Average income up more than 30% in some cities: Where does KC rank?
(NEXSTAR) — Despite the rising inflation the U.S. has faced in recent years, the average annual income has grown by just 3%, Census Bureau data shows.
But according to a new analysis by SmartAsset, the median household income grew nearly 10 times as much in some cities.
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The personal finance website reviewed Census Bureau data from the nation’s 124 largest cities to determine income changes between 2019 and 2021. Nearly one-third of the cities reported double-digit rates of income growth while the majority saw single-digit rates of growth, the lowest being 0.27%.
Only two cities, located on opposite sides of the country, saw the median income grow by more than 30%: San Bernardino, California (31.35%) and Huntsville, Alabama (30.21%).
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While San Bernardino had a higher percentage growth, the median income in Huntsville is much higher: as of 2021, Huntsville’s median income is $70,757, nearly $5,000 higher than San Bernardino’s $65,311.
California made up the majority of the 10 cities that saw the largest income growth between 2019 and 2021:
City | Income Growth (2021 median income) |
San Bernardino, California | 31.35% ($65,311) |
Huntsville, Alabama | 30.21% ($70,757) |
Moreno Valley, California | 21.99% ($79,840) |
Winston-Salem, North Carolina | 21.65% ($54,228) |
Toledo, Ohio | 20.27% ($44,150) |
Fayetteville, North Carolina | 17.90% ($51,629) |
Indianapolis, Indiana | 17.76% ($58,479) |
Stockton, California | 17.38% ($69,844) |
Fontana, California | 16.15% ($93,851) |
Fresno, California | 15.22% ($61,250) |
Kansas City, Missouri, came in just outside the top 10 at no. 12 with 14.73% growth.
Despite the promising signs of growth, the median household income did decrease in 15 cities, SmartAsset found. In about half of those cities, the median income fell by more than 7%.
The hardest hit was Baton Rouge, Louisiana, SmartAsset found. There, the average income fell from about $45,800 to about $41,200, a nearly 10% decrease.
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The 15 cities that saw a decrease in their average household income were scattered across the U.S., but are mostly in the South:
Buffalo, New York (−0.43%) | District of Columbia (−2.36%) | Irvine, California (−5.20%) |
Enterprise CDP, Nevada (−1.04%) | Little Rock, Arkansas (−2.39%) | Cincinnati, Ohio (−7.62%) |
Garland, Texas (−1.52%) | Cape Coral, Florida (−2.72%) | Orlando, Florida (−7.91%) |
San Francisco, California (−1.64%) | Arlington, Texas (−2.96%) | Laredo, Texas (−8.75%) |
New York, New York (−2.03%) | Henderson, Nevada (−4.39%) | Baton Rouge, Louisiana (−9.96%) |
Though it had a low rate of income growth in comparison to other cities on the list, Fremont, California had the highest median income in 2021 at $155,968, according to Census data. It saw an 8.22% increase between 2019 and 2021.
The second-highest median household income was found in Frisco, Texas, which saw an 11.32% increase between 2019 and 2021, jumping from $116,884 to $130,118.
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On the opposite end was Cleveland, Ohio, where the average household income in 2021 was $35,562 — up almost 11% from $32,053 two years earlier. Detroit, Michigan wasn’t far behind, reporting a 6.4% increase in its median income in 2021 when it reached $36,140, up from $33,965.
Here is the full list of cities analyzed by SmartAsset:
The average U.S. family earns about $71,000 a year, Census data shows. Many don’t believe that is enough to get by, reporting in a Gallup poll that they need at least $85,000 in annual household income instead. That’s up drastically from the $58,000 a year the average American believed they needed 10 years ago.
