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- Presentation
CBO regularly analyzes the distribution of income in the United States and how it has changed over time. This slide deck presents the distributions of household income, means-tested transfers, and federal taxes between 1979 and 2020.
- Report
In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing federal response had significant effects on the distribution of household income. Income inequality before transfers and taxes increased, but inequality after transfers and taxes decreased.
- Blog Post
To enhance its work for the Congress, CBO is looking for new research on how changes in federal policy affect different households, and how taxes affect the way businesses are legally structured.
- Report
The U.S. faces a challenging fiscal outlook in the coming years, according to CBO's projections. Measured as a percentage of GDP, large and sustained deficits lead to high and rising federal debt that exceeds any previously recorded level.
- Presentation
On November 17, 2018, Kevin Perese, a senior adviser in CBO's Tax Analysis Division, and Patrick Landers, formerly of CBO, presented at the National Tax Association’s 111th Annual Conference on Taxation.
- Report
In 2015, average household income before accounting for means-tested transfers and federal taxes was $20,000 for the lowest quintile and $292,000 for the highest quintile. After transfers and taxes, those averages were $33,000 and $215,000.
- Working Paper
CBO’s analysis of the distribution of household income relies on data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS). This paper describes how CBO adjusts for the underreporting of government transfers by CPS respondents.
- Report
In 2016, students pursuing higher education received about $91 billion in financial support from federal spending programs and tax expenditures. This report examines the distribution of that assistance among households, by income group.
- Working Paper
This paper examines how a 20 percent depreciation of foreign currencies with respect to the U.S. dollar affects the wealth of U.S. residents and evaluates how that effect would be distributed across U.S. households by income group.
- Report
The Senate Budget Committee convened a hearing at which Director Keith Hall testified about The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2018 to 2028. This document provides CBO’s answers to questions submitted for the record.