.4     1.1
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ........     9.8      7.8      4.0      3.1     1.6

White non-Hispanic ........................     7.1      5.4      3.2      3.5     1.4
  Less than a high school diploma .........     5.7      1.7      1.9      3.4      .4
  High school graduates, no college (1) ...     5.8      3.6      2.3      3.1     1.6
  Some college or associate degree.........     7.3      5.0      3.1      3.5     1.2
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ........     9.0      9.0      4.8      4.1     1.6

Black non-Hispanic ........................     5.3      4.6      3.0      3.3      .9
  Less than a high school diploma..........     3.9      2.0      2.9      2.2     -.3
  High school graduates, no college  (1) ..     4.7      4.1      2.5      3.3      .4
  Some college or associate degree.........     5.1      4.2      3.1      3.2     1.6
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ........     8.3      8.2      4.3      4.6     2.2

Hispanic or Latino.........................     6.6      3.9      2.3      3.2     2.2
  Less than a high school diploma .........     3.8      3.0       .5      2.9     1.1
  High school graduates, no college (1) ...     7.0      3.3      2.0      2.0     2.0
  Some college or associate degree.........     8.0      3.8      3.1      4.2     1.7
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ........     7.8      6.9      4.4      4.4     5.4


   1  Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
   2  Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, or doctoral degrees.
   NOTE: The first column excludes individuals who turned age 18 before 1978. The last
column excludes individuals who were not yet age 45 when interviewed in 2008-09.
The CPI-U-RS was used to adjust hourly earnings to 2008 dollars, prior to calculating 
the growth rates. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 consists of men and women
who were born in the years 1957-64 and were ages 14 to 22 when first interviewed in 1979.
These individuals were ages 43 to 52 in 2008-09. Educational attainment is defined as of
the 2008-09 survey. Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive
but not exhaustive. Other race groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not
shown separately because their representation in the survey sample is not sufficiently
large to provide statistically reliable estimates.