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Household Finances · October 9, 2026 · 2 min read

Fed survey: median family income rises while mean income falls from 2022 to 2025

By Econ Data Tools Editorial Team

Published October 9, 2026 • Updated October 9, 2026

Reviewed by Instinct editorial QC

The October 9 release reports inflation-adjusted income and wealth across American families. Median and mean, stockholders and all families, and past survey periods are distinct.

The Federal Reserve released its 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances on October 9. It reports real median family income of $82,200, up 7 percent from the 2022 survey, while real mean family income fell 6 percent to $145,200. Median and mean describe different parts of the distribution; one should not be substituted for the other. The survey reports real median net worth rising 2 percent to $215,900 and real mean net worth rising 7 percent to $1.24 million. These are inflation-adjusted survey comparisons between 2022 and 2025, not estimates of wealth gained during October 2026. Homeownership was 66 percent in 2025, about unchanged from 2022. Among families owning a home, median net housing value rose from $218,900 to $230,000. Net housing value subtracts home-secured debt; it is not the same as a home's gross selling price. Stock-market participation, including direct and indirect holdings, declined from 58 percent to 56 percent. Among families holding stock, median holdings rose 36 percent from $56,900 to $77,400. The balance increase applies to stockholders, not all American families. The share of families with any debt stayed about stable at 77 percent. But the share with debt payment-to-income ratios above 40 percent rose from 6.5 percent to 8.6 percent. The release describes this as a high-payment-obligation group, not evidence that all indebted families are delinquent or unable to pay. NORC conducts the survey for the Federal Reserve, using scientific sampling intended to represent American families. The Board says the current survey version has run every three years since 1989. This release is a dated picture of family finances, not a monthly labor report or a prediction of the next Federal Reserve rate decision.

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