INCOME INEQUALITY Gini Index (0.0 = perfect equality, 1.0 = one person has all the income) 1947 .376 1948 .371 1949 .378 1950 .379 1951 .363 1952 .368 1953 .359 1954 .371 1955 .363 1956 .358 1957 .351 1958 .354 1959 .361 1960 .364 1961 .374 1962 .362 1963 .362 1964 .361 1965 .356 1966 .349 1967 .348 1968 .348 1969 .349 1970 .353 1971 .355 1972 .359 1973 .356 1974 .355 1975 .357 1976 .358 1977 .363 1978 .363 1979 .365 1980 .365 1981 .369 1982 .380 1983 .382 1984 .383 1985 .389 1986 .392 1987 .393 1988 .395 1989 .401 1990 .396 1991 .397 1992 .403 1993 .429 1994 .426 Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P60 Share of aggregate family income by quintile (1994 dollars, CPI-U-X1) Year Lowest Second Third Fourth Fifth Top 5% ----------------------------------------------------------- 1947 5.0 11.9 17.0 23.1 43.0 17.5 1948 4.9 12.1 17.3 23.2 42.4 17.1 1949 4.5 11.9 17.3 23.5 42.7 16.9 1950 4.5 12.0 17.4 23.4 42.7 17.3 1951 5.0 12.4 17.6 23.4 41.6 16.8 1952 4.9 12.3 17.4 23.4 41.9 17.4 1953 4.7 12.5 18.0 23.9 40.9 15.7 1954 4.5 12.1 17.7 23.9 41.8 16.3 1955 4.8 12.3 17.8 23.7 41.3 16.4 1956 5.0 12.5 17.9 23.7 41.0 16.1 1957 5.1 12.7 18.1 23.8 40.4 15.6 1958 5.0 12.5 18.0 23.9 40.6 15.4 1959 4.9 12.3 17.9 23.8 41.1 15.9 1960 4.8 12.2 17.8 24.0 41.3 15.9 1961 4.7 11.9 17.5 23.8 42.2 16.6 1962 5.0 12.1 17.6 24.0 41.3 15.7 1963 5.0 12.1 17.7 24.0 41.2 15.8 1964 5.1 12.0 17.7 24.0 41.2 15.9 1965 5.2 12.2 17.8 23.9 40.9 15.5 1966 5.6 12.4 17.8 23.8 40.5 15.6 1967 5.4 12.2 17.5 23.5 41.4 16.4 1968 5.6 12.4 17.7 23.7 40.5 15.6 1969 5.6 12.4 17.7 23.7 40.6 15.6 1970 5.4 12.2 17.6 23.8 40.9 15.6 1971 5.5 12.0 17.6 23.8 41.1 15.7 1972 5.4 11.9 17.5 23.9 41.4 15.9 1973 5.5 11.9 17.5 24.0 41.1 15.5 1974 5.5 12.0 17.5 24.0 41.0 15.5 1975 5.4 11.8 17.6 24.1 41.1 15.5 1976 5.4 11.8 17.6 24.1 41.1 15.6 1977 5.2 11.6 17.5 24.2 41.5 15.7 1978 5.2 11.6 17.5 24.1 41.5 15.6 1979 5.2 11.6 17.5 24.1 41.7 15.8 1980 5.1 11.6 17.5 24.3 41.6 15.3 1981 5.0 11.3 17.4 24.4 41.9 15.4 1982 4.7 11.2 17.1 24.3 42.7 16.0 1983 4.7 11.1 17.1 24.3 42.8 15.9 1984 4.7 11.0 17.0 24.4 42.9 16.0 1985 4.6 10.9 16.9 24.2 43.5 16.7 1986 4.6 10.8 16.8 24.0 43.7 17.0 1987 4.6 10.7 16.8 24.0 43.8 17.2 1988 4.6 10.7 16.7 24.0 44.0 17.2 1989 4.6 10.6 16.5 23.7 44.6 17.9 1990 4.6 10.8 16.6 23.8 44.3 17.4 1991 4.5 10.7 16.6 24.1 44.2 17.1 1992 4.3 10.5 16.5 24.0 44.7 17.6 1993 4.1 9.9 15.7 23.3 47.0 20.3 1994 4.2 10.0 15.7 23.3 46.9 20.1 Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P60 Income at selected positions (1994 dollars, CPI-U-X1) Upper Limit of Each Fifth --------------------------------- First Second Third Fourth Top 5% Average ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1947 $9,700 $15,653 $21,226 $30,118 $49,433 $21,716 1948 9,361 15,391 20,550 28,667 46,683 20,765 1949 8,829 15,083 20,347 28,753 46,154 20,422 1950 9,395 16,155 21,500 29,883 48,731 21,580 1951 10,227 16,674 22,057 30,117 47,199 21,963 1952 10,564 17,089 23,120 31,271 48,654 22,935 1953 10,931 18,551 24,892 33,524 52,136 24,049 1954 10,212 17,962 24,316 33,315 52,794 23,773 1955 11,311 19,251 25,882 35,054 54,009 25,270 1956 12,206 20,543 27,252 36,950 57,267 26,741 1957 12,089 20,573 27,181 36,467 55,850 26,448 1958 11,941 20,252 26,997 36,814 56,637 26,265 1959 12,555 21,409 28,519 39,301 60,030 28,027 1960 12,813 22,092 29,290 40,502 62,299 28,660 1961 12,768 21,979 29,914 41,200 66,576 29,508 1962 13,555 22,591 30,724 42,924 67,323 30,137 1963 13,779 23,142 31,750 44,367 67,398 31,144 1964 14,292 24,187 32,982 44,860 69,430 32,261 1965 15,167 25,406 34,277 46,800 72,345 33,384 1966 16,567 26,937 36,052 49,007 75,784 35,345 1967 16,776 27,537 36,928 50,625 81,343 36,821 1968 17,863 28,697 39,153 52,676 80,940 38,013 1969 18,807 30,091 40,623 55,485 85,396 39,785 1970 18,301 29,855 40,545 55,731 87,018 39,853 1971 17,918 29,668 40,664 55,766 87,080 39,828 1972 18,732 31,042 42,908 59,280 92,912 42,140 1973 19,093 31,505 43,958 60,451 94,242 42,771 1974 19,152 31,290 43,055 59,474 93,415 42,007 1975 18,425 30,339 42,192 58,418 91,504 40,995 1976 18,725 31,184 43,377 59,909 94,159 42,090 1977 18,759 31,415 44,413 61,193 96,963 42,828 1978 19,338 32,494 45,492 63,232 100,249 44,111 1979 19,749 32,474 46,006 63,350 101,629 44,692 1980 18,728 31,531 44,658 62,665 99,040 43,171 1981 18,118 30,841 44,013 62,175 98,677 42,499 1982 17,671 30,263 43,328 62,166 101,249 42,462 1983 17,610 30,162 43,857 62,713 103,209 42,883 1984 17,937 31,200 45,193 64,990 106,407 44,292 1985 18,298 31,521 45,661 66,427 108,760 45,375 1986 18,931 32,588 47,489 68,380 112,773 47,224 1987 19,044 32,852 48,010 69,573 113,432 48,118 1988 18,919 32,799 48,231 70,036 115,254 48,366 1989 19,126 33,465 48,763 71,172 118,277 49,606 1990 19,102 32,933 47,669 69,723 116,063 48,363 1991 18,498 31,676 46,789 68,541 111,883 47,046 1992 17,654 31,345 46,478 67,657 111,981 46,711 1993 17,405 30,768 46,183 68,504 116,080 48,430 1994 17,940 31,300 47,000 69,998 120,043 49,340 Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P60 Return to Overview