Money Income in the United States: 1997 -Tables & Charts

Table B. Selected Measures of Household Income Dispersion: 1967 to 1997

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(Income in 1997 dollars)

Measures of Income Dispersion	1997	1996	1995 1/	1990	1985	1980 2/	1975 3/	1970	1968	1967
Household Income at Selected Percentiles
20th percentile upper limit	15,400	15,107	15,165	15,350	14,916	14,736	14,351	14,328	14,147	13,264
50th (median)	37,005	36,306	35,887	36,770	35,229	34,538	33,699	33,942	32,964	31,583
80th percentile upper limit	71,500	69,576	68,585	67,792	65,347	61,821	58,534	56,976	54,017	52,355
95th percentile lower limit	126,550	122,283	119,006	116,351	109,282	100,434	93,333	90,074	84,507	84,008
Household Income Ratios of Selected Percentiles
95th/20th	8.22	8.09	7.85	7.58	7.33	6.82	6.50	6.29	5.97	6.33
95th/50th	3.42	3.37	3.32	3.16	3.10	2.91	2.77	2.65	2.56	2.66
80th/50th	1.93	1.92	1.91	1.84	1.85	1.79	1.74	1.68	1.64	1.66
80th/20th	4.64	4.61	4.52	4.42	4.38	4.20	4.08	3.98	3.82	3.95
20th/50th	0.42	0.42	0.42	0.42	0.42	0.43	0.43	0.42	0.43	0.42
Mean Household Income of Quintiles
Lowest quintile	8,872	8,793	8,794	8,835	8,647	8,743	8,665	7,885	7,799	7,189
Second quintile	22,098	21,581	21,481	22,141	21,375	21,099	20,574	20,966	20,614	19,600
Third quintile	37,177	36,300	35,919	36,571	35,404	34,727	33,662	33,763	32,692	31,295
Fourth quintile	57,582	56,182	55,216	55,139	53,242	51,132	48,884	47,594	45,608	43,786
Highest quintile	122,764	118,164	115,226	107,004	98,211	89,812	85,131	84,268	79,875	79,348
Shares of Household Income of Quintiles
Lowest quintile	3.6	3.7	3.7	3.9	4.0	4.3	4.4	4.1	4.2	4.0
Second quintile	8.9	9.0	9.1	9.6	9.7	10.3	10.5	10.8	11.1	10.8
Third quintile	15.0	15.1	15.2	15.9	16.3	16.9	17.1	17.4	17.5	17.3
Fourth quintile	23.2	23.3	23.3	24.0	24.6	24.9	24.8	24.5	24.4	24.2
Highest quintile	49.4	49.0	48.7	46.6	45.3	43.7	43.2	43.3	42.8	43.8
Gini coefficient of income inequality	0.459	0.455	0.450	0.428	0.419	0.403	0.397	0.394	0.388	0.399

1/ Reflects 1990 census population controls first implemented in 1993, 1990 census sample redesign, a change in data collection method from paper-pencil to computer-assisted interviewing (CAI), and changes in income reporting limits. For detailed information concerning the impact of these changes, see Current Population Reports, Series P60 -191, "A Brief Look at Postwar U.S. Income Inequality."

2/ Reflects 1980 census population controls first implemented in March 1980.

3/ Reflects 1970 census population controls first implemented in March 1972.

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, March Current Population Survey. Data not available prior to 1967.

Income

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Table B. Selected Measures of Household Income Dispersion: 1967 to 1997