February 5, 2022

The initial reading of the Full Year 2022 Staying Even Index is 9.7%, incorporating the US Government “Advance” estimate of Q4 2021 GDP, as well as revisions to prior period GDP. This marks dramatic YoY growth in the metric, as the reading for 2020 was -3.1%. The 12.8% 2020-2021 turnaround in the SEI is the largest in the metric’s history back to 1954 and reflects substantial economic volatility in both 2020 and 2021 as 2020 nominal declines in the US economic growth turned into significant nominal growth in 2021, in part due to a resurgence of inflation. In periods of volatility, it is more difficult for individuals to understand what wage increases to negotiate for or expect, increasing the importance of an impartial metric like the SEI in informing these discussions.

The 2021 reading of 9.7% is well above the 2021 4.7% year on year increase in the average consumer price index (CPI) for the period, as nominal GDP grew significant faster than inflation, and population was relatively stable during the year.

The 9.7% change in the YTD 2020 Staying Even Index (SEI) is based upon reported year on year nominal GDP growth of 10.0% and estimated annual population growth of 0.3%.

These projections suggest that individuals whose 2021 total income from all sources (after tax wages and other income) grew by more than 9.7%, from 2020 expanded their adjusted share of the U.S. economy, and those whose total income grew by less than 9.7% fell behind compared to the prior year.

StayingEven.com will publish updates to these figures as GDP and population estimates are revised. We are dedicated to helping individuals understand what income growth is required to keep up in the U.S. Economy.

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To find out whether you have gotten ahead, try our Staying Even Calculator, and to learn more about the Index, visit us at StayingEven.com. You can also follow us @stayingeven on Twitter.