See where your income ranks in the US and globally, based on 2024 data.
This calculator shows where your income ranks both within your country and globally. For the United States, it uses 2024 Census Bureau Current Population Survey data to compute your individual or household income percentile. For other countries, it uses national income distribution data adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP). The global comparison uses World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) data updated through 2024, converted to 2021 international dollars.
When you select a household size greater than one, the calculator compares against the US household income distribution (median $80,610 in 2024). For single individuals, it uses the individual income distribution (median $53,010 in 2024). Global comparisons use the OECD square root equivalence scale to adjust for household size.
Individual income: The median individual income in the US was $53,010 in 2024. To reach the top 25% of individual earners, you need about $75,000. The top 10% starts at roughly $135,000, and the top 1% threshold is approximately $430,000. Household income: Median household income was $80,610. The top 10% of households starts around $235,000, and the top 1% begins near $630,000. About 41% of US households now earn six figures.
The global median income is approximately $5,000 per year in PPP-adjusted 2021 dollars. That means half the world lives on less than about $14 per day. However, global incomes have risen substantially since 2010, particularly in East and South Asia. China's rapid growth alone has lifted hundreds of millions of people into the global middle class. As a result, the global top 1% threshold is now higher than older calculators suggest, closer to $75,000-$100,000 per year rather than the $60,000 figure often cited from 2012-era research.
A $60,000 income goes much further for a single person than for a family of five. This calculator adjusts for household size using the square root equivalence scale, which is the method used by the OECD and most international economists. It divides your total household income by the square root of the number of people in your household. For example, a family of four earning $100,000 has an equivalized income of $50,000 ($100,000 divided by 2).
The median household income in the United States was $80,610 in 2024, while the median individual income was $53,010. About 41% of US households now earn six figures. Even so, the typical American household income still places it in roughly the global top 5-8%, depending on household size. Americans near the US poverty line ($15,060 for a single person) still earn more than approximately 75% of the world. This does not diminish real financial pressures, as US cost of living is among the highest globally, but it provides context on how income distributes worldwide.
This tool compares income only. It does not account for wealth (assets minus debts), access to public services, healthcare, infrastructure, safety, or quality of life. Someone earning $20,000 in a country with free healthcare and education may have a higher effective standard of living than someone earning $40,000 in a country where those costs come out of pocket. Use this as one data point, not a complete picture of wellbeing.
Most people underestimate their global ranking and overestimate it within their own country. If your annual household income is $30,000, you earn more than approximately 89% of the world's population. At $50,000, you are in roughly the global top 5%. At $100,000, you cross into the top 1-2%. These numbers feel surprising because we compare ourselves to neighbors and social media rather than to the full 8 billion people on the planet. This calculator uses World Bank PIP distributional data (2024 update) adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) to give you both a local and global ranking.
Your wealth percentile depends on whether you are measuring by income (what you earn per year) or net worth (what you own minus what you owe). This calculator focuses on income. For net worth comparisons, the global top 1% threshold is approximately $1.1 million, and the top 10% threshold is approximately $138,000 according to UBS Global Wealth Report data. In the United States specifically, the Average Net Worth by Age guide provides Federal Reserve data broken down by age group. The Net Worth Calculator computes your total assets minus liabilities.
Your income feels different depending on where you live because of cost-of-living differences. A $40,000 salary in rural Tennessee provides a comfortable middle-class lifestyle, while the same salary in San Francisco means struggling with rent. PPP adjustment accounts for some of this variation at the international level, but within-country cost differences are not captured. For a deeper exploration of global income and wealth distribution, including the top 1% thresholds for both income and net worth, read our guide on How Rich Are You Compared to the World.