US highest incomes

Chart and table of us household mean income from 1967 to 2008 in current, constant 2008 dollars and as a ratio of median, mean highest fifth and mean top 5% incomes to the mean lowest fifth income. In constant us$ the mean lowest fifth income grew from 8,220 in 1967, to 9,559 in 1981 and 11,656 in 2008. The median grew from 36,360 in 1967 to 39,621 in 1981 and 50,303 in 2008. The mean highest fifth grew from 91,554 in 1967 to 105,041 in 1981 and 171,057 in 2008. The mean top 5% grew from 144,421 in 1967 to 156,091 in 1981 and to 294,709 in 2008. The median represented a 4.4 multiple of the lowest fifth in 1967, 4.1 in 1981 and 4.3 in 2008. The highest fifth represented a 11.1 multiple of the lowest fifth in 1967, 11 in 1981 and 14.7 in 2008. The top 5% represented a 17.6 multiple of the lowest fifth in 1967, 16.3 in 1981 and 25.3 in 2008.

The chasm between high and low US household incomes is well illustrated by the number of times that high incomes are bigger than the lowest incomes.

Median to lowest fifth income. If anything, the median lost some advantage. It was a 4.4 multiple of the lowest fifth in 1967, came down to 4.1 in 1981, and recovered somewhat to be 4.3 times bigger in 2008.
Highest fifth to lowest fifth. Eleven fold bigger in 1967, it remained so through 1981. It became 14.7 times bigger in 2008, a quite significant increase.
Top 5% to lowest fifth. Already 17.6 times bigger in 1967, the top 5% tier lost some advantage until 1981, when it was "just" 16.3 larger. The last 28 years, however, witnessed quite a remarkable widening of the gap, as the top 5% became 25.3 times bigger than the lowest fifth in 2008.

Definitely, the 1980's opened a bonanza for the lucky ones.

Household Income Differentials USA (How many times are Top 5%, Highest fifth and Median¹ bigger than the Lowest fifth mean household income?)
Year	Lowest fifth	Median	Highest fifth	Top 5%	Lowest fifth	Median	Highest fifth	Top 5%	Median ÷ Lowest fifth	Highest fifth ÷ Lowest fifth	Top 5% ÷ Lowest fith
Year	(current US$)				(constant² 2008 US$)				(ratios)
1967	1,600	7,077	17,820	28,110	8,220	36,360	91,554	144,421	4.42	11.14	17.57
1968	1,806	7,680	18,616	28,461	8,901	37,850	91,746	140,266	4.25	10.31	15.76
1969	1,932	8,335	20,520	31,585	9,074	39,145	96,371	148,337	4.31	10.62	16.35
1970	1,992	8,689	21,683	33,281	8,887	38,763	96,732	148,473	4.36	10.89	16.71
1971	2,092	8,965	22,583	34,638	8,888	38,090	95,949	147,168	4.29	10.79	16.56
1972	2,283	9,624	24,805	38,447	9,299	39,200	101,033	156,599	4.22	10.87	16.84
1973	2,539	10,471	26,953	41,516	9,798	40,407	104,010	160,208	4.12	10.62	16.35
1974	2,783	11,147	28,523	43,355	9,846	39,436	100,909	153,381	4.01	10.25	15.58
1975	2,909	11,724	30,078	45,644	9,403	37,895	97,219	147,531	4.03	10.34	15.69
1976	3,152	12,691	32,619	49,700	9,635	38,794	99,710	151,923	4.03	10.35	15.77
1977	3,335	13,579	35,480	54,277	9,584	39,021	101,957	155,973	4.07	10.64	16.27
1978	3,685	14,943	39,081	59,486	9,895	40,125	104,941	159,733	4.06	10.61	16.14
1979	4,006	16,428	43,265	65,984	9,931	40,725	107,253	163,574	4.1	10.8	16.47
1980	4,310	17,710	46,497	69,484	9,792	40,234	105,634	157,857	4.11	10.79	16.12
1981	4,602	19,074	50,568	75,144	9,559	39,621	105,041	156,091	4.14	10.99	16.33
1982	4,790	20,171	54,729	82,697	9,378	39,490	107,146	161,900	4.21	11.43	17.26
1983	5,053	20,885	57,819	87,359	9,516	39,332	108,890	164,522	4.13	11.44	17.29
1984	5,436	22,415	62,121	93,774	9,867	40,686	112,758	170,212	4.12	11.43	17.25
1985	5,614	23,618	66,353	102,354	9,891	41,610	116,899	180,325	4.21	11.82	18.23
1986	5,774	24,897	70,871	111,024	9,953	42,914	122,159	191,369	4.31	12.27	19.23
1987	6,132	26,061	74,897	118,000	10,271	43,654	125,456	197,656	4.25	12.21	19.24
1988	6,465	27,225	78,759	124,215	10,470	44,089	127,545	201,159	4.21	12.18	19.21
1989	6,994	28,906	85,529	138,185	10,914	45,108	133,468	215,638	4.13	12.23	19.76
1990	7,166	29,943	87,137	138,756	10,767	44,990	130,925	208,483	4.18	12.16	19.36
1991	7,226	30,126	88,127	137,530	10,486	43,715	127,880	199,568	4.17	12.2	19.03
1992	7,256	30,636	91,110	144,608	10,285	43,426	129,145	204,977	4.22	12.56	19.93
1993	7,359	31,241	101,253	173,784	10,206	43,326	140,420	241,008	4.25	13.76	23.62
1994	7,714	32,264	105,945	183,044	10,477	43,821	143,896	248,612	4.18	13.73	23.73
1995	8,345	34,076	109,411	188,828	11,103	45,338	145,570	251,234	4.08	13.11	22.63
1996	8,595	35,492	115,514	201,220	11,222	46,340	150,820	262,721	4.13	13.44	23.41
1997	8,839	37,005	122,764	215,436	11,340	47,477	157,505	276,402	4.19	13.89	24.37
1998	9,223	38,885	127,529	222,283	11,701	49,331	161,789	281,998	4.22	13.83	24.1
1999	9,915	40,696	135,250	235,077	12,396	50,881	169,098	293,909	4.1	13.64	23.71
2000	10,157	41,990	142,269	252,400	12,430	51,386	174,104	308,878	4.13	14.01	24.85
2001	10,136	42,228	145,970	260,464	12,130	50,535	174,686	311,703	4.17	14.4	25.7
2002	9,990	42,409	143,743	251,010	11,765	49,943	169,279	295,603	4.25	14.39	25.13
2003	9,996	43,318	147,078	253,239	11,524	49,939	169,559	291,946	4.33	14.71	25.33
2004	10,244	44,334	151,438	263,896	11,484	49,700	169,768	295,838	4.33	14.78	25.76
2005	10,655	46,326	159,583	281,155	11,559	50,256	173,120	305,005	4.35	14.98	26.39
2006	11,352	48,201	168,170	297,405	11,927	50,641	176,681	312,457	4.25	14.81	26.2
2007	11,551	50,233	167,971	287,191	11,798	51,306	171,559	293,326	4.35	14.54	24.86
2008	11,656	50,303	171,057	294,709	11,656	50,303	171,057	294,709	4.32	14.68	25.28
Average annual growth rate	5.0%	4.9%	5.7%	5.9%	0.9%	0.8%	1.5%	1.8%	-0.1%	0.7%	0.9%
¹ Median income values provided by US Census cover the period 1980-2008. For the period 1967-1979 we have used mean household income values for third fifth, i.e. 40%-60% interval, from the same source.
² Adjusted for inflation using the Implicit Price Deflators for GDP.

Sources: see US Census Bureau (Mean Household Income Received by Each Fifth and Top 5 Percent; Household by Number of Earners by Median and Mean Income), and BEA - US Bureau of Economic Analysis (Implicit Price Deflators for Gross Domestic Product 1929-2008).

areppim: information, pure and simple

Household Income Differentials USA(How many times are Top 5%, Highest fifth and Median¹ bigger than the Lowest fifth mean household income?)

Year

Lowest fifth

Median

Highest fifth

Top 5%

Lowest fifth

Median

Highest fifth

Top 5%

Median÷Lowest fifth

Highest fifth÷Lowest fifth

Top 5%÷Lowest fith

Household Income Differentials USA
(How many times are Top 5%, Highest fifth and Median¹ bigger than the Lowest fifth mean household income?)

Median
÷
Lowest fifth

Highest fifth
÷
Lowest fifth

Top 5%
÷
Lowest fith