Youth Indicators, 2005: Trends in the Well-Being of American Youth

Indicator 32: Median Income

Figure 32. Median income of full-time, year-round workers, by sex and age group: Various years, 1955 to 2002

¹Before 1980, a relatively small number of 14-year-olds were included in the 15 to 19 years old and all ages 15 and over categories.
NOTE: Data on individuals' income used to determine median income were collected 1 year after the reference year presented in the table. For example, data for 1997 were collected in 1998. Median incomes for 1995 to 1997 were calculated with different income ranges, and therefore may not be directly comparable to other years.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, Series P-60, Money Income of Households, Families, and Persons in the United States, various years and unpublished data; and Money Income and Poverty Status in the United States, 1989.

Between 1975 and 2002, the median income (after adjusting for inflation) for male full-time, year-round workers 15 years old and over decreased by 8 percent, while the income for females increased by 23 percent. The median income for male full-time, year-round workers 20 to 24 years old dropped 25 percent between 1975 and 2002 (after adjusting for inflation), from $28,925 to $21,829. The median income of females 20 to 24 years old declined by a smaller percentage (7 percent) during that period, from $21,566 to $20,017. Consequently, the gap between young males' and females' incomes narrowed. In 2002, the difference between incomes favored 20- to 24-year-old males by $1,812. In comparison, the income gap of $9,467 between all males and females ages 15 years old and over was much larger.

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