Map Shows Household Income for Every State

A map shows median household income across each U.S. state, revealing where households earn the most and least.

Median household income in the United States rose to $84,780 in 2025, up from $83,808 in 2024, according to newly released Census Bureau data. The figures were published on Thursday as part of the U.S.

Census Bureau's 2025 American Community Survey (ACS) one-year estimates, which provide a breakdown of household incomes across the country, including state and metropolitan-area comparisons. The national median increased by $972, or approximately 1.2 percent after adjusting for inflation, according to the report, Household Income in States and Metropolitan Areas: 2025.

The District of Columbia, Maryland and New Jersey recorded some of the highest median household incomes in the country. DC had a median of $109,505, while Maryland's was $107,700 and New Jersey's was $107,797. Hawaii's was $105,013.

At the other end of the scale, Mississippi had the lowest median household income among the states, at $59,346. Puerto Rico, which is also included in the Census Bureau's data, recorded an even lower figure of $29,272. The figures highlight substantial differences in household income across the country, with a gap of more than $48,000 between the highest- and lowest-income states.

Which States Saw Household Income Increase? Despite the national increase, household income did not rise significantly everywhere. After adjusting for inflation, median household income increased in 14 states and Puerto Rico between 2024 and 2025.

California was the only state to record a statistically significant decline. In 35 states and the District of Columbia, changes were not statistically significant, meaning the Census Bureau could not establish that household incomes had meaningfully increased or decreased. The findings suggest that although the national median household income rose, the improvement was not evenly distributed across the country.

How Income Varied By Race And Age The Census Bureau also examined median household income by the race, Hispanic origin and age of the householder. Asian households had the highest median household income in 2025, at $122,161, followed by non-Hispanic White households at $90,931 and Hispanic households at $76,206. Black households had the lowest median, at $59,022.

Median household income increased between 2024 and 2025 across all the racial and Hispanic-origin groups examined in the report. Income also varied considerably by age. Households headed by someone aged 45 to 64 had the highest median income, at $103,430, followed by those headed by people aged 25 to 44, at $96,184.

Households with a householder aged 65 and older had a median income of $61,989, while those headed by someone under 25 had the lowest figure, at $47,638. Income increased for most age groups. The largest rise was among households headed by people aged 25 to 44, whose median income increased by 1.

7 percent. There was no statistically significant change for households headed by someone under 25. Highest and Lowest-Income Metropolitan Areas The Census Bureau also compared household incomes across the 25 most populous metropolitan areas.

San Francisco recorded the highest median household income, at $136,020, while Detroit had the lowest, at $79,203. Only four metropolitan areas recorded statistically significant changes between 2024 and 2025. Median household income increased in Houston, Philadelphia and Seattle, while Denver was the only metropolitan area to record a significant decline.

Income Inequality Across the US The report also found that income inequality increased slightly nationally between 2024 and 2025. The Gini index, a measure of how evenly income is distributed across a population, rose from 0.481 to 0.

482, an increase of 0.3 percent. Six states—Arkansas, California, Florida, Iowa, Utah and Wisconsin—recorded increases in income inequality.

North Carolina was the only state where the measure declined. What Is Median Household Income? Median household income represents the midpoint of the income distribution, meaning half of households earn more than the figure and half earn less.

It includes income received by the householder and other household members aged 15 and older. It is different from average salary, which measures individual earnings and can be influenced by particularly high or low salaries. The American Community Survey is an annual Census Bureau survey that provides demographic, social, economic and housing information about communities across the United States.

The 2025 estimates are based on income received during the 12 months before respondents completed their surveys, rather than income earned exclusively during the 2025 calendar year. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Emma Lee-Sang