What is the income of a household?

Updated Apr. 3, 2026Refreshed annually
The median household income in the US was $81,600 in 2024. Household income is the total money received in a year — wages, pensions, investments, public assistance, and more — by everyone in a household over 15.

$81.6K

Median household income (2024)

2%

Percent increase (2023 to 2024)

Median incomes change over time due to a range of factors:

  • inflation
  • economic growth or recessions
  • shifts in industries and technology
  • changes in workforce education and demographics
  • policy adjustments like minimum wage laws or tax reforms
After adjusting for inflation, the median household income increased from $80,000 in 2023 to $81,600 in 2024. Median household income was highest in 2024 among the years for which data is available.
2020 data is excluded due to problems in data collection caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Between 2023 and 2024, median household income increased 2% to $81,600.

Median household income, adjusted for inflation (2024 dollars)

What percent of households make over 100K a year?

The median household income is a useful summary, but it doesn’t fully capture the income landscape. Examining the income distribution provides insight into economic diversity and reveals patterns in income concentrations across different brackets. This perspective helps to better understand the range of and disparities in household earnings.
In 2024, 41.2% of households in the United States made more than $100K and 30.6% made less than $50K.

In 2024, about 41.2% of households in the US made more than $100K.

Share of households in each income group (2024)

How does income vary by household type?

Household income can differ depending on the makeup of the household.
Married couple households had a higher median income than other types of familial households in 2024. Among nonfamily households, male householders not living alone had a higher median income than female householders not living alone.

In 2024, married-couple households had the highest median income.

Median income by household type (2024)

What state has the highest average income?

Lastly, household income also varies by geography due to differences in cost of living, local job markets, and economic opportunities (e.g. the presence of high-paying industries or declining sectors). Regional policies (like minimum wage), access to education, and other economic factors can also play a role in shaping local income levels.
Among all states, median household incomes ranged from $104,828 in Massachusetts to $59,127 in Mississippi in 2024.

In 2024, Massachusetts had the highest median household income and Mississippi had the lowest.

Median household income by state (2024)

Median household income, by state (2024)

Median household income, by state (2024)
1.

Washington, DC

$109,700
2.

Massachusetts 

$104,800
3.

New Jersey

$104,300
4.

Maryland 

$102,900
5.

Hawaii 

$100,700
6.

California 

$100,100
7.

New Hampshire

$99,800
8.

Washington state

$99,400
9.

Colorado 

$97,100
10.

Utah 

$96,700

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.