The Evolution of Average Personal Income in the United States -1929/2019

In the United States, the average disposable income is $45,000 per year. A figure per capita (correct) which is significantly higher than the OECD average. Of the 37 active members of the OECD, the United States is almost 50% above the average (about 33 thousand dollars). But despite a good average figure, it is interesting to note that the richest 20% of the population makes up about 9 times more than the income of the poorest 20%. Just yesterday we had deepened this topic on Europe. In this new article today we will try to deepen the evolution of the average income in the US. The data range from 1929 to 2019. The evolution of Average Income in the United States.

Top 15 States in US Per Capita Personal Income

But which are the 15 US states with the highest personal income per capita? And how has this figure evolved over time? In the video below you can see how as of 2019 the first state is District of Columbia followed by Connecticut and Massachusetts. Washington, D.C., the capital of the U.S. which has about 705 thousand inhabitants is also the state where the population is richer. In fact, in 2019, the income was more than 84 thousand dollars. To follow Connecticut with 79 thousand. And in third position Massachusetts with almost 75 thousand. Among the states that exceed 70 thousand dollars there are also New York and New Jersey. In sixth place California with 66.581. Compared to 1929, the year of the economic crisis, District of Columbia has grown more than 64 times. It has grown from $1234 to over 84,000. Also in 1929, the first three states were Washington D.C., New York and Delaware.

The evolution of income State by State

The large increase in average personal income has occurred mainly from the 1970s onwards with constant growth from year to year. The only moments of decline are due to the strong economic crisis. In particular from 2010 to 2009 the average income had dropped by more than 1700 dollars. This is due to the financial crisis of 2009.

In the interactive map below you can see the given year by year, State by State. It is interesting to note that some states were already in the first position in 1929. Positions that they maintained over time. While others still increased their average income but lost positions.

The evolution of Average Income in the United States in 1929, 1949, 1999, 2009 and 2019

Finally, as a last item, below you can see the change in income. The figure refers to all available countries in the United States. The years taken as reference are significant. 1929, the year of the crisis. The 1949 as post-war. 1999 as the year before the new millennium. 2009 as the year of the financial crisis and finally 2019 as the last available data.

States	1929	1949	1999	2009	2019
United States	699	1406	28675	39284	56663
Alabama	319	838	23352	32608	43880
Alaska *	(NA)	(NA)	29892	47069	62102
Arizona	598	1343	24813	33418	46233
Arkansas	303	818	21861	31153	44845
California	994	1800	30640	42044	66661
Colorado	631	1478	31477	39982	61348
Connecticut	1029	1682	39693	59973	79087
Delaware	1031	1804	31188	40690	54264
District of Columbia	1324	2286	39563	60448	84538
Florida	519	1246	27678	36611	51989
Georgia	343	983	27275	34042	48199
Hawaii *	(NA)	(NA)	27809	41352	57450
Idaho	499	1297	23788	31186	45642
Illinois	951	1690	31024	41042	58935
Indiana	605	1357	26693	34102	48657
Iowa	571	1362	25819	37136	52636
Kansas	526	1314	26936	39088	53453
Kentucky	388	940	23255	32157	44017
Louisiana	409	1082	22731	36457	48008
Maine	600	1214	25892	37055	50950
Maryland	775	1541	33124	48755	65683
Massachusetts	911	1498	34889	50942	74967
Michigan	792	1523	28695	34030	50320
Minnesota	594	1335	30318	41015	59683
Mississippi	277	711	20684	29855	39368
Missouri	619	1332	26416	36182	49589
Montana	592	1433	21830	34260	49074
Nebraska	584	1361	27552	39264	54871
Nevada	874	1868	30292	36078	50883
New Hampshire	688	1297	31882	44892	63880
New Jersey	921	1639	35989	50149	70979
New Mexico	405	1188	21722	32729	43984
New York	1156	1738	33673	47277	71440
North Carolina	327	978	26262	35802	47803
North Dakota	377	1231	23793	39643	57501
Ohio	772	1456	27277	35532	50546
Oklahoma	449	1180	22377	35338	47951
Oregon	666	1641	26792	35481	52937
Pennsylvania	776	1403	28451	40390	58775
Rhode Island	881	1414	28596	40766	56542
South Carolina	267	885	23789	31727	45314
South Dakota	415	1121	25327	39395	53925
Tennessee	373	959	25815	34260	48761
Texas	474	1319	26337	36711	52504
Utah	548	1295	23078	31833	48395
Vermont	630	1147	27112	40275	56691
Virginia	435	1185	30615	44122	60116
Washington	740	1656	31141	41958	64898
West Virginia	459	1016	21057	31361	42336
Wisconsin	670	1391	28020	38070	53583
Wyoming	672	1702	27488	43738	63316

Data sources and other interesting articles

The article has been produced used as sources: Census Gov; The Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data refer to the period from 1929 to 2019.

Personal income is an individual’s total earnings from wages, investment interest, and other sources.

Ohter articles:
The Unemployment Rate in U.S. States from 1980 to September 2020: https://statisticsanddata.org/the-unemployment-rate-in-u-s-states/
States in U.S. with more Covid Cases per 100,000 people: https://statisticsanddata.org/states-in-u-s-with-more-covid-cases-per-100000-people/

If you liked the article and want to support the channel: https://www.patreon.com/statisticsanddata

To subscribe to the Youtube channel, quiet is free: https://youtube.com/c/statisticsanddata