How much was a year's income of the typical US household?
A year's income of the typical US household was $22,420 in 1984 and $87,460 in 2025: about 3.9 times as much.
Over the same years, prices in general (US inflation, measured by the consumer price index, CPI) rose about 3.1 times. That makes $22,420 in 1984 worth about $69,500 in 2025 money. So it grew faster than prices in general: it buys about 26% more than in 1984.
The biggest change between two listed years came between 2020 and 2025, when it went up 29%, from $68,010 to $87,460.
Household income: price by year
| Year | Amount | In 2025 dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | $22,420 | $69,500 |
| 1985 | $23,620 | $70,700 |
| 1990 | $29,940 | $73,700 |
| 1995 | $34,080 | $72,000 |
| 2000 | $41,990 | $78,500 |
| 2005 | $46,330 | $76,400 |
| 2010 | $49,280 | $72,700 |
| 2015 | $56,520 | $76,800 |
| 2020 | $68,010 | $84,600 |
| 2025 | $87,460 | $87,500 |
"In 2025 dollars" adjusts each amount for inflation with the CPI, so the years can be compared fairly. How this works.
Where the numbers come from
From the US Census Bureau's official figures for that year.
Source: Median Household Income in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, series MEHOINUSA646N, via FRED), Current Dollars. View the source.
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