ow is an individual income percentile calculator for the United States. Enter pre-tax, gross income earned in full-year 2020 – 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 2021
In this graph we developed for the average individual income post, we compare single-person earnings between 2021 and 2020.
(2020 numbers are CPI adjusted.)
What was the median individual income in 2021?
In the United States, median individual income was $44,225 in 2021.
What was the average individual income in 2021?
In the United States, average individual income was $63,214.03 in 2021.
What was the top 1% individual income in 2021?
The United States threshold for a top 1% individual earner was $357,552 in 2021.
In 2021, what was the threshold for the top 10% individual income in the United States?
Top 10% of individual earnings started at $129,181 in the United states in 2021.
In 2021, what was the threshold for the top 5% individual income in the United States?
Top 5% of individual earnings started at $175,300.00 in the United states in 2021.
How many people made $50,000 or more in 2021?
78,907,083 workers – 45.2% of the workforce – made $50,000 or more.
How many people made $100,000 or more in 2021?
28,756,346 workers, or 16.5% of all individual workers, made a six-figure income.
How many people made $250,000 or more in 2021?
4,122,785 workers, or 2.36% of the workforce, made a quarter million or more in income.
How many people made $500,000 or more in 2021?
.5% of workers, or around 913,794 people in the United States made a half million or more in income in 2021.
How many people made $1,000,000 or more in 2021?
Somewhere around 330,689 people made a seven figure income in 2021. That's less than .2% of the workforce.
(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 $54,151 in 2021. That's the median individual income for a person who typically worked 40 or more hours per week. A better income is probably $89,452, the 75th percentile of earnings for 40+ hour workers.
If you prefer to only look at salary – see the salary percentile calculator here.
These numbers are 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 2021 Individual Income Percentile Calculator
Sarah Flood, Miriam King, Renae Rodgers, Steven Ruggles, J. Robert Warren and Michael Westberry. Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, Current Population Survey: Version 9.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2021. https://doi.org/10.18128/D030.V9.0
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:
