Median household income increases 5.2 percent, marking first rise since 2007

Americans&#039; median household had first raise in almost a decade.

(Image credit: iStock)

published 13 September 2016

For the first time since 2007, the median household income in America rose last year. The median income in 2015 was $56,516, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday, marking a 5.2 percent increase from 2014. Census officials attributed most of that jump to increased levels of employment, as an additional 2.5 million Americans found "full-time, year-round jobs," The Associated Press reported.

Though last year marked the first time household incomes haven't remained stagnant since the recession, incomes have yet to bounce back to pre-recession levels. In 2007, when the recession began, the median income was 1.6 percent higher than it was last year. Still, the jump was enough to push down the number of households living in poverty by 3.5 million.