Median household income

Median income is the amount that divides the income distribution into two equal groups, half having income above that amount, and half having income below that amount. Mean income (average) is the amount obtained by dividing the total aggregate income of a group by the number of units in that group.

Median income can be calculated by household income, by personal income, or for specific demographic groups.

In 2013, Gallup published a list of countries with median household income, based on a self-reported survey of approximately 1000 adults from each country. Using median, rather than mean income, results in a much more accurate picture of the typical income of the middle class since the data will not be skewed by gains and abnormalities in the extreme ends. The figures are in international dollars using purchasing power parity and are based on responses from at least 2,000 adults in each country, with the data aggregated from 2006 to 2012. Below is a list of the top 30 countries. The figures do not take taxes and social contributions into account.

* The US Census reports that median household money income during the 2006-2012 period averaged over $50,000, therefore by comparison, the Gallup result is underreported compared to Census' own figures. A study on the Census income data claims that when correcting for underreporting, U.S. gross median household income was $57,739 in 2010 (table 3).

The annual median equivalence disposable household income for selected OECD countries is shown in the table below. This is the disposable income of an equivalent adult in a household in the middle of the income distribution in a year.

Data are in United States dollars at current prices and current purchasing power parity for private consumption for the reference year.

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