Black household income rises 76% since 1967, but dollar gap with White households widens
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Black households had a median income of $59,980 in 2025, according to new U.S. Census Bureau figures released September 15. In 1967, the first year in the bureau's series, the Black median was $34,050 in 2025 dollars, so it has risen 76.2 percent after counting for inflation. Over the same years, the median for all households in general rose 55.5 percent, to $87,460.
The gap with non-Hispanic White households has narrowed as a ratio but widened in dollars. In 1972, the first year the bureau reported non-Hispanic White income, Black households had 57.6 cents for every dollar a non-Hispanic White household had. In 2025 they had 62.0 cents. The dollar difference grew from $28,150 to $36,730.
All figures here are medians, the midpoint where half of households have more and half have less, and every year is converted to 2025 dollars. Race is that of the householder, the person in whose name the home is owned or rented. Hispanic households can be of any race.
| Year | All households | White, not Hispanic | Black | Asian | Hispanic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | $56,230 | – | $34,050 | – | – |
| 1972 | $62,330 | $66,320 | $38,170 | – | $49,350 |
| 1975 | $60,080 | $63,300 | $37,720 | – | $45,130 |
| 1980 | $61,690 | $66,240 | $37,500 | – | $47,550 |
| 1985 | $63,090 | $68,030 | $39,580 | – | $46,650 |
| 1990 | $67,050 | $71,540 | $41,820 | $86,100 | $50,000 |
| 1995 | $66,990 | $73,090 | $44,020 | $79,840 | $44,940 |
| 2000 | $73,560 | $79,930 | $51,980 | $97,680 | $58,110 |
| 2005 | $72,810 | $79,820 | $48,500 | $96,020 | $56,530 |
| 2010 | $70,110 | $77,480 | $45,710 | $91,430 | $53,540 |
| 2015 | $74,590 | $83,080 | $48,700 | $101,800 | $59,590 |
| 2019 | $85,320 | $94,450 | $56,430 | $121,900 | $69,680 |
| 2020 | $83,590 | $92,660 | $56,570 | $117,000 | $68,120 |
| 2021 | $83,270 | $91,760 | $56,820 | $119,300 | $68,210 |
| 2022 | $81,460 | $88,540 | $57,740 | $118,800 | $68,600 |
| 2023 | $84,730 | $93,610 | $59,380 | $118,600 | $68,890 |
| 2024 | $85,210 | $94,010 | $57,210 | $124,400 | $72,430 |
| 2025 | $87,460 | $96,710 | $59,980 | $126,300 | $73,260 |
Before 2002, the Black and White columns count anyone who reported that race, the Asian column is the older Asian and Pacific Islander category, and data on Hispanic origin starts in 1972. From 2002 on, when people could check more than one race, the columns show those who reported one race only. The bureau did not publish Asian figures before 1987.
The bureau found that Black household income rose 4.8 percent from 2024 to 2025, a significant change. It said the Asian and Hispanic medians did not change significantly. The 2025 figure is the highest in the table for every column, though for Asian and Hispanic households it is within the margin of error of 2024.
Black income took 18 years to pass its 2000 level
Black households reached $51,980 in 2000, then lost ground through two recessions. The median fell 12.0 percent from 2007 to 2011, to $44,470, while the median for all households fell 7.7 percent. Black income did not top its 2000 level until 2018, when it reached $52,120. It has stayed above $56,000 every year since 2019.
The ratio to non-Hispanic White income has moved in both directions. It peaked at 65.2 cents in 2022, when White income dipped and Black income rose, then fell back to 60.9 cents in 2024. The largest dollar gap in the table came in 2019, at $38,020.
Hispanic households went from $49,350 in 1972 to $73,260 in 2025, up 48.4 percent. Non-Hispanic White households gained 45.8 percent over the same years. That left Hispanic households with 75.8 cents per non-Hispanic White dollar in 2025, compared with 74.4 cents in 1972.
Asian households have had the highest median of any group in every year shown since 1990. In 2025, their $126,300 was 30.6 percent above the non-Hispanic White median. Asian-headed households also lead on wealth, as covered in our look at Census net worth data.
The bureau's single-race series begins in 2002, which allows a cleaner comparison across eight groups. Asian households had the biggest increase since then, 41.8 percent, followed by Hispanic households at 30.8 percent. American Indian and Alaska Native households had the smallest, 13.8 percent.
| Rank | Householder race or origin | 2002 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asian alone | $89,060 | $126,300 | +41.8% |
| 2 | White alone, not Hispanic | $79,370 | $96,710 | +21.8% |
| 3 | White alone | $76,300 | $91,930 | +20.5% |
| 4 | All households | $71,770 | $87,460 | +21.9% |
| 5 | Two or more races | $61,940 | $79,760 | +28.8% |
| 6 | Hispanic (any race) | $56,020 | $73,260 | +30.8% |
| 7 | American Indian and Alaska Native alone | $55,380 | $63,040 | +13.8% |
| 8 | Black alone | $49,120 | $59,980 | +22.1% |
Households reporting two or more races are the one group whose 2025 median is not its highest. It peaked at $85,450 in 2020.
State-level medians, which come from a different survey, are in our median household income by state breakdown. County-level figures for Black households are in the counties where Black households earn the most.
Sources
Figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau's Table 2, Households by Total Money Income, Race, and Hispanic Origin of Householder: 1967 to 2025, published with Income in the United States: 2025 (P60-289) on September 15, 2026. Dollar figures are in 2025 dollars, adjusted with the Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers from 2000 and the R-CPI-U-RS before that. Where the bureau lists two estimates for one year because of a survey change (2013 and 2017), the first-listed estimate is used. Ratios and percentage changes are calculated from the table's medians. Statements about statistical significance are the bureau's.
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What is the median household income by race in 2025?
In 2025, median household income was $126,300 for Asian households, $96,710 for non-Hispanic White households, $73,260 for Hispanic households, and $59,980 for Black households, according to the Census Bureau. The median for all households was $87,460.
Has the income gap between Black and White households narrowed?
As a ratio, slightly. Black households had 57.6 cents per non-Hispanic White dollar in 1972 and 62.0 cents in 2025. In dollars, the gap widened from $28,150 to $36,730, after adjusting both years for inflation.
Which group's household income has grown the most?
Since 1967, Black household income rose 76.2 percent after inflation, more than the 55.5 percent gain for all households. Since 2002, when single-race figures begin, Asian households gained the most, 41.8 percent, followed by Hispanic households at 30.8 percent.
