Inflation stalls real wage growth for Americans, new data shows

(ABC36 NEWS NOW) – New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows inflation continues to chip away at Americans’ purchasing power. According to figures released Friday, inflation-adjusted hourly earnings for all U.S. employees were flat in September for the second month in a row.

The annual rate of real wage growth held at 0.8 percent, matching the slowest pace since mid-2024. The impact is even more pronounced for blue-collar and service-industry workers. For production and non-supervisory employees, real average hourly earnings slipped 0.1 percent from August.