The U.S. Census Bureau has released its annual report on income in the United States.
According to data in the report, the median income of Black households in the United States in 2024 was $56,020, down slightly from 2023. The median income figure shows the point where half of all families earn below this level and half earn above this level.
For non-Hispanic White households in 2024, the median income figure was $92,530, up 1.3 percent from 2023. In 2024, the median Black household income was 60.5 percent of the median income of non-Hispanic White families. In 2023, the income gap was 63.4 percent. In 2022, the figure was 65.2 percent. With only minor fluctuations, the racial gap in median income has remained virtually unchanged for more than a half-century.
It is also important to look at the racial gap in income at the highest levels. These families can afford to send their children to the college of their choice without having to worry about financial aid or student loans. Some 17.8 percent of non-Hispanic White households in 2024 had incomes above $200,000. For Black households, 8.2 percent had incomes of more than $200,000. Thus, Whites are more than twice as likely as Blacks to come from high-income households.
