Now ask them to adjust for housing costs, which they more or less never do.

This is what these policy wonk nerds do they mire you down in the little details, "um, SIR, ACTUALLY you got 0.8cents of a raise, adjusted for inflation in QE 3 of 2024, ipso facto things are better than 30 years go "

That's even without jumping into quintiles. If two quintiles got shit on, and two got the bombenomics bonus, you'll have your half of population mad. Not that ft cares

The weasel wording of "rate of hourly earnings" and not "net income per paycheck".

If your hourly wages increase but the number of hours you work is less than it was before, then your income has effectively been cut.