Real earnings in October 2010

Real average hourly earnings for all employees fell 0.1 percent from September to October, seasonally adjusted. This decrease stems from a 0.2-percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), which offset a 0.2-percent increase in average hourly earnings.

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Real average weekly earnings rose 0.3 percent over the month, as a 0.3-percent increase in the average work week combined with the decline in real average hourly earnings.

From October 2009 to October 2010, real average hourly earnings rose 0.5 percent, seasonally adjusted. An increase of 1.8 percent in average weekly hours, combined with the increase in real average hourly earnings, resulted in a 2.3-percent increase in real average weekly earnings during this period.

These earnings data are from the Current Employment Statistics program. Earnings data for September and October are preliminary and subject to revision. To learn more, see "Real Earnings — October 2010" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-10-1601.