Household Income: 2013

American Community Survey Briefs

By Amanda Noss
Issued September 2014
ACSBR/13-02

INTRODUCTION
This report presents data on median household income
at the national and state levels based on the 2012 and
2013 American Community Surveys (ACS). Estimates
from the 2013 ACS show a significant increase in
median household income at the national level and for
many states.1 Some 2013 ACS metropolitan area income
estimates are also discussed throughout this report.2
The ACS provides detailed estimates of demographic,
social, economic, and housing characteristics for states,
congressional districts, counties, places, and other
localities every year. A description of the ACS is provided in the text box What Is the American Community
Survey?
In the 2013 ACS, information on income was collected
between January and December 2013, and people were
asked about income for the previous 12 months (the
income reference period). This yielded a total income
time span covering 23 months (January 2012 to November 2013). Therefore, adjacent ACS years have income
reference months in common and comparisons of 2013
economic conditions with those in 2012 will not be
precise.3
1
The medians from this report were calculated from the microdata
and household distributions using 2013 dollars. Inflation adjusting
previous year published estimates using the CPI-U-RS will not match
exactly to the estimates in this report.
2
The text of this report discusses data for the United States, including the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, collected with the Puerto Rico Community Survey,
are shown in Table 1, Table 2, Figure 1, and Figure 2.
3
For a discussion of this and related issues, see Howard Hogan,
Measuring Population Change Using the American Community Survey,
Applied Demography in the 21st Century, Steven H. Murdock and David
A. Swanson, Springer Netherlands, 2008.

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
census.gov

Household income: Includes income of the

householder and all other people 15 years and
older in the household, whether or not they are
related to the householder.
Median: The point that divides the household
income distribution into halves, one-half with
income above the median and the other with
income below the median. The median is based
on the income distribution of all households,
including those with no income.
Gini Index: Summary measure of income
inequality. The Gini Index varies from 0 to 1,
with a 0 indicating perfect equality, where there
is a proportional distribution of income. A 1
indicates perfect inequality, where one household has all the income and all others have no
income.

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: 20122013

NATIONAL AND STATE COMPARISON
Real median household income in the United
States showed a statistically significant increase
between the 2012 ACS and the 2013 ACS (see
Table 1).4 The 2012 U.S. median household income
was $51,915, and the 2013 U.S. median household income was $52,250. (See Table 1.)

4
All income estimates in this report are micro data inflation-adjusted
to 2013 dollars. Real refers to income after adjusting for inflation.

State estimates from the 2013 ACS

ranged from $72,483 in Maryland
to $37,963 in Mississippi (see
Figure 1).5 Median household
income was lower than the U.S.
median in 28 states and higher
than the U.S. median in 19 states
and the District of Columbia.
Vermont ($52,578), Iowa ($52,229),
and Pennsylvania ($52,007) had
median household income not statistically different from the
U.S. median.6

the 2012 ACS. Between the 2012

ACS and the 2013 ACS, 14 states
showed an increase in real median
household income ranging from
1.0 percent (Texas and Florida) to
5.7 percent (Wyoming). No state
showed a significant decrease in
median household income.

5
Median household incomes for Maryland
and Alaska are not statistically different from
each other.
6
Median household incomes for Vermont,
Iowa, and Pennsylvania are not statistically
different from each other.

Table 2 shows median household

income for the 25 most populated
metropolitan areas.
According to the 2013 ACS,
median household income ranged
from $90,149 in the WashingtonArlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MDWV Metro Area to $45,880 in the
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater,
FL Metro Area. Along with the
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria,
DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area, the
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward,
CA Metro Area ($79,624) and the
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Metro Area ($72,907) were among
metropolitan areas with the highest median household income. In

Real median household income for

Puerto Rico showed a statistically
significant percentage decrease
between the 2012 ACS and the
2013 ACS. The 2012 Puerto Rico
median household income was
$19,630 and the 2013 Puerto Rico
median household income was
$19,183, showing a 2.3 percent
decrease.

For 36 states and the District of

Columbia, real median household
income in the 2013 ACS was not
statistically different from that in

AK

Median Household Income: 25

Most Populous Metropolitan
Areas

Figure 1.

500 Miles

Median Household Income in the Past 12 Months

by State and Puerto Rico: 2013

WA
ME

MT
OR

ND

VT
(

MN

ID

NH
SD

MI

WY

PA
(

UT

OH

IN

IL

CA

CT

IA

NE

NV

!!
!

WV

AZ

MO

OK
NM

TX

HI
0

100 Miles

!
!

!
!

!
!

!
!
!
!

DC

NC

TN
SC
GA

Income by state in 2013

inflation-adjusted dollars
$60,000 or more
$50,000 to $59,999
$45,000 to $49,999
Less than $45,000

LA
FL

Note: A state abbreviation surrounded by

the " ( " symbol denotes the value for the
state is not statistically different from the
U.S. median.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2013 American Community Survey,
2013 Puerto Rico Community Survey.

AR
AL

!
!

KY

MS

DE

!
!

VA

RI

NJ

MD
!!

CO
KS

MA

NY

WI

100 Miles

U.S. Median Household

Income = $52,250
United States median does not
include data for Puerto Rico.
PR
0

50 Miles

U.S. Census Bureau

Table 1.

Median Household Income and Gini Index in the Past 12 Months by State and Puerto Rico:
2012 and 2013
(In 2013 inflation-adjusted dollars. Data are limited to the household population and exclude the population living in institutions, college dormitories, and other group quarters. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census
.gov/acs/www/)

2012 ACS median 2013 ACS median

Change in median 2012 ACS Gini
2013 ACS Gini
Change in Gini
household income household income
income
coefficients
coefficients
coefficients
(dollars)
(dollars)
Area
Percent
Margin
Margin
Margin
Margin
Margin
Margin
of error1
of error1
of error1
of error1
of error1
of error1
Estimate
() Estimate
() Estimate
() Estimate
() Estimate
() Estimate
()
United States . . . 51,915
57 52,250
65
*0.6
0.2
0.476
0.001
0.481
0.001
*0.005
0.001
Alabama . . . . . . . . . . .
Alaska. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . .
Arkansas. . . . . . . . . . .
California. . . . . . . . . . .
Colorado . . . . . . . . . . .
Connecticut. . . . . . . . .
Delaware. . . . . . . . . . .
District of Columbia. . .
Florida. . . . . . . . . . . . .

42,154
68,577
48,520
40,575
59,184
57,430
68,181
59,025
67,000
45,578

537
1,742
577
484
344
687
930
1,630
2,467
329

42,849
72,237
48,510
40,511
60,190
58,823
67,098
57,846
67,572
46,036

641
1,892
587
710
255
808
1,058
1,876
3,383
310

1.6
*5.3
0.0
0.2
*1.7
*2.4
1.6
2.0
0.9
*1.0

2.0
3.8
1.7
2.1
0.7
1.9
2.1
4.2
6.3
1.0

0.473
0.423
0.461
0.463
0.482
0.458
0.492
0.436
0.534
0.483

0.004
0.011
0.004
0.006
0.002
0.004
0.006
0.008
0.013
0.003

0.475
0.408
0.468
0.469
0.490
0.461
0.499
0.451
0.532
0.484

0.004
0.003
0.010 *0.015
0.005
*0.007
0.008
0.005
0.002
*0.008
0.004
0.004
0.005
0.008
0.010
*0.016
0.012 0.002
0.003
0.002

0.005
0.015
0.006
0.009
0.002
0.006
0.008
0.013
0.017
0.004

Georgia. . . . . . . . . . . .
Hawaii. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Idaho. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Illinois. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Indiana. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Iowa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kansas. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kentucky . . . . . . . . . . .
Louisiana. . . . . . . . . . .
Maine. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

47,811
67,053
46,086
55,769
47,541
51,509
50,749
42,230
43,660
47,330

471
1,720
951
393
481
497
533
457
649
966

47,829
68,020
46,783
56,210
47,529
52,229
50,972
43,399
44,164
46,974

628
1,523
930
403
516
533
609
650
869
797

0.0
1.4
1.5
0.8
0.0
1.4
0.4
*2.8
1.2
0.8

1.6
3.5
2.9
1.0
1.5
1.4
1.6
1.9
2.5
2.6

0.481
0.426
0.430
0.472
0.442
0.433
0.450
0.467
0.486
0.445

0.003
0.006
0.009
0.003
0.004
0.005
0.005
0.004
0.005
0.007

0.484
0.440
0.438
0.482
0.455
0.443
0.459
0.472
0.491
0.453

0.004
0.009
0.008
0.003
0.005
0.005
0.009
0.007
0.005
0.007

0.003
*0.014
0.007
*0.011
*0.014
*0.010
0.009
0.005
0.006
0.008

0.005
0.011
0.012
0.004
0.006
0.007
0.010
0.008
0.007
0.010

Maryland. . . . . . . . . . .
Massachusetts. . . . . . .
Michigan . . . . . . . . . . .
Minnesota . . . . . . . . . .
Mississippi. . . . . . . . . .
Missouri. . . . . . . . . . . .
Montana. . . . . . . . . . . .
Nebraska. . . . . . . . . . .
Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . .
New Hampshire. . . . . .

71,818
66,025
47,447
59,747
37,479
45,919
45,588
51,161
50,343
64,187

578
600
366
655
660
424
1,016
629
653
1,522

72,483
66,768
48,273
60,702
37,963
46,931
46,972
51,440
51,230
64,230

718
715
378
432
1,029
427
1,140
493
589
1,347

0.9
1.1
*1.7
*1.6
1.3
*2.2
3.0
0.5
1.8
0.1

1.3
1.4
1.1
1.3
3.3
1.3
3.4
1.6
1.8
3.2

0.447
0.481
0.462
0.444
0.487
0.461
0.450
0.434
0.452
0.430

0.003
0.004
0.003
0.003
0.007
0.004
0.011
0.005
0.008
0.007

0.456
0.484
0.464
0.446
0.479
0.461
0.462
0.445
0.454
0.439

0.004
0.004
0.003
0.004
0.006
0.004
0.009
0.006
0.008
0.009

*0.008
0.002
0.002
0.002
0.008
0.000
0.012
*0.011
0.003
0.009

0.005
0.005
0.004
0.005
0.009
0.006
0.014
0.008
0.011
0.011

New Jersey. . . . . . . . .
New Mexico. . . . . . . . .
New York. . . . . . . . . . .
North Carolina. . . . . . .
North Dakota. . . . . . . .
Ohio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . .
Oregon. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pennsylvania. . . . . . . .
Rhode Island. . . . . . . .

70,442
43,423
57,096
45,684
54,647
47,454
44,903
49,845
51,824
55,274

585
915
374
399
1,553
317
432
770
289
1,714

70,165
43,872
57,369
45,906
55,759
48,081
45,690
50,251
52,007
55,902

546
950
431
424
1,452
406
534
532
256
1,902

0.4
1.0
0.5
0.5
2.0
*1.3
*1.8
0.8
0.4
1.1

1.1
3.1
1.0
1.3
3.9
1.1
1.5
1.9
0.7
4.7

0.472
0.471
0.501
0.469
0.460
0.462
0.464
0.457
0.464
0.465

0.003
0.006
0.003
0.003
0.011
0.003
0.006
0.005
0.002
0.008

0.480
0.476
0.510
0.477
0.455
0.465
0.462
0.460
0.470
0.477

0.003
0.006
0.004
0.004
0.009
0.003
0.005
0.006
0.003
0.011

*0.008
0.005
*0.009
*0.007
0.005
0.004
0.002
0.004
*0.005
0.012

0.004
0.009
0.004
0.005
0.014
0.004
0.007
0.008
0.003
0.014

South Carolina. . . . . . .
South Dakota. . . . . . . .
Tennessee. . . . . . . . . .
Texas. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Utah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vermont. . . . . . . . . . . .
Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Washington. . . . . . . . .
West Virginia. . . . . . . .
Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . .
Wyoming. . . . . . . . . . .

43,792
48,956
43,504
51,198
57,841
53,677
62,479
58,368
40,555
51,649
55,569

594
958
539
283
910
1,245
489
644
719
349
1,567

44,163
48,947
44,297
51,704
59,770
52,578
62,666
58,405
41,253
51,467
58,752

659
1,091
501
238
762
1,561
665
671
746
370
1,796

0.8
0.0
*1.8
*1.0
*3.3
2.0
0.3
0.1
1.7
0.4
*5.7

2.0
3.0
1.7
0.7
2.1
3.7
1.3
1.6
2.6
1.0
4.4

0.468
0.434
0.473
0.477
0.424
0.439
0.466
0.450
0.464
0.440
0.417

0.005
0.011
0.004
0.002
0.007
0.009
0.003
0.004
0.007
0.004
0.012

0.467
0.443
0.478
0.481
0.426
0.454
0.467
0.457
0.465
0.445
0.418

0.004
0.009
0.004
0.003
0.006
0.013
0.003
0.004
0.007
0.003
0.012

0.002
0.009
0.005
*0.004
0.002
0.015
0.001
*0.007
0.001
0.005
0.002

0.006
0.014
0.006
0.003
0.009
0.015
0.004
0.005
0.010
0.005
0.017

Puerto Rico. . . . . . . . .

19,630

324

19,183

313

*2.3

2.3

0.533

0.008

0.547

0.007

*0.015

0.011

*Statistically different from zero at the 90 percent confidence level.

1
Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. A margin of error is a measure of an estimates variability. The larger the margin of error
in relation to the size of the estimate, the less reliable the estimate. This number when added to and subtracted from the estimate forms the 90 percent confidence
interval.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 and 2013 American Community Surveys, 2012 and 2013 Puerto Rico Community Surveys.
U.S. Census Bureau

addition to the Tampa-St.

Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro
Area, the median household income
for the Miami-Fort LauderdaleWest Palm Beach, FL Metro Area
($46,946) was also among the lowest median household incomes for
metropolitan areas.

Area was the only area that showed

a decrease in median household
income from the 2012 ACS to the
2013 ACS. The remaining 20 metropolitan areas showed no significant
change. (See Table 2.)

The Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
Metro Area, St. Louis, MO-IL Metro
Area, New York-Newark-Jersey City,
NY-NJ-PA Metro Area, and the San
Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
Metro area were the only areas that
showed increases in median household income from the 2012 ACS
to the 2013 ACS. The CharlotteConcord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metro

The Gini Index for the United States

in the 2013 ACS (0.481) was significantly higher than in the 2012 ACS
(0.476). This increase suggests that
income inequality increased across
the country. The Gini Index for the
2013 ACS increased in 15 states.
Alaska was the only state to have
a decrease in the Gini Index. The
remaining 34 states and the District

Income Inequality

of Columbia showed no statistically significant change between

the 2012 ACS and the 2013 ACS.
Gini Indexes from the 2013 ACS
ranged from 0.532 in the District of
Columbia to 0.408 in Alaska (Figure
2).7 Five states and the District of
Columbia had a Gini Index higher
than that for the United States.
There were 36 states with Gini
Indexes lower than the U.S. Index.
The remaining 9 states had a Gini
Index that was not statistically
different from the U.S. Index. (See
Figure 2.)
7
The Gini Index for Wyoming was not
statistically different from the Gini Index for
Alaska.

Table 2.

Median Household Income in the Past 12 Months by 25 Most Populous Metropolitan Areas
(In 2013 inflation-adjusted dollars. Data are limited to the household population and exclude the population living in institutions, college dormitories, and other group quarters. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census
.gov/acs/www)

Metropolitan area

2012 ACS median

household income
(dollars)

2013 ACS median

household income
(dollars)

Change in median
income
Percent

Margin of
Margin of
Margin of
Estimate error1 () Estimate error1 () Estimate error1 ()
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metro Area2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

55,271
67,756
72,571
53,288
60,005
57,532
62,010
50,885
56,578
58,065

765
1,247
769
1,204
555
699
766
545
855
599

55,733
68,455
72,907
51,251
60,564
57,398
62,760
51,857
57,366
58,869

675
1,082
989
724
467
644
1,037
582
726
555

0.8
1.0
0.5
*3.8
0.9
0.2
1.2
*1.9
1.4
1.4

1.9
2.5
1.7
2.6
1.2
1.6
2.1
1.6
2.0
1.4

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

47,154
67,048
64,936
60,661
51,860
50,998
57,597
52,221
52,131
60,851

632
768
496
595
500
636
1,115
788
1,060
1,004

46,946
67,194
65,786
60,482
51,847
51,291
59,168
53,220
51,716
61,426

602
790
424
574
515
513
1,127
897
830
812

0.4
0.2
*1.3
0.3
0.0
0.6
2.7
1.9
0.8
0.9

1.8
1.6
1.0
1.4
1.4
1.6
2.8
2.3
2.6
2.1

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

75,779
66,345
53,015
45,053
89,593

903
803
802
759
1,144

79,624
67,479
54,449
45,880
90,149

1,280
899
766
669
795

*5.1
1.7
*2.7
1.8
0.6

2.1
1.8
2.1
2.3
1.6

*Statistically different from zero at the 90 percent confidence level.

1
Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. A margin of error is a measure of an estimates variability. The larger the margin of error
in relation to the size of the estimate, the less reliable the estimate. This number when added to and subtracted from the estimate forms the 90 percent confidence
interval.
2
As of 2013, the name for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA metropolitan area changed to Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 and 2013 American Community Surveys, 2012 and 2013 Puerto Rico Community Surveys.

U.S. Census Bureau

AK

Figure 2.

500 Miles

Gini Index of Income Inequality in the Past 12 Months

by State and Puerto Rico: 2013

WA
ME

MT
OR

ND
VT

MN

ID

NH
SD

WI

PA
IL
(

UT
CA

CO
KS

AZ

NM

HI
0

100 Miles

Source and Accuracy

The data presented in this report
are based on the ACS sample
interviewed from January 1, 2013,
through December 31, 2013. The
estimates based on this sample
describe the actual average values
of person, household, and housing
unit characteristics over this period
of collection. Sampling error is the
uncertainty between an estimate
based on a sample and the corresponding value that would be
obtained if the estimate were based
on the entire population (as from

U.S. Census Bureau

!
!
!

!
!

VA

!
!
!
!
!

DC

NC
SC

(
GA

Gini Index
0.471 or more
0.455 to 0.470
0.440 to 0.454
Less than 0.440

LA
FL

Note: A state abbreviation surrounded by

the " ( " symbol denotes the value for the
state is not statistically different from the
U.S. Gini Index.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2013 American Community Survey,
2013 Puerto Rico Community Survey.

!
!

TN
(

(
(

!!

AR
AL

DE

!!

WV

RI
(

NJ
(

MD

KY

MS

TX

OH

IN

MO

OK

CT

IA

NE

MA

MI

WY

NV

NY

100 Miles

2013 U.S. Gini Index = 0.481

United States Gini Index
does not include data for
Puerto Rico.
PR
0

50 Miles

What Is the American Community Survey?

The American Community Survey (ACS) is a nationwide survey designed to provide communities with reliable and timely
demographic, social, economic, and housing data for the nation,
states, congressional districts, counties, places, and other localities every year. It has an annual sample size of about 3.54 million
addresses across the United States and Puerto Rico and includes
both housing units and group quarters (e.g., nursing homes and
prisons). The ACS is conducted in every county throughout the
nation, and every municipio in Puerto Rico, where it is called
the Puerto Rico Community Survey. Beginning in 2006, ACS
data for 2005 were released for geographic areas with populations of 65,000 and greater. For information on the ACS sample
design and other topics, visit <www.census.gov/acs/www>.

a census). Measures of sampling

error are provided in the form of
margins of error for all estimates
included in this report. All comparative statements in this report
have undergone statistical testing,
and comparisons are significant at
the 90 percent level unless otherwise noted. In addition to sampling

error, nonsampling error may be

introduced during any of the operations used to collect and process
survey data such as editing, reviewing, or keying data from questionnaires. For more information on
sampling and estimation methods,
confidentiality protection, and
sampling and nonsampling errors,

please see the 2013 ACS Accuracy

of the Data document located at
<www.census.gov/acs
/www/Downloads/data
_documentation/Accuracy/ACS
_Accuracy_of_Data_2013.pdf>.

U.S. Census Bureau