9.13.2011

$49,445 - Ponder This With Me


That's the "median household income" as released by the Census bureau this morning. That's down over 2% from 2009.

Trying to find historical data is mind-numbing. Everything seems to broken down by region, age and race not to mention that it may or may not be adjusted for inflation. But it seems that, generally speaking, incomes in America have flattened out over the last decade or more. That is, Americans aren't on a gradual increase in income from one year to the next. Now, and for many years before, we can expect income to remain the same or even decrease from year to year while prices continue to slowly ascend.

Do you guys agree? Leaving politics aside, because 10 to 15 years includes both Democrats and Republicans being in charge, does it seem like things aren't the same as they were in the 1990s and before?

(And if someone can find a solid Census graph for median household income over the last 30 years, I'd love to see it.)

Edit: WordKyle found a good Census chart. My fears seem to be true. Starting with the late 1990s, we've been flat or in decline ever since. And the latest numbers take us back to the late 1980s.