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1960 Census: Population, Supplementary Reports: Income in 1959 of the Population of the United States

PC(S1)-36

The tables presented here are preprints of tables 218, 219, 224, 230, 286, and 301 (or portions thereof) from Final Report PC(1)-1D, which contains additional summary information on the detailed characteristics of the population.

Incomes in the United States were higher, on the average, for men 35 to 44 years old than for younger and older men. In 1959, the average (median) money income of men in the 35-to-44-year age group was $5,500, moderately higher than the corresponding average for men 25 to 34 years old ($4,800), and that for men 45 to 54 years old ($5,100). Lower median incomes were reported by younger men who were at the start of their working careers, and by older men who in many cases had retired from the labor force. For males 20 to 24 years old, income in 1959 averaged slightly less than one-half of the peak reached at age 35 to 44; and for those 65 years old and over, the median was only one-third of the peak.

Relative income differences among age groups were smaller for women than for men. With the exception of women in the youngest and oldest age groups (14 to 19 and 65 and over), whose incomes averaged less than $1,000 in 1959, median incomes for women in the 20-to-64-year age groups ranged between $1,600 and $2,200.

The average income of husband-wife families in the United States was considerably higher ($5,900) than that of families with a female head ($3,000), and that of families with a male head with no wife present ($5,000). About one-third of the families headed by a female reported incomes under $2,000, as compared with only one-tenth of those with a male head. The differences in average income between husband-wife and other families, however, were much greater among younger than among older families.

The PDF to the right contains the 14-page report.

 

A Note on Language

Census statistics date back to 1790 and reflect the growth and change of the United States. Past census reports contain some terms that today’s readers may consider obsolete and inappropriate. As part of our goal to be open and transparent with the public, we are improving access to all Census Bureau original publications and statistics, which serve as a guide to the nation's history.

Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021
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