<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs to be updated . Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information . (March 2015) </Td> </Tr> <P> Household income is an economic measure that can be applied to one household, or aggregated across a large group such as a county, city, or the whole country . It is commonly used by the United States government and private institutions to describe a household's economic status or to track economic trends in the US . </P> <P> One key measure is the real median level, meaning half of households have income above that level and half below, adjusted for inflation . According to the Census, this measure was $61,372 in 2017, an increase of $1,063 or 1.8% versus 2016, the second consecutive record level year . This measure was $60,309 in 2016 (up $1,833 or 3.1% vs. 2015) and $58,476 in 2015 (up $2,863 or 5.1% vs. 2014). </P> <P> The distribution of U.S. household income has become more unequal since around 1980, with the income share received by the top 1% trending upward from around 10% or less over the 1953--1981 period to over 20% by 2007 . After falling somewhat due to the Great Recession in 2008 and 2009, inequality rose again during the economic recovery, a typical pattern historically . </P>

What is the median income in the us