40 Year U.S. Wage History, Actual Wages and What Wages Would Have Been if Hourly Wages Had Continued to Rise with Hourly GDP After 1978  (adjusted for inflation - today's dollars)
YEAR	NUMBER OF WAGE EARNERS	PER/ PERSON WAGES	ANNUAL RISE in WAGES	RISE with WAGE/GDP DIFFERENTIAL OF .0253%	INCOME IF WAGE FOLLOWED GDP
2012			0.0253	estimated ->	$68,976
2011	308,827	$27,554	Actual Rise	W/GDP differential	$63,980
2010 (37)	306,553	$26,558	3.75%	6.28%	$59,345
2009 (36)	304,280	$26,530	0.11%	2.64%	$55,838
2008	301,483	$26,964	-1.61%	0.92%	$54,404
2007	299,106	$26,804	0.60%	3.13%	$53,908
2006	296,824	$26,352	1.72%	4.25%	$52,273
2005	293,834	$25,036	5.26%	7.79%	$50,145
2004 (35)	291,166	$23,857	4.94%	7.47%	$46,522
2003	288,280	$23,276	2.50%	5.03%	$43,288
2002	285,933	$22,794	2.11%	4.64%	$41,216
2001	282,082	$22,851	-0.25%	2.28%	$39,387
2000	279,517	$22,346	2.26%	4.79%	$38,509
1999	276,804	$21,239	5.21%	7.74%	$36,748
1998	271,743	$20,120	5.56%	8.09%	$34,108
1997	269,094	$19,241	4.57%	7.10%	$31,554
1996	266,792	$18,136	6.09%	8.62%	$29,463
1995	264,314	$17,227	5.28%	7.81%	$27,124
1994	262,105	$16,555	4.06%	6.59%	$25,160
1993	259,753	$15,777	4.93%	7.46%	$23,605
1992	256,830	$14,847	6.26%	8.79%	$21,966
1991	251,434	$14,617	1.57%	4.10%	$20,190
1990	248,886	$14,387	1.60%	4.13%	$19,394
1989	246,191	$14,056	2.35%	4.88%	$18,625
1988	243,685	$13,123	7.11%	9.64%	$17,758
1987	241,187	$12,391	5.91%	8.44%	$16,197
1986	238,789	$11,670	6.18%	8.71%	$14,936
1985	236,749	$11,013	5.97%	8.50%	$13,740
1984	234,066	$10,328	6.63%	9.16%	$12,664
1983	231,852	$9,494	8.78%	11.31%	$11,601
1982	229,587	$8,980	5.72%	8.25%	$10,422
1981	227,375	$8,476	5.95%	8.48%	$9,627
1980	225,242	$7,787	8.85%	11.38%	$8,875
1979	223,160	$7,168	8.64%	11.17%	$7,968
1978	215,935	$6,455	11.05%	11.05%	$7,168
1977	214,159	$5,785	11.58%	11.58%	$6,455
1976	212,566	$5,271	9.75%	9.75%	$5,785
1975	211,140	$4,818	9.40%	9.40%	$5,271
1974	209,572	$4,445	8.39%	8.39%	$4,818
1973	207,949	$4,141	7.34%	7.34%	$4,445
1972	206,302	$3,769	9.87%	9.87%	$4,141

Source of Actual Wage Data : US Census Table P-1.  CPS Population and Per Capita Money Income, All Races:  1967 to 2011 - http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/data/historical/people/