The U.S. Census Bureau has released data showing that real median household income in the United States was $83,730 in 2024, a figure not statistically different from the previous year’s estimate of $82,690. The official poverty rate declined by 0.4 percentage points to 10.6% for the year.
These statistics are based on findings from three reports: “Income in the United States: 2024,” “Poverty in the United States: 2024,” and “Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2024.” The reports use data collected through the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC), which is conducted annually to provide national estimates of income, poverty, and health insurance coverage.
The Census Bureau noted that while median household income overall did not change significantly, there were differences among racial and ethnic groups. Median income increased by 5.1% for Asian households and by 5.5% for Hispanic households but declined by 3.3% for Black households between 2023 and 2024. Income inequality as measured by the Gini index showed no significant change over this period.
For full-time, year-round workers, men’s median earnings rose by 3.7%, while women’s earnings did not show a significant change compared to last year. The female-to-male earnings ratio fell to 80.9% from 82.7%, marking a second consecutive annual decrease.
When considering post-tax income—which accounts for federal and state taxes as well as credits—median household income increased by 1.8%, rising from $71,040 in 2023 to $72,330 in 2024.
The weighted average poverty threshold for a family of four was set at $32,130 for the year according to standards updated with inflation adjustments using the Consumer Price Index (https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-thresholds.html). There were an estimated 35.9 million people living in poverty during this period.
The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), which incorporates government assistance programs and geographic variations in expenses, recorded a rate of 12.9%. Social Security remained a major factor affecting these numbers, moving an estimated 28.7 million individuals out of SPM-defined poverty.
Regarding health insurance coverage, about 92% of people had some form of health insurance during all or part of the year—approximately unchanged from prior years—while an estimated eight percent went without coverage at any point during the year.
Private health insurance remained more common than public coverage at rates of roughly two-thirds versus one-third respectively; employment-based plans were most prevalent among private options at just over half of all insured individuals.
The CPS ASEC response rate was reported at 62%, slightly higher than last year’s figure but still below pre-pandemic levels—a trend that raises concerns about potential bias due to nonresponse differences between respondents and nonrespondents.
“Using Administrative Data to Evaluate Nonresponse Bias in the 2025 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement” is available on the Research Matters blog for those seeking further information on how sample differences may impact survey results.
Further details regarding methodology can be found at https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar25.pdf.
