Median Household Income Rises Slightly in April

Median household income rose slightly to $64,016 in April 2019, after adjusting for inflation, according to Sentier Research. While below the record high median recorded in January 2019, the $241 increase in April partially offset the $638 decline that occurred in February and March. Behind those declines was rising inflation, reports Sentier's Gordon Green. Sentier's estimates are derived from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey and track the economic wellbeing of households on a monthly basis.

The April 2019 median was 1.6 percent higher than the April 2018 median, after adjusting for inflation. It was 15.0 percent higher than the post-Great Recession low reached in June 2011 ($55,665)—a bottom hit two years after the official end of the Great Recession.

Sentier's Household Income Index for April 2019 was 103.9 (January 2000 = 100.0). In other words, the April 2019 median, after adjusting for inflation, was just 3.9 percent higher than the median of January 2000—almost two decades ago. "Not an impressive performance by any means," says Green. To stay on top of these trends, look for the next monthly update from Sentier.

Source: Sentier Research, Household Income Trends: April 2019