Income Growth Trends in IT and Manufacturing: 2020–2026 Official U.S. Wage Snapshot
Average Hourly Earnings: Information Sector Proxy vs Manufacturing
This page compares average hourly earnings of all employees in two U.S. private-sector industry series: the Information sector as an official sector proxy for information-sector and digital-intensive payroll work, and Manufacturing as the production-sector benchmark. The unit is current U.S. dollars per hour. Higher values rank higher.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The dataset is compiled from official BLS/FRED earnings series and BLS methodology pages. Values for 2020–2025 use December observations. The 2026 snapshot uses May 2026, the latest official monthly observation available for both compared series at the time of this update.
All 14 rows are official values. No official forecasts and no modeled projections are used. This is a nominal sector-level payroll measure, not a direct IT salary ranking, not total compensation, and not inflation-adjusted real wages.
Summary cards
Information sector proxy, May 2026 official monthly value.
Manufacturing, December 2020 official monthly value.
Information sector proxy minus Manufacturing in May 2026.
Two sectors across seven year-points: December 2020–2025 plus May 2026.
From $44.23 in December 2020 to $55.35 in May 2026.
From $28.99 in December 2020 to $36.71 in May 2026.
How to read this metric
What the value means
Each value is average hourly earnings of all employees on private payrolls in the selected industry sector. It is a monthly payroll average expressed in current dollars per hour.
What the value does not mean
It is not take-home pay, not total employer compensation, not household income, not a direct wage for every worker, and not a real wage adjusted for inflation.
Why the 2026 row is partial
The 2026 value uses May 2026 because the full 2026 year is not complete. It should be read as a current monthly snapshot, not as a final annual average.
Why averages can move
Average earnings can rise because pay rates increase, higher-paid roles become more common, hours patterns change, or employment shifts between subsectors.
Why Information and Manufacturing differ
The Information sector proxy remains above Manufacturing in every listed year because the sector includes high-paid activities such as software publishing, data processing, telecommunications, media distribution and other information services. Manufacturing covers a wider production base with different skill mixes, capital intensity, overtime patterns and regional wage structures.
Manufacturing shows a slightly faster percentage increase over the full period, but from a lower base. That is why its percentage growth can look stronger while the dollar gap still widens. From December 2020 to May 2026, the Information sector proxy rose by $11.12 per hour, while Manufacturing rose by $7.72 per hour.
Dollar gap
The hourly gap widened from $15.24 in December 2020 to $18.64 in May 2026, a $3.40 increase.
Percentage premium
The Information-sector premium narrowed from about 52.6% above Manufacturing in December 2020 to about 50.8% in May 2026.
Top table: highest official sector-year earnings values
The top of the combined ranking is entirely made up of Information-sector observations. Manufacturing first appears at rank 8 with the May 2026 value of $36.71 per hour.
Top 10 confirmed entries by average hourly earnings
| Rank | Sector-year | Value | Source / method note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Information sector proxy, 2026 May | $55.35/hr | Official value BLS CES via FRED; May 2026; change from Dec 2025: +2.7%. |
| 2 | Information sector proxy, 2025 | $53.90/hr | Official value BLS CES via FRED; Dec 2025; change from Dec 2024: +5.1%. |
| 3 | Information sector proxy, 2024 | $51.28/hr | Official value BLS CES via FRED; Dec 2024; change from Dec 2023: +4.4%. |
| 4 | Information sector proxy, 2023 | $49.10/hr | Official value BLS CES via FRED; Dec 2023; change from Dec 2022: +3.0%. |
| 5 | Information sector proxy, 2022 | $47.66/hr | Official value BLS CES via FRED; Dec 2022; change from Dec 2021: +6.1%. |
| 6 | Information sector proxy, 2021 | $44.92/hr | Official value BLS CES via FRED; Dec 2021; change from Dec 2020: +1.6%. |
| 7 | Information sector proxy, 2020 | $44.23/hr | Official value BLS CES via FRED; Dec 2020 baseline. |
| 8 | Manufacturing, 2026 May | $36.71/hr | Official value BLS CES via FRED; May 2026; change from Dec 2025: +1.7%. |
| 9 | Manufacturing, 2025 | $36.08/hr | Official value BLS CES via FRED; Dec 2025; change from Dec 2024: +4.4%. |
| 10 | Manufacturing, 2024 | $34.56/hr | Official value BLS CES via FRED; Dec 2024; change from Dec 2023: +4.0%. |
Full confirmed coverage is 14 sector-year rows in the main ranking table. All values are official monthly observations in current dollars per hour.
Chart: all 14 confirmed entries by hourly earnings
The chart ranks every confirmed sector-year observation by nominal hourly earnings. Information-sector values occupy the top half, while Manufacturing observations form the lower half of the combined ranking.
Methodology
The metric is average hourly earnings of all employees from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics program, accessed through FRED. The unit is current U.S. dollars per hour. The ranking direction is descending: higher hourly earnings rank higher.
Program and coverage
CES is an establishment survey that produces monthly estimates of employment, hours and earnings for payroll workers by industry. The compared series are seasonally adjusted private-sector earnings series.
Industry definition
The Information sector is used as an official sector proxy for information-sector and digital-intensive payroll work. It is not the same as an occupation-based IT worker wage series.
Time rule
December observations are used for 2020–2025 to create year-end comparisons. May 2026 is used for the 2026 snapshot because the full year is not complete.
Growth formula
Change = current listed value divided by the previous listed value for the same sector minus 1. For 2026, the comparison is May 2026 versus December 2025.
Rounding
Dollar values are shown to two decimals. Percentage changes are rounded to one decimal. Rankings are calculated from the values shown in the table.
Limits
The measure excludes benefits, irregular bonuses, retroactive pay and employer payroll taxes. It can also shift when the sector’s workforce composition changes.
The metric should be read as a sector-level payroll earnings indicator. It is useful for comparing broad industry pay levels over time, but it does not show individual raises, total compensation, inflation-adjusted purchasing power, median pay, bonus-heavy compensation, stock awards or wage dispersion inside each sector.
Main ranking table: sector-year earnings values
The table contains every confirmed row used in the analysis. Each row is an official monthly value from BLS CES via FRED, with the comparison period shown in the note.
Confirmed sector-year rows by average hourly earnings, current dollars per hour
| Rank | Sector-year | Value | Source / method note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Information sector proxy, 2026 May | $55.35/hr | Official value May 2026; change from Dec 2025: +2.7%. |
| 2 | Information sector proxy, 2025 | $53.90/hr | Official value Dec 2025; change from Dec 2024: +5.1%. |
| 3 | Information sector proxy, 2024 | $51.28/hr | Official value Dec 2024; change from Dec 2023: +4.4%. |
| 4 | Information sector proxy, 2023 | $49.10/hr | Official value Dec 2023; change from Dec 2022: +3.0%. |
| 5 | Information sector proxy, 2022 | $47.66/hr | Official value Dec 2022; change from Dec 2021: +6.1%. |
| 6 | Information sector proxy, 2021 | $44.92/hr | Official value Dec 2021; change from Dec 2020: +1.6%. |
| 7 | Information sector proxy, 2020 | $44.23/hr | Official value Dec 2020 baseline. |
| 8 | Manufacturing, 2026 May | $36.71/hr | Official value May 2026; change from Dec 2025: +1.7%. |
| 9 | Manufacturing, 2025 | $36.08/hr | Official value Dec 2025; change from Dec 2024: +4.4%. |
| 10 | Manufacturing, 2024 | $34.56/hr | Official value Dec 2024; change from Dec 2023: +4.0%. |
| 11 | Manufacturing, 2023 | $33.23/hr | Official value Dec 2023; change from Dec 2022: +5.6%. |
| 12 | Manufacturing, 2022 | $31.48/hr | Official value Dec 2022; change from Dec 2021: +3.8%. |
| 13 | Manufacturing, 2021 | $30.34/hr | Official value Dec 2021; change from Dec 2020: +4.7%. |
| 14 | Manufacturing, 2020 | $28.99/hr | Official value Dec 2020 baseline. |
Source note: numeric values are BLS CES average hourly earnings of all employees, seasonally adjusted, accessed via FRED. The 2026 row is May 2026, not a full-year value.
Insights
Key insight
The Information sector proxy keeps a large hourly earnings lead across the full period, reaching $55.35 per hour in May 2026.
Notable pattern
Manufacturing records the slightly faster percentage gain from the 2020 baseline, but the dollar gap still widens because Information starts from a much higher level.
Sector concentration
The top seven combined entries are all Information-sector observations. Manufacturing appears only after every listed Information year-point.
Outlier
The 2022 Information value shows the largest listed Information step-up, while Manufacturing’s strongest listed year-end gain occurs in 2023.
What it means
This comparison is useful for reading sector-level payroll momentum, not for estimating a specific worker’s salary. A software engineer outside the Information sector, a production technician inside Manufacturing, and a manager in either sector can all sit far from the sector average.
For readers comparing U.S. pay trends, the main takeaway is the difference between level and growth rate. Manufacturing gained slightly more in percentage terms from the 2020 baseline, but the Information sector proxy still delivers a much higher nominal hourly earnings level. For real purchasing power, this table should be paired with inflation-adjusted earnings or CPI context.
FAQ
Does this ranking show IT salaries?
No. It uses the BLS Information sector as an official sector proxy for information-sector and digital-intensive payroll work. It is not an occupation-level IT salary ranking and does not cover all software, data, cybersecurity or engineering workers across the economy.
Why is the 2026 value only May 2026?
A full-year 2026 value is not available yet. May 2026 is the latest official monthly observation used for both compared series, so it is a current snapshot rather than a final annual result.
Are these real wages adjusted for inflation?
No. The values are nominal current dollars per hour. To judge purchasing power, the series must be compared with inflation or replaced with a real earnings measure.
Does average hourly earnings include total compensation?
No. The CES earnings concept excludes benefits, irregular bonuses, retroactive pay and employer payroll taxes. It is not the same as total labor cost or total rewards.
Why can average earnings rise without every worker getting a raise?
Average earnings can move because of composition effects. If higher-paid roles become a larger share of employment, the sector average can rise even when some individual workers see little change.
Why did Manufacturing grow faster in percentage terms while the gap widened?
Manufacturing started from a lower hourly value. A smaller dollar increase can create a similar or larger percentage increase from a lower base, while the higher-paid sector still adds more dollars per hour.
What is the primary data source?
The numeric values come from BLS Current Employment Statistics series distributed through FRED: CES5000000003 for Information and CES3000000003 for Manufacturing.
Sources
FRED / BLS — Information earnings series
Primary numeric source for average hourly earnings of all employees in the Information sector, series CES5000000003.
FRED / BLS — Manufacturing earnings series
Primary numeric source for average hourly earnings of all employees in Manufacturing, series CES3000000003.
BLS Employment Situation — Table B-3
Cross-check source for seasonally adjusted average hourly and weekly earnings by private industry sector.
BLS Handbook of Methods — CES
Method source for Current Employment Statistics concepts, survey scope, earnings definitions and limits.
All table rows use official_value status. No official_forecast or modeled_projection rows are included.
