Income Distribution
- Report
An Update About How Inflation Has Affected Households at Different Income Levels Since 2019
CBO focused on households’ consumption of a bundle of typical goods and services from 2019 to compare purchasing power in 2019 with that in 2023. On average, purchasing power increased, but the effects of inflation varied by income group.
- Presentation
Using Multiple Data Sources to Learn About the Race and Ethnicity of Taxpayers
Presentation by CBO analysts Rebecca Heller, Shannon Mok, and James Pearce, and Census Bureau research economist Jonathan Rothbaum at the American Economic Association Annual Meeting, Committee on Economic Statistics.
- Report
The Distribution of Household Income in 2020
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.
- Presentation
Trends in the Distribution of Household Income From 1979 to 2020
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.
- Blog Post
A Call for New Research in the Area of Taxes and Transfers
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 2023 Long-Term Budget Outlook
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.
- Working Paper
Current Work on the Distributional Analysis of Household Income Resulting From Policy Changes: Working Paper 2022-09
This paper introduces a standardized framework to analyze how policy changes alter the distribution of household income to complement CBO’s analyses of policy changes’ budgetary and economic effects.
- Report
Options for Reducing the Deficit, 2023 to 2032--Volume I: Larger Reductions
CBO issues a volume describing 17 policy options that would each reduce the federal budget deficit by more than $300 billion over the next 10 years or, in the case of Social Security options, have a comparably large effect in later decades.
- Report
Questions About CBO’s Current View of the Economy in 2023 and 2024 and the Implications for Households and the Federal Budget
CBO responds to questions about its current view of the economy over the next two years, how that compares with CBO's most recent projections and with those of the Federal Reserve, and the implications for households and the federal budget.
- Report
The Distribution of Household Income, 2019
CBO regularly analyzes the distribution of income in the United States and how it has changed over time. This report presents the distributions of household income, means-tested transfers, and federal taxes between 1979 and 2019.