The bar chart compares the number of households in the United States, measured in millions, across five annual income categories in 2007, 2011 and 2015.
Overall, households earning $100,000 or more recorded the highest figures by 2015 and showed the greatest increase over the period. In contrast, the numbers of households in the middle-income groups remained relatively stable, while those earning less than $25,000 increased slightly.
In 2007, approximately 25 million households earned less than $25,000 annually, while around 27 million fell into the $25,000-$49,999 category. The figures for households earning $50,000-$74,999 and $75,000-$99,999 were lower, at roughly 21 million and 14 million respectively. Meanwhile, just under 30 million households earned $100,000 or more.
By 2011, the number of households in the two lowest income groups had risen to around 29 million and 30 million respectively. In contrast, the figures for the $50,000-$74,999 and $75,000-$99,999 categories declined slightly to approximately 21 million and 14 million.
In 2015, the number of households earning at least $100,000 increased markedly to about 33 million, making it the largest category. The figure for the $25,000-$49,999 group remained relatively stable at around 29 million, while households earning less than $25,000 stood at approximately 28 million. The remaining two income groups changed very little, with both remaining close to their earlier levels.