Lifetime Earnings in the United States over Six Decades

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
Year: 2022
Volume: 14
Issue: 4
Pages: 446-79

Authors (4)

Fatih Guvenen (University of Minnesota) Greg Kaplan (University of Chicago) Jae Song (not in RePEc) Justin Weidner (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 4 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Between the 1957 and 1983 labor market entry cohorts, median lifetime earnings declined by 10–19 percent for men and increased by 22–33 percent for women, albeit relative to very low median lifetime earnings for the early cohorts. The difference between newer and older cohorts comes from differences in median earnings at the time of labor market entry. Inequality in lifetime earnings has increased significantly within each gender group, but the closing lifetime gender gap has kept overall lifetime inequality flat. The increase among men is largely attributable to subsequent cohorts entering the labor market with progressively higher levels of inequality.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejapp:v:14:y:2022:i:4:p:446-79
Journal Field
General
Author Count
4
Added to Database
2026-01-25