The U.S. Census Bureau reported 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 decreased by 0.4 percentage points to 10.6% in 2024, while the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) rate remained unchanged at 12.9%. According to data from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC), an estimated 92% of people had health insurance coverage for all or part of the year.
These results are detailed in three reports: “Income in the United States: 2024,” “Poverty in the United States: 2024,” and “Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2024.” The Census Bureau notes that “the official poverty measure is based on the concept of money income, which is pretax and does not include tax credits,” while “the SPM is a post-tax and transfer poverty measure.” The SPM provides an alternative way to assess economic well-being by including resources from government programs and tax credits.
Income estimates continue to be based on money income for consistency with past reports. Appendix B of this year’s income report includes post-tax estimates of median household income and measures of income inequality.
The CPS ASEC collects annual data on job status, income, and health insurance coverage for the prior calendar year through a survey conducted each February through April. In 2025, its weighted response rate was 62%, slightly higher than last year’s rate but still below pre-pandemic levels. Lower response rates can increase bias; therefore, survey weights are adjusted for nonresponse and controlled to population totals to ensure representativeness.
The Census Bureau emphasizes ongoing efforts to address nonresponse bias as response rates remain lower than before COVID-19 disruptions. More information about how differences between respondents and nonrespondents might affect accuracy can be found in their Research Matters blog (“Using Administrative Data to Evaluate Nonresponse Bias in the 2025 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement”), which also discusses research into improved methods for handling such biases.
In detail:
– Median household income rose by more than five percent for Asian (5.1%) and Hispanic households (5.5%), but declined by 3.3% among Black households between 2023 and 2024.
– Income inequality measured by the Gini index showed no significant change.
– Household incomes at the top tenth percentile increased by over four percent; there were no significant changes at other percentiles.
– Among full-time, year-round workers, men saw median earnings rise by nearly four percent; women’s earnings did not change significantly.
– The female-to-male earnings ratio fell again this year to just over eighty percent—down from nearly eighty-three percent last year.
When accounting for taxes and credits—so-called post-tax income—median household income increased by almost two percent from $71,040 in 2023 to $72,330 in 2024. Income inequality using post-tax calculations was nearly nine percent lower compared with pretax measures.
According to federal guidelines updated annually for inflation (see https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-thresholds.html), a family of four faced a weighted average poverty threshold of $32,130 in 2024.
There were notable shifts among racial groups regarding poverty rates:
– The official poverty rate dropped among White, Asian, and Hispanic individuals but did not significantly change for other race groups covered.
– Social Security continued as the largest antipoverty program—lifting nearly twenty-nine million people above SPM-defined poverty thresholds.
– For those aged sixty-five or older—and Black individuals—the SPM rate increased compared with last year; it remained steady overall.
In most cases across demographic groups studied this year except children under eighteen years old or those living with cohabiting partners—the SPM yielded higher poverty rates than official measures using consistent populations.
On health insurance coverage:
– Private insurance remained more common than public coverage (66% versus about thirty-six percent).
– Employment-based plans covered over half of Americans at some point during the year.
– Medicare covered just under one-fifth; Medicaid covered nearly eighteen percent; direct-purchase plans insured roughly eleven percent.
– Private coverage rates rose modestly due mainly to increases in direct-purchase policies; public coverage fell primarily because fewer people had Medicaid.
– Children’s private insurance coverage climbed slightly while their public coverage dropped compared with last year’s figures.
Regional data on these topics are available within each report along with tables providing state-level statistics averaged over three years.
All statistical comparisons cited have been tested at a ninety-percent confidence level unless otherwise noted. Additional technical details about methodology can be accessed at https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar25.pdf.
