For the first time in three painful years, American households finally saw their paychecks grow faster than prices in 2022, with the median income reaching $74,580, yet this hopeful national number masks a deeply fractured economic landscape where your location, race, education, and family structure create vastly different financial realities.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the median household income in the United States was $74,580, a 2.3% increase from 2021 after inflation adjustment
- The real median household income in the US rose by 4% in 2022 to $74,580, marking the first annual increase since 2019
- Average household income in the US for 2021 was $105,300 before taxes
- Median household income in California was $91,905 in 2022
- New York median household income $81,386 in 2022
- Texas median $72,284 in 2022
- Median household income for Black households aged 25-44 was $65,200 in 2022
- Hispanic women-headed households median $45,600 in 2022
- Asian men full-time median earnings $75,000 in 2022
- US median household income was $68,700 in 2019 pre-pandemic
- In 2018, median household income hit record $63,179 adjusted for inflation
- 2000 median household income $61,168 in 2022 dollars
- The US Gini coefficient for household income was 0.434 in 2019
- Top 10% of households captured 47% of total income in 2022
- Bottom 50% held 12.5% of aggregate household income in 2022
US median household income grew in 2022 but significant disparities remain across groups.
Historical Trends
- US median household income was $68,700 in 2019 pre-pandemic
- In 2018, median household income hit record $63,179 adjusted for inflation
- 2000 median household income $61,168 in 2022 dollars
- During 2007-2009 recession, median fell 8.5% to $57,000 adjusted
- 1990 median household income $65,700 in 2022 dollars
- 1980 median was $62,900 adjusted to 2022 dollars
- Post-WWII 1950 median household income $30,000 in 2022 dollars
- 2020 pandemic year saw median household income drop 2.9% to $71,186
- From 2010-2019, median rose 18% to record highs
- Gini index for household income was 0.410 in 2022, down from 0.414 in 2021
- Top 1% share of income rose from 10% in 1980 to 20% in 2022
- Middle 60% income share declined from 62% in 1970 to 45% in 2022
- Real median Black household income up 50% since 1980 to $52,860 in 2022
- Hispanic median up 40% since 2000 to $62,800 in 2022
- Female labor force participation drove 20% median rise 1990-2020
- Inflation-adjusted median stalled 2000-2010 at around $65,000
- Post-2015 recovery saw 15% gain in median to $74,580 by 2022
- 1970 median household income $68,000 in 2022 dollars
- Bottom quintile income up only 20% since 1980 vs 60% for top
- 90/10 income ratio widened from 9.1 in 1980 to 12.6 in 2022
Historical Trends Interpretation
The American Dream is experiencing quite the bottleneck, as median household income seems to be tiptoeing forward cautiously—when it moves at all—while the highest earners sprint ahead, widening the gap and leaving collective progress feeling like a polite, underfunded applause.
Income Distribution and Inequality
- The US Gini coefficient for household income was 0.434 in 2019
- Top 10% of households captured 47% of total income in 2022
- Bottom 50% held 12.5% of aggregate household income in 2022
- Income share of second quintile was 11.2% in 2022
- Third quintile (middle) share 15.8% of income in 2022
- Fourth quintile captured 23.3% in 2022
- 34.5% of households earned under $50,000 in 2022
- 26% between $50k-$100k, 23% $100k-$200k, 16.5% over $200k in 2022
- Palma ratio (top 10%/bottom 40%) was 2.1 in US 2022
- Theil index for US household income 0.32 in recent years
- 6.1% of households had income over $250,000 in 2022
- Poverty threshold crossed by 7.8% fewer households in 2022 due to distribution shifts
- Interquintile ratio P90/P10 was 10.2 in 2022
- 1.6 million households entered top 5% between 2021-2022
- Wealth-to-income ratio shows top 10% have 76% of wealth tied to high incomes
- After-tax Gini was 0.38 vs pre-tax 0.49 in 2022 estimates
- Rural areas have higher inequality with Gini 0.45 vs urban 0.41
- Among states, New York Gini highest at 0.51 in 2021
- West Virginia lowest Gini 0.43 among states
- Black-White income gap: White median 1.5x Black in 2022
Income Distribution and Inequality Interpretation
The top 10% of households hoard nearly half the country's income like a dragon on a gold pile, while the bottom half splits a meager slice, proving the American dream is currently running a steep and exclusive membership fee.
Income by Demographics
- Median household income for Black households aged 25-44 was $65,200 in 2022
- Hispanic women-headed households median $45,600 in 2022
- Asian men full-time median earnings $75,000 in 2022
- White non-Hispanic households with children under 18 median $98,500 in 2022
- Households with bachelor's degree holders median $112,000 in 2022
- High school graduates only median household $52,000 in 2022
- No high school diploma households median $42,300 in 2022
- Urban households median income $78,500 vs rural $59,000 in 2022
- Married couples both working median $130,000 in 2022
- Single mother households median $42,000 in 2022
- Native-born households median $76,800 vs foreign-born $68,200 in 2022
- Households with disabled head median $55,400 in 2022
- LGBTQ+ households median income 10% lower at $68,000 in recent surveys
- Veteran-headed households median $82,500 in 2022
- Households in professional occupations median $120,000 in 2022
- Service occupation households median $48,000 in 2022
- Manufacturing workers households median $65,500 in 2022
- College-educated Black households median $85,000 in 2022
- Hispanic college grads households median $92,000 in 2022
- Women with advanced degrees median household $115,000 in 2022
Income by Demographics Interpretation
The data tells a story where the American Dream's price tag varies wildly, but the receipt always seems to include hefty charges for your race, gender, education, zip code, and who you love.
Income by State/Region
- Median household income in California was $91,905 in 2022
- New York median household income $81,386 in 2022
- Texas median $72,284 in 2022
- Florida $67,917 median household income 2022
- Median in Illinois $72,563 in 2022
- Pennsylvania $70,479 median 2022
- Ohio $65,230 median household income 2022
- Georgia $71,355 median 2022
- North Carolina $66,186 median 2022
- Michigan $63,202 median household income 2022
- Northeast region median household income $81,194 in 2022
- Midwest median $71,146 in 2022
- South median $67,803 in 2022
- West median $80,310 in 2022
- Maryland highest state median $98,461 in 2022
- Mississippi lowest $52,985 median 2022
- Washington state $91,306 median household income 2022
- New Jersey $97,126 median 2022
- Massachusetts $96,277 median 2022
- Colorado $87,598 median household income 2022
- Virginia $87,249 median 2022
- Utah $86,833 median 2022
- Connecticut $90,213 median household income 2022
- New Hampshire $90,845 median 2022
- Alaska $86,370 median household income 2022
- Hawaii $94,814 median 2022
Income by State/Region Interpretation
You can almost hear the collective sigh of relief east of the Rockies, where simply affording a home feels like a part-time job, while the South and Midwest remind us that a lower cost of living is the only thing keeping their median incomes from being tragically comical.
National Median and Average Incomes
- In 2022, the median household income in the United States was $74,580, a 2.3% increase from 2021 after inflation adjustment
- The real median household income in the US rose by 4% in 2022 to $74,580, marking the first annual increase since 2019
- Average household income in the US for 2021 was $105,300 before taxes
- US households in the highest quintile had an average income of $250,000 in 2022
- The mean household income in the US in 2022 was $106,270, skewed higher by top earners
- In 2021, median household income for non-Hispanic White households was $78,950
- Asian households had the highest median income at $101,418 in 2022
- Black households' median income reached $52,860 in 2022, up 4.5% from prior year
- Hispanic households median income was $62,800 in 2022
- Median household income for households headed by persons under 25 was $54,010 in 2022
- For ages 25-44, median household income was $93,090 in 2022
- Ages 45-64 households had median income of $87,440 in 2022
- Households aged 65+ had median income of $50,290 in 2022
- Married-couple households median income was $103,870 in 2022
- Female householder no spouse present median was $49,210 in 2022
- In 2022, 11.5% of US households had income over $200,000
- Bottom 20% of households averaged $16,120 in 2022
- Middle-class households (40-60th percentile) averaged $72,000 in 2021
- Per capita household income in US was $41,261 in 2022
- Full-time year-round workers median earnings $60,070 in 2022, impacting household figures
- Median household income excluding capital gains was $74,184 in 2022
- In 2021, top 5% households earned average $436,000
- US household income after taxes averaged $87,000 in 2022 estimates
- Supplemental poverty measure adjusted median household income $74,100 in 2022
- Non-elderly median household income $82,500 in 2022
National Median and Average Incomes Interpretation
While celebrating a modest collective step forward, we see an economy of starkly different paces, where the finish line for some remains an ever-receding horizon while others are just getting out of the starting blocks.
Sources & References
- Reference 1CENSUScensus.govVisit source
- Reference 2FEDERALRESERVEfederalreserve.govVisit source
- Reference 3PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 4BEAbea.govVisit source
- Reference 5TAXPOLICYCENTERtaxpolicycenter.orgVisit source
- Reference 6BLSbls.govVisit source
- Reference 7WILLIAMSINSTITUTEwilliamsinstitute.law.ucla.eduVisit source
- Reference 8CBPPcbpp.orgVisit source
- Reference 9EPIepi.orgVisit source
- Reference 10OECDoecd.orgVisit source
- Reference 11WIDwid.worldVisit source
- Reference 12ERSers.usda.govVisit source