The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey released this week revealed that the median household income in the United States fell by 0.8 percent in 2022, even while inflation ate away at that income, with an annual 3.7% inflation, as officially calculated.
But Alaska was one of five states, including Alabama, Delaware, Florida, and Utah, that saw median household incomes increase last year. Seventeen states saw decreases in income, and 28 states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico showed no significant change.
The median household income last year across all states was $74,755, when adjusted for inflation.
Alaska’s median income in 2021 was $87,490. In 2022, it rose to $89,740.
The top median income is found with the “rich men north of Richmond” in Washington, D.C., where there is an average household income of $101,027.
Among actual states, New Jersey has the highest median household income, at $96,346, and Mississippi anchored the bottom, with $52,719.
Although Alaska has seen an uptick in household income, price increases continue apace.
Prices in the Anchorage area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, increased 1.3 percent for the two months ending in August 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week. The August increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter and gasoline, according to the Department of Labor.
The American Community Survey collects and releases new data every year, including estimates, tables, tools, and analytical reports.
