Exploring median household income by state reveals additional patterns by race and Hispanic origin both within and between states during the most recent 2020–2024 period.

The District of Columbia had the highest median household income at $109,870.

Within the District of Columbia, though, median income of Black households was $60,764 while that of non-Hispanic White households was $170,201.

Some states saw less variation. In Idaho, for example, the difference between the highest- and lowest-earning race or Hispanic origin groups was about $26,000.

Even with the larger sample size provided by the ACS 5-year data, it’s still important to account for margins of error. Margins of error for median household income of smaller groups in lower population states may be large.

For example, while Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander households in Montana had a median household income of $135,411 in the 2020–2024 period, their income was not statistically different from that of several other race and Hispanic origin groups in the state.

More details on the precision of ACS estimates are available on the ACS Code Lists, Definitions, and Accuracy webpage.

Nearly all race and Hispanic origin groups experienced increases in median household income in most states (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) after adjusting for inflation between the 2005–2009 and 2020–2024 periods.

For instance, median income among Black households rose in 38 states and the District of Columbia over 15 years. Median income among Black households was not statistically different in 11 states and Puerto Rico and decreased in one state (Nevada).

Non-Hispanic White households saw some of the most consistent gains in income across states between these two time periods – median household income increased in 42 states and the District of Columbia.

But non-Hispanic White households’ median income also dropped in the highest number of states – five – during this time: Alaska, Connecticut, Louisiana, Nevada and New Mexico.

Most of the statistics in this article are derived from numbers available at data.census.gov.

To find median household income estimates by state, visit the B19013 table and use the geography filters to select your state.

Median household income estimates by race or Hispanic origin for the nation and states are available in the B19013A–B19013I tables and by selecting the appropriate geographic filter.

Users can also test differences between estimates for statistical significance using the ACS Statistical Testing Tool.

Additional ACS tables are available for other income topics, including median household income by household characteristics (S1903); earnings (S2001); income inequality (B19083); and poverty status (S1701).