Story perspectives

2025 Census Shows Record Median Income, Poverty Falls

By Drooid · Sep 17, 2026, 2:28 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

The U.S. Census Bureau reported a record median household income of $87,460 in 2025.
The official poverty rate fell 0.5 percentage point to 10.2%, affecting 34.5 million people.
Child poverty reached a historic low of 13.4% in 2025.
Median earnings for full-time women rose 3.2% while men’s earnings were unchanged.
Social Security benefits kept 28.8 million people above the poverty line in 2025.

History

Historical Context

President Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1964 State of the Union introduced the War on Poverty, leading Congress to pass the Economic Opportunity Act that year and create the Office of Economic Opportunity. The official poverty rate dropped from 19.5 % in 1963 to 11.1 % by 1973, a decline echoed in 2025 Census data showing a 10.2 % poverty rate and a median household income of $87,460.

1 of 2

Story summary

The U.S. Census Bureau reported a record median household income of $87,460 in 2025.
The official poverty rate fell 0.5 percentage point to 10.2%, affecting 34.5 million people.
Child poverty reached a historic low of 13.4% in 2025.
Median earnings for full-time women rose 3.2% while men’s earnings were unchanged.
Social Security benefits kept 28.8 million people above the poverty line in 2025.

1 / 2