How to Money · Friday, August 14, 2026
A CBS News analysis of census data reveals that average pay for Americans has increased by 38% since 2019. While inflation has risen by approximately 30% over the same period, this still leaves a positive real wage growth for the average consumer. However, about a quarter of Americans have not seen their pay keep pace with inflation.
“So they were looking at twenty nineteen like pre paan to now, and the average pay is up like thirty eight percent I think since twenty nineteen, which seems significant. But on the flip side of that, inflation has kind of kept pace with pay raises. But actually there's still a gap there. I think the average consumer cost rose something like thirty percent while pay rows thirty eight percent, So there's still a positive gap there for the average American, not for all Americans.”
“Something like a quarter of Americans, I want to say, did not quite keep pace their races did not keep pace with inflation.”