In this post, find the estimated United States household income brackets for 2024. See average, median, and top 1% household income in the United States.
The income in this post was earned between January and December 2023 (the survey took place in March-April, 2024).
We also have research on individual incomes and incomes by age.
Household Income Benchmarks in 2024
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.
These next three sections are unadjusted for inflation. See the chart below for the adjustment.
What was the median household income?
In 2024, $80,020.00 was the median household income in the United States. This is up a lot from $74,202 in 2023 (unadjusted for inflation – see below, or in the individual year links at the bottom).
What was the average household income?
The average household income was $114,395.26 in 2024. It was $106,270.90 in 2023 (not adjusted for inflation).
What is the top 1% household income?
To be in the top 1% in 2024, a household needed to earn $631,500. $591,550 was the non-inflation-adjusted threshold in 2023.
Selected United States Household Income Percentiles for 2024 and 2023
This section is adjusted for inflation – unlike the sections above.
Across percentiles, it was a good year for household income percentiles. Even adjusted for inflation, every single percentile breakpoint is higher than it was for last year (and, as I mentioned, the average income was up as well - inflation adjusted or not).
However, 2022 and 2020 were stronger years, adjusted for the high inflation we recently experienced in the United States. Remember, though, brackets aren't static - households form and break up, and the number of households has risen over the last few years. See our household income by year post for details, including the estimated number of households in the US over time.
Household income is defined as all income earned in the household:
- Wage income
- Business income
- Investment income
- Other income (find this list of all components)
Household Income Percentiles for the United States in 2024
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 2023.
This data is not inflation adjusted. The census blended average inflation adjustment is 4.1%, year over year. That means a percentage change of under +4.1% in a percentile would mean lower purchasing power. I'll tell you now, in advance: you won't find that, this year. What a difference a year makes!
(But again, I need to stress the data is not longitudinal – it is not necessarily, or even probably, the same households in the same bracket between years).
| Household IncomePercentile | 2024 | 2023 | Absolute Difference | Percentage Difference |
| 1% | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| 2% | $800 | $188 | $612 | 325.53% |
| 3% | $4,782 | $3,660 | $1,122 | 30.66% |
| 4% | $8,523 | $7,304 | $1,219 | 16.69% |
| 5% | $10,979 | $10,000 | $979 | 9.79% |
| 6% | $12,624 | $11,595 | $1,029 | 8.87% |
| 7% | $14,040 | $12,914 | $1,126 | 8.72% |
| 8% | $15,600 | $14,341 | $1,259 | 8.78% |
| 9% | $17,001 | $15,575 | $1,426 | 9.16% |
| 10% | $18,855 | $17,000 | $1,855 | 10.91% |
| 11% | $20,006 | $18,461 | $1,545 | 8.37% |
| 12% | $21,695 | $19,968 | $1,727 | 8.65% |
| 13% | $23,035 | $20,988 | $2,047 | 9.75% |
| 14% | $24,600 | $22,251 | $2,349 | 10.56% |
| 15% | $25,979 | $23,957 | $2,022 | 8.44% |
| 16% | $27,179 | $25,000 | $2,179 | 8.72% |
| 17% | $28,882 | $26,044 | $2,838 | 10.90% |
| 18% | $30,000 | $27,800 | $2,200 | 7.91% |
| 19% | $31,289 | $29,110 | $2,179 | 7.49% |
| 20% | $32,958 | $30,001 | $2,957 | 9.86% |
| 21% | $34,582 | $31,203 | $3,379 | 10.83% |
| 22% | $35,748 | $32,601 | $3,147 | 9.65% |
| 23% | $37,121 | $34,012 | $3,109 | 9.14% |
| 24% | $38,805 | $35,046 | $3,759 | 10.73% |
| 25% | $40,000 | $36,542 | $3,458 | 9.46% |
| 26% | $41,572 | $38,041 | $3,531 | 9.28% |
| 27% | $43,056 | $39,824 | $3,232 | 8.12% |
| 28% | $45,000 | $40,501 | $4,499 | 11.11% |
| 29% | $46,070 | $42,002 | $4,068 | 9.69% |
| 30% | $47,760 | $43,701 | $4,059 | 9.29% |
| 31% | $49,153 | $45,002 | $4,151 | 9.22% |
| 32% | $50,050 | $46,621 | $3,429 | 7.36% |
| 33% | $51,531 | $48,010 | $3,521 | 7.33% |
| 34% | $53,050 | $49,861 | $3,189 | 6.40% |
| 35% | $55,000 | $50,312 | $4,688 | 9.32% |
| 36% | $56,180 | $52,000 | $4,180 | 8.04% |
| 37% | $58,000 | $53,408 | $4,592 | 8.60% |
| 38% | $59,840 | $55,002 | $4,838 | 8.80% |
| 39% | $60,466 | $56,300 | $4,166 | 7.40% |
| 40% | $62,086 | $58,001 | $4,085 | 7.04% |
| 41% | $64,000 | $60,000 | $4,000 | 6.67% |
| 42% | $65,487 | $60,506 | $4,981 | 8.23% |
| 43% | $67,200 | $62,301 | $4,899 | 7.86% |
| 44% | $69,180 | $64,130 | $5,050 | 7.87% |
| 45% | $70,492 | $65,578 | $4,914 | 7.49% |
| 46% | $72,436 | $67,376 | $5,060 | 7.51% |
| 47% | $74,701 | $69,201 | $5,500 | 7.95% |
| 48% | $76,030 | $70,393 | $5,637 | 8.01% |
| 49% | $78,240 | $72,250 | $5,990 | 8.29% |
| 50% | $80,020 | $74,202 | $5,818 | 7.84% |
| 51% | $82,000 | $75,544 | $6,456 | 8.55% |
| 52% | $84,177 | 77,560 | $6,617 | 8.53% |
| 53% | $86,001 | 79,869 | $6,132 | 7.68% |
| 54% | $88,186 | 81,000 | $7,186 | 8.87% |
| 55% | $90,042 | 83,202 | $6,840 | 8.22% |
| 56% | $92,003 | $85,100 | $6,903 | 8.11% |
| 57% | $94,502 | $87,231 | $7,271 | 8.34% |
| 58% | $96,481 | $89,801 | $6,680 | 7.44% |
| 59% | $99,215 | $91,200 | $8,015 | 8.79% |
| 60% | $100,822 | $93,910 | $6,912 | 7.36% |
| 61% | $103,009 | $96,002 | $7,007 | 7.30% |
| 62% | $105,432 | $98,245 | $7,187 | 7.32% |
| 63% | $108,193 | $100,052 | $8,141 | 8.14% |
| 64% | $110,408 | $102,023 | $8,385 | 8.22% |
| 65% | $113,200 | $104,518 | $8,682 | 8.31% |
| 66% | $116,000 | $107,111 | $8,889 | 8.30% |
| 67% | $119,000 | $110,007 | $8,993 | 8.17% |
| 68% | $121,141 | $112,491 | $8,650 | 7.69% |
| 69% | $124,332 | $115,149 | $9,183 | 7.97% |
| 70% | $127,200 | $118,438 | $8,762 | 7.40% |
| 71% | $130,420 | $120,681 | $9,739 | 8.07% |
| 72% | $134,037 | $124,000 | $10,037 | 8.09% |
| 73% | $137,300 | $127,000 | $10,300 | 8.11% |
| 74% | $140,820 | $130,102 | $10,718 | 8.24% |
| 75% | $144,770 | $133,451 | $11,319 | 8.48% |
| 76% | $149,035 | $137,000 | $12,035 | 8.78% |
| 77% | $152,093 | $140,500 | $11,593 | 8.25% |
| 78% | $155,943 | $145,013 | $10,930 | 7.54% |
| 79% | $160,276 | $150,000 | $10,276 | 6.85% |
| 80% | $165,068 | $153,008 | $12,060 | 7.88% |
| 81% | $170,153 | $157,015 | $13,138 | 8.37% |
| 82% | $175,930 | $161,597 | $14,333 | 8.87% |
| 83% | $181,165 | $166,570 | $14,595 | 8.76% |
| 84% | $187,501 | $172,301 | $15,200 | 8.82% |
| 85% | $194,724 | $178,411 | $16,313 | 9.14% |
| 86% | $202,004 | $184,577 | $17,427 | 9.44% |
| 87% | $209,002 | $191,250 | $17,752 | 9.28% |
| 88% | $217,001 | $198,900 | $18,101 | 9.10% |
| 89% | $226,000 | $205,724 | $20,276 | 9.86% |
| 90% | $234,769 | $216,056 | $18,713 | 8.66% |
| 91% | $246,211 | $226,000 | $20,211 | 8.94% |
| 92% | $260,391 | $239,997 | $20,394 | 8.50% |
| 93% | $275,185 | $253,207 | $21,978 | 8.68% |
| 94% | $294,610 | $271,561 | $23,049 | 8.49% |
| 95% | $315,504 | $295,020 | $20,484 | 6.94% |
| 96% | $348,100 | $323,420 | $24,680 | 7.63% |
| 97% | $391,012 | $368,005 | $23,007 | 6.25% |
| 98% | $460,943 | $434,388 | $26,555 | 6.11% |
| 99% | $631,500 | $591,550 | $39,950 | 6.75% |
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 2024, middle class encompasses household income from $40,010 to $160,040 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 2024 United States Household Income Brackets
Data originated in the United States Census Bureau's Annual ASEC survey, first released at the end of September 2024. 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, Daniel Backman, Annie Chen, Grace Cooper, Stephanie Richards, Megan Schouweiler, and Michael Westberry. IPUMS CPS: Version 11.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2023. https://doi.org/10.18128/D030.V11.0
How many samples are in the 2023 and 2024 data?
- 2024: 56,251 data points representing around 132,391,325 households.
- 2023: 56,839 data points representing around 131,660,909 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 2024
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:
