# Average, Median, Top 1%, and all United States Household Income Percentiles

Written by:
PK

In this post, find the estimated United States household income brackets for 2022. See average, median, and top 1% household income in the United States.

The income in this post was earned between January and December 2021 (the survey took place in March-April, 2022).

We also have research on individual incomes and incomes by age.

## Household Income Benchmarks in 2022

The most important – or, at least, most closely watched – income statistics are:

• Median household income
• Average household income
• Top 1% household income

Median household income is the most important statistic. Medians are resistant to outliers, and better represent a "typical" household. Average income is influenced by very high earners, although it is also a decent estimate.

### What was the median household income?

In 2022, $70,181 was the median household income in the United States. This is up from$67,463 in 2021.

### What was the average household income?

The average household income was $102,310.10 in 2022. It was$96,955.04 in 2021 (not adjusted for inflation).

### What is the top 1% household income?

To be in the top 1% in 2022, a household needed to earn $570,003.$504,420 was the threshold in 2021.

## Selected United States Household Income Percentiles for 2022 and 2021

This section is adjusted for inflation – unlike the sections above.

Unlike last year's update where many brackets fell nominally, nearly every bracket was up year over year. Now, that observation doesn't apply to every bracket once you adjust for inflation (as an aside, though, using a blanket number across brackets is... fraught with issues).

Household income is defined as all income earned in the household:

## Household Income Percentiles for the United States in 2022

While those statistics are nice, there's no replacement for a more complete view of the US income distribution... so below, find every household income percentile in 2022. This data is not inflation adjusted.

To read the chart: a dollar amount is the "threshold" between brackets – more income goes in the higher percentile, less in the lower. This data is adjusted for CPI-measured inflation.

### What is considered a middle class income?

In 2022, middle class encompasses household income from $35,090.50 to$140,362.00. This measure of middle class uses the range from half of median household income to twice the median household income.

Of course, a lot boils down to your location. Make sure you visit these geographic income calculators:

## Methodology on 2022 United States Household Income Brackets

Data originated in the United States Census Bureau's Annual ASEC survey, first released in September 2022. The University of Minnesota's Minnesota Population Center harmonizes it, making it easy to do these calculations – see the household income by year post, for an example.

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

### How many samples are in the 2021 and 2020 data?

• 2022: 59,148 data points representing around 131,314,715 households.
• 2021: 62,850 data points representing roughly 130,023,134 households.

### In this post, is household income gross or net?

The household income data in this post is before-tax, or gross income.

## Analysis of Household Income in 2022

This is always a fun post – along with all of the counterpart income posts. If you like it, you can browse others here on the Income category page. Note that I can't update them all at once, so some may be a year behind. This is the first post I update annually.

Some of you prefer something interactive, though. I also build a household income percentile calculator. Hope you enjoyed the post – and the tool!

Past editions:

### PK

PK started DQYDJ in 2009 to research and discuss finance and investing and help answer financial questions. He's expanded DQYDJ to build visualizations, calculators, and interactive tools.

PK is in his mid-30s and lives in New Hampshire with his wife, kids, and dog.

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