In 2022, San Francisco had the highest median household income of cities ranking within the top 25 in terms of population, with a median household income in of 136,692 U.S. dollars. In that year, San Jose in California was ranked second, and Seattle, Washington third.
Data on median household income can be compared to statistics on personal income in the U.S. released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal income rose to around 21.8 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022, the highest value recorded. Personal income is a measure of the total income received by persons from all sources, while median household income is “the amount with divides the income distribution into two equal groups,” according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Half of the population in question lives above median income and half lives below. Though total personal income has increased in recent years, this wealth is not distributed throughout the population. In practical terms, income of most households has decreased. One additional statistic illustrates this disparity: for the lowest quintile of workers, mean household income has remained more or less steady for the past decade at about 13 to 16 thousand constant U.S. dollars annually. Meanwhile, income for the top five percent of workers
has actually risen from about 285,000 U.S. dollars in 1990 to about 499,900 U.S. dollars in 2020.
Median household income in the top 25 most populated cities in the United States in 2022
(in U.S. dollars)
Characteristic
Median household income in U.S. dollars
San Francisco city, California
136,692
San Jose city, California
133,835
Seattle city, Washington
115,409
Washington city, District of Columbia
101,027
San Diego city, California
100,010
Austin city, Texas
89,415
Denver city, Colorado
88,213
Boston city, Massachusetts
86,331
Los Angeles city, California
76,135
Phoenix city, Arizona
75,969
New York city, New York
74,694
Charlotte city, North Carolina
74,401
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), Tennessee
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US Census Bureau. (July 1, 2023). Median household income in the top 25 most populated cities in the United States in 2022 (in U.S. dollars) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 10, 2024, from https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/205609/median-household-income-in-the-top-20-most-populated-cities-in-the-us/
US Census Bureau. "Median household income in the top 25 most populated cities in the United States in 2022 (in U.S. dollars)." Chart. July 1, 2023. Statista. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/205609/median-household-income-in-the-top-20-most-populated-cities-in-the-us/
US Census Bureau. (2023). Median household income in the top 25 most populated cities in the United States in 2022 (in U.S. dollars). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 10, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/205609/median-household-income-in-the-top-20-most-populated-cities-in-the-us/
US Census Bureau. "Median Household Income in The Top 25 Most Populated Cities in The United States in 2022 (in U.S. Dollars)." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Jul 2023, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/205609/median-household-income-in-the-top-20-most-populated-cities-in-the-us/
US Census Bureau, Median household income in the top 25 most populated cities in the United States in 2022 (in U.S. dollars) Statista, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/205609/median-household-income-in-the-top-20-most-populated-cities-in-the-us/ (last visited November 10, 2024)
Median household income in the top 25 most populated cities in the United States in 2022 (in U.S. dollars) [Graph], US Census Bureau, July 1, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/205609/median-household-income-in-the-top-20-most-populated-cities-in-the-us/