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Quality of Life—Income and Poverty

  • Indicators: Median household income and share of households below poverty line
  • Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year Estimates Detailed Data Tables B19013A-H and S1701, via data.census.gov
  • Years included: 2010-2019 and 2012-2019

 

Median household income is the most straight-forward and commonly cited indicator of equity, or lack thereof. By focusing on actual median income by household—instead of tying this measure to factors such as Gross National Income, Gross National Product, or Gross State Product—we are able to see how typical households are doing, rather than painting a false rosy picture due to increasingly-disproportionate changes at the top of the economic ladder.

To view what this means in context, we have included a second indicator in this analysis—the share of households below the poverty line.

 

 

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