This statistic shows the median household income in the United States from 1990 to 2023 in 2023 U.S. dollars. The median household income was 80,610 U.S. dollars in 2023, an increase from the previous year. Household incomeThe median household income depicts the income of households, including the income of the householder and all other individuals aged 15 years or over living in the household. Income includes wages and salaries, unemployment insurance, disability payments, child support payments received, regular rental receipts, as well as any personal business, investment, or other kinds of income received routinely. The median household income in the United States varies from state to state. In 2020, the median household income was 86,725 U.S. dollars in Massachusetts, while the median household income in Mississippi was approximately 44,966 U.S. dollars at that time. Household income is also used to determine the poverty line in the United States. In 2021, about 11.6 percent of the U.S. population was living in poverty. The child poverty rate, which represents people under the age of 18 living in poverty, has been growing steadily over the first decade since the turn of the century, from 16.2 percent of the children living below the poverty line in year 2000 to 22 percent in 2010. In 2021, it had lowered to 15.3 percent. The state with the widest gap between the rich and the poor was New York, with a Gini coefficient score of 0.51 in 2019. The Gini coefficient is calculated by looking at average income rates. A score of zero would reflect perfect income equality and a score of one indicates a society where one person would have all the money and all other people have nothing.

During the academic year of 2021-22, public school teachers in the United States made an average of 66,397 U.S. dollars per year. This is a significant increase from the 1979-80 school year, when the average annual wage for public school teachers was 15,970 U.S. dollars.

Stagnating wages

While the American economy is doing well, wages have been stagnating in recent years. The federal minimum wage, which currently stands at 7.25 U.S. dollars per hour, has not been raised since July 2009, meaning that minimum wage has not increased with inflation. Although minimum wage varies by state, the federal minimum wage prevails in many states. Additionally, median hourly earnings for workers, while increasing steadily, have not seen any significant jumps in recent years.

Fair pay for teachers

The majority of Americans believe that teachers are not paid fairly for the work that they do. Full-time public elementary and secondary school teachers in the U.S. have the highest salary in New York state, but the lowest salary in Mississippi.

This poll is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President Bill Clinton and his handling of the economy, the presidency, the armed forces, and foreign policy, as well as their opinions of Senator Bob Dole, First Lady Hillary Clinton, and Congress. Attitudes were also solicited regarding the 1996 presidential and congressional elections, the media's treatment of Hillary Clinton, and the greatest achievement and disappointment of the Clinton administration. Questions specifically related to President Clinton queried respondents for their views on his honesty and integrity, economic policy, health insurance reform plans, welfare reform policy, and goals for reducing crime, improving the environment, and reducing the budget deficit, as well as whether he had kept his 1992 campaign promises. President Clinton's foreign policy record was addressed, including his handling of the situation in Bosnia, foreign relations with Russia and Israel, potential handling of international crises, and his ability to command international respect. Other topics covered the Whitewater investigations, 1993 White House FBI file requests, the role of the United States military in maintaining world order, and the role of Hillary Clinton in public policy decision-making processes. Respondents were also asked to identify who was responsible for health care reform, protection of the environment, the war on illegal drugs, crime reduction, welfare reform, minimum wage reform, and the reduction of the federal deficit. Background information on respondents includes age, race, sex, ethnicity, education, religion, family income, political party, political orientation, voter registration and participation history, age of children in household, and labor union membership.