Check the truth: Did American workers gain $ 500 in wages this year? | Donald Trump News

President Donald Trump said American workers are already benefiting from his economic policies.

“The average American worker has already witnessed a $ 500 wage increase this year,” Trump said during the cabinet meeting on August 26.

Trump data at the White House preferred to increase profits. Experts prefer a different procedure, based on a larger sample size, a smaller increase appears.

How did the White House calculated the payment of $ 500

When we asked the White House press office to the Trump data source, we indicated a spokesman for the work statistics office to the average usual weekly profit for fully wage workers and salaries.

This data indicates that the average weekly profit increased from $ 1,185 in the fourth quarter of 2024 to $ 1.206 in the second quarter of 2025, which is closely compatible with Trump’s second state in his position.

Since these numbers represent weekly profits, we doubled them by 26 to find out the extent of the model factor he obtained during the half -year period. Beating by 26 weeks produces a cumulative rise of $ 546 in wages. This procedure does not include part -time workers, who represent about a quarter of the workforce, or an inflation account.

Experts consider other more reliable measures

Economists said that the White House chosen data collection is not as reliable as a different group – the most reliable study shows wages.

Other data set-average weekly profits is produced for all private sector employees-famously by the Labor Statistics Office.

During the first six months of 2025, this statistics found an increase in cumulative wages about $ 121. This is about a quarter of what Trump said.

Many economists have told us that this is the preferred statistics for measuring wages, because it depends on the current recruitment statistics program, which asks 121,000 companies and government agencies, and combined represents about 6,31,000 sites. In comparison, the current population survey, from which the White House data is drawn, is setting 60,000 qualified families.

“I always trust in a more salary chain,” said Douglas Holtz-Eit, president of the American Work Forum, right right.

Dean Baker, founder of the Liberal Center for Economics and Policy Research, agrees, saying that the data in the smaller family survey is “very irregular”.

In addition, according to this data group, the high wages during the last two quarters of President Joe Biden were $ 884. This undermines the idea that Trump’s gains were unusually high.

Alabolism in inflation

Because each of these measures fails in the factors in Economic inflationThey exaggerate the assessment of workers’ gains.

Other modified weekly statistical profits that have been modified for full -time wage workers and salaries are produced, 16 years or more, from the American Labor Statistics Office, every three months using the smaller family scan of the sample and takes inflation.

By this scale, workers’ salaries increased by one dollar per week between the last quarter of 2024 and the second quarter of 2025.

Decreased in 26 weeks, this adds up to $ 26 in wages after inflation.

Our rule

“The average American worker has already witnessed a $ 500 wage increase this year,” Trump said.

The White House cited the statistics of wage that shows the middle -time wages of workers, which rose by $ 546 in cumulative during the first two quarters of 2025.

A different set of statistics- those that economists consider more accurate because they are derived from a much larger sample that include full-time workers and part-time, and with less fluctuations- a much lower rise appears in the salaries of the average American worker during that period, about 121 dollars over six months.

When inflation is made, the salaries of full -time workers at home increased by less than $ 26 during the first six months of 2025.

The statement is partially accurate, but it leaves important details. We evaluate it half correct.