United States Census Bureau | An official website of the United States Government

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Inconsistent Search Results

Users may experience issues with the search function. We encourage you to browse our pages manually through the navigation until this is resolved. Thank you for your patience.

Skip Header

Partners Researchers Educators Survey Respondents

Explore Census.gov for...

Partners
Researchers
Educators
Survey Respondents

News NAICS Codes Jobs About Us Contact Us Help

Topics

Data & Maps

Surveys & Programs

Resource Library

Search data, events, resources, and more

Helpful Links

Advanced Data Search Get Survey Help International Database (IDB) American Community Survey (ACS) Census Records & Genealogy

Helpful Links

Advanced Data Search Get Survey Help International Database (IDB) American Community Survey (ACS) Census Records & Genealogy

Topics

Browse our topics and subtopics to find information and data.

View All Topics and Subtopics Index A to Z

Age and Sex Business and Economy Education Emergency Management / Disasters Employment Families and Living Arrangements Geography Health Hispanic Origin Housing

Income and Poverty International Trade Migration/Geographic Mobility Population Population Estimates Public Sector Race Redistricting Research Voting and Registration

Data & Maps

Access demographic, economic and population data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Explore census data with visualizations and view tutorials.

Explore data on data.census.gov View all data resources

Census Academy Combining Data Data Tools and Apps Datasets Developers Experimental Data Products Interactive Maps

Mapping Files Profiles Related Sites Software Tables Training and Workshops Visualizations

Surveys & Programs

Our surveys provide periodic and comprehensive statistics about the nation. This data is critical for government programs, policies, and decision-making.

Survey Help View all Surveys & Programs

Economic Census Household Pulse Survey International Programs Metro and Micro Areas Population Estimates Population Projections Small Area Income and Poverty Statistics of U.S. Businesses Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)

Resource Library

Browse our collection of stories and more.

View all library resources Glossary

America Counts: Stories Audio Blogs By the Numbers Facts for Features Fact Sheets Infographics and Visualizations

Photos Publications Spotlights Stats for Stories Training (Census Academy) Videos Working Papers

Topics

Data & Maps

Surveys & Programs

Resource Library

Partners Researchers Educators Survey Respondents

News NAICS Codes Jobs About Us Contact Us Help

View All Topics and Subtopics Index A to Z

Age and Sex Business and Economy Education Emergency Management / Disasters Employment Families and Living Arrangements Geography Health Hispanic Origin Housing Income and Poverty International Trade Migration/Geographic Mobility Population Population Estimates Public Sector Race Redistricting Research Voting and Registration

Explore data on data.census.gov View all data resources

Census Academy Combining Data Data Tools and Apps Datasets Developers Experimental Data Products Interactive Maps Mapping Files Profiles Related Sites Software Tables Training and Workshops Visualizations

Survey Help View all Surveys & Programs

2020 Census 2026 Census Test 2030 Census American Community Survey (ACS) American Housing Survey (AHS) Annual Business Survey (ABS) Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES) County Business Patterns (CBP) Current Population Survey (CPS) Economic Census Household Pulse Survey International Programs Metro and Micro Areas Population Estimates Population Projections Small Area Income and Poverty Statistics of U.S. Businesses Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)

View all library resources Glossary

America Counts: Stories Audio Blogs By the Numbers Facts for Features Fact Sheets Infographics and Visualizations Photos Publications Spotlights Stats for Stories Training (Census Academy) Videos Working Papers

Census.gov /
Topics /
Income and Poverty /
Income Inequality

Income Inequality

Skip Navigation

Within Income Inequality

About This Topic
America Counts: Stories
Data
Library
News
Related Sites
Surveys and Programs

Within Income Inequality

About This Topic
America Counts: Stories
Data
Library
News
Related Sites
Surveys and Programs

Income Inequality

Are the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer?

Our statistics can shed some light on this. A large number of factors have been identified as contributing to changes in inequality, the root causes are still not entirely understood

Featured

Income Inequality Visualizations

Data made visual with charts, tables, maps, and other graphic elements. They are often interactive and contain text for labeling, not narration.
Income Inequality Data Tools

Interactive applications, created by the Census Bureau, to help you customize, and even visualize, statistics from multiple censuses, surveys, and programs.
Income Inequality Data Tables

Stats displayed in columns and rows with title, ID, notes, sources and release date. Many tables are in downloadable XLS, CSV and PDF file formats.

Publications

Publication

Income in the United States: 2024

September 09, 2025

This report presents data on income, earnings, & income inequality in the United States based on information collected in the 2025 and earlier CPS ASEC.
Publication

Income in the United States: 2023

September 10, 2024

This report presents data on income, earnings, & income inequality in the United States based on information collected in the 2024 and earlier CPS ASEC.
Publication

Income in the United States: 2022

September 12, 2023

This report presents data on income, earnings, & income inequality in the United States based on information collected in the 2023 and earlier CPS ASEC.

Working Papers

Working Paper

Household Income Inequality Measures Based on the ACS Data: 2000-2005

January 01, 2007

Report focuses on several common measures of inequality using household income data from the American Community Survey (ACS) for the years 2000 through 2005.
Working Paper

Household Income Inequality Measures Based on the ACS Data: 2000-2005

June 01, 2006

Report focuses on several common measures of inequality using household income data from the American Community Survey (ACS) for the years 2000 through 2005.
Working Paper

Is Retirement More Unequal Than We Think?

May 06, 2021

This conference paper examines income inequality among older households using SIPP linked to administrative records.

Visualizations

Visualization

Income in the United States: 2024

September 09, 2025

This report presents data on income, earnings, & income inequality in the United States based on information collected in the 2025 and earlier CPS ASEC.
Visualization

Income in the United States: 2023

September 10, 2024

This report presents data on income, earnings, & income inequality in the United States based on information collected in the 2023 and earlier CPS ASEC.
Visualization

Income in the United States: 2022

September 12, 2023

This report presents data on income, earnings, & income inequality in the United States based on information collected in the 2023 and earlier CPS ASEC.
Visualization

Income in the United States: 2021

September 13, 2022

This report presents data on income, earnings, & income inequality in the United States based on information collected in the 2022 and earlier CPS ASEC.

Data Tables

Table

Income in the United States: 2024

September 09, 2025

These tables present data on income, earnings, income inequality & poverty in the United States based on information collected in the 2025 and earlier CPS ASEC.
Table

Wealth, Asset Ownership, & Debt of Households Detailed Tables: 2023

July 2025

Source: 2024 Survey of Income and Program Participation.
Table

State-Level Wealth, Asset Ownership, & Debt of Households Tables: 2023

July 2025

Source: 2024 Survey of Income and Program Participation.

All Subtopics Within 'Income and Poverty'

Income

Census money income is defined as income received on a regular basis before payments for taxes, social security, etc. and does not reflect noncash benefits.
Income Inequality

Income inequality is the extent to which income is distributed unevenly among a population.
Poverty

If a family's total income is less than the official poverty threshold for a family of that size and composition, then they are considered to be in poverty.
Program Income and Public Assistance

Public assistance refers to assistance programs that provide either cash or in-kind benefits to individuals and families from any governmental entity.
Small Area Income & Poverty Estimates (SAIPE)

The Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) program provides more current estimates for the administration and allocation of federal programs and funds.
Supplemental Poverty Measure

In 2009, the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) created a Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) to replace previous experimental poverty measures.
Wealth and Asset Ownership

Household net worth or wealth is an important defining factor of economic well-being - it can become an additional source of income in hard times or retirement.
Well-Being

Factors that contribute to well-being include income, possession of consumer durables, housing and neighborhood conditions, and the meeting of basic needs.

You May Be Interested In

Program Income and Public Assistance

Public assistance refers to assistance programs that provide either cash or in-kind benefits to individuals and families from any governmental entity.

Data Tool

Explore Census Data

This new platform on data.census.gov is based on overwhelming feedback to streamline the way you get data and digital content from Census Bureau.

Poverty

If a family's total income is less than the official poverty threshold for a family of that size and composition, then they are considered to be in poverty.

Page Last Revised - June 13, 2025

Is this page helpful?
Thumbs Up Image