Wage gap by age — Youth to prime-age wage gap in United States of America
United States of America: Wage gap by age — Youth to prime-age wage gap was 46.46 Percentage of prime-age employees wage in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
46.46 Percentage of prime-age employees wage
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
3rd
of 35 countries
All-time high
51.01 Percentage of prime-age employees wage
in 2012
All-time low
34.8 Percentage of prime-age employees wage
in 1979
Years of data
47
1979–2025
Wage gap by age — Youth to prime-age wage gap in United States of America, 1979–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of prime-age employees wage.
Analysis
The most recent figure for wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap in United States of America is 46.46 Percentage of prime-age employees wage, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap in United States of America peaked at 51.01 Percentage of prime-age employees wage in 2012 and was at its lowest, 34.8 Percentage of prime-age employees wage, in 1979.
United States of America ranks 3rd of 35 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
Wage gap by age — Youth to prime-age wage gap in United States of America, year by year
| Year | Percentage of prime-age employees wage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 34.8 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | — |
| 1980 | 35 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 35.55 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 36.86 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +3.7% |
| 1983 | 38.5 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +4.4% |
| 1984 | 39.37 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +2.3% |
| 1985 | 39.67 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 40.01 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 39.93 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 40.12 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 41.78 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +4.1% |
| 1990 | 42.3 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 42.52 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 43.92 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +3.3% |
| 1993 | 44.39 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 46.95 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +5.8% |
| 1995 | 46.71 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 46.24 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 46.93 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 47.58 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 46.23 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -2.8% |
| 2000 | 45.34 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 47.08 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 45.11 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -4.2% |
| 2003 | 46.71 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 46.03 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 47.66 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 47.25 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 46.19 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 47.51 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 45.85 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 48.24 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 49.81 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 51.01 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 49.32 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 47.07 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 47.54 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 48.91 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 48.28 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 46.45 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 44.28 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -4.7% |
| 2020 | 39.01 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -11.9% |
| 2021 | 47.31 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +21.3% |
| 2022 | 48.65 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 45.39 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -6.7% |
| 2024 | 46.01 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 46.46 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 34.8 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 34.8 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 34.8 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 1 |
| 1980s | 38.68 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 35 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 41.78 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.38 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 42.3 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 47.58 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 10 |
| 2000s | 46.47 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 45.11 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 47.66 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.09 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 44.28 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 51.01 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.47 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 39.01 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 48.65 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 1 Netherlands 45.01 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
- 1 Brazil 47.98 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
- 2 Ireland 46.89 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
- 2 Slovenia 31.96 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
- 3 Poland 26.18 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
- 4 Estonia 25 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
- 4 Greece 43.57 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
- 5 Lithuania 24.75 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
- 5 Argentina 42.6 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
- 6 Colombia 42.27 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
- 6 Latvia 24.15 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
More work & labour data for United States of America
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 113,208 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 61.24 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 178,849 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 159,991 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 141,322 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 58.55 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.27 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.3372 % change on previous year (2027)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap in United States of America?
- Wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap in United States of America was 46.46 Percentage of prime-age employees wage in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 51.01 Percentage of prime-age employees wage in 2012.
- What is the lowest wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.8 Percentage of prime-age employees wage in 1979.
- How does United States of America rank for wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap?
- United States of America ranks 3rd out of 35 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Wage gap by age — Youth to prime-age wage gap. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This dataset contains age wage gaps defined as the difference between mean (median) earnings of 25-54 year-olds and that of 15-24 year-olds (respectively 55-64 year-olds) relative to mean (median) earnings of 25-54 year-olds. Earnings refer to gross earnings of full-time dependent employees unless otherwise indicated.