US Wages versus Corporate Profits Historical Index

Analysing the evolving relationship between labour earnings and corporate earnings provides a clear picture of the American economic landscape over several decades. These records, derived from the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) database, calculate the percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) attributed to employee compensation versus corporate profits. By tracking these metrics over a sixty-year span, researchers can investigate historical shifts in wealth distribution and the balance of economic power within the United States. This data provides a foundational view of how the value generated by the economy is partitioned between those who provide labour and the entities that generate profit. Understanding this distribution is like looking at a thermal map of a national engine; it reveals which parts are receiving the most fuel and which areas are cooling down over time.

The information is delivered in a CSV file with a file size of approximately 2.34 kB. It consists of 63 valid records structured across 4 primary columns. Data integrity is high, with a 100% validity rate for all recorded entries, showing no missing or mismatched values. This is a static collection, and no future updates are expected.

This resource is ideal for performing macroeconomic trend analysis and investigating the historical "divide" between wages and profits in the American economy. It is well-suited for building longitudinal visualisations that show the shift in labour’s share of national income. Additionally, users can apply these records to econometric models to study the correlation between corporate profitability and worker compensation across various economic cycles.

The geographic scope of the data is the United States. Temporally, the records offer a deep historical perspective spanning from 1 January 1960 through to 1 January 2022. This timeline allows for the study of the economy across multiple decades of industrial and technological change.

CC0: Public Domain

Economists and financial analysts can leverage these records to benchmark historical profit margins against national wage growth. Policy researchers might utilise the data to evaluate the long-term impact of fiscal strategies on different sectors of the economy. Furthermore, students and data science practitioners can find this a valuable primary source for practising time-series analysis and exploring foundational economic indicators.

Original Data Source: US Wages versus Corporate Profits Historical Index