U.S. Median Household Income Rose 56% in Real Terms Since 1967

Inflation-adjusted U.S. household income at the median rose about 56% from 1967 to 2025, while gains at the 90th percentile were more than twice as large. Income at the 10th percentile also increased about 56% over the period. These figures track household income, not changes in an individual worker’s wages.

Median household income reached $87,460 in 2025, up 2.6% from $85,210 in 2024. The 2025 figure was the highest in the series, which begins in 1967. The long-term percentage compares the 50th percentile in 1967 with the same percentile in 2025; the 2.6% increase compares the median across 2024 and 2025.

Historical amounts are expressed in 2025 dollars and adjusted for changes in consumer prices. The measure covers pretax money income and excludes in-kind transfers. The 50th percentile is the median; the 10th and 90th percentiles mark other points in the household income distribution.

The 90th-percentile figure represents growth of about 121% from that percentile’s 1967 level. It does not mean those households earned 121% more than median-income households in 2025. The figures describe different rates of change over time and do not give the dollar gap between the percentile groups.

Income at the 10th percentile did not change significantly from 2024 to 2025. Its longer-term increase was about 56% from 1967 to 2025, matching the median’s approximate gain over that span. The annual result and the long-term comparison cover different periods.

Median income is one measure of household well-being. The figures describe household income rather than individual wages, and the pretax measure excludes in-kind transfers. They do not cover every dimension of household well-being.