Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in United States of America

United States of America: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income was 18.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
18.9%
Change on year
up 1.6%
Rank
1st
of 1 groups
All-time high
18.9%
in 1993
All-time low
15.3%
in 2021
Years of data
62
1963–2024

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in United States of America, 1963–2024

05101520196319932024

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

In 2024, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in United States of America stood at 18.9%. That is the highest value across all 62 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 11.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in United States of America peaked at 18.9% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 15.3%, in 2021.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) in United States of America, 1963 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1963 15.6%
1964 15.7% +0.6%
1965 15.9% +1.3%
1966 16.6% +4.4%
1967 16.2% -2.4%
1968 15.7% -3.1%
1969 15.7% +0.0%
1970 16.1% +2.5%
1971 16.1% +0.0%
1972 17.0% +5.6%
1973 16.3% -4.1%
1974 15.7% -3.7%
1975 16.3% +3.8%
1976 16.0% -1.8%
1977 15.7% -1.9%
1978 15.6% -0.6%
1979 15.4% -1.3%
1980 15.8% +2.6%
1981 16.5% +4.4%
1982 17.6% +6.7%
1983 18.6% +5.7%
1984 18.3% -1.6%
1985 18.2% -0.5%
1986 18.3% +0.5%
1987 18.1% -1.1%
1988 18.1% +0.0%
1989 17.9% -1.1%
1990 18.1% +1.1%
1991 18.6% +2.8%
1992 18.7% +0.5%
1993 18.9% +1.1%
1994 18.2% -3.7%
1995 17.7% -2.7%
1996 18.0% +1.7%
1997 17.6% -2.2%
1998 17.9% +1.7%
1999 17.7% -1.1%
2000 17.3% -2.3%
2001 17.5% +1.2%
2002 18.1% +3.4%
2003 17.9% -1.1%
2004 17.6% -1.7%
2005 17.7% +0.6%
2006 17.9% +1.1%
2007 18.3% +2.2%
2008 18.3% +0.0%
2009 17.4% -4.9%
2010 17.7% +1.7%
2011 17.9% +1.1%
2012 18.1% +1.1%
2013 17.9% -1.1%
2014 17.0% -5.0%
2015 17.2% +1.2%
2016 17.9% +4.1%
2017 18.3% +2.2%
2018 18.2% -0.5%
2019 18.6% +2.2%
2020 17.0% -8.6%
2021 15.3% -10.0%
2022 18.3% +19.6%
2023 18.6% +1.6%
2024 18.9% +1.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 15.9% 15.6% 16.6% 7
1970s 16.0% 15.4% 17.0% 10
1980s 17.7% 15.8% 18.6% 10
1990s 18.1% 17.6% 18.9% 10
2000s 17.8% 17.3% 18.3% 10
2010s 17.9% 17.0% 18.6% 10
2020s 17.6% 15.3% 18.9% 5

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 1 Honduras 23.4% compare
  2. 2 Panama 23.2% compare
  3. 3 Colombia 22.7% compare
  4. 4 Zambia 21.9% compare

See the full ranking of 131 places →

More infrastructure data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in United States of America?
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in United States of America was 18.9% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 18.9% in 1993.
What is the lowest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 15.3% in 2021.
How does United States of America rank for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
United States of America ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 2024.
Is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States of America data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 19 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-people-living-below-50-percent-of-median-income-percent-2/united-states-of-america/

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About this data

Indicator
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
131 places, 2,510 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed