In 2023, just over 50 percent of Americans had an annual household income that was less than 75,000 U.S. dollars. The median household income was 80,610 U.S. dollars in 2023. 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. Maryland, New Jersey, and Massachusetts were among the states with the highest median household income in 2020. In terms of income by race and ethnicity, the average income of Asian households was 94,903 U.S. dollars in 2020, while the median income for Black households was around half of that figure. What is the U.S. poverty threshold? The U.S. Census Bureau annually updates its list of poverty levels. Preliminary estimates show that the average poverty threshold for a family of four people was 26,500 U.S. dollars in 2021, which is around 100 U.S. dollars less than the previous year. There were an estimated 37.9 million people in poverty across the United States in 2021, which was around 11.6 percent of the population. Approximately 19.5 percent of those in poverty were Black, while 8.2 percent were white.

In 2023, around 10.3 percent of U.S. private households had an annual income between 35,000 and 49,999 U.S. dollars in the United States. Income levels between 100,000 to 149,999 U.S. dollars made up the largest share of the population at 16.5 percent in 2023.

In 2023, according to the Gini coefficient, household income distribution in the United States was 0.47. This figure was at 0.43 in 1990, which indicates an increase in income inequality in the U.S. over the past 30 years. What is the Gini coefficient? The Gini coefficient, or Gini index, is a statistical measure of economic inequality and wealth distribution among a population. A value of zero represents perfect economic equality, and a value of one represents perfect economic inequality. The Gini coefficient helps to visualize income inequality in a more digestible way. For example, according to the Gini coefficient, the District of Columbia and the state of New York have the greatest amount of income inequality in the U.S. with a score of 0.51, and Utah has the greatest income equality with a score of 0.43. The Gini coefficient around the world The Gini coefficient is also an effective measure to help picture income inequality around the world. For example, in 2018 income inequality was highest in South Africa, while income inequality was lowest in Slovenia.

Graph and download economic data for Income Gini Ratio for Households by Race of Householder, All Races (GINIALLRH) from 1967 to 2023 about gini, households, income, and USA.

In the third quarter of 2024, the top ten percent of earners in the United States held over ** percent of total wealth. This is fairly consistent with the second 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.

Graph and download economic data for Income Before Taxes: Income Before Taxes by Deciles of Income Before Taxes: Highest 10 Percent (91st to 100th Percentile) (CXUINCBEFTXLB1511M) from 2014 to 2023 about percentile, tax, income, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Median Personal Income in the United States (MEPAINUSA646N) from 1974 to 2023 about personal income, personal, median, income, and USA.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset presents median income data over a decade or more for males and females categorized by Total, Full-Time Year-Round (FT), and Part-Time (PT) employment in United States. It showcases annual income, providing insights into gender-specific income distributions and the disparities between full-time and part-time work. The dataset can be utilized to gain insights into gender-based pay disparity trends and explore the variations in income for male and female individuals.

Key observations: Insights from 2023

Based on our analysis ACS 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates, we present the following observations: - All workers, aged 15 years and older: In United States, the median income for all workers aged 15 years and older, regardless of work hours, was $48,138 for males and $32,546 for females.

These income figures highlight a substantial gender-based income gap in United States. Women, regardless of work hours, earn 68 cents for each dollar earned by men. This significant gender pay gap, approximately 32%, underscores concerning gender-based income inequality in the country of United States.

- Full-time workers, aged 15 years and older: In United States, among full-time, year-round workers aged 15 years and older, males earned a median income of $67,966, while females earned $54,999, leading to a 19% gender pay gap among full-time workers. This illustrates that women earn 81 cents for each dollar earned by men in full-time roles. This analysis indicates a widening gender pay gap, showing a substantial income disparity where women, despite working full-time, face a more significant wage discrepancy compared to men in the same roles.

Surprisingly, the gender pay gap percentage was higher across all roles, including non-full-time employment, for women compared to men. This suggests that full-time employment offers a more equitable income scenario for women compared to other employment patterns in United States.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates. All incomes have been adjusting for inflation and are presented in 2023-inflation-adjusted dollars.

Gender classifications include:

• Male
• Female

Employment type classifications include:

• Full-time, year-round: A full-time, year-round worker is a person who worked full time (35 or more hours per week) and 50 or more weeks during the previous calendar year.
• Part-time: A part-time worker is a person who worked less than 35 hours per week during the previous calendar year.

Variables / Data Columns

• Year: This column presents the data year. Expected values are 2010 to 2023
• Male Total Income: Annual median income, for males regardless of work hours
• Male FT Income: Annual median income, for males working full time, year-round
• Male PT Income: Annual median income, for males working part time
• Female Total Income: Annual median income, for females regardless of work hours
• Female FT Income: Annual median income, for females working full time, year-round
• Female PT Income: Annual median income, for females working part time

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for United States median household income by race. You can refer the same here

In the first quarter of 2024, almost two-thirds percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by the top 10 percent of earners. In comparison, the lowest 50 percent of earners only owned 2.5 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 2023, 7.4 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 follows closely behind China as the country with the most billionaires in the world. Elon Musk alone held around 219 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. 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.

Disposable Personal Income in the United States decreased to 22454.56 USD Billion in May from 22579.58 USD Billion in April of 2025. This dataset provides - United States Disposable Personal Income - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Income Inequality in Chelan County, WA was 12.94987 Ratio in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Income Inequality in Chelan County, WA reached a record high of 14.76975 in January of 2017 and a record low of 11.95793 in January of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Income Inequality in Chelan County, WA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Income Inequality in Westchester County, NY was 25.51079 Ratio in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Income Inequality in Westchester County, NY reached a record high of 25.51079 in January of 2023 and a record low of 21.21995 in January of 2010. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Income Inequality in Westchester County, NY - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

Income Inequality in El Paso County, TX was 16.23350 Ratio in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Income Inequality in El Paso County, TX reached a record high of 16.23350 in January of 2023 and a record low of 14.47215 in January of 2015. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Income Inequality in El Paso County, TX - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Key information about US Household Income per Capita

• United States Annual Household Income per Capita reached 40,722.000 USD in Dec 2023, compared with the previous value of 39,167.917 USD in Dec 2022.
• US Annual Household Income per Capita data is updated yearly, available from Dec 1984 to Dec 2023, with an averaged value of 21,116.200 USD.
• The data reached an all-time high of 40,722.000 USD in Dec 2023 and a record low of 9,024.615 USD in Dec 1984.
• In the latest reports, Retail Sales of US grew 0.967 % YoY in May 2023.

CEIC calculates Annual Household Income per Capita from annual Household Income and Average Household Size. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides Household Income and Average Household Size.

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts statistics for California. QuickFacts data are derived from: Population Estimates, American Community Survey, Census of Population and Housing, Current Population Survey, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, State and County Housing Unit Estimates, County Business Patterns, Nonemployer Statistics, Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, Building Permits.

Income Inequality in Jackson Parish, LA was 13.74991 Ratio in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Income Inequality in Jackson Parish, LA reached a record high of 18.49630 in January of 2018 and a record low of 11.41326 in January of 2010. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Income Inequality in Jackson Parish, LA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

About 50.4 percent of the household income of private households in the U.S. were earned by the highest quintile in 2023, which are the upper 20 percent of the workers. In contrast to that, in the same year, only 3.5 percent of the household income was earned by the lowest quintile. This relation between the quintiles is indicative of the level of income inequality in the United States. Income inequalityIncome inequality is a big topic for public discussion in the United States. About 65 percent of U.S. Americans think that the gap between the rich and the poor has gotten larger in the past ten years. This impression is backed up by U.S. census data showing that the Gini-coefficient for income distribution in the United States has been increasing constantly over the past decades for individuals and households. The Gini coefficient for individual earnings of full-time, year round workers has increased between 1990 and 2020 from 0.36 to 0.42, for example. This indicates an increase in concentration of income. In general, 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. Income distribution is also affected by region. The state of New York had the widest gap between rich and poor people in the United States, with a Gini coefficient of 0.51, as of 2019. In global comparison, South Africa led the ranking of the 20 countries with the biggest inequality in income distribution in 2018. South Africa had a score of 63 points, based on the Gini coefficient. On the other hand, the Gini coefficient stood at 16.6 in Azerbaijan, indicating that income is widely spread among the population and not concentrated on a few rich individuals or families. Slovenia led the ranking of the 20 countries with the greatest income distribution equality in 2018.

Graph and download economic data for Income Before Taxes: Wages and Salaries by Deciles of Income Before Taxes: Ninth 10 Percent (81st to 90th Percentile) (CXU900000LB1510M) from 2014 to 2023 about percentile, salaries, tax, wages, income, and USA.

Income Inequality in Jefferson Parish, LA was 17.14348 Ratio in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Income Inequality in Jefferson Parish, LA reached a record high of 17.14348 in January of 2023 and a record low of 13.72062 in January of 2010. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Income Inequality in Jefferson Parish, LA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

Income Inequality in Dade County, GA was 10.76186 Ratio in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Income Inequality in Dade County, GA reached a record high of 13.78123 in January of 2017 and a record low of 9.20450 in January of 2022. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Income Inequality in Dade County, GA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.