Real median household income, term by term
Every term lined up from its inauguration. Context is everything: compare the start of a term with the trend it inherited and with what was happening in the world (recessions, pandemics), all of which are on the full real median household income chart.
Of the 6 completed terms with data, the real median household income rose fastest under Donald Trump (1st term), at +$1,590/yr against +$2,040/yr in the four years before, and fell fastest under George H. W. Bush, at −$545/yr against +$1,208/yr in the four years before. So far under Donald Trump (2nd term), it has gone from $85,210 in 2024 to $87,460 in 2025.
Numbers
| President | During term | 4 years before |
|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump (2nd term) | $85,210 → $87,460 +$2,245/yr · through 2025 | +$405/yr |
| Joe Biden | $83,590 → $85,210 +$405/yr | +$1,590/yr |
| Donald Trump (1st term) | $77,230 → $83,590 +$1,590/yr | +$2,040/yr |
| Barack Obama | $72,260 → $77,230 +$621/yr | +$140/yr |
| George W. Bush | $73,560 → $72,260 −$163/yr | +$1,395/yr |
| Bill Clinton | $64,560 → $73,560 +$1,125/yr | −$545/yr |
| George H. W. Bush | $66,740 → $64,560 −$545/yr | +$1,208/yr |
| Ronald Reagan | no data | no data |
| Jimmy Carter | no data | no data |