Money income and poverty status in the United States: 1987 (advance data from the March 1988 Current Population Survey).

PIP: This report presents 1987 data on the income and poverty status of persons and families in the US. Data were drawn from the March 1988 Current Population Survey that studied 60,000 households nationwide. Income and poverty estimates in this report are based solely on money income before taxes and exclude noncash benefits such as food stamps, Medicare, medicaid, public housing, and other employer-provided fringe benefits. Some highlights of the data follow. 1) In 1987, median family income was $30,850, a 1% increase from 1986. This is the 5th consecutive year this figure has increased. 2) Median income of families with a female householder, no husband present, increased from $14,146 in 1986 to $14,620 in 1987, a 3.4% increase; this is the 2nd significant annual increase since 1979. 3) Real per capita income increased to $12,290 in 1987, a 1.6% increase over 1986. 4) The 32.5% of persons below the poverty level stayed at about the same number from 1986 to 1987. The poverty rate also stayed at about the same level, 13.6% in 1986 and 13.5% in 1987. 5) Both the number of poor and the poverty rate have declined since 1983 but remain above their recent low-point in 1978. 6) In 1987, 10.5% of Whites were in poverty, a decrease of .5% from 1986; 33.1% of Blacks were in poverty, an increase of 2%. 7) The Hispanic poverty rate showed no significant change, while the number in poverty increased by 353,000. 8) The poverty rate among persons living on farms was 12.6% in 1987, a decline of 7%.^ieng

Money income of households, families, and persons in the United States: 1986.

PIP: This report presents income data for households, families, and persons in the US for 1986. The data were compiled from information collected in the March 1987 Current Population Survey of 60,500 households. Median household income in 1986 was $24,900, 3.4% higher than in 1985 after adjusting for a 1.9% increase in consumer prices between 1985 and 1986. For the 4th consecutive year, median family income moved ahead of inflation. In 1986, the median income for families was $29,460, 4.2% higher than the 1985 median after adjusting for inflation. Since 1982, when the last economic recession ended, real median family income rose a total of 10.7%. The median earnings of both men and women working year-round, full-time increased significantly in real terms between 1985 and 1986. In 1986, per capita income was $11,670, up 4% from 1985 in real terms. Per capita incomes for Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics were $12,350, $7,210, and $7,000 respectively, all higher than in 1985 in real terms. Between 1970 and 1980, real per capita income rose 15.5% while real median family income showed no significant change.^ieng

Money income of households, families, and persons in the United States: 1985.

PIP: Income data in this report for 1985 are the first estimates based entirely on households selected from the 1980 census-based sample design. Highlights of the data follow. 1) Median household income in 1985 was $23,620, a 5.4% increase over 1984, or 1.7% after adjustment for inflation. Whites' median income was $24,910, Blacks' $14,820, and Hispanics' $17,470. 2) For the 3rd year in a row median family income moved ahead of inflation. In 1985, median family income was $27,740, 4.9% higher than 1984's median of $26,430, or a 1.3% real increase after adjusting for inflation. 3) Real median income for white families in 1985 was $29,150, 1.7% higher than in 1984; black families' median income was $16,790, 5% higher than in 1984; hispanic families' real median income was $19,030, not statistically different from 1984. 4) The median income of married-couple families was $31,100 in 1985; with the wife in the paid labor force it was $36,430. Both amounts were significantly higher in real terms than in 1984. In March 1986, about 80% of all families were married couples of which 54% had a wife in the paid labor force. 5) The median income for families with a female householder, no husband present, was $13,660 in 1985, not statistically different from 1984. 6) Families in which the householder's education ended after 4 years of high school had a median income of $27,470; 4 years of college yielded a median income of $43,190, and 5+ years of college yielded a median of $50,530. 7) Men's median earnings were $24,200, no significant change from 1984; women's earnings rose to $15,620, a 2.1% real increase. 8) In 1985, 66.3% of civilian male workers 15+ worked year-round, full-time as compared to 48.5% of women. 9) In 1985, real per capita money income in the US was $11,010, up 2.1% from 1984; Whites' per capita income was $11,670, up 2%; Blacks' per capita income was $6840, up 4.9%; Hispanics' per capita income was $6610, unchanged from 1984.^ieng

Money income of households, families, and persons in the United States: 1984.

PIP: Estimates in this report are based on a sample that includes households from both the 1970 census-based sample design and the new 1980 census-based design. The estimates in this report for 1983 and 1984 reflect the introduction of new survey weighting procedures for the Spanish-origin population. Some highlights of the data follow. 1) For the 2nd year in a row, median family income increased faster than inflation according to results of the March 1985 Current Population Survey. 2) In 1984, median family income was $26,430, 7.1% higher than the 1983 median of $24,670. After adjusting for the 4.3% increase in consumer prices between 1983 and 1984, real median family income still showed a significant gain of 2.8%.^ieng