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    [OC] 25 years of my earnings adjusted for inflation show raises that didn’t increase purchasing power and a late inflection point
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    [OC] 25 years of my earnings adjusted for inflation show raises that didn’t increase purchasing power and a late inflection point


    First time posting. A friend suggested this sub might appreciate this, so I’m sharing.

    This chart shows 25 years of my earnings adjusted to current-year dollars using U.S. CPI. Figures are rounded, and job labels generalized to preserve anonymity, but the data and trends are accurate.

    A few patterns stood out once everything was converted to real dollars:

    • Despite multiple raises and promotions, my inflation-adjusted earnings returned to roughly the same ~$74k level (in today’s dollars) five separate times between 2008 and 2021.
    • Nominal income growth masked long stretches of real wage stagnation.
    • The most recent upward break represents the first sustained move above a ceiling I had previously hit multiple times.
    • For additional context, my current salary (~$106k) has purchasing power roughly equivalent to about $66k in 2000, which helped explain why milestone salaries can feel less transformative than expected.

    The inflection point coincides with completing a master’s degree and a leadership-focused professional credential. The effect was not immediate, but it aligns with the first sustained break above prior real-income peaks.

    Sharing as a single data point rather than a universal claim. Adjusting long time horizons for inflation was clarifying for me, and I hadn’t seen many personal examples visualized over multiple decades.

    Happy to clarify methodology if helpful.

    Posted by RemarkableElk4306

    View 9 Comments

    9 Comments

    2. ChloricSquash on

      I’m curious, I’m 10 years younger and sounding like I’m on a similar path.

      What was your masters in? What field/role did it assist your career? Did you have to move employers to see the breakout?

    4. heyitsmemaya on

      Honest subjective question: Did you feel like in 2016-2017 you were doing well financially? Raise and low cost of items? Was this a good time in your life? Did you buy a new/used car, washer/dryer, other large purchases?

    5. awh290 on

      Wow, I’ve tracked my income over time and at minimum have 3% raises/year.  I got a new role in 2018, with a 30% raise and have had 3 market adjustments on top of my yearly raises, which were additional 3-5% and I’m hardly staying above inflation.  

      This is pretty eye opening.  I don’t make a massive amount, but definitely more than average- I really feel for those who are making less and have employers that don’t or can’t at least do the minimum of keeping up with inflation.

      Inflation adjusted earnings since a job change:

      2018: 99k (partial year with ~30% raise)

      2019: 106k (3% raise)

      2020: 108k (3% raise)

      2021: 109k (6% raise)

      2022: 102k (3%)

      2023: 111k (9%)

      2024: 106k (2.5%)

      2025: 110k (6%)

    6. TheyCallMeBrewKid on

      I don’t see the raises that you are talking about. The only comparison seems like 2008 vs 2016, you were earning $6k more but like… 8 years is a long time, and it was at a different company in what appears to be a different role. I don’t think that counts as a “raise”.

      If your point is that your wages were effectively stagnant from 2008-2019 I would like to point out that… they were? 11 years later you grossed 10% more. That’s not exactly a surprising finding that the real earnings were eaten up by inflation

    7. gimmickypuppet on

      This fits my personal experience too. Adjusting for inflation I make less now than I did in 2016