WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Median income in the U.S. household rose for second straight year.
The median household income was $59,039 in 2016, up 3.2 percent over the previous year. The figure is adjusted for inflation and is one of the most closely watched indicators of how the middle class is faring financially.
'These are two consecutive years of strong income gains,' said Trudi Renwick, assistant division chief for economic characteristics in the Census Bureau's Social, Economic and Housing Statistics Division.
The 2016 median income surpassed the previous record of $58,655 set in 1999, the Census Bureau said.
Asian-Americans household median income was $81,400 a year, the highest of any racial group. Non-Hispanic white households made a median income of $65,000, while African-American households were $39,500 a year with Hispanic households made a $47,700 median income.
America's poverty rate fell to 12.7 percent, the lowest since 2007.
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