Motio Research's initial estimate of U.S. median household income for May 2026 is $88,480. This value represents a $190 (or 0.2%) increase from the firm's initial estimate of $88,290 for April 2026.
Here are screenshots of the interactive charts Motio Research provides to visualize trends in the U.S.' median household income. The first chart presents the firm's Household Income Index, which is based on a three-month moving average that sets the period of January 2010 through March 2010 at a value of 100. The second chart presents their monthly median household income estimates in nominal (not adjusted for inflation) terms for the period from January 2010 through May 2026.
Household Income Index
Median Household Income Estimates
The U.S. Real Median Household Income Index has a value of 119.6 for May 2026. Motio Research's data indicates median household income has risen about 2.7% since May 2025.
Analyst's Notes
Political Calculations' initial estimate of median household income in May 2026 is $87,643, which is up $199 (or +0.2%) from our initial estimate of $87,444 for April 2026.
The following chart presents our estimates of U.S. median household income, both adjusted for inflation (blue) and not-adjusted for inflation (red) for each month from January 2000 through May 2026.
Political Calculations' May 2026 estimate is $837 (or a little under 1%) below Motio Research's survey-based estimate of $88,480 for the month. The BEA's aggregate wage and salary income data used in generating our median household income estimates had small upward revisions for the earlier months of 2026, with very small revisions in January and February (~0.01%), and larger adjustments for March (+0.08%) and April (+0.16%).
For the latest in our coverage of median household income in the United States, follow this link!
References
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Table 2.6. Personal Income and Its Disposition, Monthly, Personal Income and Outlays, Not Seasonally Adjusted, Monthly, Middle of Month. Population. [Online Database (via Federal Reserve Economic Data)]. Last Updated: 25 June 2026. Accessed: 25 June 2026.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Table 2.6. Personal Income and Its Disposition, Monthly, Personal Income and Outlays, Not Seasonally Adjusted, Monthly, Middle of Month. Compensation of Employees, Received: Wage and Salary Disbursements. [Online Database (via Federal Reserve Economic Data)]. Last Updated: 25 June 2026. Accessed: 25 June 2026.
Image credit: U.S. Census Bureau. We modified the public domain image to make it more generally applicable beyond reporting the median household income from 2022.
Labels: median household income
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