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
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in United States of America, 1963–2024
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
| 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
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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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