Documentation and methodology

Underlying data are from Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement Historical Income Tables, Table F-1, “Income Limits for Each Fifth and Top 5 Percent of Families (All Races): 1947 to 2010,” and Table F-5, “Race and Hispanic Origin of Householder—Families by Median and Mean Income: 1947 to 2010.” Data are inflated to 2011 dollars using the CPI-U-RS and then indexed to 1979=100.