BusinessBusinesshousehold incomeMedian income

Median Household Income Dropped 4 Percent Since The End Of The Great Recession: Report

Report: We're Worse Off Than At The End Of The Recession
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WASHINGTON — The average American household is earning less than when the Great Recession ended four years ago, according to a report released Wednesday.

U.S. median household income, once adjusted for inflation, has fallen 4.4 percent in that time, according to the report from Sentier Research. The report is based on an analysis of Census Bureau data.

The median, or midpoint, income in June 2013 was $52,098. That's down from $54,478 in June 2009, when the recession officially ended. And it's below the $55,480 that the median household took in when the recession began in December 2007.

The report says nearly every group is worse off than four years ago, except for those 65 to 74. Some groups have experienced larger-than-average declines, including blacks, young and upper-middle-aged people and the unemployed.

Below is a chart from Sentier Research showing median household income (in red) and the monthly unemployment rate (in grey) from January 2000 to June 2013:

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Before You Go

9 Ways Americans Haven't Recovered
Unemployment(01 of09)
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When the economy was roaring in 2007, the U.S. unemployment rate was 5 percent. In January 2013 the unemployment rate was 7.9 percent. (credit:AP)
Income And Wages(02 of09)
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The U.S. median income fell to $50,054 in 2011, which is the most recent full year in which that data is available. That's down 8.1 percent since 2007. Wages also fell to a record-low 43.5 percent of the economy in 2012, according to the New York Times.Meanwhile, corporate profits are still booming. (credit:Shutterstock)
Number Of People On Food Stamps(03 of09)
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The number of Americans on food stamps surged to a record in 46 million in June 2012. That's compared to 26.5 million in 2007. (credit:AP)
Uninsured Americans(04 of09)
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More than 16 percent of Americans -- or 48.6 million people -- were uninsured in 2011, according to Kaiser Health News. This number is higher than what it was in 2007, when the share of uninsured Americans was 15.3 percent. (credit:AP)
Student Loan Debt(05 of09)
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The average student loan debt for a class of 2011 graduate was about $26,500, according to the Project on Student Debt data cited by the New York Times. Since 2007, when the average student debt was $23,349, student loan debt has increased for almost every demographic and the size of that debt has gone up as well, according to Pew. (credit:PA)
Homelessness(06 of09)
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In 2011, 644,067 Americans experienced homelessness on any given night, according to data from the National Alliance to End Homelessness cited by NBC News. Though that number is actually down 13 percent from 2007, the decrease is largely attributed to a boost in the number of programs to help keep the homeless off the streets. (credit:Getty Images)
Children In Poverty(07 of09)
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More than 16 million children -- or about 20 percent of American children -- were in poverty in 2011, according to the Census Bureau. That's up from nearly 18 percent of American children in 2007. (credit:Getty Images)
Homeownership(08 of09)
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We're on our way to becoming a renter nation. The homeownership rate in the 12 months leading up to May 2012 was 65.4 percent, according to Census Bureau data cited by CNNMoney. That's the lowest rate in 15 years. In the last quarter of 2007, the homeownership rate was 67.8 percent. (credit:AP)
Foreclosures(09 of09)
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There were 2.7 million foreclosures in 2011. That's up from 2.2 million foreclosures in 2007. (credit:AP)
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