<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> <P> A household's income can be calculated various ways but the US Census as of 2009 measured it in the following manner: the income of every resident of that house that is over the age of 15, including wages and salaries, as well as any kind of governmental entitlement such as unemployment insurance, disability payments or child support payments received, along with any personal business, investment, or other recurring sources of income . </P> <P> The residents of the household do not have to be related to the head of the household for their earnings to be considered part of the household's income . As households tend to share a similar economic context, the use of household income remains among the most widely accepted measures of income . That the size of a household is not commonly taken into account in such measures may distort any analysis of fluctuations within or among the household income categories, and may render direct comparisons between quintiles difficult or even impossible . </P> <P> The U.S. Census Bureau reported in September 2017 that real median household income was $59,039 in 2016, exceeding any previous year . This was the fourth consecutive year with a statistically significant increase by their measure . </P>

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