Median Household Income
The Census Bureau's median household income in current dollars, annual since 1984 (published each September for the prior year). Half of US households earn more, half less — the standard denominator for affordability math, from housing to healthcare.
After inflation: +2.5% (2025, year over year, CPI-adjusted)
Median household income ($)
- YoY %
- 5.2%
Latest reading
As of 2025, Median Income (Median household income ($)) stands at $87.5K — up from $83.2K the prior reading, a record high in the series since 1984. After inflation, median household income rose 2.5% in 2025. After inflation, the latest reading is a record too: $91.4K in September 2026 dollars (2025), higher than any earlier reading since 1984. Nominal income rises most years; the informative read is against costs — the Real Estate Tracker divides the typical-home payment by this series. Note the ~9-month publication lag: the latest print always describes LAST year's incomes, so in fast-moving inflation episodes the affordability picture is slightly better (or worse) than the ratio shows. Series history runs from 1984 to present.
Sources, methodology & freshnessUS Census Bureau via FRED (MEHOINUSA646N), annual, current dollars · Annual, with every releaseData as of 2025-01-01 · Open ↓Close ↑
Full history
Income ($)
Real income growth
Median household income after CPI inflation, against the same period a year earlier. Below zero, it lost ground to prices. The Census Bureau publishes its own real series on the CPI-U-RS, so its figures differ slightly.
Deflated by CPI-U (BLS), matched by month; the latest months appear once CPI is published.
Real median income (September 2026 dollars)
Median household income restated in September 2026 dollars, so every past reading buys the same basket as today. Annual incomes are deflated by the average CPI of their year.
Deflated by CPI-U (BLS), matched by month; the latest months appear once CPI is published.
Methodology & data
Median Income is sourced from Census via the Federal Reserve's FRED service (US Census Bureau via FRED (MEHOINUSA646N), annual, current dollars). We pull the complete history, chart it on a annual basis, overlay SPY for context, and generate a dated plain-English reading from the latest release — with no smoothing or adjustment beyond what the chart legend states.
Every reading is stamped with its release date. Latest observation 2025-01-01; site refreshed 2026-10-20. Maintained and reviewed by Yuriy Matso; see our methodology for the standards every series on the site is held to.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Median Household Income?
The Census Bureau's median household income in current dollars, annual since 1984 (published each September for the prior year). Half of US households earn more, half less — the standard denominator for affordability math, from housing to healthcare.
How do you read Median Income?
Nominal income rises most years; the informative read is against costs — the Real Estate Tracker divides the typical-home payment by this series. Note the ~9-month publication lag: the latest print always describes LAST year's incomes, so in fast-moving inflation episodes the affordability picture is slightly better (or worse) than the ratio shows.
Where does the Median Income data come from?
US Census Bureau via FRED (MEHOINUSA646N), annual, current dollars. We chart the full history and publish a dated, plain-English reading with every release; the raw series is downloadable as CSV at /data/indicators/median-household-income.csv.
How often is Median Income updated?
Median Income is a annual series from Census, refreshed here as soon as a new release posts to FRED.
After inflation: +2.5% (2025, year over year, CPI-adjusted)
Median household income ($)
- YoY %
- 5.2%