63+ Salary & Income Statistics for 2026
The most comprehensive collection of salary and income statistics, updated for 2026. Whether you are negotiating a raise, switching careers, or planning your finances, these data points cover everything from median wages and tax brackets to industry pay and benefits.
Last updated: March 2026. Sources include BLS, Census Bureau, IRS, SSA, Federal Reserve, and other official agencies.
Table of Contents
Average Salary & Wage Statistics
Median annual wage for all occupations in the United States (2026)
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Mean (average) annual wage across all occupations nationally
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Median hourly wage for all workers in the United States
Source: BLS Current Population Survey
Median household income in the United States
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
Median usual weekly earnings for full-time wage and salary workers
Source: BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Year-over-year nominal wage growth for private-sector workers (2026)
Source: Atlanta Federal Reserve Wage Growth Tracker
Real (inflation-adjusted) wage growth over the past 12 months
Source: BLS Real Earnings Report
Median annual earnings for workers aged 20-24 (entry-level workers)
Source: BLS Current Population Survey
Median annual earnings for workers aged 45-54 (peak earning years)
Source: BLS Current Population Survey
Income Inequality & Distribution
Gini coefficient for US income inequality (0 = perfect equality, 1 = maximum inequality)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
Minimum annual income needed to be in the top 1% of earners in the US
Source: IRS Statistics of Income (SOI)
Share of total national income earned by the top 1% of households
Source: Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Amount women earn for every dollar earned by men among full-time, year-round workers
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
Amount Black women earn for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men
Source: National Women's Law Center analysis of Census data
Amount Hispanic/Latina women earn for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men
Source: National Women's Law Center analysis of Census data
Official poverty rate in the United States
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Poverty threshold for a family of four
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Poverty Thresholds
Ratio of 90th-percentile earnings to 10th-percentile earnings (wage dispersion)
Source: BLS Wage Percentile Data
Tax & Paycheck Statistics
Effective federal income tax rate for the median US household
Source: IRS Statistics of Income (SOI)
Average overall effective tax rate including all federal taxes (income + payroll)
Source: Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Total FICA tax rate paid by employees (6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare)
Source: Social Security Administration (SSA)
Social Security wage base limit for 2026 — maximum earnings subject to Social Security tax
Source: Social Security Administration
Standard deduction for single filers (federal income tax)
Source: IRS Revenue Procedure 2024-40
Standard deduction for married filing jointly (federal income tax)
Source: IRS Revenue Procedure 2024-40
Top marginal federal income tax rate (applies to income over $609,350 for single filers)
Source: IRS Tax Brackets
Federal supplemental wage withholding rate applied to most bonuses and commissions
Source: IRS Publication 15
Annual 401(k) employee contribution limit for 2026
Source: IRS Notice 2024-80
Employment Statistics
National unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted (2026)
Source: BLS Current Employment Statistics
Total job openings across the US economy
Source: BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)
Labor force participation rate for working-age population (16+)
Source: BLS Current Population Survey
Total nonfarm payroll employment in the United States
Source: BLS Current Employment Statistics
Share of workers who work remotely at least part of the time
Source: Pew Research Center / BLS American Time Use Survey
Number of self-employed workers (unincorporated) in the US
Source: BLS Current Population Survey
Americans who freelanced in some capacity in the past year
Source: Upwork Freelance Forward Survey
Workers who quit their jobs voluntarily per month (average)
Source: BLS JOLTS
Monthly quits rate as share of total employment (measure of labor market confidence)
Source: BLS JOLTS
Industry & Occupation Statistics
Median annual wage for anesthesiologists (highest-paying occupation in the US)
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Median annual wage for surgeons
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Median annual wage for software developers
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Median annual wage for financial managers
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Median annual wage for management occupations overall
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Median annual wage for food preparation and serving workers (lowest major occupational group)
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Projected employment growth for nurse practitioners, 2023-2033 (fastest-growing occupation)
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
Projected employment growth for data scientists, 2023-2033
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
Benefits & Compensation Statistics
Average annual worker contribution toward employer-sponsored health insurance (family coverage)
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey
Average total annual premium for family health coverage (employer + employee share)
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey
Share of private-sector workers with access to employer-provided retirement plans
Source: BLS National Compensation Survey
Average employee 401(k) contribution rate as percentage of salary
Source: Vanguard How America Saves Report
Average employer 401(k) match rate as percentage of salary
Source: Vanguard How America Saves Report
Median number of paid vacation days for workers with 1 year of service
Source: BLS National Compensation Survey
Median number of paid vacation days for workers with 20+ years of service
Source: BLS National Compensation Survey
Average number of paid sick days per year in the private sector
Source: BLS National Compensation Survey
Share of total compensation that goes to benefits (not wages) for private-sector workers
Source: BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation
Cost of Living Statistics
Annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate (2026)
Source: BLS Consumer Price Index Summary
Average share of household income spent on housing costs (mortgage or rent)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
Share of renters who are cost-burdened (spending 30%+ of income on rent)
Source: Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
Median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the United States
Source: Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI)
Median monthly rent for a one-bedroom in New York City (most expensive major city)
Source: Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI)
Median monthly rent for a one-bedroom in Memphis, TN (one of the most affordable large cities)
Source: Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI)
Real wage growth after adjusting for inflation over the past year
Source: BLS Real Earnings Report
Median household income needed to cover basic expenses for a family of four (national average)
Source: MIT Living Wage Calculator
Cost of living index in San Francisco relative to the national average (28% above average)
Source: C2ER Cost of Living Index
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Methodology & Sources
Statistics on this page are compiled from publicly available data published by official US government agencies and reputable research organizations. Primary sources include the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Current Population Survey, National Compensation Survey, and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS); the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey; the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Statistics of Income; the Social Security Administration (SSA); the Congressional Budget Office (CBO); and the Federal Reserve.
Benefits and compensation data are sourced from the Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey, Vanguard How America Saves Report, and the BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation. Cost of living data uses the MIT Living Wage Calculator, the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) Cost of Living Index, and the Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI). Wage growth figures reference the Atlanta Federal Reserve Wage Growth Tracker. Freelance workforce data comes from the Upwork Freelance Forward Survey.
All figures represent the most recently available data as of March 2026. Some statistics use the latest complete calendar-year data while others reflect current-month or current-quarter survey releases. Numbers are rounded for clarity. This page is updated monthly as new data becomes available. If you cite these statistics, please link to this page as the source.