Household income in the U.S. - shares of quintiles 1970-2017
Shares of household income of quintiles in the United States from 1970 to 2017
The statistic shows the shares of household income of quintiles in the United States from 1970 to 2017. About 51.5 percent of the household income of private households in the U.S. are earned by the highest quintile in 2017, which are the upper 20 percent of the workers. In contrast to that, in the same year, only 3.1 percent of the household income are earned by the lowest quintile. This relation between the quintiles illustrates the income inequality in the United States.
Income inequality
Income inequality is a big topic for public discussion in the United States. About 65 percent of U.S. Americans think that the gap between the rich and the poor has gotten larger in the past ten years.
This impression is backed up by U.S. census data showing that the Gini-coefficient for income distribution in the United States has been increasing constantly over the past decades for individuals and households. The Gini coefficient for individual earnings of full-time, year round workers has increased between 1990 and 2015 from 0.36 to 0.41, for example. This indicates an increase in concentration of income. In general the Gini coefficient is calculated by looking at average income rates. A score of zero would reflect perfect income equality and a score of 1 indicates a society where one person would have all the money and all other people have nothing.
Income distribution is also affected by region. District of Columbia was the state with the widest gap between rich and poor people in the United States with a Gini coefficient of 0.54, as of 2015.
In global comparison, South Africa lead the ranking of the 20 countries with the biggest inequality in income distribution in 2015. South Africa had a score of 63.4 points, based on the Gini coefficient. On the other hand, the Gini coefficient stood at 24.1 in Ukraine, indicating that income is widely spread among the Ukrainian population and not concentrated on a few rich individuals or families. Ukraine led the ranking of the 20 countries with the greatest income distribution equality in 2015.
Shares of household income of quintiles in the United States from 1970 to 2017
Loading statistic...
| Lowest quintile | Second quintile | Third quintile | Fourth quintile | Highest quintile | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3.1% | 8.2% | 14.3% | 23% | 51.5% |
| 2016 | 3.1% | 8.3% | 14.2% | 22.9% | 51.5% |
| 2015 | 3.1% | 8.2% | 14.3% | 23.2% | 51.1% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | 8.2% | 14.3% | 23.2% | 51.2% |
| 2013 | 3.2% | 8.4% | 14.4% | 23% | 51% |
| 2012 | 3.2% | 8.3% | 14.4% | 23% | 51% |
| 2011 | 3.2% | 8.4% | 14.3% | 23% | 51.1% |
| 2010 | 3.3% | 8.5% | 14.6% | 23.4% | 50.3% |
| 2005 | 3.4% | 8.6% | 14.6% | 23% | 50.4% |
| 2000 | 3.6% | 8.9% | 14.8% | 23% | 49.8% |
| 1995 | 3.7% | 9.1% | 15.2% | 23.3% | 48.7% |
| 1990 | 3.8% | 9.6% | 15.9% | 24% | 46.6% |
| 1985 | 3.9% | 9.8% | 16.2% | 24.4% | 45.6% |
| 1980 | 4.2% | 10.2% | 16.8% | 24.6% | 44.2% |
| 1975 | 4.3% | 10.4% | 17% | 24.7% | 43.6% |
| 1970 | 4.1% | 10.8% | 17.4% | 24.5% | 43.3% |
| Lowest quintile | Second quintile | Third quintile | Fourth quintile | Highest quintile | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3.1% | 8.2% | 14.3% | 23% | 51.5% |
| 2016 | 3.1% | 8.3% | 14.2% | 22.9% | 51.5% |
| 2015 | 3.1% | 8.2% | 14.3% | 23.2% | 51.1% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | 8.2% | 14.3% | 23.2% | 51.2% |
| 2013 | 3.2% | 8.4% | 14.4% | 23% | 51% |
| 2012 | 3.2% | 8.3% | 14.4% | 23% | 51% |
| 2011 | 3.2% | 8.4% | 14.3% | 23% | 51.1% |
| 2010 | 3.3% | 8.5% | 14.6% | 23.4% | 50.3% |
| 2005 | 3.4% | 8.6% | 14.6% | 23% | 50.4% |
| 2000 | 3.6% | 8.9% | 14.8% | 23% | 49.8% |
| 1995 | 3.7% | 9.1% | 15.2% | 23.3% | 48.7% |
| 1990 | 3.8% | 9.6% | 15.9% | 24% | 46.6% |
| 1985 | 3.9% | 9.8% | 16.2% | 24.4% | 45.6% |
| 1980 | 4.2% | 10.2% | 16.8% | 24.6% | 44.2% |
| 1975 | 4.3% | 10.4% | 17% | 24.7% | 43.6% |
| 1970 | 4.1% | 10.8% | 17.4% | 24.5% | 43.3% |
© Statista 2019
About this statistic
Show source
Download
Settings
Share
Download started
Please be patient - this may take a moment
Please be patient - this may take a moment
Description
Source
More information
The statistic shows the shares of household income of quintiles in the United States from 1970 to 2017. About 51.5 percent of the household income of private households in the U.S. are earned by the highest quintile in 2017, which are the upper 20 percent of the workers. In contrast to that, in the same year, only 3.1 percent of the household income are earned by the lowest quintile. This relation between the quintiles illustrates the income inequality in the United States.
Income inequality
Income inequality is a big topic for public discussion in the United States. About 65 percent of U.S. Americans think that the gap between the rich and the poor has gotten larger in the past ten years.
This impression is backed up by U.S. census data showing that the Gini-coefficient for income distribution in the United States has been increasing constantly over the past decades for individuals and households. The Gini coefficient for individual earnings of full-time, year round workers has increased between 1990 and 2015 from 0.36 to 0.41, for example. This indicates an increase in concentration of income. In general the Gini coefficient is calculated by looking at average income rates. A score of zero would reflect perfect income equality and a score of 1 indicates a society where one person would have all the money and all other people have nothing.
Income distribution is also affected by region. District of Columbia was the state with the widest gap between rich and poor people in the United States with a Gini coefficient of 0.54, as of 2015.
In global comparison, South Africa lead the ranking of the 20 countries with the biggest inequality in income distribution in 2015. South Africa had a score of 63.4 points, based on the Gini coefficient. On the other hand, the Gini coefficient stood at 24.1 in Ukraine, indicating that income is widely spread among the Ukrainian population and not concentrated on a few rich individuals or families. Ukraine led the ranking of the 20 countries with the greatest income distribution equality in 2015.
Show moreIncome inequality
Income inequality is a big topic for public discussion in the United States. About 65 percent of U.S. Americans think that the gap between the rich and the poor has gotten larger in the past ten years.
This impression is backed up by U.S. census data showing that the Gini-coefficient for income distribution in the United States has been increasing constantly over the past decades for individuals and households. The Gini coefficient for individual earnings of full-time, year round workers has increased between 1990 and 2015 from 0.36 to 0.41, for example. This indicates an increase in concentration of income. In general the Gini coefficient is calculated by looking at average income rates. A score of zero would reflect perfect income equality and a score of 1 indicates a society where one person would have all the money and all other people have nothing.
Income distribution is also affected by region. District of Columbia was the state with the widest gap between rich and poor people in the United States with a Gini coefficient of 0.54, as of 2015.
In global comparison, South Africa lead the ranking of the 20 countries with the biggest inequality in income distribution in 2015. South Africa had a score of 63.4 points, based on the Gini coefficient. On the other hand, the Gini coefficient stood at 24.1 in Ukraine, indicating that income is widely spread among the Ukrainian population and not concentrated on a few rich individuals or families. Ukraine led the ranking of the 20 countries with the greatest income distribution equality in 2015.
- Show sources information
- Show publisher information
- Release date
- September 2018
- Region
- United States
- Survey time period
- 1970 to 2017
Source
- Show sources information
- Show publisher information
- Release date
- September 2018
More information
- Region
- United States
- Survey time period
- 1970 to 2017
Statista Accounts:
Access All Statistics. Starting from $588 / Year
Basic Account
Get to know the platform
You only have access to basic statistics.
Premium Account
Your perfect start with Statista
- Instant access to 1m statistics
- Download in XLS, PDF & PNG format
- Detailed references
$49 / Month *
Corporate Account
Full access
Corporate solution including all features.
* All products require an annual contract.
Prices do not include sales tax.
Prices do not include sales tax.
Leading companies trust Statista:
Related Studies: Available to Download in PDF or PPTX Format
All Information
in one Presentation
Poverty and Income in the United States
- 77 page/s
- English
- pptx
- Detailed references
Everything On "Poverty and Income in the United States" in One Document: Edited and Divided into Handy Chapters. Including Detailed References.
Statista has been my savior on several occasions. The site is easy to maneuver and the data is in a format that can go right into a report or presentation.Marlene Greenfield
Vice President, Hearst Magazines
Statistics on "Poverty and Income in the United States"
- Poverty
The most important statistics
- Number of people living below the poverty line in the United States from 1990 to 2017 (in millions)Number of people living below the poverty line in the U.S. 1990-2017
- Poverty rate in the United States from 1990 to 2017Poverty rate in the United States 1990-2017
- Number of families living below the poverty line in the U.S. from 1990 to 2017 (in thousands)Number of families in poverty in the U.S. from 1990 to 2017
- Poverty rate for families in the U.S. from 1990 to 2017Poverty rate for families in the U.S. from 1990 to 2017
- Number of people living below the poverty line in the United States in 2017, by state (in 1,000)Number of people living below the poverty line in the U.S. 2017, by state
- Poverty rate in the United States in 2017, by statePoverty rate in the United States 2017, by state
- Child poverty rate in the U.S. from 1990 to 2017Child poverty rate in the United States 1990-2017
- Poverty rate in the U.S. in 2017, by ethnic groupPoverty rate in the United States by ethnic group 2017
- Income
The most important statistics
- Median household income in the United States from 1990 to 2017 (in 2017 U.S. dollars)Median household income in the United States 1990-2017
- Median household income in the United States in 2017, by state (in current U.S. dollars)Median household income in the United States by state 2017
- Median household income in the United States in 2017, by age of householder (in U.S. dollars)Median household income in the United States by age 2017
- Median household income in the United States in 2017, by educational attainment of householder (in U.S. dollars)Median household income in the United States by education of householder 2017
- Median household income in the United States in 2017, by race or ethnic group (in U.S. dollars)Median household income in the United States by race or ethnic group 2017
- Number of households in the United States by household income in 2017 (in millions)Number of households by household income in the U.S. 2017
- Mean household income for the lowest quintile and the top 5 percent from 1990 to 2017 (in 2017 U.S. dollars)Household income in the U.S. - comparison of the lowest quintile and the top 5 percent
- Shares of household income of quintiles in the United States from 1970 to 2017Household income in the U.S. - shares of quintiles 1970-2017
- Inequality
The most important statistics
- U.S. household income distribution from 1990 to 2017 (by Gini-coefficient)U.S. household income distribution 1990-2017, by Gini-coefficient
- U.S. family income distribution from 1990 to 2017 (by Gini coefficient)U.S. family income distribution 1990-2017, by Gini coefficient
- U.S. income distribution of individual earnings for full-time, year-round workers from 1990 to 2017 (by Gini-coefficient)U.S. income distribution of individual earnings 1990-2017, by Gini-coefficient
- Gini coefficient as a measure for household income distribution inequality for U.S. states in 2017Gap between rich and poor, by state in the U.S. 2017
- Gini index for income distribution equality for households in the United States in 2017, by race and Hispanic originGini index for income distribution equality for U.S. households 2017, by race/origin
- Gini index for income distribution equality for families in the United States in 2017, by race and Hispanic origin of householderGini index for income distribution equality for U.S. families 2017, by race/origin
- Ranking the 20 countries with the greatest income distribution equality in 2017*, based on the Gini indexGini Index - countries with the greatest income distribution equality 2017*
- Gender wage gap for the 20 most common occupations for men in the U.S. in 2018, by median weekly earnings (in U.S. dollars)U.S. gender wage gap for the 20 most common occupations for men 2018
Discover Statista
Need help with using Statista for your research?
Tutorials and first steps
Further Content: Statistics, Studies, and Topic Pages
Statistics
- Household income of black families in the U.S. 1990-2017
- Household income of white families in the U.S. 1990-2017
- Household income of Asian families in the U.S. 1990-2017
- Household income in the U.S. - percentage distribution 2006-2017
- Hispanic household share of 100k+ income households in the U.S. from 2007 to 2017
- Distribution of Hispanic workers' earnings in the U.S. 2012
- Distribution of Hispanic households in the U.S. 2012, by total money income
- Median annual family income in Canada in 2016, by province
- Median family income in the United States from 1990-2017
- Median annual family income in Canada from 2000 to 2016
- Annual salary of public enterprise employees in urban China 2017, by region
- Average annual wage in Japan 2000-2016
- Median household income after tax in Norway 2017, by type
- Average annual wage in Australia 2000-2014
- Average annual income of farm households in South Korea 2012-2017
- Mean disposable income per household in the third quartile in the UK 2000-2018
- Online audience distribution of shareably.net in GB 2015, by household income
- Utah - Median household income from 1990 to 2017
- Chile: stability of household income 2016, by age
- Teen computer ownership demographics in U.S. 2018, by household income
Studies
- Poverty and Income in the United States
- Millionaires in the United States
- Immigration in the United States
- Income and Poverty in the United States 2017
- Income and Poverty in the United States 2016
- Tech specialist income in the United Kingdom (UK)
- Income and Poverty in the United States 2015
- Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States 2012
- Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States 2011
- Income and Poverty in the United States 2014
- Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States 2010
- Income and Poverty in the United States 2013
- Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States 2015
- Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States 2008
- Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States 2007
Statistics on "Poverty and Income in the United States"
- Number of people living below the poverty line in the United States from 1990 to 2017 (in millions)
- Poverty rate in the United States from 1990 to 2017
- Number of families living below the poverty line in the U.S. from 1990 to 2017 (in thousands)
- Poverty rate for families in the U.S. from 1990 to 2017
- Number of people living below the poverty line in the United States in 2017, by state (in 1,000)
- Poverty rate in the United States in 2017, by state
- Child poverty rate in the U.S. from 1990 to 2017
- Poverty rate in the U.S. in 2017, by ethnic group
- Poverty rate in the United States in 2017, by age and gender
- Poverty rate in the United States in 2017, by education
- Percentage of people who live below the poverty level in the most populated cities in the U.S. in 2017
- Percentage of families who live below the poverty level in the most populated cities in the U.S. in 2017
- Poverty rates in OECD countries as of 2016
- Proportion of children living in poverty in the OECD countries in 2016
- Median household income in the United States from 1990 to 2017 (in 2017 U.S. dollars)
- Median household income in the United States in 2017, by state (in current U.S. dollars)
- Median household income in the United States in 2017, by age of householder (in U.S. dollars)
- Median household income in the United States in 2017, by educational attainment of householder (in U.S. dollars)
- Median household income in the United States in 2017, by race or ethnic group (in U.S. dollars)
- Number of households in the United States by household income in 2017 (in millions)
- Mean household income for the lowest quintile and the top 5 percent from 1990 to 2017 (in 2017 U.S. dollars)
- Shares of household income of quintiles in the United States from 1970 to 2017
- Percentage distribution of household income in the United States in 2017
- Percentage distribution of household income in the United States in 2017, by ethnic group
- Median value of debt held by families in the United States in 2016, by age of family head (in thousand U.S. dollars)
- Median household income in the top 25 most populated U.S. cities in 2017 (in U.S. dollars)
- U.S. household income distribution from 1990 to 2017 (by Gini-coefficient)
- U.S. family income distribution from 1990 to 2017 (by Gini coefficient)
- U.S. income distribution of individual earnings for full-time, year-round workers from 1990 to 2017 (by Gini-coefficient)
- Gini coefficient as a measure for household income distribution inequality for U.S. states in 2017
- Gini index for income distribution equality for households in the United States in 2017, by race and Hispanic origin
- Gini index for income distribution equality for families in the United States in 2017, by race and Hispanic origin of householder
- Ranking the 20 countries with the greatest income distribution equality in 2017*, based on the Gini index
- Gender wage gap for the 20 most common occupations for men in the U.S. in 2018, by median weekly earnings (in U.S. dollars)
- Median income of black private households in the U.S. from 1990 to 2017 (in 2016 U.S. dollars)
- Median income of white, non-Hispanic private households in the U.S. from 1990 to 2017 (in 2017 U.S. dollars)
- Median income of Asian private households in the U.S. from 1990 to 2017 (in 2017 U.S. dollars)
- Percentage distribution of household income in the United States from 2006 to 2017
- Hispanic share of all households with income of 100,000 U.S. dollars or more in the United States from 2007 to 2017
- Distribution of Hispanic workers' earnings in the United States in 2012, by income group (in 1,000)
- Distribution of Hispanic households in the United States in 2012, by total money income (in 1,000)
- Median annual family income in Canada in 2016, by province (in Canadian dollars)
- Median annual family income in the United States from 1990 to 2017 (in U.S. dollars)
- Median annual family income in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (in Canadian dollar)
- Average annual income of public enterprise employees in urban China from 2013 to 2017, by region (in yuan)
- Average annual wages in Japan adjusted for Purchasing Power Parity from 2000 to 2016 (in 2016 U.S. dollars)
- Median household income after tax in Norway in 2017, by type (in NOK)
- Average annual wage in Australia adjusted for Purchasing Power Parity from 2000 to 2014 (in 2014 U.S. dollars)
- Average annual income of farm households in South Korea from 2012 to 2017 (in million South Korean won)
- Mean disposable income per household in the third quartile in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2018 (in GBP)
- Distribution of the online audience of shareably.net in Great Britain (GB) in 2015, by household income
- Median household income in Utah from 1990 to 2017 (in current U.S. dollars)
- Would you say your household income is regular and stable? (by age group)
- Share of teenagers who owned a computer in the United States as of 2018, by parent household income
Statista Accounts:
Access All Statistics. Starting from $588 / Year
Related topics
About Statista
Statista offers dossiers and reports on over 170 industries. With Statista you are always able to make informed decisions and boost your work efficiency.
Internet & Telecommunications
- Social Media
- E-Commerce
- Online Video & Entertainment
- Advertising & Marketing
Consumer Goods & FMCG
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Cleaning Products
- Cosmetics & Personal Care
- Food & Nutrition
Retail & Trade
- Health & Hygiene
- International Trade
- Shopping Behavior
- Sports & Leisure
Travel, Tourism & Hospitality
- Business Travel
- Leisure Travel
- Accomodation
- Restaurants
Society
- Demographics
- Economy
- Education & Science
- Politics & Government
Transportation & Logistics
- Aviation
- Rail Transport
- Vehicles & Road Traffic
- Water Transport
Please log in to access our additional functions
Register in seconds and access exclusive features.
Basic Account
|
Instant Access
Premium Account
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
Our services
Click the question mark for further information | Free |
$49 per month* | |
| Basic statistics | |||
| Premium statistics | |||
|
Graph download
| |||
| Download PDF | |||
|
Excel download
| |||
| Register | Purchase now | ||
*Duration: 12 months, billed annually, single license
Exclusive Corporate feature
This feature is limited to our corporate solutions.
Please contact us to get started with full access to dossiers, forecasts, studies and international data.
Corporate Account
We use cookies to personalize contents and ads, offer social media features, and analyze access to our website. In your browser settings you can configure or disable this, respectively, and can delete any already placed cookies. For details, please see your browser’s Help section (by pressing F1). Please see our privacy statement for details about how we use data.