Are most people earning a larger salary than you? Or are you in the top 10 percent? How does your income today compare with 1950?
A data visualization by statistician Nathan Yau gives you a clear look at what percentile your income puts you in over time. If you earn $35,000 today, for example, you’re at about the middle of the pack. In 1950, though, you would have been in the top 17 percent.
The graphic presents a strong visual image of the income most people make. It doesn’t take much pulling of the slider to the right to hit the upper end of the income distribution.
Yau said he created the graphic using U.S. Census and IPUMS data, which is maintained by the University of Minnesota. It’s adjusted for inflation. Click here to get to the tool.
