1

U.S. Census Bureau, the Official StatisticsTM June 18, 1998

Measuring the Level and

Distribution of Income

From 1969 to 1996, median

household income rose a very

modest 6.3 percent in constant

dollars (from $33,072 to

$35,172). At the same time,

per capita income rose by a

robust 51 percent in constant

dollars (from $11,975 to

$18,136). The two data series

are not inconsistent, because

the median simply identifies the

income level of the household

in the middle of the income

distribution, while per capita

income is calculated by dividing

aggregate income by the total

number of individuals in the

universe. Although the two series

are not inconsistent, the difference between the two is sufficiently large that an attempt to

identify the reasons behind

the difference seems useful.

The material below will focus

on changes in income inequality

and changes in the size and composition of households as factors

that help explain the different

growth rates in the two income

series.

The fact that median household

income showed only a small gain

during the same time period that

per capita income rose sharply

suggests that a major change

occurred in income inequality.

The distribution of income

changed dramatically over the

period, but it changed in such a

way as to have a small effect on

the median.

As part of the attempt to identify reasons why the growth rates

in median household income and

per capita income look so different, this report presents data on

the median income of households

that have been categorized

according to their size and composition. A time-series on the

median income of households can

be misleading if the characteristics of households change

in a substantial way over time.

The 1969 to 1996 stagnation in

median household income may,

in fact, be largely a reflection of

changes in the size and composition of households rather than a

reflection of a stagnating economy. The data in this report do

show that the characteristics of

households changed substantially

from 1969 to 1996, and data users

should be aware of these changes

when attempting to interpret

time-series data on the median

income of households.

Most of the data presented in

this report come from special

tabulations of the March Current

Population Surveys. The medians are based on data for individual households and differ

slightly from the official Census

Bureau data on the median

incomes of households which

are calculated after individual

cases have been grouped into

intervals. The 1969 to 1996

period was chosen because 1969

is the earliest income year for

which the Census Bureau has

produced a data file that can be

easily accessed by analysts and

1996 is the most recent year for

which data are available.

The data in Table 1 show 1969

to 1996 changes in a number of

economic statistics including

some from the National Income

and Product Accounts as produced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The

various series are presented to

give some idea of the time-series

that are available for the purpose

of measuring the economic wellbeing of the consumer sector.

Both the Census Bureau and the

BEA provide data that can be

used to measure per capita

income, and the two sources

provide estimates of the percent

change in per capita income that

are quite close when differences

in the income definition are

considered. A major difference

in the income definitions used by

the two agencies is that the BEA

counts noncash benefits and

employer contributions to social

insurance programs as part of

personal income, while the

Census Bureau does not (the

Census Bureau counts only

money income). The fact that the

BEA series on per capita income

rose 62 percent over the period

while the Census Bureau series

rose 51 percent is consistent with

the fact that supplements to

wages and salaries (part of the

BEA definition) were a considerable larger share of total compensation in 1996 than they were in

1969 (21.8 percent versus 11.6

percent).1

by John McNeil

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

Current Population Reports

Special Studies

P23-196

Issued July 1998

1Data from the Survey of Current Business, August, 1997, Bureau of Economic Analysis,

U. S. Department of Commerce.

Changes in Median

Household Income:

1969 to 1996
2

U.S. Census Bureau, the Official Statistics TM June 18, 1998

Other data in Table 1 show why

per capita income has shown a

sizeable gain at the same time

that median household income

has shown little change. The incomes of households below the

median were essentially stagnant

over the 1969 to 1996 period

while the incomes of households

above the median surged. The

average income of households

at or below the median grew by

only 3.9 percent, but the average

income of households above

the median grew by 30 percent.

Two factors that are likely to be

associated with changes in household income are (1) changes in the

employment status of household

members, and (2) changes in the

educational attainment levels of

household members. Data on the

employment status of members

of households with two or more

persons (presented in Table 1)

help explain the differing rates

of growth in average income.

In 1996, the average number of

year-round full-time workers in

two-or-more-person households

with incomes above the median

was 1.4, up 14 percent from the

1969 level. The comparable figure

for two-or-more-person households

with incomes at or below the median was 0.5, unchanged from the

1969 level.

The impact of changes in the

level of educational attainment is

less clear. Data in Table 2 show a

sharp increase in the educational

attainment levels of individuals

regardless of the income position

of the household. From 1969 to

1996, in households with incomes

above the median, the proportion

of individuals 25 years old and

over with a college degree grew

from 16 percent to 33 percent.

Over the same time period, in

households with incomes below

the median, the proportion of

individuals 25 years old and over

with a college degree grew from

5 percent to 11 percent. The fact

that the average income of households at or below the median was

essentially stagnant at the same

time that the educational attainment

levels of people in these households

rose sharply presents something of

a puzzle. The result leads to the

conclusion that, for some very significant proportion of the population, increases over time in educational attainment did not translate

into increases in income.

Changes Over Time

in the Characteristics

of Households

The reference unit for most of

the discussion above has been the

household. It was noted earlier that

comparisons over time can be misleading if the characteristics of the

reference unit change substantially.

The data in Table 3 and in Figure 1

clearly show that there have been

substantial changes. The changes

mean that it is difficult to interpret

time-series changes in median

household income without an examination of data for specific types

of households. For the analysis in

this report, households have been

categorized into 12 types. Data in

Table 3 show the percent distribution of households by type in 1969

and 1996 and also show how

certain critical characteristics

have changed over the same time

period for each type of household.

The most important changes in the

size and composition of households were the relative decline in

the number of married-couple

households with children (from 41

percent to 26 percent), the relative

increase in the number of households with children but no spouse

present (from 6 percent to 11 percent), and the relative increase in

one-person households (from 17

percent to 25 percent).

The data in Table 3 also show

that there have been important

changes over time within household types. One change has been

the increased labor force participation of women. Table 3 data for

married couples show that, from

1969 to 1996, the proportion of

wives working year-round fulltime rose from 17 percent to 39

percent in households with children, from 42 percent to 60 percent

in households with no children

and a householder less than 40

years old, and from 31 percent to

46 percent in households with no

children and a householder between the ages of 40 and 64 years.

Material presented later in this

report isolates the income effect

of these increases in labor force

participation by showing time

1969

1996

Households by Type

Percent Distribution: 1969 and 1996

Figure 1.

(percent)

0 10 20 30 40 50

Married-couple with children

Male householder with

children, no spouse

Female householder with

children, no spouse

Married-couple, no children,

householder under 40 years

Married-couple, no children,

householder 40 to 64 years

Married-couple, no children,

householder 65 years plus

One-person, male

under 65 years

One-person, female

under 65 years

One-person, male

65 years plus

One-person, female

65 years plus

Other, male householder

Other, female householder
3

U.S. Census Bureau, the Official StatisticsTM June 18, 1998

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

series data on the median incomes

of married-couple households both

when the earnings of wives are

included in the income definition

and when the earnings are excluded.

Another major time series

change in the characteristics of

households concerns the increased

educational attainment level of

householders or husbands and

wives. The data in Table 3 show

that 25 percent of all householders

had a college degree in 1996, up

sharply from the 1969 figure of

13 percent. In 1996, in marriedcouple households with children,

29 percent of husbands and 26 percent of wives had a college degree

compared with 1969 figures of 16

percent and 8 percent. In marriedcouple households with no children

and with a householder under 40

years old, 37 percent of husbands

and 39 percent of wives had a college degree in 1996 (the two percentages are not statistically different). The comparable 1969 figures

were 22 percent and 16 percent.

In fact, for 11 of the 12 household

types, the proportion of householders (or husbands and wives) with a

college degree was higher (generally much higher) in 1996 than in

1969 (the change for male householders with children and no

spouse was not statistically significant).

The increases in year-round

full-time employment and in educational attainment for most of

the 12 types of households leads

to the expectation that the median

income of most types of households should show an increase over

the 1969 to 1996 period.

Income Changes by

Type of Household

Data in Table 4 and Figure 2

show that median incomes did

increase for most types of households over the 1969 to 1996

period, and for some household

types, the increase was substantial.

Table 5a presents data on the percent changes in median household

income for each type of household.

Table 5b presents the same information but with the percent

changes shown in terms of annual

rates. Tables 4, 5a, and 5b present

data for married-couple households

that show median income data

based on an income definition that

excludes the earnings/income of

wives as well as for an income

definition that includes the earnings/income of wives. In the three

tables, data are shown for the full

reference period of 1969 to 1996,

and for five subperiods. The subperiods, chosen to generally reflect

business cycles, are 1969 to 1979

(generally characterized by rising

incomes), 1979 to 1983 (generally

characterized by falling incomes),

1983 to 1989 (generally characterized by rising incomes), 1989 to

1993 (generally characterized by

falling incomes), and 1993 to 1996

(generally characterized by rising

incomes).

The median income of marriedcouple households with children

rose 25 percent from 1969 to 1996.

The median income of these

households grew substantially

during the years 1969 to 1979 and

1983 to 1989 and showed a further

increase during the years 1993 to

1996. The periods 1979 to 1983

and 1989 to 1993 were periods of

declining incomes.

Although the median income

of married-couples with children

increased substantially between

1969 and 1996, the effect on this

increase of excluding the earnings

of wives from the income definition is striking. When the earnings

of wives are excluded, the median

income of these households

showed a 2 percent increase over

the period, rather than a 25 percent

increase.

Married-couple households

without children also had substantial gains in median income

between 1969 and 1996, and

again the increased importance of

the earnings/income of the wife

was very evident. Among households with a householder under

40 years old, median income

increased by 34 percent over

the period but only by 17 percent

when the earnings of wives

were excluded from the income

definition. Households with a

householder between 40 and

64 years old had an increase of

34 percent when the earnings

of wives were counted, but an

increase of 16 percent when

the earnings were excluded.

Median Income

By Type of Household: 1969 and 1996

Figure 2.

1969

1996

(thousands of 1996 dollars)

Married-couple with children

Male householder with

children, no spouse

Female householder with

children, no spouse

Married-couple, no children,

householder under 40 years

Married-couple, no children,

householder 40 to 64 years

Married-couple, no children,

householder 65 years plus

One-person, male

under 65 years

One-person, female

under 65 years

One-person, male

65 years plus

One-person, female

65 years plus

Other, male householder

Other, female householder
4

U.S. Census Bureau, the Official Statistics TM June 18, 1998

The median income of households with a female householder

with children and no spouse rose

by 10 percent between 1969 and

1996, but the median income of

households with a male householder with children and no

spouse fell by 8 percent.

Married-couple households

with a householder 65 years old

or over and one-person households with a householder 65

years old or over showed very

substantial gains in median

income. The married-couple

households had a 57 percent gain

over the 1969 to 1996 period

(34 percent when the income of

wives was excluded from the

income definition). The income

of these households rose 28

percent from 1969 to 1979, a

period when there was a gain

in the median income of all

households, and rose 17 percent

from 1979 to 1983, a period when

there was a decline in the median

income of all households. The

median income of these households fell by 3 percent between

1989 and 1993 and rose 3 percent

between 1993 and 1996. Among

one-person households with a

householder 65 years old or over,

the median income of both males

and females rose 63 percent over

the full period. The median

income of single-male householders 65 years old or over rose

26 percent from 1969 to 1979 and

rose 21 percent between 1979 and

1983. The median income of

single-female householders 65

years old or over rose 34 percent

and 17 percent during the same

two subperiods. More recently,

the median income of single-male

householders 65 years old and

over failed to show a significant

change during either of the two

subperiods 1989 to 1993 and

1993 to 1996. Over the same two

subperiods, the median income of

single-female householders 65

years old and over showed a

decline of 5 percent and an

increase of 6 percent.

Relative Income

of Households

Table 6 shows data on the

proportion of households with

low or high relative incomes.

The relative income measure was

developed as a means of providing information on the shape of

the income distribution at the low

and high ends. The measure uses

an equivalence scale to adjust

household income for the number

of persons in the household and

determines the relative income

measure by comparing each

household’s adjusted income

amount to the median adjusted

income amount (for a more

complete description of this

measure see “Trends in Relative

Income: 1964 to 1989,” Series

P60-177).2 Households with

relative income levels of less than

0.5 are considered to have low

relative incomes, and households

with relative income levels of 2.0

or more are considered to have

high relative incomes.

There are at least two items of

considerable interest in the Table

6 data. One striking result is

the growth in the proportion of

households with high relative

incomes. The proportion was 12

percent in 1969 and reached 17

percent in 1993. There was no

further rise in the proportion from

1993 to 1996. For eight of the

twelve household types, the

proportion with high relative

incomes was higher in 1996 than

in 1969. Two household types—

households with a male householder with children and no

spouse; and households with

two or more persons, a male

2There is an extensive literature on the use of

equivalence scales. The scale used here was

chosen for its simplicity and is described by

Patricia Ruggles in her 1990 book, Drawing

the LineAlternative Poverty Measures and

Their Implications for Public Policy, The

Urban Institute Press, Washington, D.C.

The factor used to identify equivalent income

levels for households of different size is equal

to the square root of the number of persons

in the household. For example, to reach an

equivalent level of income, a four-person

household would need twice as much income

as a one-person household, and an eight-person

household would need twice as much income

as a two-person household.

householder, and no spouse or

children—showed a decline in

the proportion with high relative

incomes. Men under 65 years

old and living alone and women

65 years old and over and living

alone had no statistically significant change.

The proportion with low relative incomes was 21 percent in

1969, 23 percent in 1993, and

22 percent in 1996. A second

striking result that can be seen

in the Table 6 data is the sharp

reduction between 1969 and 1983

in the proportion of “elderly”

households with low relative

incomes. Among married-couple

households with no children and

with a householder 65 years or

over, the proportion with low

relative incomes was 34 percent

in 1969, 19 percent in 1983, and

18 percent in 1996 (the 1983 and

1996 figures are not statistically

different). Among single-male

householders 65 years or over,

the proportion with low relative

incomes was 54 percent in 1969,

39 percent in 1983, and 35

percent in 1996. Among singlefemale householders in this age

category, the proportion with low

relative incomes was 68 percent

in 1969, 49 percent in 1983, and

51 percent in 1996.

The time series changes in the

proportion of households with

low or high relative incomes

means that there was a fairly

sharp decline, from 67 percent

in 1969 to 61 percent in 1996,

in the proportion of households

with “middle” incomes.

Additional Tables

Tables showing data for each of

the years 1969 to 1996 for each

of the 12 household types can be

found at the web site address

given below. The tables show

data on the number and percent

distribution of households by

type, the median income of

nonmarried-couple households,

the median income of marriedcouple households including and

excluding the earnings or income
5

U.S. Census Bureau, the Official StatisticsTM June 18, 1998

of wives, and the percent of

households with low or high

relative incomes. Tables showing

standard errors for each median

income figure are also included.

The address is <www.census.gov/

hhes/www/mednhhldincome.

html>.

Summary

The Census Bureau’s time

series on median income is a

powerful economic statistic that

tracks the progress (or lack of

progress) of households in the

middle of the income distribution.

But the past 30 years have seen

dramatic changes in the overall

distribution of income while the

series on median household

income has been remarkably

stable. An adequate analysis of

trends in consumer income must

go beyond median household

income to consider a range of

income statistics. Time series

data on median household

income may, in fact, be misleading if substantial changes have

occurred in the characteristics of

households. This report points

out that substantial changes have

3For further information on household income

statistics see “Money Income in the United

States: 1996,” Series P60-193. Users

interested in a comprehensive analysis of

recent changes in income, wages, and labor

force participation should also see The State

of Working America, 1996-97, Lawrence

Mishel, Jared Bernstein, and John Schmitt,

Economic Policy Institute Series, Armonk: M.

E. Sharpe, 1997.

occurred and urges people

interested in long-term income

trends to include data on specific

types of households as part of

their analysis.3

Source and Accuracy

of the Estimates

All sample-based statistics are

subject to sampling error, as well

as nonsampling error such as

survey design flaws, respondent

classification and reporting

errors, data processing mistakes,

and undercoverage. The Census

Bureau has taken steps in the

form of quality control and

editing procedures to reduce

errors made by respondents,

coders, and interviewers. Ratio

estimation to independent agerace-sex population controls

partially controls for bias attributable to survey undercoverage.

However, biases exist in the

estimates when missed people

have characteristics different

from those of interviewed people

in the same age-race-sex group.

Analytical statements in this

report have been tested and meet

statistical standards. However,

because of methodological

differences, use caution when

comparing these data with data

from other sources.

Contact Geneva A. Burns,

Demographic Statistical Methods

Division, at 301-457-4214 or on

the internet at <Geneva.A.Burns

@ccmail.census.gov> for information on (1) the source of the

data, (2) the accuracy of the

estimates, (3) the use of standard

errors, and (4) the computation of

standard errors.

Table 1. Percent Difference Between 1969 and 1996 in Selected Economic Measures

(Dollar amounts in 1996 dollars)

Selected economic measures 1969 1996

Percent

difference

Disposable income (billions)1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,626.0 $5,608.3 113.6

Personal consumption expend. (billions)1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,372.3 $5,207.6 119.5

Resident population (thous.)2

...................................... 201,385 265,179 31.7

Per capita real disposable income (derived)......................... $13,040 $21,149 62.2

Per capita personal consumption exp. (derived) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $11,780 $19,638 66.7

Median household income3 ....................................... $33,072 $35,172 6.3

Average household income3 ...................................... $37,993 $47,101 24.0

Average income of households with incomes at or below the median3 . $17,466 $18,139 3.9

Average income of households with incomes above the median3 ...... $58,519 $76,068 30.0

Mean number of year-round full-time workers in one-person households with incomes at or below the median3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274 .286 4.4

Mean number of year-round full-time workers in one-person households with incomes above the median3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .769 .757 –1.6

Mean number of year-round full-time workers in two-or-more-person

households with incomes at or below the median3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .545 .546 0.2

Mean number of year-round full-time workers in two-or-more-person

households with incomes above the median3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.207 1.372 13.7

Per capita money income4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $11,975 $18,136 51.4

1

Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Survey of Current Business. The BEA publishes estimates of income and expenditures in

chained 1992 dollars. The author used a factor equal to the 1996 value expressed in 1996 dollars divided by the 1996 value expressed in chained

1992 dollars to convert pre-1996 estimates into estimates expressed in 1996 dollars. 2

Data for 1969 can be found in the historical tables included in the Census Bureau report ‘‘United States Population Estimates by Age, Sex,

Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1980 to 1988, Series P25-1045.’’ Data for 1996 can be found at the following internet site:

<http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/intfile2-1.txt>. 3

Calculations by the author using data from March Current Population Surveys. The CPI-U-X1 was used to convert amounts expressed in 1969

dollars into amounts expressed in 1996 dollars. 4

Data can be found at the following internet site: <http:/www.census.gov/hhes/income/histinc/p01.html>.
6

U.S. Census Bureau, the Official Statistics TM June 18, 1998

Table 2. Distribution of People 25 Years and Over by Income Position of Household and Level of

Educational Attainment: 1969 and 1996

(Numbers in thousands)

Income position of household and educational

attainment of people

1969 1996

Number Percent Number Percent

People 25 years and over ............................... 108,041 (X) 170,581 (X)

In households with incomes at or below the median . . . . . . 46,631 100.0 71,288 100.0

Not a high school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,958 62.1 21,997 30.9

High school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,239 26.3 26,318 36.9

Some college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,173 6.8 14,918 20.9

College graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,262 4.9 8,056 11.3

In households with incomes above the median . . . . . . . . . . 61,410 100.0 99,293 100.0

Not a high school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,902 30.8 8,527 8.6

High school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24,727 40.3 31,268 31.5

Some college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,989 13.0 26,856 27.1

College graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,793 16.0 32,642 32.9

(X) Not applicable.

Table 3. Percent Distribution and Selected Characteristics of Householders and Husband and Wives: 1969

and 1996

Percent distribution

of householders

Percent of householders (or

husbands or wives) working

year-round full-time

Percent of householders (or

husbands or wives) with a

college degree

1969 1996 1969 1996 1969 1996

All householders ........................... 100.0 100.0 59.4 52.2 13.1 24.5

Married-couple with children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.2 25.9

Husbands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80.1 81.1 16.0 28.9

Wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.6 39.2 8.2 25.5

Male householder with children, no spouse . . . 0.7 2.0 62.3 65.4 10.0 11.8

Female householder with children, no spouse . 5.2 8.9 30.3 44.0 4.2 10.4

Married-couple, no children, householder less

than 40 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0 4.3

Husbands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59.0 80.3 22.4 37.0

Wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.3 59.5 16.2 39.1

Married-couple, no children, householder 40 to

64 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.7 14.2

Husbands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75.8 67.4 10.5 28.4

Wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.5 45.6 7.2 21.6

Married-couple, no children, householder 65

years old or over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5 8.7

Husbands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.9 7.8 8.9 22.8

Wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7 7.1 5.1 13.4

One-person household, male less than 65

years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.7 8.1 61.8 64.4 20.7 30.8

One-person household, female less than 65

years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 7.3 52.3 57.5 13.4 33.3

One-person household, male 65 years old or

over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 2.3 9.9 6.5 6.1 14.7

One-person household, female 65 years old or

over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.1 7.5 5.6 2.9 6.1 11.5

Two-or-more-person household, male householder, no spouse or children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 5.0 46.6 56.7 14.4 24.8

Two-or-more-person household, female householder, no spouse or children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 5.9 33.9 43.9 9.0 20.3
7

U.S. Census Bureau, the Official StatisticsTM June 18, 1998

Table 5a. Percent Changes in Median Household Income by Type of Household and Specified Time Interval

1969 to

1996

1969 to

1979

1979 to

1983

1983 to

1989

1989 to

1993

1993 to

1996

All households ............................ 6.3 4.8 -5.0 11.1 -8.0 4.5

Married-couple with children

Including earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.3 15.3 -7.4 14.3 -2.6 5.4

Excluding earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 9.5 -11.3 8.3 -5.9 2.5

Male householder with children, no spouse . . . -8.1 8.5 -8.5 3.4 -14.8 5.1

Female householder with children, no spouse . 10.2 13.1 -15.4 13.0 -9.6 12.8

Married-couple, no children, householder less

than 40 years old

Including earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.9 19.8 -1.6 13.4 -5.7 6.3

Excluding earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.4 17.5 -6.6 11.5 -12.7 9.8

Married-couple, no children, householder 40 to

64 years old

Including earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.4 20.7 -2.9 14.1 -4.2 4.9

Excluding earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.0 19.2 -3.5 8.8 -9.6 2.6

Married-couple, no children, householder 65

years old or over

Including income of wives ................ 57.4 27.9 16.5 5.7 -3.3 3.4

Excluding income of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.7 9.3 15.6 4.8 -1.4 2.5

One-person household, male less than 65

years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.6 11.0 -6.7 12.6 -7.0 3.8

One-person household, female less than 65

years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.5 15.3 11.3 11.4 -5.4 -0.5

One-person household, male 65 years old or

over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63.2 25.6 21.3 4.9 3.7 -1.6

One-person household, female 65 years old or

over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63.0 33.6 16.5 4.2 -5.0 5.8

Two-or-more-person household, male householder, no spouse or children .............. 22.7 17.2 -3.3 13.4 -8.2 4.0

Two-or-more-person household, female householder, no spouse or children .............. 25.3 16.2 -5.5 20.4 -6.4 1.2

Table 4. Median Household Income, by Type of Household: 1969, 1979, 1983, 1989, 1993, and 1996

(In 1996 dollars)

1969 1979 1983 1989 1993 1996

All households ............................ $33,072 $34,666 $32,941 $36,598 $33,660 $35,172

Married-couple with children

Including earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41,453 47,793 44,264 50,613 49,274 51,950

Excluding earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,226 39,662 35,186 38,124 35,875 36,786

Male householder with children, no spouse . . . 33,749 36,619 33,496 34,646 29,520 31,020

Female householder with children, no spouse . 16,327 18,468 15,618 17,651 15,951 18,000

Married-couple, no children, householder less

than 40 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Including earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,955 45,480 44,739 50,747 47,830 50,830

Excluding earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,885 30,420 28,434 31,701 27,690 30,400

Married-couple, no children, householder 40 to

64 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Including earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43,645 52,699 51,183 58,393 55,930 58,656

Excluding earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,840 42,704 41,210 44,841 40,524 41,587

Married-couple, no children, householder 65

years old or over .........................

Including income of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,553 23,724 27,642 29,230 28,263 29,210

Excluding income of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,340 15,675 18,116 18,982 18,710 19,174

One-person household, male less than 65

years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,893 26,514 24,732 27,854 25,908 26,898

One-person household, female less than 65

years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,929 18,366 20,440 22,776 21,550 21,432

One-person household, male 65 years old or

over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,936 11,227 13,615 14,288 14,821 14,586

One-person household, female 65 years old or

over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,025 9,382 10,926 11,388 10,823 11,454

Two-or-more-person household, male householder, no spouse or children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34,060 39,916 38,614 43,770 40,175 41,792

Two-or-more-person household, female householder, no spouse or children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,796 31,140 29,439 35,454 33,172 33,566
8

U.S. Census Bureau, the Official Statistics TM June 18, 1998

Table 5b. Annual Rate of Percent Changes in Median Household Income by Type of Household and

Specified Time Interval

1969 to

1996

1969 to

1979

1979 to

1983

1983 to

1989

1989 to

1993

1993 to

1996

All households ............................ .23 .48 -1.25 1.85 -2.00 1.50

Married-couple with children

Including earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 1.53 -1.85 2.38 -.65 1.80

Excluding earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .06 .95 -2.83 1.38 -1.48 .83

Male householder with children, no spouse . . . -.30 .85 -2.13 .57 -3.70 1.70

Female householder with children, no spouse . .38 1.31 -3.85 2.17 -2.40 4.27

Married-couple, no children, householder less

than 40 years old

Including earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.26 1.98 -.40 2.23 -1.43 2.10

Excluding earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 1.75 -1.65 1.92 -3.18 3.27

Married-couple, no children, householder 40 to

64 years old

Including earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.27 2.07 -.73 2.35 -1.05 1.63

Excluding earnings of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 1.92 -.88 1.47 -2.40 .87

Married-couple, no children, householder 65

years old or over

Including income of wives ................ 2.13 2.79 4.13 .95 -.83 1.13

Excluding income of wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.25 .93 3.90 .80 -.35 .83

One-person household, male less than 65

years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 1.10 -1.68 2.10 -1.75 1.27

One-person household, female less than 65

years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.28 1.53 2.83 1.90 -1.35 -.17

One-person household, male 65 years old or

over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.34 2.56 5.33 .82 .93 -.53

One-person household, female 65 years old or

over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.33 3.36 4.13 .70 -1.25 1.93

Two-or-more-person household, male householder, no spouse or children .............. .84 1.72 -.83 2.23 -2.05 1.33

Two-or-more-person household, female householder, no spouse or children .............. .94 1.62 -1.38 3.40 -1.60 .40
9

U.S. Census Bureau, the Official StatisticsTM June 18, 1998

Table 6. Percent of Households With Low and High Relative Incomes by Type of Household: 1969, 1979,

1983, 1989, 1993, and 1996

1969 1979 1983 1989 1993 1996

All households

With low relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.7 21.2 22.1 22.4 22.7 22.2

With high relative income. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.1 13.1 14.8 15.3 16.8 16.6

Married-couple with children

With low relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.3 11.8 16.3 14.9 15.1 14.2

With high relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.3 10.0 11.0 11.9 15.8 15.1

Male householder with children, no spouse

With low relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.9 22.5 25.5 28.2 31.5 30.1

With high relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.0 8.2 8.9 7.5 6.3 5.1

Female householder with children, no spouse

With low relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.4 52.9 57.1 57.2 57.4 55.0

With high relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9 0.9 1.4 1.8 2.0 2.0

Married-couple, no children, householder less

than 40 years old

With low relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.5 5.5 6.9 6.6 6.8 6.6

With high relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.3 24.3 27.5 29.2 30.8 29.4

Married-couple, no children, householder 40 to

64 years old

With low relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3 6.9 8.4 8.1 7.9 7.6

With high relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.2 30.2 30.9 32.7 35.8 36.2

Married-couple, no children, householder 65

years old or over

With low relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.1 25.4 18.8 22.2 18.6 18.0

With high relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8 8.0 11.3 11.9 11.8 12.7

One-person household, male less than 65

years old

With low relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.6 17.9 20.4 18.1 20.0 18.7

With high relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.2 20.5 22.5 21.8 20.6 20.7

One-person household, female less than 65

years old

With low relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.7 28.7 25.1 25.4 26.8 26.7

With high relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.9 6.4 10.7 12.0 13.3 14.1

One-person household, male 65 years old or

over

With low relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.7 48.6 39.3 42.5 32.7 34.9

With high relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0 6.1 8.3 7.2 9.5 8.1

One-person household, female 65 years old or

over

With low relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68.2 59.8 48.7 52.9 51.9 51.1

With high relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 2.6 4.7 3.6 3.2 3.2

Two-or-more-person household, male householder, no spouse or children

With low relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.2 12.6 14.0 12.4 14.1 15.4

With high relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.8 20.9 22.7 20.3 21.5 19.7

Two-or-more-person household female householder, no spouse or children

With low relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.7 20.4 23.0 19.5 20.3 21.5

With high relative income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.8 9.4 11.0 12.5 14.3 13.9

Note: See text for definition of low and high relative incomes.