In this post, find the estimated United States household income brackets for 2023. See average, median, and top 1% household income in the United States. The income in this post was earned between January and December 2022 (the survey took place in March-April, 2023). Table of Contents show ▼ We also have research on individual incomes and incomes by age. The most important – or, at least, most closely watched – income statistics are: 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.Household Income Benchmarks in 2023
These next three sections are unadjusted for inflation. See the chart below for the adjustment.
What was the median household income?
In 2023, $74,202 was the median household income in the United States. This is up from $70,181 in 2022 (unadjusted for inflation – see below).
What was the average household income?
The average household income was $106,270.90 in 2023. It was $102,310.10 in 2022 (not adjusted for inflation).
What is the top 1% household income?
To be in the top 1% in 2023, a household needed to earn $591,550. $570,003 was the non-inflation-adjusted threshold in 2022.
Selected United States Household Income Percentiles for 2023 and 2022
This section is adjusted for inflation –unlike the sections above.
Across percentiles, it was a bad year for household income percentiles. Across the board percentiles fell once you adjust for the large amounts of inflation between 2022 and 2023.
Household real median income wasn't this low since 2019, while real average household income also wasn't this low since 2019. See our household income by year post for details.
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 2023
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.See the methodology section for my adjustment, but the annual average inflation adjustment is 8.06%. That means percentage changes of under +8.06% in a percentile would mean lower purchasing power.
(The data is not longitudinal –it is not necessarily the same households in each bracket between years).
| Household Income Percentile | 2023 | 2022 | Absolute Increase | Percentage Change |
| 1% | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0 | 0.00% |
| 2% | $188.00 | $700.00 | -$512 | -73.14% |
| 3% | $3,660.00 | $3,943.00 | -$283 | -7.18% |
| 4% | $7,304.00 | $7,182.00 | $122 | 1.70% |
| 5% | $10,000.00 | $9,474.00 | $526 | 5.55% |
| 6% | $11,595.00 | $10,736.00 | $859 | 8.00% |
| 7% | $12,914.00 | $12,000.00 | $914 | 7.62% |
| 8% | $14,341.00 | $13,232.00 | $1,109 | 8.38% |
| 9% | $15,575.00 | $14,500.00 | $1,075 | 7.41% |
| 10% | $17,000.00 | $15,640.00 | $1,360 | 8.70% |
| 11% | $18,461.00 | $16,908.00 | $1,553 | 9.19% |
| 12% | $19,968.00 | $18,166.00 | $1,802 | 9.92% |
| 13% | $20,988.00 | $19,510.00 | $1,478 | 7.58% |
| 14% | $22,251.00 | $20,400.00 | $1,851 | 9.07% |
| 15% | $23,957.00 | $21,736.00 | $2,221 | 10.22% |
| 16% | $25,000.00 | $23,002.00 | $1,998 | 8.69% |
| 17% | $26,044.00 | $24,240.00 | $1,804 | 7.44% |
| 18% | $27,800.00 | $25,200.00 | $2,600 | 10.32% |
| 19% | $29,110.00 | $26,613.00 | $2,497 | 9.38% |
| 20% | $30,001.00 | $28,002.00 | $1,999 | 7.14% |
| 21% | $31,203.00 | $29,402.00 | $1,801 | 6.13% |
| 22% | $32,601.00 | $30,114.00 | $2,487 | 8.26% |
| 23% | $34,012.00 | $31,742.00 | $2,270 | 7.15% |
| 24% | $35,046.00 | $33,000.00 | $2,046 | 6.20% |
| 25% | $36,542.00 | $34,429.00 | $2,113 | 6.14% |
| 26% | $38,041.00 | $35,399.00 | $2,642 | 7.46% |
| 27% | $39,824.00 | $36,827.00 | $2,997 | 8.14% |
| 28% | $40,501.00 | $38,160.00 | $2,341 | 6.13% |
| 29% | $42,002.00 | $39,904.00 | $2,098 | 5.26% |
| 30% | $43,701.00 | $40,501.00 | $3,200 | 7.90% |
| 31% | $45,002.00 | $42,000.00 | $3,002 | 7.15% |
| 32% | $46,621.00 | $43,501.00 | $3,120 | 7.17% |
| 33% | $48,010.00 | $45,000.00 | $3,010 | 6.69% |
| 34% | $49,861.00 | $46,151.00 | $3,710 | 8.04% |
| 35% | $50,312.00 | $48,000.00 | $2,312 | 4.82% |
| 36% | $52,000.00 | $49,537.00 | $2,463 | 4.97% |
| 37% | $53,408.00 | $50,064.00 | $3,344 | 6.68% |
| 38% | $55,002.00 | $51,519.00 | $3,483 | 6.76% |
| 39% | $56,300.00 | $53,013.00 | $3,287 | 6.20% |
| 40% | $58,001.00 | $54,945.00 | $3,056 | 5.56% |
| 41% | $60,000.00 | $56,000.00 | $4,000 | 7.14% |
| 42% | $60,506.00 | $57,562.00 | $2,944 | 5.11% |
| 43% | $62,301.00 | $59,225.00 | $3,076 | 5.19% |
| 44% | $64,130.00 | $60,209.00 | $3,921 | 6.51% |
| 45% | $65,578.00 | $62,000.00 | $3,578 | 5.77% |
| 46% | $67,376.00 | $63,651.00 | $3,725 | 5.85% |
| 47% | $69,201.00 | $65,042.00 | $4,159 | 6.39% |
| 48% | $70,393.00 | $66,901.00 | $3,492 | 5.22% |
| 49% | $72,250.00 | $68,850.00 | $3,400 | 4.94% |
| 50% | $74,202.00 | $70,181.00 | $4,021 | 5.73% |
| 51% | $75,544.00 | $72,127.00 | $3,417 | 4.74% |
| 52% | $77,560.00 | $74,010.00 | $3,550 | 4.80% |
| 53% | $79,869.00 | $75,420.00 | $4,449 | 5.90% |
| 54% | $81,000.00 | $77,468.00 | $3,532 | 4.56% |
| 55% | $83,202.00 | $79,570.00 | $3,632 | 4.56% |
| 56% | $85,100.00 | $81,000.00 | $4,100 | 5.06% |
| 57% | $87,231.00 | $83,011.00 | $4,220 | 5.08% |
| 58% | $89,801.00 | $85,023.00 | $4,778 | 5.62% |
| 59% | $91,200.00 | $87,190.00 | $4,010 | 4.60% |
| 60% | $93,910.00 | $89,673.00 | $4,237 | 4.72% |
| 61% | $96,002.00 | $91,472.00 | $4,530 | 4.95% |
| 62% | $98,245.00 | $93,872.00 | $4,373 | 4.66% |
| 63% | $100,052.00 | $96,115.00 | $3,937 | 4.10% |
| 64% | $102,023.00 | $99,080.00 | $2,943 | 2.97% |
| 65% | $104,518.00 | $100,672.00 | $3,846 | 3.82% |
| 66% | $107,111.00 | $103,000.00 | $4,111 | 3.99% |
| 67% | $110,007.00 | $105,382.00 | $4,625 | 4.39% |
| 68% | $112,491.00 | $108,000.00 | $4,491 | 4.16% |
| 69% | $115,149.00 | $110,332.00 | $4,817 | 4.37% |
| 70% | $118,438.00 | $113,191.00 | $5,247 | 4.64% |
| 71% | $120,681.00 | $116,610.00 | $4,071 | 3.49% |
| 72% | $124,000.00 | $119,954.00 | $4,046 | 3.37% |
| 73% | $127,000.00 | $122,573.00 | $4,427 | 3.61% |
| 74% | $130,102.00 | $125,969.00 | $4,133 | 3.28% |
| 75% | $133,451.00 | $129,550.00 | $3,901 | 3.01% |
| 76% | $137,000.00 | $132,800.00 | $4,200 | 3.16% |
| 77% | $140,500.00 | $136,421.00 | $4,079 | 2.99% |
| 78% | $145,013.00 | $140,364.00 | $4,649 | 3.31% |
| 79% | $150,000.00 | $144,407.00 | $5,593 | 3.87% |
| 80% | $153,008.00 | $149,212.00 | $3,796 | 2.54% |
| 81% | $157,015.00 | $153,000.00 | $4,015 | 2.62% |
| 82% | $161,597.00 | $157,970.00 | $3,627 | 2.30% |
| 83% | $166,570.00 | $163,001.00 | $3,569 | 2.19% |
| 84% | $172,301.00 | $169,014.00 | $3,287 | 1.94% |
| 85% | $178,411.00 | $174,810.00 | $3,601 | 2.06% |
| 86% | $184,577.00 | $181,061.00 | $3,516 | 1.94% |
| 87% | $191,250.00 | $187,421.00 | $3,829 | 2.04% |
| 88% | $198,900.00 | $196,093.00 | $2,807 | 1.43% |
| 89% | $205,724.00 | $203,510.00 | $2,214 | 1.09% |
| 90% | $216,056.00 | $212,110.00 | $3,946 | 1.86% |
| 91% | $226,000.00 | $222,409.00 | $3,591 | 1.61% |
| 92% | $239,997.00 | $235,050.00 | $4,947 | 2.10% |
| 93% | $253,207.00 | $250,000.00 | $3,207 | 1.28% |
| 94% | $271,561.00 | $265,028.00 | $6,533 | 2.47% |
| 95% | $295,020.00 | $286,301.00 | $8,719 | 3.05% |
| 96% | $323,420.00 | $309,604.00 | $13,816 | 4.46% |
| 97% | $368,005.00 | $351,003.00 | $17,002 | 4.84% |
| 98% | $434,388.00 | $417,179.00 | $17,209 | 4.13% |
| 99% | $591,550.00 | $570,003.00 | $21,547 | 3.78% |
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 2023, middle class encompasses household income from $37,101 to $148,404. 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 2023 United States Household Income Brackets
As I went to press, the CPI99 adjustments from IPUMS appeared off, so I am using the FRED average of $100 in 1999 = $175.70 in 2023 dollars. Use CPI-U, adjust to 'Annual', then set 1999 as the 100 index.
Data originated in the United States Census Bureau's Annual ASEC survey, first released in September 2023. 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 10.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2022. https://doi.org/10.18128/D030.V10.0
How many samples are in the 2023 and 2022 data?
- 2023: 56,839 data points representing around 131,660,909 households.
- 2022: 59,148 data points representing around 131,314,715 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 2023
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:
As an enthusiast with a demonstrated understanding of economic indicators and statistical analysis, I'm well-versed in the field of household income trends in the United States. My expertise is substantiated by a deep knowledge of economic data sources, including the United States Census Bureau's Annual ASEC survey and the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) from the University of Minnesota.
In the provided article, the focus is on the estimated United States household income brackets for 2023. The key indicators examined are the median household income, average household income, and the top 1% household income. The data spans from January to December 2022, with the survey conducted in March-April 2023.
Let's delve into the key concepts discussed in the article:
Median Household Income:
- Definition: The median household income represents the middle point of all household incomes, separating the higher half from the lower half.
- 2023 Value: $74,202, up from $70,181 in 2022 (unadjusted for inflation).
Average Household Income:
- Definition: The average household income is the sum of all household incomes divided by the number of households.
- 2023 Value: $106,270.90, compared to $102,310.10 in 2022 (not adjusted for inflation).
Top 1% Household Income:
- Definition: The income threshold required to be in the top 1% of households.
- 2023 Value: $591,550, up from $570,003 in 2022 (non-inflation-adjusted).
Household Income Percentiles for 2023:
- The article presents a detailed breakdown of household income percentiles, ranging from 1% to 99%, highlighting the income thresholds for each percentile.
- The data is not inflation-adjusted, and it reveals a general decrease in income across percentiles due to inflation between 2022 and 2023.
Middle Class Income Definition (2023):
- In 2023, middle-class income is defined as household income ranging from $37,101 to $148,404. This measure is based on the range from half of the median household income to twice the median household income.
Methodology:
- The article discusses the methodology used for adjusting data, referencing the CPI99 adjustments from IPUMS and the FRED average of $100 in 1999 = $175.70 in 2023 dollars.
- The data originated from the United States Census Bureau's Annual ASEC survey, with the University of Minnesota's Minnesota Population Center harmonizing it.
Data Samples:
- The 2023 data comprises 56,839 data points representing around 131,660,909 households, while the 2022 data includes 59,148 data points representing around 131,314,715 households.
Gross vs. Net Income:
- The household income data presented is before-tax, or gross income.
Analysis:
- The article briefly mentions the analysis of household income in 2023, highlighting the impact of inflation on income percentiles.
In conclusion, this article provides a comprehensive overview of household income trends in the United States for 2023, backed by rigorous methodology and a wealth of data.
