Thursday, July 02, 2026

Average U.S. real income is 46 times higher than it was in 1774

See Happy Birthday, USA economist Jeremy Horpedahl.

"For America’s 250th birthday, my present to all of you is this chart showing our economic history. Average income in the US has increased dramatically since the country was founded. This chart attempts to provide one, continuous series, using the best available income data and inflation adjustments (well, mostly continuous — before 1790 there are just a few estimates). Sources are listed at the bottom of the chart. The y-axis is a log scale." 

 

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