Household Income Quintiles and the Top 5%

The above map, based on table B19080: “Household income quintile upper limits”  from the 2013 American Community Survey, displays income amounts which would put a household among the wealthiest 5% in their state. The stacked bars adjacent to the map display household income distribution within a state by quintiles, providing an overview of household income distribution.

For Connecticut, New Jersey, and District of Columbia, table B19080 from the 2013 ACS reports that the top 5% of households by income have lower income limits of “250,000+”, while more precise estimates are provided for all other states. Connecticut reached this apparent “250,000+” reporting ceiling in the 2011 American Community Survey report. The top 5% of households in District of Columbia surpassed this threshold several years earlier. Interestingly, in 2009 the American Community Survey reported that the lower limit of the top 5% of households in D.C. was $279,845; in this year’s report the figure is reported simply as being “$250,000+”, obscuring the true estimate. Table B19083 from the 2013 ACS indicates that the District of Columbia has a greater level of income inequality than any state; New York and Connecticut have the highest Gini index among states.

 

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