The bar chart compares households in the US in terms of their annual earnings across three specific years: 2007, 2011 and 2015. The units are measured in millions.
Overall, it is evident that the two lowest-earning categories saw modest growth over the period, while the middle-income groups showed negligible change, lagging behind their counterparts by a substantial margin. Of particular note is the highest-earning demographic, which emerged as the frontrunner by 2015, overtaking the two lowest-income groups.
In detail, those earning $100,000 or more stood out as the leading cohort, except in 2011. Approximately 29 million households recorded earnings of $100,000 or more in 2007. Despite a brief decline to about 28 million in 2011, this group rebounded significantly to a peak of 33 million, thereby accounting for the largest share of households by the end of the period. By contrast, the two lowest-income brackets followed a comparable trajectory throughout. Starting at around 25 million and 27 million respectively in 2007, the figures for the under-$25,000 and $25,000-$49,999 tiers climbed considerably to highs of 29 million and 30 million in 2011, with the latter remaining marginally ahead. During the subsequent four years, they edged down, with their corresponding figures standing at 28 million and 29 million.
At the other end of the spectrum, the middle-income brackets exhibited almost identical patterns. Households earning $50,000-$74,999 numbered around 21 million in 2007, compared to just under 15 million in the $75,000-$99,999 band. The disparity between the two was more pronounced in 2011: the $50,000-$74,999 segment came in at about 21 million, whereas the next bracket stood at a mere 14 million. In 2015, the figures for both hovered around 20 million and 15 million respectively, albeit with a minimal rise in the latter.