U.S. Census Shows Top 10% Income Rose 1.7% as Bottom 10% Stalled in 2025
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Sep 17
U.S. Census Shows Top 10% Income Rose 1.7% as Bottom 10% Stalled in 2025
3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Sep 17
Summary
Median household income still climbed 2.6% to a record $87,460 in 2025, but Census data shows those gains bypassed the bottom 10%, whose income was essentially unchanged.
That left the poorest households earning just 8 cents for every dollar made by the top 10%, down from 11 cents in 1967; the top 20% took in more than half of all income, while the bottom 20% got 3%.
Racial and education gaps also persisted: Black households earned 62 cents and Hispanic households 76 cents for every dollar of White household income, while workers with only a high school diploma made 44 cents on the bachelor's-dollar.
Poverty held at 13.1% on the supplemental measure even before major safety-net cuts take effect, with economists warning planned reductions of about $190 billion from SNAP and $920 billion from Medicaid will hit lower-income households next.