In December, the US Census Bureau issued the most recent five-year estimates from the American Community Survey, an ongoing countrywide demographic survey that collects social, economic, and housing variables from millions of households each year.
According to the most recent data, the average American household earned $69,021 during the five years ending in 2021. While this newest figure reflects a small 6% gain over predictions for the five-year period ending in 2020, for the majority of Americans, any growth in income has been offset by rising inflation.
Though the consumer price index has fallen since reaching a multi-decade high of 9.1% in June 2022, inflation remains at historic highs, and Americans across the country are feeling the pinch, particularly those on the bottom end of the economic spectrum who lack the ability to handle growing prices.
According to the most recent five-year ACS statistics, the average Maryland household earns $91,431 per year, while incomes are significantly lower in various areas of the state. Federalsburg is the poorest of the state’s 273 towns for which data is available. The typical Federalsburg household earns only $31,532 per year, 65.5% less than the statewide median household income.
Given the low salaries, it’s hardly unexpected that a higher-than-average proportion of residents live in poverty. The town’s poverty rate is 28.4%, compared to 9.2% overall.
The data in this story are five-year estimates from the United States Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey. For the sake of this narrative, towns are defined as incorporated legal entities or census-designated statistical regions with populations ranging from 1,000 to 25,000 persons, which may include communities located near college or university campuses.
Towns were excluded if median household income was not available in the 2021 ACS or if the sample error associated with a town’s data was deemed excessive.