Household income in the United States

US family income
information on the income of individuals

Household income is an economic standard that can be applied to one household, or aggregated across a large group such as a county, city, or the whole country. It is commonly used by the United States government and private institutions to describe a household's economic status or to track economic trends in the US. A key measure of household income is the median income, at which half of households have income above that level and half below. The U. S. Census Bureau reports two median household income estimates based on data from two surveys: the Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement and the American Community Survey (ACS). The CPS ASEC is the recommended source for national level estimates, whereas the ACS gives estimates for many geographic levels. According to the CPS, the median household income was $70,784 in 2021. According to the ACS, the U. S. median household income in 2018 was $61,937. Estimates for previous years are given in terms of real income, which have been adjusted for changes to the price of goods and services. The distribution of U. S. household income has become more unequal since around 1980, with the income share received by the top 1% trending upward from around 10% or less over the 1953–1981 period to over 20% by 2007. Since the end of the Great Recession, income inequality in the US has gone down slightly, and at an accelerated pace since 2019.

A household's income can be calculated in various ways but the US Census as of 2009 measured it in the following manner: the income of every resident of that house that is over the age of 15, including pre tax wages and salaries, along with any pre tax personal business, investment, or other recurring sources of income, as well as any kind of governmental entitlement such as unemployment insurance, social security, disability payments or child support payments received. The residents of the household do not have to be related to the head of the household for their earnings to be considered part of the household's income. As households tend to share a similar economic context, the use of household income remains among the most widely accepted measures of income. That the size of a household is not commonly taken into account in such measures may distort any analysis of fluctuations within or among the household income categories, and may render direct comparisons between quintiles difficult or even impossible. The US Census does not include noncash benefits such as health benefits.

Use of individual household income: The government and organizations may look at one particular household's income to decide if a person is eligible for certain programs, such as nutrition assistance or need based financial aid, among many others. Use at the aggregate level: Summaries of household incomes across groups of people – often the entire country – are also studied as part of economic trends like standard of living and distribution of income and wealth. Household income as an economic measure can be represented as a median, a mean, a distribution, and other ways. Household income can be studied across time, region, education level, race/ethnicity, and many other dimensions. As an indicator of economic trends, it may be studied along with related economic measures such as disposable income, debt, household net worth (which includes debt and investments, durable goods like cars and houses), wealth, and employment statistics.

Median inflation adjusted ("real") household income generally increases and decreases with the business cycle, declining in each year during the periods 1979 through 1983, 1990 through 1993, 2000 through 2004 and 2008 through 2012, while rising in each of the intervening years. A 2012 study by the Urban Institute found that 75% of adults in "deep poverty" had not worked in the previous year.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office conducted a study analyzing household income throughout the income distribution, by combining the Census and IRS income data sources. Unlike the Census measure of household income, the CBO showed income before and after taxes, and by also taking into account household size. Also, the CBO definition of income is much broader, and includes in kind transfers as well as all monetary transfers from the government.]] Since 1980, U. S. gross domestic product (GDP) per capita has increased 67%, while median household income has only increased by 15%. Median household income is a politically sensitive indicator. Voters can be critical of their government if they perceive that their cost of living is rising faster than their income. The early 2000s recession began with the bursting of the dot com bubble and affected most advanced economies including the European Union, Japan and the United States. An economic recession will normally cause household incomes to decrease, often by as much as 10%. The late 2000s recession began with the bursting of the U. S. housing bubble, which caused a problem in the dangerously exposed sub prime mortgage market. This in turn triggered a global financial crisis. In constant price, 2011 American median household income was 1.13% lower than what it was in 1989. This corresponds to a 0.05% annual decrease over a 22 year period. In the meantime, GDP per capita has increased by 33.8% or 1.33% annually. A study on US Census income data claims that when using the national accounting methodology, U. S. gross median household income was $57,739 in 2010 (table 3). In 2015, the US median household income spiked 5.2 per cent, reaching $56,000, making it the first annual hike in median household income since the start of the Great Recession.

Considering other racial and geographical differences in regards to household income, it should come as no surprise that the median household income varies with race, size of household and geography. The state with the highest median household income in the United States as of the US Census Bureau 2009 is Maryland with $69,272, followed by New Jersey, Connecticut and Alaska, making the Northeastern United States the wealthiest area by income in the entire country. Regionally, in 2010, the Northeast reached a median income of $53,283, the West, $53,142, the South, $45,492, and the Midwest, $48,445. Each figure represents a decline from the previous year.

Below is the median household income for the U. S. territories in 2010 (for four of the five inhabited territories). Note that Puerto Rico is not included in this table, and is instead included in the table above (because Puerto Rico is included in the ACS, as if it were a state). RankTerritory2010U. S. Census 1 Guam $48,274 2U. S. Virgin Islands $37,254 3American Samoa $23,892 4Northern Mariana Islands $19,958

There are 3,144 counties and county equivalents in the United States. The source used is the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. Below is the median household income, majority minority status and Presidential election voting history for each county or their equivalent, with an income greater than or equal $75,000, in the United States for each category as used by the map above.

Overall (Overall Rank) Category (Category Rank) County or Equivalent State Median Household Income Majority Minority Status Presidential Election Result 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 94 1 Eagle Colorado $94,928 NOBushKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 95 2 Middlesex Connecticut $94,735 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 96 3 St. John's Florida $94,662 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 97 4 St. Croix Wisconsin $94,629 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 98 5 Queen Anne's Maryland $94,583 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 99 6 Bristol Rhode Island $94,553 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 100 7 James City Virginia $94,547 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 101 8 Waukesha Wisconsin $94,506 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 102 9 Dallas Iowa $94,467 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 103 10 Jefferson Colorado $94,401 NOBushBushObamaObamaClintonBiden 104 11 Burlington New Jersey $94,043 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 105 12 Napa California $94,127 YESGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 106 13 Will Illinois $93,994 NOBushBushObamaObamaClintonBiden 107 14 Dakota Minnesota $93,850 NOBushBushObamaObamaClintonBiden 108 15 Gloucester New Jersey $93,783 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaTrumpBiden 109 16 Routt Colorado $93,776 NOBushKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 110 17 Comal Texas $93,487 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 111 18 Davis Utah $93,260 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 112 19 Johnson Kansas $93,220 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpBiden 113 20 Monroe Illinois $93,054 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 114 21 Livingston Michigan $92,357 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 115 22 Sonoma California $92,999 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 116 23 McHenry Illinois $92,522 NOBushBushObamaRomneyTrumpTrump 117 24 Fayette Georgia $92,319 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 118 25 James City Virginia $92,270 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpBiden 119 26 Sherburne Minnesota $92,205 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 120 27 St. Charles Missouri $92,029 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 121 28 Strafford New Hampshire $91,928 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 122 29 Washington Oregon $91,899 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 123 30 Albemarle Virginia $91,849 NOBushKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 124 31 Geauga Ohio $91,701 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 125 32 Clarke Virginia $91,603 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 126 33 Wake North Carolina $91,558 NOBushBushObamaObamaClintonBiden 127 34 Lincoln South Dakota $91,352 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 128 35 Clackamas Oregon $91,076 NOBushBushObamaObamaClintonBiden 129 36 Ozaukee Wisconsin $91,014 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 130 37 Kane Illinois $90,941 NOBushBushObamaObamaClintonBiden 131 38 Hillsborough New Hampshire $90,806 NOBushBushObamaObamaTrumpBiden 132 39 San Diego California $90,756 YESBushBushObamaObamaClintonBiden 133 40 Tooele Utah $90,591 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 134 41 Boulder Colorado $90,591 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 135 42 Santa Cruz California $90,370 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 136 43 Hendricks Indiana $90,298 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 137 44 Summit Colorado $90,297 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 138 45 Honolulu Hawaii $90,176 YESGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 139 46 Washington Rhode Island $90,152 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 140 47 Chambers Texas $89,767 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 141 48 Prince George's Maryland $89,689 YESGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 142 49 Paulding Georgia $89,632 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 143 50 Sarpy Nebraska $88,913 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 144 51 Orange New York $88,494 NOBushBushObamaObamaTrumpTrump 145 52 Bristol Bay Alaska $88,516 YESBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 146 53 Campbell Wyoming $88,491 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 147 54 Anoka Minnesota $88,416 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 148 55 Chugach Alaska $88,029 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 149 56 Montgomery Texas $87,831 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 150 57 Ellis Texas $87,698 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 151 58 El Dorado California $87,689 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 152 59 Alpine California $87,570 NOBushKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 153 60 Union North Carolina $87,533 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 154 61 Cobb Georgia $87,532 YESBushBushMcCainRomneyClintonBiden 155 62 Dutchess New York $87,370 NOBushBushObamaObamaClintonBiden 156 63 Solano California $87,348 YESGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 157 64 Bryan Georgia $87,334 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 158 65 Union South Dakota $87,314 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 159 66 Columbia Georgia $87,281 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 160 67 Saratoga New York $87,154 NOBushBushObamaObamaTrumpBiden 161 68 Essex Massachusetts $87,145 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 162 69 Chesapeake Virginia $87,057 NOBushBushObamaObamaTrumpBiden 163 70 Medina Ohio $87,057 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 164 71 Platte Missouri $87,281 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 165 72 Kitsap Washington $86,826 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 166 73 Utah Utah $86,597 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 166 73 Oakland Michigan $86,597 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 167 74 Mercer New Jersey $86,499 YESGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 168 75 Tolland Connecticut $86,430 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 169 76 McKenzie North Dakota $86,294 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 170 77 Isle of Wight Virginia $86,286 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 171 78 Anchorage Alaska $86,152 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpBiden 172 79 Chesterfield Virginia $86,101 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpBiden 171 80 Aleutians West Alaska $86,050 YESBushBushMcCainObamaClintonBiden 172 81 Lander Nevada $85,773 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 173 82 Newport Rhode Island $86,499 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 174 83 Warren Iowa $85,704 NOBushBushObamaRomneyTrumpTrump 175 84 Parker Nevada $85,613 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 176 85 Pierce Washington $85,492 NOGoreKerryObamaObamaClintonBiden 177 86 Shelby Alabama $85,457 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 178 87 Jefferson West Virginia $85,277 NOBushBushObamaRomneyTrumpTrump 179 88 Washington Wisconsin $85,266 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 180 89 Frederick Virginia $86,262 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 181 90 Denali Alaska $85,251 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 182 91 Coweta Georgia $85,182 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 183 92 Woodford Illinois $85,085 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump 184 93 Chisago Minnesota $85,080 NOBushBushMcCainRomneyTrumpTrump

Household income is one of the most commonly used measures of income and, therefore, also one of the most prominent indicators of social class. Household income and education do not, however, always reflect perceived class status correctly. Sociologist Dennis Gilbert acknowledges that " the class structure does not exactly match the distribution of household income" with "the mismatch [being] greatest in the middle " (Gilbert, 1998: 92) As social classes commonly overlap, it is not possible to define exact class boundaries. According to Leonard Beeghley a household income of roughly $95,000 would be typical of a dual earner middle class household while $60,000 would be typical of a dual earner working class household and $18,000 typical for an impoverished household. William Thompson and Joseph Hickey see common incomes for the upper class as those exceeding $500,000 with upper middle class incomes ranging from the high 5 figures to most commonly in excess of $100,000. They claim the lower middle class ranges from $35,000 to $75,000; $16,000 to $30,000 for the working class and less than $2,000 for the lower class.

+ US Census Bureau figures for 2022 Income of Household Number (thousands) Percent in Group Percent At or Below Mean Income Mean size of household Total 131,400 — — $106,400 1.30 2.51 Under $5,000 4,305 3.28 3.28 $877 0.13 1.89 $5,000 to $9,999 2,131 1.62 4.90 $7,626 0.41 1.75 $10,000 to $14,999 4,536 3.45 8.35 $12,440 0.27 1.54 $15,000 to $19,999 4,725 3.60 11.95 $17,350 0.37 1.62 $20,000 to $24,999 5,047 3.84 15.79 $22,250 0.51 1.76 $25,000 to $29,999 4,728 3.60 19.39 $27,210 0.59 1.95 $30,000 to $34,999 5,285 4.02 23.41 $32,000 0.75 2.03 $35,000 to $39,999 4,674 3.56 26.96 $37,080 0.82 2.11 $40,000 to $44,999 4,761 3.62 30.59 $41,960 0.89 2.17 $45,000 to $49,999 4,453 3.39 33.98 $47,130 0.98 2.23 $50,000 to $54,999 4,838 3.68 37.66 $51,880 1.06 2.27 $55,000 to $59,999 4,252 3.24 40.89 $57,030 1.10 2.31 $60,000 to $64,999 4,463 3.40 44.29 $61,880 1.19 2.40 $65,000 to $69,999 3,867 2.94 47.23 $67,100 1.26 2.46 $70,000 to $74,999 3,904 2.97 50.20 $71,990 1.30 2.51 $75,000 to $79,999 3,669 2.79 53.00 $76,970 1.41 2.50 $80,000 to $84,999 3,505 2.67 55.66 $81,950 1.43 2.61 $85,000 to $89,999 3,061 2.33 57.99 $87,090 1.50 2.68 $90,000 to $94,999 3,132 2.38 60.38 $91,930 1.54 2.69 $95,000 to $99,999 2,838 2.16 62.54 $97,140 1.60 2.77 $100,000 to $104,999 3,312 2.52 65.06 $101,800 1.59 2.66 $105,000 to $109,999 2,321 1.77 66.82 $107,100 1.67 2.89 $110,000 to $114,999 2,462 1.87 68.70 $112,000 1.78 3.02 $115,000 to $119,999 2,188 1.67 70.36 $117,100 1.81 2.89 $120,000 to $124,999 2,421 1.84 72.21 $121,800 1.71 2.90 $125,000 to $129,999 2,086 1.59 73.79 $127,100 1.80 2.99 $130,000 to $134,999 1,996 1.52 75.31 $132,000 1.87 3.07 $135,000 to $139,999 1,730 1.32 76.63 $137,000 1.82 3.01 $140,000 to $144,999 1,680 1.28 77.91 $141,900 1.92 3.05 $145,000 to $149,999 1,375 1.05 78.95 $147,200 2.00 2.95 $150,000 to $154,999 2,005 1.53 80.48 $151,900 1.84 2.91 $155,000 to $159,999 1,389 1.06 81.54 $157,000 1.99 3.06 $160,000 to $164,999 1,461 1.11 82.65 $162,000 1.89 2.90 $165,000 to $169,999 1,131 0.86 83.51 $167,100 2.06 3.14 $170,000 to $174,999 1,144 0.87 84.38 $172,100 2.02 3.25 $175,000 to $179,999 1,043 0.79 85.17 $177,100 2.07 3.22 $180,000 to $184,999 1,106 0.84 86.02 $182,100 2.07 3.26 $185,000 to $189,999 921 0.70 86.72 $187,100 2.14 3.12 $190,000 to $194,999 940 0.72 87.43 $192,100 2.16 3.36 $195,000 to $199,999 889 0.68 88.11 $197,200 2.08 3.26 $200,000 to $249,999 6,024 4.58 92.69 $221,100 2.11 3.24 $250,000 and over 9,636 7.33 100.00 $426,600