Distribution of household income U.S. 2022 | Statista (2024)

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Distribution of household income U.S. 2022 | Statista? ›

U.S. household income distribution 2022

The top 3.65%, with incomes over $200,000, earned 17.5%. Households with annual incomes from $50,000 to $75,000, 18.2% of households, earned 16.5% of all income. Households with annual incomes from $50,000 to $95,000, 28.1% of households, earned 28.8% of all income. The bottom 10.3% earned 1.06% of all income.

Average household income is the total amount of income earned by all members of a household age 15 or older, whether they are related or not. The income of all households is then added together and divided by the total number of households, to determine the average.

The difference between perception and facts is even more pronounced when looking at households with an annual income of more than $500,000. While the median weighted responses from survey participants suggest that one-fifth of U.S. households belong to that bracket, it's actually the oft-cited top 1%.

Data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey

That dataset showed, overall, that wages and salaries represent the single largest source of earnings for the average household.

The largest share of household income in the United States comes from Wage and salary earnings. Although income tax revenue and payroll tax together account for around 80% of federal tax revenues, nearly three-quarters of households pay more in payroll taxes than in income taxes.

You'll need to earn more than half a million annually to be considered among the highest earning residents in 11 states and Washington, D.C. "This comes down to cost of living," Murray said.

Only 18% of individual Americans make more than $100,000 a year, according to 2023 data from careers website Zippia. About 34% of U.S. households earn more than $100,000 a year, according to Zippia.

For example, you may be considered rich if you're in the nation's top 1% of earners. In 2022, that group saw an average annual income from wages of $785,968—nearly 19 times higher than the bottom 90%, according to the Economic Policy Institute Open in new tab.

What is considered a good household income? ›

“Good income is relative to the average household income in America, which is $78,000 right now.” Real median household income in the U.S. was $78,250 in 2019 and fell to $74,580 in 2022, according to the Census Bureau. "You're not a bad person. You're not a horrible income earner.

What is Distribution of Personal Income? Measures how households are sharing in the U.S. economy's growth. Shows how total personal income in the United States is distributed across households.

Whose income to include in your estimate. For most people, a household consists of the tax filer, their spouse if they have one, and their tax dependents, including those who don't need coverage. The Marketplace counts estimated income of all household members.

As of 2022 (the most recent Census data), the average median household income in the U.S. was $73,914, meaning the national range for the middle class is roughly $49,271 to $147,828. Across the nation's largest cities, the range is between $51,558 and $154,590, according to SmartAsset.

The Poverty Threshold in 2024

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services uses the Census Bureau threshold to determine who is eligible for certain government assistance programs, like SNAP (food stamps). Under their guidelines, a family of four is considered impoverished if they earn $30,000 or less per year.

Some may consider a household income of $600,000 to be rich, while others may consider it to be upper-middle-class. Additionally, factors such as lifestyle choices, expenses, and financial goals can also influence how individuals perceive their own financial status.

Over one-third of American families earn $100,000 or more

The U.S. Census Bureau found that 37.1% of U.S. households earned at least $100,000 in 2022. Here's a more detailed breakdown of six-figure income brackets and the percentage of households in each one: $100,000 to $149,999: 16.9% $150,000 to $199,999: 8.7%

How much wealth inequality is there in the U.S.? The top 10% of households by wealth had $6.7 million on average. As a group, they held 66.9% of total household wealth. The bottom 50% of households by wealth had $50,000 on average.

What Percent of America Makes Six Figures? When you remove demographics such as infants, students, and stay-at-home spouses and focus only on full-time workers, around 18% of all earners in the US make at least six figures. Conversely, the median American household income in 2023 was approximately $44,225.