Younger and Minority Workers Lead Wage Gains as Expansion Ages

A tightening labor market with U.S. unemployment rate at a 50-year low is starting to result in higher wages for full-time workers, including younger people and minorities whose pay has lagged.

Median weekly earnings for Americans in the third quarter rose 3.6% to $919, outpacing inflation, the U.S. Labor Department reported Wednesday. Earnings for those aged 25 to 54, in their prime working years, rose by 5%, the fastest rate of growth in recent years.

The increases are likely to be welcomed by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and his colleagues, who have been puzzled by the relative lack ...