📊 Economic Indicators |
Bureau of Labor Statistics |
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In July 2025, workers’ real pay—that is, how much their earnings can buy after accounting for price changes—went up a little bit. For all workers, the average hourly pay rose by 0.3%, but prices also went up by 0.2%, so the real hourly pay increased by 0.1%. Because people worked slightly longer hours (0.3% more), their total weekly pay after prices rose by 0.4%. Looking at the whole year from July 2024 to July 2025, real hourly pay grew by 1.2%, and with a small increase in hours worked, weekly pay grew by 1.4%. For workers who do production or nonsupervisory jobs, real hourly pay also rose by 0.1% in July, with prices up 0.1%, and their weekly pay went up 0.4% because they worked more hours. Over the year, their real hourly pay grew 1.3%, and weekly pay matched that since their hours stayed the same. This means workers are earning slightly more money that can buy a bit more goods and services, which is good news because it shows wages are keeping up with or slightly outpacing price increases, helping people maintain or improve their living standards. Read full document →
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In July 2025, prices that people pay for everyday things went up a little bit—about 0.2% more than in June. Over the past year, prices overall rose by 2.7%. The biggest reason for the July increase was that housing costs, like rent and home prices, went up by 0.2%. Food prices stayed mostly the same, but eating out got a bit more expensive by 0.3%. Energy prices, like gas and electricity, actually went down by 1.1% in July, with gas prices dropping 2.2%. These changes mean that while some things like housing and medical care are getting more expensive, energy costs are easing a bit, which affects how much money families need to spend each month. This matters because it shows how the cost of living is changing, helping people understand how their budgets might be affected. Read full document →
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