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1952,1956-1960: About what do you think your total income will be this year for yourself and your immediate family? 1962: Would you tell me how much income you and your family will be making during this calendar year, 1962. I mean, before taxes. 1964,1968: About what do you think your total income will be this year for yourself and your immediate family. Just give me the number/ letter) of the right income category. 1966,1970: Many people don’t know their exact (1966/1970) income yet; but would you tell me as best you can what you expect your (1966/1970) income to be– before taxes? You may just tell me the letter of the group on this card into which your family income will probably fall. 1972-1990, 1992 LONG-FORM,1994-2008 EXC. 2000 TELEPHONE: Please look at this card/page (2000 FTF: the booklet) and tell me the letter of the income group that includes the income of all members of your family living here in [previous year] before taxes. This figure should include salaries, wages, pensions, dividends, interest, and all other income. (IF UNCERTAIN:) What would be your best guess? 1992 SHORT FORM: Can you give us an estimate of your total family income in 1991 before taxes? This figure should include salaries, wages, pensions, dividends, interest and all other income for every member of your family living in your house in 1991. First could you tell me if that was above or below $24,999? (IF UNCERTAIN: what would be your best guess?) (IF ABOVE/BELOW $24,999:) I will read you some income categories, could you please stop me when I reach the category that corresponds to your family situation? 2000 TELEPHONE: I am going to read you a list of income categories. Please tell me which category best describes the.total income of all members of your family living in your house in 1999 before taxes. This figure should include salaries, wages, pensions, dividends, interest, and all other income. Please stop me when I get to your family’s income. 2012: Information about income is very important to understand how people are doing financially these days. Your answers are confidential. Would you please give your best guess? The next question is about [the total income of all the members of your family living here / your total income] in 2011, before taxes. This figure should include income from all sources, including salaries, wages, pensions, Social Security, dividends, interest, and all other income. What was [the total income in 2011 of all your family members living here / your total income in 2011]? (IF DK/RF:) Was it $40,000 or more, or less than that? (IF LESS THAN 40,000:) Was it $20,000 or more, or less than that? (IF LESS THAN 40,000 AND LESS THAN 20,000:) Please mark the answer that includes the income of all members of your family living here in 2011 before taxes. (IF LESS THAN 40,000 BUT MORE THAN 20,000:) Please mark the answer that includes the income of all members of your family living here in 2011 before taxes. (IF MORE THAN 40,000:) Was it $70,000 or more, or less than that? (IF MORE THAN 40,000 BUT LESS THAN 70,000:) Please mark the answer that includes the income of all members of your family living here in 2011 before taxes. (IF MORE THAN 40,000 AND MORE THAN 70,000:) Was it $100,000 or more, or less than that? (IF MORE THAN 40,000, MORE THAN 70,000, BUT LESS THAN 100,000:) Please mark the answer that includes the income of all members of your family living here in 2011 before taxes. (IF MORE THAN 40,000, MORE THAN 70,000 AND MORE THAN 100,000:) Please mark the answer that includes the income of all members of your family living here in 2011 before taxes.
Family income percentile group · Asked in 32 waves, 1948–2024 · 72,133 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses
Codes that include 'no Pre/Post IW' were dropped for respondents without that interview. Kept and flagged: 0 (other_missing). Codebook notes: GENERAL NOTE: See Appendix ‘INCOME’ for income ranges corresponding to these percentiles. Study coding of income was approximated as closely as possible to fit within this version. Prior to 1972, this was an estimate of CURRENT year’s income; since 1972, PREVIOUS year’s income. NOTE that in all years beginning 1976 this question was not actually asked if R was the only household member age 14 or over: in such cases, data from the question asking R’s own income was duplicated. (Prior to 1976 R’s own income was not determined.) Beginning in 1964, R was shown a respondent card or booklet. 1948 NOTE: Question wording was undocumented. 1960 NOTE: Personal data forms were completed for no-pre cases: data from these forms were incorporated. 1996 NOTE: For 14 cases, interviewers entered responses where individual income was higher than family income. In some of these cases, the responses for family income and R income may have been provided.entered in incorrect order. 1998 NOTE: Some interviewers coded lowest income category when the respondent stated that he or she did not know what the household income was. Study staff has reviewed all interviewer comment material available to identify cases coded in the lowest category where comment NOTEs clearly indicate Don’t Know; such cases have been recoded to DK. However, it is not known whether there are additional DK cases (without recorded comments) for which lowest category had been incorrectly coded. 2002 NOTE: Income categories were too broad for approximation here. 2012 NOTE: Income range was included in the public release. Percentile group represents full (combined) 2012 sample, including both in-person (FTF) and Web respondents. 2016 NOTE: Same as 2012.
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → mixed mode (2012).
| Poll | Field dates | Mode | Respondents | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANES 2024 Time Series Study Source variable: V241566x. | 2024-08-03 to 2025-02-17 | mixed | 5,521 | 5,521 |
| ANES 2020 Time Series Study Source variable: V202468x. | 2020-08-18 to 2021-01-04 | mixed | 8,280 | 8,280 |
| ANES 2016 Time Series Study Source variable: V161361x,V162309x. | 2016-09-07 to 2017-01-09 | mixed | 4,270 | 4,270 |
| ANES 2012 Time Series Study Source variable: incgroup_prepost_x. | 2012-09-09 to 2013-01-13 | mixed | 5,914 | 5,914 |
| ANES 2008 Time Series Study Source variable: V083248x. | 2008-09-02 to 2008-12-30 | face to face | 2,322 | 2,322 |
| ANES 2004 Time Series Study Source variable: V043293x. | 2004-09-07 to 2004-12-19 | face to face | 1,212 | 1,212 |
| ANES 2000 Time Series Study Source variable: V000994. | 2000-09-05 to 2000-12-22 | mixed | 1,807 | 1,807 |
Shares of people who gave an answer. Each column is one wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → mixed mode (2012).
Shares of people who gave an answer. A group’s column is left blank in waves where its effective sample is under 50; hover for exact shares.
| Group | 0 to 16 percentile | 17 to 33 percentile | 34 to 67 percentile | 68 to 95 percentile | 96 to 100 percentile | n | MoE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All respondents | 11% | 14% | 36% | 31% | 9% | 5521 | ±2 | |
| Protestant | 12% | 15% | 37% | 29% | 7% | 1640 | ±4 | |
| Catholic | 9% | 13% | 38% | 30% | 10% | 974 | ±5 | |
| Jewish | 18% | 6% | 21% | 41% | 14% | 116 | ±13 | |
| Other faith | 10% | 15% | 36% | 31% | 8% | 1206 | ±4 | |
| None | 10% | 11% | 35% | 35% | 9% | 1340 | ±4 |
ANES 2024 Time Series Study · US citizens 18+ (face-to-face samples: contiguous 48 states and DC; web samples: 50 states and DC). Shares of people who gave an answer. n is unweighted; ± is the 95% margin of error at 50% from the weighted effective sample. Groups with an effective sample under 50 are grayed; under 20, hidden.
| 1998-11-04 to 1998-12-23 |
| mixed |
| 1,281 |
| 1,281 |
| ANES 1996 Time Series Study Source variable: V960701. | 1996-09-03 to 1997-01-02 | mixed | 1,714 | 1,714 |
| ANES 1994 Time Series Study Source variable: V941404. | 1994-11-09 to 1995-01-08 | mixed | 1,795 | 1,795 |
| ANES 1992 Time Series Study Source variable: V924104. | 1992-09-02 to 1993-01-16 | mixed | 2,485 | 2,485 |
| ANES 1990 Time Series Study Source variable: V900663. | 1990-11-06 to 1991-01-21 | face to face | 1,980 | 1,980 |
| ANES 1988 Time Series Study Source variable: V880520. | 1988-09-06 to 1989-01-23 | face to face | 2,040 | 2,040 |
| ANES 1986 Time Series Study Source variable: V860733. | 1986-11-05 to 1987-02-07 | face to face | 2,176 | 2,176 |
| ANES 1984 Time Series Study Source variable: V840680. | 1984-09-04 to 1985-01-24 | mixed | 2,257 | 2,257 |
| ANES 1982 Time Series Study Source variable: V820725. | 1982-11-02 to 1983-01-31 | face to face | 1,418 | 1,418 |
| ANES 1980 Time Series Study Source variable: V800686. | 1980-09-02 to 1981-02-07 | face to face | 1,614 | 1,614 |
| ANES 1978 Time Series Study Source variable: V780598. | 1978-11-08 to 1979-01-25 | face to face | 2,304 | 2,304 |
| ANES 1976 Time Series Study Source variable: V763507. | 1976-09-07 to 1977-01-30 | face to face | 2,248 | 2,248 |
| ANES 1974 Time Series Study Source variable: V742549. | 1974-11-06 to 1975-01-31 | face to face | 1,575 | 1,575 |
| ANES 1972 Time Series Study Source variable: V720420. | 1972-09-01 to 1973-02-13 | face to face | 2,705 | 2,705 |
| ANES 1970 Time Series Study Source variable: V700388(type 0). | 1970-11-04 to 1971-01-13 | face to face | 1,507 | 1,507 |
| ANES 1968 Time Series Study Source variable: V680261. | 1968-09-06 to 1969-01-28 | face to face | 1,557 | 1,557 |
| ANES 1966 Time Series Study Source variable: V660235. | 1966-11-08 to 1967-02-01 | face to face | 1,291 | 1,291 |
| ANES 1964 Time Series Study Source variable: V640269. | 1964-09-07 to 1965-02-01 | face to face | 1,571 | 1,571 |
| ANES 1962 Time Series Study Source variable: V620075. | 1962-11-07 | face to face | 1,297 | 1,297 |
| ANES 1960 Time Series Study Source variable: V600189. | 1960-09-12 to 1960-12-26 | face to face | 1,181 | 1,181 |
| ANES 1958 Time Series Study Source variable: V580203. | 1958-11-05 to 1958-12-25 | face to face | 1,450 | 1,450 |
| ANES 1956 Time Series Study Source variable: V560190. | 1956-09-17 to 1957-01-19 | face to face | 1,762 | 1,762 |
| ANES 1954 Time Series Study | 1954-10-01 to 1954-10-31 | face to face | 1,139 | 1,139 |
| ANES 1952 Time Series Study Source variable: V520160. | 1952-09-15 | face to face | 1,899 | 1,799 |
| ANES 1948 Time Series Study Source variable: V480049. | 1948-10-01 to 1948-12-31 | face to face | 662 | 661 |