Minimum income thresholds for family and household income, by income group, 1947–2010 (2011 dollars)

	Real money income threshold, by fifth					Top 5 percent
	Bottom	Second	Middle	Fourth	Top
Family income
1947	$0	$13,952	$22,513	$30,529	$43,318	$71,099
1979	0	28,471	46,817	66,326	91,330	146,517
1989	0	28,027	49,038	71,455	104,292	173,318
1995	0	27,945	48,336	71,783	105,890	181,206
2000	0	31,345	53,340	80,094	119,340	209,126
2007	0	30,225	53,705	81,355	122,183	213,928
2010	0	27,527	49,514	76,483	117,333	206,675
Household income
1979	$0	$20,211	$37,534	$57,748	$83,731	$135,297
1989	0	21,184	40,281	61,910	94,064	160,685
1995	0	21,102	39,440	61,550	95,433	165,591
2000	0	23,405	43,100	68,142	106,791	189,666
2007	0	22,010	42,413	67,254	108,474	191,999
2010	0	20,631	39,243	63,683	103,222	186,515

Note: The bottom fifth begins at the first percentile, the second fifth at the 20th percentile, the middle fifth at the 40th percentile, the fourth fifth at the 60th percentile, and the top fifth at the 80th percentile of the income distribution.

Source: Authors' analysis of Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement Historical Income Tables (Tables F-1 and H-1)

Documentation and methodology

Underlying data are from Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement Historical Income Tables, Table F-1, “Income Limits for Each Fifth and Top 5 Percent of Families (All Races): 1947 to 2010,” and Table H-1, “Income Limits for Each Fifth and Top 5 Percent of All Households: 1967 to 2010.” Data are inflated to 2011 dollars using the CPI-U-RS.