Motio Research's initial estimate of U.S. median household income for August 2026 is $88,190, a $380 (or 0.43%) increase from the firm's initial estimate of $87,810 for July 2026. The month-over-month increase reverses the declines Motio Research reported for each of the preceding two months.
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 three-month moving average that sets the period of January 2010 through March 2010 at a value of 100 after making adjustments for inflation and seasonality in the data. The second chart presents their monthly median household income estimates in nominal (not adjusted for inflation) terms for the period from January 2010 through August 2026.
Monthly Household Income Index
Median Household Income Estimates
The U.S. Census Bureau announced its estimate of median household income for the 2025 calendar year on 15 September 2026, reporting it reached $87,460. This estimate is based on household income data collected through the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) survey that the Census Bureau conducted in March 2026. The ASEC survey collects data from about 95,000 U.S. households.
Motio Research's monthly median household income estimates are compiled from data the Census Bureau collects from about 50,000 U.S. households through its monthly Current Population Survey (CPS).
Analyst's Notes
Political Calculations produces monthly median household income estimates using an alternate methodology that complements Motio Research's survey-based estimates. In August 2026, Political Calculations' initial estimate of median household income is $88,574. This estimate is $424 (or 0.5%) higher than our initial estimate of $88,150 for July 2026's median household income.
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 August 2026.
Political Calculations' August 2026 estimate is $384 (0.4%) above Motio Research's estimate of $88,190. The negative momentum Motio Research has observed in their monthly data series is so far not registering in the aggregate income data we use to derive our estimates.
The aggregate wage and salary income data we utilize in producing our complementary median household income estimates underwent a substantial revision in the 30 September 2026 data release. The revisions extend back to January 2021 and update previously reported data through July 2026.
The revisions can be divided into three basic categories:
- January 2021 - December 2023: Small, with revisions typically ranging within 0.10% of the previously reported value.
- January 2024 - December 2025: Moderate, with revisions often revised upward between 0.10% and 0.55%, though three of the 24 months in this period had negative adjustments.
- January 2026 - July 2026: Large, with universally positive upward adjustments ranging from a low of 0.43% in January 2026 to a high of 0.89% in June 2026. July 2026's aggregate income data was revised upware by 0.85% above it's previously reported level.
For the latest in our coverage of median household income in the United States, follow this link!
The BEA's revised data has been incorporated in our modeling to produce updated estimates for the period from January 2021 thorugh July 2026, which are visually presented in our chart.
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: 30 September 2026. Accessed: 30 September 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: 30 September 2026. Accessed 30 September 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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