Below is an individual income percentile calculator for the United States in 2020. Enter pre-tax, gross income earned in full-year 2019 – January to December – to compare to the US individual income distribution.
(For a complete picture, see the household income calculator).
(Math and methodology in our average, median, and top 1% individual income post)
After try our income percentile by state and income percentile by city calculators. Or, switch to the household income calculator.
Individual Income Percentiles for the US Income Distribution in 2020
In this graph we developed for the average individual income post, we compare single-person earnings between 2020 and 2019.
(2019 numbers are CPI adjusted.)
What was the median individual income in 2020?
In the United States, median individual income was $43,206.00 in 2020.
What was the average individual income in 2020?
In the United States, average individual income was $62,518.13 in 2020.
What was the top 1% individual income in 2020?
The United States threshold for a top 1% individual earner was $361,020.00 in 2020.
In 2020, what was the threshold for the top 10% individual income in the United States?
Top 10% of individual earnings started at $125,105.00 in the United states in 2019.
In 2020, what was the threshold for the top 5% individual income in the United States?
Top 5% of individual earnings started at $174,000.00 in the United states in 2020.
How many people made $50,000 or more in 2020?
7,812,507 workers – 44.3% of the workforce – made $50,000 or more. That's up from 41.7% of workers in 2019.
How many people made $100,000 or more in 2020?
28,092,101 workers, or 15.9% of all individual workers, made a six-figure income.
How many people made $250,000 or more in 2020?
3,942,367 workers, or 2.23% of the workforce, made a quarter million or more in income.
How many people made $500,000 or more in 2020?
.6% of workers, or around 1053529 people in the United States, made a half million or more in income in 2020. That's much higher than the 801,705 people who earned it in 2019.
How many people made $1,000,000 or more in 2020?
Somewhere around 357,464 people made a seven figure income in 2020. I estimate around .2% of the workforce had that large an income.
(Talking about millionaires is usually more appropriate for net worth.)
What is considered a good individual income?
A good income in the United States started around $52,200 in 2020. That's the median individual income for a person who typically worked 40 or more hours per week. A better income – depending where you live – is $86,505, which started the 75th percentile of earnings for 40+ hour workers. Additionally, you may prefer to only look at salary – see the salary percentile calculator here.
These numbers are obviously very location dependent. In most of the country, they would provide you with a very good income. See our income by city post as income ranges vary widely by geography. (We also have income by state.)
Source and Methodology on the 2020 Individual Income Percentile Calculator
Sarah Flood, Miriam King, Renae Rodgers, Steven Ruggles and J. Robert Warren. Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, Current Population Survey: Version 7.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2020. https://doi.org/10.18128/D030.V7.0
For methodology, see the individual income bracket post. The only additional screens in this calculator were for workers reporting 30+ and 40+ hours a week or work, respectively – you can choose which one you like better for "full-time".
Want to see changes over time? Try our calculators from years past:
