Income share of the richest 1% before and after tax in United States of America
United States of America: Income share of the richest 1% before and after tax was 14.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
14.9%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
41st
of 109 countries
All-time high
15.8%
in 2012
All-time low
8.1%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Income share of the richest 1% before and after tax in United States of America, 1980–2024
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for income share of the richest 1% before and after tax in United States of America is 14.9%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% before and after tax in United States of America peaked at 15.8% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 8.1%, in 1980.
That places United States of America 41st out of 109 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Income share of the richest 1% before and after tax in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 8.1% | — |
| 1981 | 8.7% | +7.9% |
| 1982 | 9.1% | +4.1% |
| 1983 | 9.6% | +5.7% |
| 1984 | 10.4% | +8.2% |
| 1985 | 10.5% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 10.0% | -5.0% |
| 1987 | 11.1% | +11.3% |
| 1988 | 13.1% | +17.8% |
| 1989 | 12.6% | -3.9% |
| 1990 | 12.5% | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 11.4% | -8.9% |
| 1992 | 12.1% | +6.5% |
| 1993 | 11.3% | -6.9% |
| 1994 | 11.1% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 11.4% | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 11.9% | +4.6% |
| 1997 | 12.5% | +4.9% |
| 1998 | 12.7% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 13.0% | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 13.4% | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 13.2% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 13.2% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 13.5% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 13.8% | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 14.4% | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 14.6% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 14.1% | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 13.8% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 13.3% | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 14.4% | +8.0% |
| 2011 | 14.7% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 15.8% | +7.1% |
| 2013 | 14.6% | -7.2% |
| 2014 | 14.9% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 14.7% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 14.6% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 14.9% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 15.3% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 15.1% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 13.8% | -8.7% |
| 2021 | 14.1% | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 14.3% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 14.9% | +3.8% |
| 2024 | 14.9% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.3% | 8.1% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.0% | 11.1% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.7% | 13.2% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.9% | 14.4% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.4% | 13.8% | 14.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 38 Palestine, State of 15.4% compare
- 39 Philippines 15.2% compare
- 40 Ghana 15.1% compare
- 41 Mongolia 14.9% compare
- 43 Iran, Islamic Republic of 14.7% compare
- 44 Viet Nam 14.5% compare
More economy & growth data for United States of America
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.63 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.12 Percent per annum (2029)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 5.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1267 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 10,921 constant 2015 US$ per person (2024)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth -14.24 % change on previous year (2024)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth -14.24 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 11.96 % change on previous year (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 0.0094 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 673.66 current LCU per person (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income share of the richest 1% before and after tax in United States of America?
- Income share of the richest 1% before and after tax in United States of America was 14.9% in 2024, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income share of the richest 1% before and after tax recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 15.8% in 2012.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% before and after tax recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.1% in 1980.
- How does United States of America rank for income share of the richest 1% before and after tax?
- United States of America ranks 41st out of 109 countries with data for 2024.
- Is income share of the richest 1% before and after tax rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income share of the richest 1% before and after tax. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of income received by the richest 1% of the population. Income here is measured after taxes and benefits.