Only High-Income Californians Have Seen Real Income Gains Since Late 1980s

Percent Change in Inflation-Adjusted Income by Income Group, 1987-2024

Bar chart showing the percent change in inflation-adjusted income for Californians in different income groups from 1987 to 2024. Only high-income Californians saw gains in inflation-adjusted income during this time period, with the top fifth of Californians seeing an increase of 71% and the top 1% seeing an increase of 157%. In contrast, the bottom 80% of Californians saw decreases in their real incomes, with the bottom fifth seeing declines of 14%.

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Note: Income is measured by Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) for California tax purposes in real 2024 dollars. In 2024, tax filers in the top fifth had AGI of $139,273 or greater and filers in the top 1% had AGI of $973,097 or greater.

Source: Budget Center analysis of Franchise Tax Board dataDownload image