Income & Wages

Pew Research Center’s political typology sorts Americans into cohesive, like-minded groups based on their values, beliefs, and views about politics and the political system. Use this tool to compare the groups on some key topics and their demographics.

On key economic outcomes, single adults at prime working age increasingly lag behind those who are married or cohabiting

Earnings overall have held steady through the pandemic in part because lower-wage workers experienced steeper job losses.

17% of the global population could be considered middle income in 2020. Most people were either low income (51%) or poor (10%).

The shares of Americans in each income tier who have home broadband or a smartphone have not significantly changed from 2019 to 2021.

Putting minimum wage policy in the hands of lawmakers is one of several ways in which the U.S. approach stands apart from other countries.

College graduates without a college-educated parent have lower incomes and less wealth, on average, than those with a parent who has a bachelor’s or higher degree.

About six-in-ten Americans (62%) say they favor raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, including 40% who strongly back the idea.

The $7.25 federal minimum wage is used in just 21 states, which collectively account for about 40% of all U.S. wage and salary workers.

The charts below allow for comparisons between racial or ethnic groups over time on a range of measures including educational attainment, household income, life expectancy and others. You may select any two groups at a time for comparison.