Profits At U.S. Companies Have Reached Their Highest Level Since The 1940s

• 28.08.2026, 13:16

At the same time, the share of workers' wages in GDP fell to 60%.

In the second quarter, U.S. corporate profits reached $4.8 trillion. This represented 18% of total U.S. GDP—a record share since the 1940s. This was reported by Financial Times, citing estimates from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). At the same time, the share of workers’ wages in GDP has fallen to 60%—the lowest level since the 1950s.

The FT reports that while stocks of leading companies are hitting new records on the stock market, income inequality is on the rise. According to economists’ estimates, inflation is outpacing wages, so real hourly earnings have fallen by 0.2% over the past year. The publication notes that the tax cuts introduced by President Donald Trump also primarily benefit wealthy Americans with high investment income.

“No matter which indicator you look at, the share of wages in total national income is getting smaller and smaller,” noted JPMorgan economist Abiel Reinhart. “In the U.S., there has been a shift in the balance of power from labor to capital over the past several decades,” said Anna Stansbury, a professor of economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management.