Income Illusion: The Hollow Victory of Pre Pandemic Earnings The latest Census Bureau report shows that median household income has finally surpassed pre pandemic levels last year, rising 2.
6% in 2025 after adjusting for inflation to $87,460 – a record high that barely eclipses the 2019 figure of $85,320.
This achievement is more illusion than reality, however, as it took six years and a modest increase to reach this plateau. The fact that household income has risen only 2.