City Incomes Are Growing

Median household income grew strongly in the nation's cities between 2011 and 2012, which may explain why city populations are growing again.

The major cities of the nation's metropolitan areas were one of the few demographic segments to experience a gain in median household income between 2011 and 2012, after adjusting for inflation. In those cities, median household income grew 3.2 percent. In contrast, median income did not change significantly for households in suburbs or nonmetropolitan areas.

Median household income in 2012 (and percent change 2011-12; in 2012 dollars)
Households in the cities of metropolitan areas: $45,902 (+3.2%)
Households in the suburbs of metropolitan areas: $58,780 (+0.5%)
Households outside of metropolitan areas: $41,198 (-0.4%)

Source: Census Bureau, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance in the United States: 2012