Household income varies by region and race.

• Author: Justis, Rachel

Indiana's median household income trailed the United States by about $2,250, according to the 2005 American Community Survey (ACS) from the U.S. Census Bureau. The median household income for Hoosiers was $43,993 for the 12-month reference period. Meanwhile, the U.S. median household income came in at $46,242 (which means that half of the incomes were above that mark, and half were below it).

Nearly 498,700 Indiana households had incomes between $50,000 and $74,999, accounting for 20 percent of all households (see Figure 1). The fewest households in both the state and the nation were found in the top income category; less than 40,800 Hoosier households (and less than 3.4 million U.S. households) earned $200,000 or more.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

With the exception of Illinois, all of Indiana's neighboring states fall below the U.S. median (though Michigan's number is within the margin of error). As seen in Figure 2, the lowest median household incomes are generally found in the South and Midwest. At $32,938, Mississippi residents have the lowest median nationwide, while New Jersey has the highest at $61,672.

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Differences by Race

In the Midwest, does one's race and ethnicity have a bearing on median household income? (1) Indeed, for Indiana, its neighbors and the nation as a whole, Asian households have the highest median incomes, followed by whites, Hispanics and blacks (see Figure 3).

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In Indiana, the median household income for white households is $45,943 but just $28,760 for black households--a gap of nearly $17,200. Hispanic households fall in the middle at $35,449. Asian households exceed all others at $49,681. However, since there are fewer Asian households to sample, the margin of error for that racial group is quite large.

Local Areas

ACS data are also available for areas with 65,000 people or more, which includes twenty-four Indiana counties and eight Hoosier cities.

Hamilton County's median household income is almost $35,000 higher than the Indiana average. At $78,932, it ranks seventh nationwide among counties with less than 250,000...