How much was income per American for a year (personal income per person)?
Income per American for a year (personal income per person) was $4,218 in 1970 and $76,994 in 2025: about 18 times as much.
Over the same years, prices in general (US inflation, measured by the consumer price index, CPI) rose about 8.3 times. That makes $4,218 in 1970 worth about $35,000 in 2025 money. So it grew faster than prices in general: it buys about 120% more than in 1970.
The biggest change between two listed years came between 1975 and 1980, when it went up 61%, from $6,340 to $10,207.
Income per person: price by year
| Year | Amount | In 2025 dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | $4,218 | $35,000 |
| 1975 | $6,340 | $37,900 |
| 1980 | $10,207 | $39,900 |
| 1985 | $14,771 | $44,200 |
| 1990 | $19,639 | $48,400 |
| 1995 | $23,570 | $49,800 |
| 2000 | $30,529 | $57,100 |
| 2005 | $35,630 | $58,700 |
| 2010 | $40,526 | $59,800 |
| 2015 | $48,038 | $65,200 |
| 2020 | $59,160 | $73,600 |
| 2025 | $76,994 | $77,000 |
"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
Figures as published by the source below.
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis: Personal income per capita (BEA, series A792RC0A052NBEA, via FRED), Dollars, Annual. View the source.
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