In 2024, just over 45 percent of American households had an annual income that was less than 75,000 U.S. dollars. On the other hand, some 16 percent had an annual income of 200,000 U.S. dollars or more. The median household income in the country reached almost 84,000 U.S. dollars in 2024. Income and wealth in the United States After the economic recession in 2009, income inequality in the U.S. is more prominent across many metropolitan areas. The Northeast region is regarded as one of the wealthiest in the country. Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maryland were among the states with the highest median household income in 2024. In terms of income by race and ethnicity, the average income of Asian households was highest, at over 120,000 U.S. dollars, while the median income among Black households was around half of that figure. What is the U.S. poverty threshold? The U.S. Census Bureau annually updates the poverty threshold based on the income of various household types. As of 2023, the threshold for a single-person household was 15,480 U.S. dollars. For a family of four, the poverty line increased to 31,200 U.S. dollars. There were an estimated 38.9 million people living in poverty across the United States in 2024, which reflects a poverty rate of 10.6 percent.

Graph and download economic data for Income Before Taxes: Wages and Salaries by Quintiles of Income Before Taxes: Highest 20 Percent (81st to 100th Percentile) (CXU900000LB0106M) from 1984 to 2024 about percentile, salaries, tax, wages, income, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Income Before Taxes: Income Before Taxes by Deciles of Income Before Taxes: Ninth 10 Percent (81st to 90th Percentile) (CXUINCBEFTXLB1510M) from 2014 to 2024 about percentile, tax, income, and USA.

In 2024, about 44.7 percent of White households in the United States had an annual median income of over 100,000 U.S. dollars. By comparison, only 26.8 percent of Black households were in this income group. Asian Americans, on the other hand, had the highest median income per household that year.

Graph and download economic data for Expenditures: Total Average Annual Expenditures by Deciles of Income Before Taxes: Ninth 10 Percent (81st to 90th Percentile) (CXUTOTALEXPLB1510M) from 2014 to 2024 about percentile, average, tax, expenditures, income, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Personal Taxes: Federal Income Taxes by Deciles of Income Before Taxes: Ninth 10 Percent (81st to 90th Percentile) (CXUFEDTAXESLB1510M) from 2014 to 2023 about percentile, tax, federal, personal, income, and USA.

In the fourth quarter of 2025, the top ten percent of earners in the United States held over ** percent of total wealth. This is fairly consistent with the fourth quarter of 2024. Comparatively, the wealth of the bottom ** percent of earners has been slowly increasing since the start of the *****, though remains low. Wealth distribution in the United States by generation can be found here.

As of 2023, the bottom 50 percent in Chile, that is, the population whose income was below the median, earned on average 3,101 U.S. dollars at purchasing power parity (PPP) before income taxes. This is nearly 66 times less than the average income of the top ten percent, which stood at 205,277 USD that year. In relation to percentage distribution of national wealth in Chile, the top ten percent accounted for over 80 percent of the overall national wealth.

Map Data DescriptionLow-income census tracts200% or below the Federal poverty levelSource: American Community SurveyAttribute Name: FPL200S PLHSE , POV_ET Housing costsComprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy datasetSource: HUDAttribute Name: HB_ET Low Median IncomeCalculations as a percentage of the state’s median income Source: American Community SurveyAttribute Name: LMI_ET, LMILHSE,Poverty People at or below 100% of the Federal poverty levelSource: American Community SurveyAttribute Name: PLHSE, POV_ETUnemployment# of people unemployed as part of the labor forceSource: American Community SurveyAttribute Name: ULHSE, UN_ETTransportation barriersAverage relative cost and time spent on transportation relative to all other tracts Source: DOT Attribute NAME: TD_ET Attribute NameAttribute Description FPL200SIs low income (imputed and adjusted)?LMILHSEGreater than or equal to the 90th percentile for low median household income as a percent of area median income and has low HS attainment?ULHSEGreater than or equal to the 90th percentile for unemployment and has low HS attainment?PLHSEGreater than or equal to the 90th percentile for households at or below 100% federal poverty level and has low HS attainment?HB_ETGreater than or equal to the 90th percentile for housing burdenUN_ETGreater than or equal to the 90th percentile for unemploymentPOV_ETGreater than or equal to the 90th percentile for households at or below 100% federal poverty levelLMI_ETGreater than or equal to the 90th percentile for low median household income as a percent of area median incomeTD_ETGreater than or equal to the 90th percentile for DOT travel barriers

In the first quarter of 2025, almost ********** of the total wealth in the United States was owned by the top 10 percent of earners. In comparison, the lowest ** percent of earners only owned *** percent of the total wealth. Income inequality in the U.S. Despite the idea that the United States is a country where hard work and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps will inevitably lead to success, this is often not the case. In 2024, *** percent of U.S. households had an annual income under 15,000 U.S. dollars. With such a small percentage of people in the United States owning such a vast majority of the country’s wealth, the gap between the rich and poor in America remains stark. The top one percent The United States was the country with the most billionaires in the world in 2025. Elon Musk, with a net worth of *** billion U.S. dollars, was among the richest people in the United States in 2025. Over the past 50 years, the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio has exploded, causing the gap between rich and poor to grow, with some economists theorizing that this gap is the largest it has been since right before the Great Depression.

Graph and download economic data for Minimum Wealth Cutoff for the 90th to 99th Wealth Percentiles (WFRBLN09304) from Q3 1989 to Q3 2022 about wealth, percentile, and USA.

In the third quarter of 2024, the top ten percent of earners in the United States held over 67 percent of total wealth. This is fairly consistent with the second quarter of 2024. Comparatively, the wealth of the bottom 50 percent of earners has been slowly increasing since the start of the 2010s, though remains low. Wealth distribution in the United States by generation can be found here.

This map uses an archive of Version 1.0 of the CEJST data as a fully functional GIS layer. See an archive of the latest version of the CEJST tool using Version 2.0 of the data released in December 2024 here.This map assesses and identifies communities that are Energy Disadvantaged according to Justice40 Initiative criteria. "Communities are identified as disadvantaged if they are in census tracts that:ARE at or above the 90th percentile for energy cost OR PM2.5 in the airAND are at or above the 65th percentile for low income"Census tracts in the U.S. and its territories that meet the criteria are shaded in blue colors. Suitable for dashboards, apps, stories, and grant applications.Details of the assessment are provided in the popup for every census tract in the United States and its territories American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This map uses 2010 census tracts from Version 1.0 of the source data downloaded November 22, 2022.Use this map to help plan for grant applications, to perform spatial analysis, and to create informative dashboards and web applications.From the source:This data "highlights disadvantaged census tracts across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. Communities are considered disadvantaged:If they are in census tracts that meet the thresholds for at least one of the tool’s categories of burden, orIf they are on land within the boundaries of Federally Recognized TribesCategories of BurdensThe tool uses datasets as indicators of burdens. The burdens are organized into categories. A community is highlighted as disadvantaged on the CEJST map if it is in a census tract that is (1) at or above the threshold for one or more environmental, climate, or other burdens, and (2) at or above the threshold for an associated socioeconomic burden.In addition, a census tract that is completely surrounded by disadvantaged communities and is at or above the 50% percentile for low income is also considered disadvantaged.Census tracts are small units of geography. Census tract boundaries for statistical areas are determined by the U.S. Census Bureau once every ten years. The tool utilizes the census tract boundaries from 2010. This was chosen because many of the data sources in the tool currently use the 2010 census boundaries."PurposeThe goal of the Justice40 Initiative is to provide 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments in [eight] key areas to disadvantaged communities. These [eight] key areas are: climate change, clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing, training and workforce development, the remediation and reduction of legacy pollution, [health burdens] and the development of critical clean water infrastructure." Source: Climate and Economic Justice Screening tool"Sec. 219. Policy. To secure an equitable economic future, the United States must ensure that environmental and economic justice are key considerations in how we govern. That means investing and building a clean energy economy that creates well‑paying union jobs, turning disadvantaged communities — historically marginalized and overburdened — into healthy, thriving communities, and undertaking robust actions to mitigate climate change while preparing for the impacts of climate change across rural, urban, and Tribal areas. Agencies shall make achieving environmental justice part of their missions by developing programs, policies, and activities to address the disproportionately high and adverse human health, environmental, climate-related and other cumulative impacts on disadvantaged communities, as well as the accompanying economic challenges of such impacts. It is therefore the policy of my Administration to secure environmental justice and spur economic opportunity for disadvantaged communities that have been historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution and underinvestment in housing, transportation, water and wastewater infrastructure, and health care." Source: Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and AbroadUse of this Data"The pilot identifies 21 priority programs to immediately begin enhancing benefits for disadvantaged communities. These priority programs will provide a blueprint for other agencies to help inform their work to implement the Justice40 Initiative across government." Source: The Path to Achieving Justice 40

This map uses an archive of Version 1.0 of the CEJST data as a fully functional GIS layer. See an archive of the latest version of the CEJST tool using Version 2.0 of the data released in December 2024 here.This map assesses and identifies communities that are Health Disadvantaged according to Justice40 Initiative criteria. "Communities are identified as disadvantaged if they ar in census tracts that:ARE at or above the 90th percentile for asthma OR diabetes OR heart disease OR low life expectancyAND are at or above the 65th percentile for low income"Census tracts in the U.S. and its territories that meet the criteria are shaded in blue colors. Suitable for dashboards, apps, stories, and grant applications.Details of the assessment are provided in the popup for every census tract in the United States and its territories American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This map uses 2010 census tracts from Version 1.0 of the source data downloaded November 22, 2022.Use this map to help plan for grant applications, to perform spatial analysis, and to create informative dashboards and web applications.From the source:This data "highlights disadvantaged census tracts across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. Communities are considered disadvantaged:If they are in census tracts that meet the thresholds for at least one of the tool’s categories of burden, orIf they are on land within the boundaries of Federally Recognized TribesCategories of BurdensThe tool uses datasets as indicators of burdens. The burdens are organized into categories. A community is highlighted as disadvantaged on the CEJST map if it is in a census tract that is (1) at or above the threshold for one or more environmental, climate, or other burdens, and (2) at or above the threshold for an associated socioeconomic burden.In addition, a census tract that is completely surrounded by disadvantaged communities and is at or above the 50% percentile for low income is also considered disadvantaged.Census tracts are small units of geography. Census tract boundaries for statistical areas are determined by the U.S. Census Bureau once every ten years. The tool utilizes the census tract boundaries from 2010. This was chosen because many of the data sources in the tool currently use the 2010 census boundaries."PurposeThe goal of the Justice40 Initiative is to provide 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments in [eight] key areas to disadvantaged communities. These [eight] key areas are: climate change, clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing, training and workforce development, the remediation and reduction of legacy pollution, [health burdens] and the development of critical clean water infrastructure." Source: Climate and Economic Justice Screening tool"Sec. 219. Policy. To secure an equitable economic future, the United States must ensure that environmental and economic justice are key considerations in how we govern. That means investing and building a clean energy economy that creates well‑paying union jobs, turning disadvantaged communities — historically marginalized and overburdened — into healthy, thriving communities, and undertaking robust actions to mitigate climate change while preparing for the impacts of climate change across rural, urban, and Tribal areas. Agencies shall make achieving environmental justice part of their missions by developing programs, policies, and activities to address the disproportionately high and adverse human health, environmental, climate-related and other cumulative impacts on disadvantaged communities, as well as the accompanying economic challenges of such impacts. It is therefore the policy of my Administration to secure environmental justice and spur economic opportunity for disadvantaged communities that have been historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution and underinvestment in housing, transportation, water and wastewater infrastructure, and health care." Source: Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and AbroadUse of this Data"The pilot identifies 21 priority programs to immediately begin enhancing benefits for disadvantaged communities. These priority programs will provide a blueprint for other agencies to help inform their work to implement the Justice40 Initiative across government." Source: The Path to Achieving Justice 40

Graph and download economic data for Income After Taxes: Income After Taxes by Deciles of Income Before Taxes: Ninth 10 Percent (81st to 90th Percentile) (CXUINCAFTTXLB1510M) from 2014 to 2023 about percentile, tax, income, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Expenditures: Food by Deciles of Income Before Taxes: Ninth 10 Percent (81st to 90th Percentile) (CXUFOODTOTLLB1510M) from 2014 to 2024 about percentile, tax, expenditures, food, income, and USA.

In 2024, consumers in the lowest 20 percent of income quintiles in the United States spent about 41.6 percent of their total annual expenditure on housing. In comparison, the highest quintile expenditure on housing was only 29.3 percent. On the other hand, lower-income consumers spent significantly less on personal insurance and pensions, only two percent, while the highest quintile spent 18.1 percent of their total expenditure on this category.

Graph and download economic data for Expenditures: Household Operations by Deciles of Income Before Taxes: Ninth 10 Percent (81st to 90th Percentile) (CXUHHOPERLB1510M) from 2014 to 2024 about operating, percentile, tax, expenditures, households, income, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Other Financial Information: Estimated Market Value of Owned Home by Deciles of Income Before Taxes: Ninth 10 Percent (81st to 90th Percentile) (CXU800721LB1510M) from 2014 to 2024 about owned, market value, information, percentile, tax, financial, estimate, income, housing, and USA.