July 14, 2015

Chart of the Day: The Recession Still Isn’t Over For Most Of Us

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Jared Bernstein points us today to this chart from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It shows how much worker compensation has changed since 2007.

The red line is the one to look at: it displays total compensation, including benefits like health insurance, paid leave, and so forth. As you can see, 80 percent of all workers—that is, everyone with an income less than about $65,000—saw their compensation fall. Only the top 20 percent saw their compensation go up, and only the top 10 percent saw it go up by more than a pittance.

The recession might be over for those with high incomes, but not for anybody else. For everyone with modest or low incomes, they’re still making less than they made in 2007.

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DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With only days left until December 31, we've raised about half of our $400,000 goal—but we need a huge surge in reader support to close the remaining gap. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep- pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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