Americans' incomes rose and poverty fell in 2025, Census Bureau says

Americans' inflation-adjusted incomes rose and poverty declined in 2025, according to new Census Bureau data released Tuesday, as the Federal Reserve meets to decide whether inflation still requires higher interest rates. Real median household income rose by 2.6% to $87,460 last year, the Census Bureau reported as part of a suite of data releases Tuesday. The poverty rate fell by a nearly half-point to 10.2%. The poverty threshold for a family of four last year was $32,970. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent celebrated the data, which were released as he was testifying to a House committee about the economy. The Census Bureau data are "several inconvenient facts" for the Trump administration's political opponents, he said.