This statistic shows the median household income in the United States from 1970 to 2020, by income tier. In 2020, the median household income for the middle class stood at 90,131 U.S. dollars, which was approximately a 50 percent increase from 1970. However, the median income of upper income households in the U.S. increased by almost 70 percent compared to 1970.
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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.
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.
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.
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Disposable Income per Capita: Urban: Middle Income data was reported at 48,508.000 RMB in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 46,276.000 RMB for 2023. Disposable Income per Capita: Urban: Middle Income data is updated yearly, averaging 8,678.295 RMB from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2024, with 40 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 48,508.000 RMB in 2024 and a record low of 737.280 RMB in 1985. Disposable Income per Capita: Urban: Middle Income data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Household Survey – Table CN.HD: Income by Income Level. Since 2013, All households in the sample are grouped, by per capita disposable income of the household, into groups of low income, lower middle income, middle income, upper middle income, and high income, each group consisting of 20%, 20%, 20%, 20%, and 20% of all households respectively.
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Graph and download economic data for Real Median Family Income in the United States (MEFAINUSA672N) from 1953 to 2023 about family, median, income, real, and USA.
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Graph and download economic data for Real Disposable Personal Income (DSPIC96) from Jan 1959 to May 2025 about disposable, personal income, personal, income, real, and USA.
By 2030, the middle-class population in Asia-Pacific is expected to increase from 1.38 billion people in 2015 to 3.49 billion people. In comparison, the middle-class population of sub-Saharan Africa is expected to increase from 114 million in 2015 to 212 million in 2030.
Worldwide wealth
While the middle-class has been on the rise, there is still a huge disparity in global wealth and income. The United States had the highest number of individuals belonging to the top one percent of wealth holders, and the value of global wealth is only expected to increase over the coming years. Around 57 percent of the world’s population had assets valued at less than 10,000 U.S. dollars; while less than one percent had assets of more than million U.S. dollars. Asia had the highest percentage of investable assets in the world in 2018, whereas Oceania had the highest percent of non-investable assets.
The middle-class
The middle class is the group of people whose income falls in the middle of the scale. China accounted for over half of the global population for middle-class wealth in 2017. In the United States, the debate about the middle class “disappearing” has been a popular topic due to the increase in wealth to the top billionaires in the nation. Due to this, there have been arguments to increase taxes on the rich to help support the middle-class.
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China Disposable Income per Capita: Urban: Upper Middle Income data was reported at 68,151.000 RMB in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 65,430.000 RMB for 2023. China Disposable Income per Capita: Urban: Upper Middle Income data is updated yearly, averaging 11,827.130 RMB from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2024, with 40 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 68,151.000 RMB in 2024 and a record low of 861.960 RMB in 1985. China Disposable Income per Capita: Urban: Upper Middle Income data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Household Survey – Table CN.HD: Income by Income Level. Since 2013, All households in the sample are grouped, by per capita disposable income of the household, into groups of low income, lower middle income, middle income, upper middle income, and high income, each group consisting of 20%, 20%, 20%, 20%, and 20% of all households respectively.
In 2022, San Francisco had the highest median household income of cities ranking within the top 25 in terms of population, with a median household income in of 136,692 U.S. dollars. In that year, San Jose in California was ranked second, and Seattle, Washington third.
Following a fall after the great recession, median household income in the United States has been increasing in recent years. As of 2022, median household income by state was highest in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Utah, and Massachusetts. It was lowest in Mississippi, West Virginia, and Arkansas. Families with an annual income of 25,000 and 49,999 U.S. dollars made up the largest income bracket in America, with about 25.26 million households.
Data on median household income can be compared to statistics on personal income in the U.S. released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal income rose to around 21.8 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022, the highest value recorded. Personal income is a measure of the total income received by persons from all sources, while median household income is “the amount with divides the income distribution into two equal groups,” according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Half of the population in question lives above median income and half lives below. Though total personal income has increased in recent years, this wealth is not distributed throughout the population. In practical terms, income of most households has decreased. One additional statistic illustrates this disparity: for the lowest quintile of workers, mean household income has remained more or less steady for the past decade at about 13 to 16 thousand constant U.S. dollars annually. Meanwhile, income for the top five percent of workers has actually risen from about 285,000 U.S. dollars in 1990 to about 499,900 U.S. dollars in 2020.
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Key information about Russia Household Income per Capita
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Graph and download economic data for Ratio of Female to Male Primary School Enrollment for Upper Middle Income Countries (SEENRPRIMFMZSUMC) from 1970 to 2020 about primary schooling, enrolled, females, males, ratio, primary, and income.
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China Disposable Income per Capita: Urban: High Income data was reported at 113,763.000 RMB in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 110,639.000 RMB for 2023. China Disposable Income per Capita: Urban: High Income data is updated yearly, averaging 21,501.935 RMB from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2024, with 40 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 113,763.000 RMB in 2024 and a record low of 1,012.320 RMB in 1985. China Disposable Income per Capita: Urban: High Income data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Household Survey – Table CN.HD: Income by Income Level. Since 2013, All households in the sample are grouped, by per capita disposable income of the household, into groups of low income, lower middle income, middle income, upper middle income, and high income, each group consisting of 20%, 20%, 20%, 20%, and 20% of all households respectively.
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75% of households from the Bangladeshi ethnic group were in the 2 lowest income quintiles (after housing costs were deducted) between April 2021 and March 2024.
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In the 3 years to March 2021, black households were most likely out of all ethnic groups to have a weekly income of under £600.
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China Disposable Income per Capita: Urban: Lower Middle Income data was reported at 33,351.000 RMB in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 32,202.000 RMB for 2023. China Disposable Income per Capita: Urban: Lower Middle Income data is updated yearly, averaging 6,367.340 RMB from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2024, with 40 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 33,351.000 RMB in 2024 and a record low of 632.880 RMB in 1985. China Disposable Income per Capita: Urban: Lower Middle Income data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Household Survey – Table CN.HD: Income by Income Level. Since 2013, All households in the sample are grouped, by per capita disposable income of the household, into groups of low income, lower middle income, middle income, upper middle income, and high income, each group consisting of 20%, 20%, 20%, 20%, and 20% of all households respectively.
In the financial year 2021, a majority of Indian households fell under the aspirers category, earning between ******* and ******* Indian rupees a year. On the other hand, about ***** percent of households that same year, accounted for the rich, earning over * million rupees annually. The middle class more than doubled that year compared to ** percent in financial year 2005. Middle-class income group and the COVID-19 pandemic During the COVID-19 pandemic specifically during the lockdown in March 2020, loss of incomes hit the entire household income spectrum. However, research showed the severest affected groups were the upper middle- and middle-class income brackets. In addition, unemployment rates were rampant nationwide that further lead to a dismally low GDP. Despite job recoveries over the last few months, improvement in incomes were insignificant. Economic inequality While India maybe one of the fastest growing economies in the world, it is also one of the most vulnerable and severely afflicted economies in terms of economic inequality. The vast discrepancy between the rich and poor has been prominent since the last ***** decades. The rich continue to grow richer at a faster pace while the impoverished struggle more than ever before to earn a minimum wage. The widening gaps in the economic structure affect women and children the most. This is a call for reinforcement in in the country’s social structure that emphasizes access to quality education and universal healthcare services.
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Graph and download economic data for Ratio of Female to Male Secondary School Enrollment for Upper Middle Income Countries (SEENRSECOFMZSUMC) from 1972 to 2020 about enrolled, secondary schooling, secondary, females, males, ratio, education, and income.
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United States - of Female to Male Primary School Enrollment for Upper Middle Income Countries was 0.99268 Ratio in January of 2020, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - of Female to Male Primary School Enrollment for Upper Middle Income Countries reached a record high of 0.99559 in January of 2018 and a record low of 0.79713 in January of 1974. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - of Female to Male Primary School Enrollment for Upper Middle Income Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.
The table only covers individuals who have some liability to Income Tax. The percentile points have been independently calculated on total income before tax and total income after tax.
These statistics are classified as accredited official statistics.
You can find more information about these statistics and collated tables for the latest and previous tax years on the Statistics about personal incomes page.
Supporting documentation on the methodology used to produce these statistics is available in the release for each tax year.
Note: comparisons over time may be affected by changes in methodology. Notably, there was a revision to the grossing factors in the 2018 to 2019 publication, which is discussed in the commentary and supporting documentation for that tax year. Further details, including a summary of significant methodological changes over time, data suitability and coverage, are included in the Background Quality Report.
This statistic shows the median household income in the United States from 1970 to 2020, by income tier. In 2020, the median household income for the middle class stood at 90,131 U.S. dollars, which was approximately a 50 percent increase from 1970. However, the median income of upper income households in the U.S. increased by almost 70 percent compared to 1970.