Highest Earners’ Pay Fell by Almost Half, Data Show
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As the recession pushed U.S. incomes down last year, America’s highest earners -- 72 people who made more than $50 million -- earned an average of $84 million each.
Those top-end Americans earned a combined $6 billion in 2009, down from $11.9 billion earned by 131 individuals with wages above $50 million in 2008, according to Social Security Administration data. Nationally, the average annual wage fell by $598 to $39,055 and the median wage fell by $253 to $26,261 during the worst economic slump since the Great Depression.