U.S. real median household income rose to $87,460 in 2025, setting a new high since the Census Bureau began tracking the measure in 1967. The inflation-adjusted figure was 2.6% above 2024. After-tax income also increased, though it remained below pandemic-era highs, and gains differed sharply across the income distribution.
Key takeaways
- Real median household income reached $87,460 in 2025, up from $85,210 in 2024.
- Median post-tax income rose 3.1% to $76,060 but did not set a record.
- Income at the 90th percentile increased, while the 10th-percentile measure showed no significant year-over-year change.
- The gap between the 90th and 10th percentiles widened over the long term.
The figures are adjusted for inflation. Together, they show an overall income milestone alongside persistent differences in how gains have accrued to households at different points in the distribution.
Pre-tax income reached a new high
The Census Bureau’s estimate of real median household income before taxes climbed by $2,250, from $85,210 in 2024 to $87,460 in 2025. The 2.6% increase brought the measure to its highest recorded level in the series, which begins in 1967.
A median represents the midpoint: half of households had incomes above the figure and half had incomes below it. It does not indicate that every household experienced an increase of the same size.
After-tax income remained below pandemic highs
Median household income after taxes and credits rose 3.1%, reaching $76,060 in 2025 compared with $73,760 the year before. Despite the annual gain, the post-tax measure remained below its 2020 and 2021 levels, when pandemic-related stimulus payments and other credits boosted household resources.
The distinction reflects the effect of taxes and credits on disposable income. The post-tax series therefore followed a different trajectory from the pre-tax record in 2025.
Income gains differed across households
At the 90th percentile, both pre-tax and post-tax household income increased for a third consecutive year. By contrast, neither measure at the 10th percentile changed significantly from 2024, according to the reported estimates.
Long-term comparisons also point to uneven growth. From 1967 to 2025, pre-tax income rose about 56% at both the 10th and 50th percentiles, while it increased about 121% at the 90th percentile. The ratio between income at the 90th and 10th percentiles grew from 9.23 in 1967 to 13.06 in 2025—meaning the higher-percentile figure was about 13 times the lower-percentile figure.