In this study I build a performance index that is based on different human capital components, as well as differences in the distribution of these components and of their returns between different genders and ethnic groups. The index can be calculated for individual industries in an economy; it can also be calculated for global economies. It facilitates the comparison between the performance of different economies; and it can be used to study the changes in individual industries within an economy, that might be differently affected by economic, health, and social changes. As an example, I implement the index to study the US economy around the period of the COVID-19 global pandemic, to observe the different effects of the pandemic on the different industries of the economy.