National Household Income Rises, Poverty Rate Unchanged

Real median household income in the United States climbed 1.3 percent
between 2006 and 2007, reaching $50,233, according to a report released
today by the U.S. Census Bureau. 

This is the third annual increase in real median household income.

Between 2006 and 2007, real median household income rose in the Midwest
($50,277) and the South ($46,186), declined in the Northeast ($52,274) and
remained statistically unchanged in the West ($54,138). Median household income ranged from $68,080 for Maryland to $36,338 for Mississippi. 

For large places (250,000 or more people), Plano, Texas, had the highest median household income ($84,492), while Detroit had among the lowest ($28,097). For smaller places (65,000 to 249,999 people), Pleasanton, Calif., had among the highest median household income ($113,345), while Youngstown, Ohio ($24,941) had among the lowest.

Meanwhile, the nation’s official poverty rate was 12.5 percent in 2007,
the same as in 2006. There were 37.3 million people in poverty in 2007, up from 36.5 million in 2006. The number of people without health insurance coverage declined from 47 million (15.8 percent) in 2006 to 45.7 million (15.3 percent) in 2007.

As defined by the Office of Management and Budget and updated for
inflation using the Consumer Price Index, the weighted average poverty
threshold for a family of four in 2007 was $21,203; for a family of three,
$16,530; for a family of two, $13,540; and for unrelated individuals,
$10,590.

The number in poverty in the South increased to 15.5 million in 2007, up
from 14.9 million in 2006, while the poverty rate remained statistically
unchanged at 14.2 percent in 2007. In 2007, the poverty rates for the
Northeast (11.4 percent), the Midwest (11.1 percent) and the West (12.0
percent) were all statistically unchanged from 2006. The poverty rate for
the Northeast was not statistically different from that of the Midwest or
West.

In 2007, the ratio of earnings of women who worked full time, year-round
was 78 percent of that for corresponding men. The real median earnings of
men who worked full time, year-round climbed between 2006 and 2007, from
$43,460 to $45,113. For women, the corresponding increase was from $33,437
to $35,102. These increases in earnings follow three years of annual
decline in real earnings for both men and women.

Additional information on Central Oregon will be posted here as it becomes available throughout the day.