Change in average real annual household income, by income group, 1979–2010

Year All households Bottom fifth Middle fifth 81–90% 91–95% 96–99% Top 1 percent
1979/01/01 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1980/01/01 -3.3% -3.2% -3.6% -2.6% -2.2% -3.8% -4.7%
1981/01/01 -3.5% -5.5% -4.8% -3.4% -2.6% -5.4% -5.3%
1982/01/01 -3.8% -7.1% -7.0% -3.9% -3.9% -5.4% -0.8%
1983/01/01 -3.1% -9.9% -8.6% -2.8% -1.3% -2.4% 8.9%
1984/01/01 2.1% -6.2% -3.5% 3.2% 6.2% 5.5% 20.2%
1985/01/01 3.8% -5.5% -3.2% 2.6% 5.7% 6.8% 28.5%
1986/01/01 11.3% -4.6% -0.6% 8.1% 11.3% 17.2% 68.5%
1987/01/01 7.7% -4.9% -1.5% 9.0% 13.2% 15.7% 36.0%
1988/01/01 12.5% -2.4% 0.2% 10.6% 15.1% 20.2% 70.7%
1989/01/01 13.3% 1.0% 1.4% 12.3% 17.5% 22.3% 59.2%
1990/01/01 12.4% 5.0% 1.5% 10.2% 14.3% 18.4% 52.9%
1991/01/01 9.7% 6.4% -0.5% 8.3% 13.1% 15.7% 36.7%
1992/01/01 12.7% 7.6% 0.2% 9.9% 15.3% 20.3% 55.1%
1993/01/01 13.3% 9.3% 1.1% 11.3% 16.4% 20.8% 49.1%
1994/01/01 14.7% 10.4% 1.4% 13.4% 18.3% 23.5% 53.5%
1995/01/01 19.1% 14.6% 4.6% 16.4% 21.4% 29.7% 70.7%
1996/01/01 23.1% 13.4% 5.8% 18.1% 25.4% 34.4% 87.7%
1997/01/01 27.8% 15.2% 7.3% 20.5% 29.5% 42.9% 115.5%
1998/01/01 33.7% 19.0% 9.6% 24.8% 34.0% 50.1% 143.1%
1999/01/01 39.5% 21.0% 12.4% 28.8% 39.0% 56.2% 163.5%
2000/01/01 41.6% 16.7% 11.6% 30.5% 42.2% 59.5% 187.0%
2001/01/01 34.1% 19.5% 13.0% 28.2% 37.2% 49.4% 126.9%
2002/01/01 28.8% 16.5% 10.6% 26.3% 34.4% 43.4% 100.6%
2003/01/01 30.6% 15.7% 10.5% 27.4% 36.7% 47.7% 112.8%
2004/01/01 38.4% 18.6% 14.4% 32.3% 41.6% 56.6% 153.5%
2005/01/01 45.1% 21.8% 15.7% 34.4% 46.5% 68.2% 205.6%
2006/01/01 49.5% 25.4% 16.2% 37.2% 49.5% 72.6% 229.2%
2007/01/01 53.4% 29.2% 19.7% 39.1% 53.0% 78.1% 244.7%
2008/01/01 41.4% 26.1% 15.3% 35.3% 46.6% 63.0% 178.7%
2009/01/01 34.0% 26.5% 13.7% 32.9% 43.4% 53.5% 118.9%
2010/01/01 37.8% 27.6% 14.1% 33.5% 45.9% 58.9% 153.9%

Note: Data are for comprehensive income. Shaded areas denote recessions. To be consistent with other income and earnings measures in this paper, we use the CPI-U-RS to deflate this series, instead of the personal consumption expenditures deflator used by CBO.

Source: Authors' analysis of Congressional Budget Office (2013)

View the underlying data on epi.org.