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Household Income for States: 2008 and 2009

Written by:
Report Number ACSBR/09-2

Introduction

This report presents data on median household income at the national and state levels based on the 2008 and 2009 American Community Surveys (ACS).1 The data are presented first in tabular form and then displayed on maps. The ACS provides detailed estimates of demographic, social, economic, and housing characteristics for states, congressional districts, counties, places, and other localities every year. A description of the ACS is provided in the text box “What Is the American Community Survey?”

In the 2009 ACS, information on income was collected between January and December 2009 and people were asked about income for the previous 12 months (the income reference period), yielding a total income time span covering 23 months (January 2008 to November 2009).2 Therefore, adjacent ACS years have income reference months in common and comparing 2009 economic conditions with those in 2008 will not be precise.3

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1 The text of this report discusses data for the United States, including the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, collected with the Puerto Rico Community Survey, are shown in Figure 1, Figure 2, and a table.
2 All income data are inflation adjusted to 2009 dollars. “Real” refers to income after adjusting for inflation.
3 For a discussion of this and related issues, see Hogan, Howard, “Measuring Population Change Using the American Community Survey,” Applied Demography in the 21st Century, eds., Steven H. Murdock and David A. Swanson, Springer Netherlands, 2008.

Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021
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