| ← Introduction (part 7) | ↑Table of Contents | Median Household Income Trends: Adirondack Park vs United States → |
Key Findings
From 1970 to 2020, the Park Towns’ increase in median household income of +13.6% exceeded the New York State increase of +9.8% and the national increase of +9.5%.
From 1970 to 2020, the Park Towns saw a higher growth in median household income than did 1,039 rural counties, home to 63% of the population of Rural America.
In 2020, the Park Towns had a higher median household income than did 85% of Rural America counties, home to 83%, of the population of Rural America.
Table 2: Change in Median Household Income in New York and U.S., 1970–2020 (inflation adjusted)
| Area | 1970 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York State | $73,183 | $80,323 | +9.8% |
| Rural NY Towns | $56,905 | $60,087 | +5.6% |
| Park Towns | $55,083 | $62,574 | +13.6% |
| Split Towns | $58,578 | $71,547 | +22.1% |
| United States | $65,895 | $72,146 | +9.5% |
One of the best measurements of the overall economic performance of a region is median household income. Household income is the combined gross income of all members in a household. Median household income is the median of all households in a region. Table 2 (above) shows that median household income, when adjusted for inflation, from 1970 to 2020 across New York State and the U.S., grew slowly. New York grew +9.8% and the U.S. grew +9.5%.
Meanwhile, in those 50 years the Park Towns saw growth in median household income of +13.6% and Split Towns grew by +22.1%. This is much more than New York State (+9.8%) and the Rural New York towns (+5.6%).
The maps on these two pages compare rates of growth of median household income of the Park Towns with rates in New York State and the U.S.
Figures 10 and 12 show that extensive areas across the state and the nation experienced a rate of growth lower than that of Park Towns. The Park Towns’ growth was better than that of areas with 66% of New York State’s population, and better than that of areas with 61% of the U.S. population. Figures 11 and 13 show areas in New York State and the U.S. that had a lower median household income in 2020 than did the Park Towns.
Figure 10: Comparison of changes in median household income from 1970 to 2020 between the Park Towns and New York State towns, cities, and boroughs
From 1970 to 2020, 62% of the towns, etc., in New York State had a lower growth in median household income than did the Park Towns. These places were home to 13.1 million people, 66% of New York State’s population.
563 New York State towns, etc., with lower growth in median household income from 1970 to 2020 than that of the Park Towns
340 New York State towns, etc., with higher growth in median household income from 1970 to 2020 than that of the Park Towns
Figure 11: Comparison of median household income in 2020 between the Park Towns and New York State towns, cities, and boroughs
In 2020, 42% of towns, etc., in New York State had a lower median household income than did the Park Towns. These places were home to 4.4 million people, 22% of New York State's population.
383 New York State towns, etc., with a median household income in 2020 that was lower than that of the Park Towns
522 New York State towns, etc., with a median household income in 2020 that was higher than that of the Park Towns