Income in the United States is measured by the various federal agencies including the Internal Revenue Service, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Commerce, and the US Census Bureau. Additionally, various agencies, including the Congressional Budget Office compile reports on income statistics. The primary classifications are by household or individual. The top quintile in personal income in 2019 was $103,012[1] (included in the chart below). The differences between household and personal income are considerable, since 61% of households now have two or more income earners.[2]

2020 median personal income, ages 15 years or older[3]
  All workers Full-time workers
All
41,535
56,287
Men
49,389
61,417
Women
35,838
50,982

Median personal income in 2020 was $56,287 for full time workers.[3]

This difference becomes very apparent when comparing the percentage of households with six figure incomes to that of individuals. Overall, including all households/individuals regardless of employment status, the median household income was $67,521 in 2020 while the median personal income (including individuals aged 15 and over) was $35,805.[4][5]

While wages for women have increased greatly, median earnings of male wage earners have remained stagnant since the late 1970s.[6][7] Household income, however, has risen due to the increasing number of households with more than one income earner and women's increased presence in the labor force.[8]

Income Percentiles 2019

Inflation adjusted US Dollars - see IRS for further reading IRS.GOV income statistics

YEAR 0.001% 0.01% 0.10% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 10% 20% 25% 30% 40% 50%
2001 $31,331,335 $6,869,952 $1,393,718 $306,635 $207,592 $167,788 $145,667 $132,082 $96,151 $67,818 $59,026 $51,863 $40,293 $31,418
2002 $25,921,482 $5,891,214 $1,245,352 $296,194 $200,654 $164,409 $144,575 $130,750 $95,699 $67,928 $59,066 $51,721 $40,073 $31,299
2003 $28,489,160 $6,386,149 $1,317,088 $305,939 $205,565 $168,248 $147,132 $133,741 $97,470 $69,304 $59,896 $52,353 $40,383 $31,447
2004 $38,780,500 $8,455,107 $1,617,918 $339,993 $224,320 $181,127 $156,665 $140,758 $101,838 $72,069 $62,794 $54,765 $42,081 $32,622
2005 $50,796,495 $10,738,867 $1,938,175 $379,261 $245,392 $194,726 $167,281 $149,216 $106,864 $74,790 $64,821 $56,583 $43,361 $33,484
2006 $54,665,360 $11,649,460 $2,124,625 $402,603 $258,800 $205,835 $176,455 $157,390 $112,016 $77,776 $67,291 $58,505 $44,748 $34,417
2007 $62,955,875 $12,747,384 $2,251,017 $426,439 $270,440 $214,832 $184,473 $164,883 $116,396 $80,723 $69,559 $60,617 $46,200 $35,541
2008 $49,546,782 $10,097,827 $1,867,652 $392,513 $260,381 $209,750 $181,624 $163,512 $116,813 $80,886 $69,813 $60,535 $46,120 $35,340
2009 $34,381,494 $7,206,540 $1,469,393 $351,968 $243,096 $198,731 $174,432 $157,342 $114,181 $79,237 $68,216 $58,876 $44,529 $34,156
2010 $45,039,369 $8,762,618 $1,634,386 $369,691 $252,785 $205,942 $179,023 $161,579 $116,623 $80,462 $69,126 $59,512 $44,895 $34,338
2011 $41,965,258 $8,830,028 $1,717,675 $388,905 $262,933 $213,441 $185,812 $167,728 $120,136 $82,241 $70,492 $60,789 $45,722 $34,823
2012 $62,068,187 $12,104,014 $2,161,175 $434,682 $285,908 $227,923 $196,416 $175,817 $125,195 $85,440 $73,354 $63,222 $47,475 $36,055
2013 $45,097,112 $9,460,540 $1,860,848 $428,713 $287,018 $231,507 $200,472 $179,760 $127,695 $87,434 $74,955 $64,650 $48,463 $36,841
2014 $56,981,718 $11,407,987 $2,136,762 $465,626 $306,650 $245,902 $211,261 $188,996 $133,445 $90,606 $77,714 $66,868 $50,083 $38,173
2015 $59,380,503 $11,930,649 $2,220,264 $480,930 $316,913 $253,979 $218,911 $195,778 $138,031 $93,212 $79,655 $68,632 $51,571 $39,275
2016 $53,052,900 $10,963,921 $2,124,117 $480,804 $319,796 $256,673 $221,381 $197,651 $139,713 $94,620 $80,921 $69,581 $52,529 $40,078
2017 $63,430,119 $12,899,070 $2,374,937 $515,371 $339,478 $271,182 $232,955 $208,053 $145,135 $97,870 $83,682 $72,268 $54,672 $41,740
2018 $68,934,261 $13,576,286 $2,514,209 $540,009 $359,368 $286,106 $245,050 $217,913 $151,935 $101,765 $87,044 $75,083 $57,092 $43,614
2019 $60,658,598 $12,623,539 $2,458,432 $546,434 $364,693 $291,384 $249,320 $221,572 $154,589 $103,012 $87,917 $75,991 $57,685 $44,269

Income at a glance

Median household income by selected characteristics [9]
Type of household Race and Hispanic origin Region
All households Family
households 		Nonfamily
households 		Asian Non-Hispanic White Hispanic
(of any race) 		Black Northeast Midwest South West
$70,784 $91,162 $41,797 $101,418 $77,999 $57,981 $48,297 $77,422 $71,129 $63,368 $79,430
Median household income by selected characteristics cont.
Age of Householder Nativity of Householder Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Status Educational Attainment of Householder*
Under 65 years 65 years and older Native-born Foreign-born Inside MSA Outside MSA No high school diploma High school, no college Some college Bachelor's degree or higher
$80,734 $47,620 $71,522 $66,043 $73,823 $53,750 $30,378 $50,401 $64,378 $115,456
*Householders aged 25 and older. In 2021, the median household income for this group was $72,046.
Median earnings by work status and sex (Persons, aged 15 years and older with earnings)
Total workers Full-Time, year-round workers
Both sexes Male Female Both sexes Male Female
$45,470 $50,983 $39,201 $56,473 $61,180 $51,226
2020 Median earnings & household income by educational attainment [10] [11]
Measure Overall Less than 9th grade Some High School High school graduate Some college Associate's degree Bachelor's degree or higher Bachelor's degree Master's degree Professional degree Doctorate degree
Persons, age 25+ w/ earnings* $46,985 $25,162 $26,092 $34,540 $39,362 $42,391 $66,423 $60,705 $71,851 $102,741 $101,526
Male, age 25+ w/ earnings* $52,298 $30,089 $31,097 $40,852 $47,706 $52,450 $80,192 $71,666 $91,141 $126,584 $121,956
Female, age 25+ w/ earnings* $40,392 $18,588 $19,504 $27,320 $31,837 $36,298 $57,355 $51,154 $62,522 $92,780 $85,551
Persons, age 25+, employed full-time $59,371 $33,945 $34,897 $42,417 $50,640 $52,285 $77,105 $71,283 $82,183 $130,466 $119,552
Household $69,228 $29,609 $29,520 $47,405 $60,392 $68,769 $106,936 $100,128 $114,900 $151,560 $142,493
*Total work experience
Household income distribution
10th percentile 20th percentile 30th percentile 40th percentile 50th percentile 60th percentile 70th percentile 80th percentile 90th percentile 95th percentile
≤ $15,700 ≤ $28,000 ≤ $40,500 ≤ $55,000 $70,800 ≤ $89,700 ≤ $113,200 ≤ $149,100 ≤ $212,100 ≤ $286,300
Source: US Census Bureau, 2021; income statistics for the year 2021

See also

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References

  1. ^ a b "IRS INCOME STATISTICS WEBPAGE". IRS.GOV. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  2. ^ "CENSUS.GOV". CENSUS.GOV. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Income Reports". CENSUS.GOV. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Census Bureau Data Aggregation at Federal Reserve Webpage Household". Federal Reserve St. Louis. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Census Bureau Data Aggregation at Federal Reserve Webpage Personal Income". Federal Reserve St. Louis. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  6. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau. (1991). Table P-17. Years of School Completed--People 25 Years Old and Over by Median Income and Sex: 1958 to 1990". Archived from the original on 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
  7. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau. (2006). Table P-16. Educational Attainment--People 25 Years Old and Over by Median Income and Sex: 1991 to 2005". Archived from the original on 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
  8. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau. (2005). Table H-17. Households by Total Money Income, Race, and Hispanic Origin of Householder: 1967 to 2004". Archived from the original on 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
  9. ^ Semega, Jessica; Chen, Frances; Kollar, Melissa; Shrider, Emily A. "Income and Poverty in the United States: 2021" (PDF). US CENSUS BUREAU. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Personal Income: PINC-03". US CENSUS BUREAU. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Historical Income Tables: Households". US CENSUS BUREAU. Retrieved 29 June 2022.

Further reading

INCOME STATISTICS AT IRS.GOV

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