As low-wage workers' hourly wages have gone up inequality has decreased, but there's still a long way to go
This chart shows inequality between workers at the top, middle, and bottom of the wage distribution. The 90/10 ratio shows hourly wages for those at the top (the 90th percentile) relative to those at the bottom (the 10th percentile). The 90/50 ratio shows the hourly wage for those at the top relative to those in the middle (50th percentile). Finally, the 50/10 ratio shows wages for those at the middle relative to those at the bottom.
Line chart comparing three groups: 1. workers at the 90th percentile of earnings to workers at the 10th percentile (90/10 ratio), 2. workers at the 90th percentile to workers at the 50th percentile (90/50 ratio), and 3. workers at the 50th percentile to workers at the 10th percentile (50/10 ratio) from 2000 to 2022 in California. The y-axis starts at 0 and reaches 5.5. While inequality between the top and bottom (90/10) and inequality between the middle and bottom (50/10) has declined slightly over time, inequality between the top and middle (90/50) has steadily increased.
