Wealth and Income Infographics

This section covers who earns and owns what, including household income, wealth by generation and region, poverty, billionaires, minimum and living wages. Most pages use census, central bank or survey data, and each one writes out the full figures and links to the source. Start with global wealth distribution by region, US social classes and income brackets, generational wealth distribution in the US, the poverty rate by state or US household income distribution. Figures are mostly American, with world comparisons for wealth, billionaires and minimum wages.

Visual Capitalist map titled The Income a Family Needs to Live Comfortably in the U.S., shading each state by the pre-tax income two working adults with two children need, from Mississippi lowest at $178K to Massachusetts highest at $301K, with Hawaii $295K and California $277K

The Income a Family Needs to Live Comfortably in the US by State

Our World in Data line chart titled Share of population living in extreme poverty, 1977 to 2022, showing falling lines for India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal on a 0 to 60% scale, with extreme poverty defined as living below $2.15 a day

Share of Population Living in Extreme Poverty in South Asia

Bar chart titled US Median Individual Income of Full-Time Workers (2024) showing annual medians for all workers, men and women, seven age groups, five education levels and four race groups, from $35,308 for ages 16 to 19 to $98,488 for an advanced degree, with the share of workers in each group

US Median Income 2024 for Full-Time Workers, by Group

4 Lights slope chart Change in Share of Total US Wealth by Category 1989 to 2024, comparing real estate, equities and mutual fund shares, other assets, pensions, private businesses, 401k plans and consumer durables, with equities rising from 10% to 28%

US Wealth Distribution 2024 by Asset Type Since 1989

Genuine Impact bubble chart titled Working Hours vs. Salary in OECD member countries, plotting 35 countries as flag bubbles by average working hours per week (24 to 42) against average weekly wage in US dollars (200 to 1,400), with Mexico at the top left and Germany, Norway and Denmark at the bottom right

Working Hours vs Salary in 35 OECD Countries, Bubble Chart

Statista chart Number of Millionaires Keeps Rising, bars of US dollar millionaires in millions for the USA, China, France, Japan, Germany, UK, Canada and Australia in 2000, 2023 and forecast 2028, with circles for each country's share of population in 2023

Number of Millionaires in 8 Countries, 2000 to 2028

Visual Capitalist Visual of the Week map titled The Income Needed to Join the Top 1% in Every U.S. State 2024, shading each state blue with its threshold from Connecticut $1.2M and Massachusetts $1.1M to West Virginia $420K, with a panel noting $787,712 nationally against a median income of about $75,000 and an illustration of a woman holding banknotes

Top 1% Income Threshold US 2024 in Every State, Mapped

Visual Capitalist world map titled Minimum Wage Around the World, shading 67 countries in green by net monthly minimum wage in US dollars in January 2023, from Luxembourg $2,140 and Australia $2,022 to India $95 and Nigeria $68, with a magnified view of Europe and callouts on Turkey and Australia

Minimum Wage Infographic, Monthly Pay in 67 Countries 2023

Dark bar chart titled Billionaire Hotspots, Cities With the Most Billionaires and Their #1, with landmark photos inside bars for New York 101, Hong Kong 70, Beijing 68, Shanghai 65, London 63, Moscow 61, Mumbai 56 and Shenzhen 54, each topped by the richest resident and net worth

Billionaire Hotspots, the Cities With the Most Billionaires

Visual Capitalist map Living Wage for a Family of Four, US states shaded from $80K to $260K with each state labelled, Hawaii highest at $259K and West Virginia lowest at $82K, source GOBankingRates December 2024

Living Wage Infographic for a Family of Four by State

Visual Capitalist map titled Household Income in Blue, Red and Swing States, showing 2023 median household income for each US state shaded in blue, orange-red or grey scales from $55K to $110K, with a US average of $81K, party piggy bank mascots and two callout boxes

Household Income by State in Blue, Red and Swing States

What this collection covers

The 23 infographics here fall into four groups. Income charts cover US household income bands, median pay by age, sex, education and ethnic group, household income by state and the income needed to join the top 1%. Wage charts cover real wage growth since 1979, monthly minimum wages in 67 countries, living wages for a family of four and median monthly wages in Malaysia. Wealth charts show how US wealth splits by generation and by asset type, how adults in each wealth band are spread across world regions, and median against average wealth by country. The rest track poverty, from US states and ZIP codes to South Asia, and count billionaires, millionaires and the richest members of Congress.

Where to start

For American incomes, begin with US Household Income Distribution 2023 in $5,000 Bands by u/TA-MajestyPalm. Median household income was $80,610, and 14.4% of households earn over $200,000. The same creator's US Median Income 2024 for Full-Time Workers, by Group puts the median for men at $67,704 and for women at $56,316. Real Wage Growth US Chart by Income Group Since 1979, from Voronoi by Visual Capitalist, shows high earners at the 90th percentile gaining 46.2% by 2023, against 17.0% for low-wage workers at the 10th percentile.

On wealth, the Visual Capitalist (Voronoi) chart Generational Wealth Distribution in the US, 1990 to 2023 shows Baby Boomers holding $76.2 trillion at the end of 2023, 52% of the country's net wealth. For a world comparison, Median Wealth by Country vs Average Wealth, Top 20 by Visual Capitalist uses UBS Global Wealth Report 2024 figures. Luxembourg leads on median wealth at $372,000 per adult, while the United States is fourth for average wealth but 14th for median.

For poverty, the Poverty Rate by State, Census Three-Year Average 2020 to 2022 map from Visual Capitalist (Voronoi) puts New Mexico highest at 18.2% and Utah and New Hampshire lowest at 7.1%, against a US total of 11.5%.

Questions about wealth and income infographics

Which country has the most billionaires?

China had the most billionaires in 2024 with 814, just ahead of the USA with 800, according to the Voronoi by Visual Capitalist chart Countries With the Most Billionaires in 2024, which uses the Hurun Global Rich List. India is third with 271.

How much do you need to earn to be in the top 1% in the US?

Nationally it takes an income of $787,712, according to Visual Capitalist's Top 1% Income Threshold US 2024 map of SmartAsset data. Connecticut needs the most at $1,152,254 and West Virginia the least at $420,453.

Who is the richest member of Congress?

Senator Rick Scott is first at an estimated US$327 million on Carbon Finance's chart of the richest members of Congress, which uses Quiver Quantitative data as of 27 July 2024. Vern Buchanan (US$249 million) and Nancy Pelosi (US$248 million) follow.