I find the household income per household member to be more helpful in assessing income health than simply comparing household incomes. In 2023, the median household size was 2.51. For the same year, the median household income in the US was $80,610. That results in a household income per person of $32,115. Now, I’m not factoring in expenses, overhead costs (which may not increase based on the size of the household) or taxes or anything, just focusing on gross income and dividing that by the number of people in the household. The poverty level in 2023 was set to $31,200 for a family of four and to $62,900 for a family of nine. That results in $7,800 of income per person for a family of four and an income of $6,989 per person for a family of nine.
Virginia, and Northern Virginia especially, has higher median incomes than most of the rest of the country so it’s even more accurate to get a feel for what incomes are like per person for my area. Northern Virginia’s median household income in 2023 was $142,583 which comes out to $56,805 per person. If I take my annual household income and divide by the number of people in my household, I can see where I rank compared to the national average, the poverty line, and our neighbors in Northern Virginia.
I’ve heard people talk about moving to places with lower costs of living but incomes also tend to go down in those areas as well. The real trick is to live in a place where your income per person is higher than the average for the locality. It’s about the ratio of your income to the cost-of-living, not the simple dollar values.
US Median Household Size: 2.51
US Median Household Income: $80,610
US Median Household Income Per Person: $32,115
US Poverty Level Household Income (4 People): 31,200
US Poverty Level Household Income Per Person: $7,800
Virginia Median Household Income: $142,583
Virginia Median Household Income Per Person: $56,805
Now for an inflation comparison:
In the year 2000, a median household of 2.51 making $50,000 a year would have had $19,920 per person. In 2025, you would need to make $92,856 a year or $36,994 per person to have the same buying power.
2000 Income: $50,000
2000 Income Per Person: $19,920
2025 Equivalent Income: $92,856
2025 Equivalent Income Per Person: $36,994
I’ve included some references below of sources that I used here and/or consult for information.