If you live in the San Diego area and still feel pinched by the Great Recession of 2007-09, Census Bureau data released today says that should be no surprise.
The median household income (deadset in the middle — half the households are above, half are below) in the San Diego-Carlsbad metro area was $61,426 in 2013, down 6.3 percent from 2009’s $65,575.
The San Diego area recorded the sixth-steepest decline in income among the country’s 25 largest metros between 2009 and 2013. The figure was statistically unchanged from 2012.
The Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metro area saw the largest ‘09 to ‘13 decline in median household income: 9.6 percent. Pittsburgh’s metro was the only one with positive income growth, increasing 2.1 percent.
San Diego’s median household income ranks ninth on the top-25 list. That’s $28,723 less than that of number one Washington-Arlington-Alexandria and $15,546 more than Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, which was last on the list.
Metro Area2013 Median Household Income2012 Median Household Income2009 Median Household Income2012-2013 Percent Change2009-2013 Percent Change
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $90,149 | $89,593 | $92,436 | 0.6% | -2.5%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $79,624 | $75,779 | $80,392 | 5.1%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] | -1% |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $72,907 | $72,571 | $75,492 | 0.5% | -3.4%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $68,455 | $67,756 | $71,202 | 1% | -3.9%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $67,479 | $66,345 | $69,862 | 1.7% | -3.4%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $67,194 | $67,048 | $68,580 | 0.2% | -2%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $65,786 | $64,936 | $68,415 | 1.3%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] | -3.8%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | $62,760 | $62,010 | $64,188 | 1.2% | -2.2% |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | $61,426 | $60,851 | $65,575 | 0.9% | -6.3%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $60,564 | $60,005 | $63,903 | 0.9% | -5.2%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $60,482 | $60,661 | $65,333 | -0.3% | -7.4%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $59,168 | $57,597 | $60,013 | 2.7% | -1.4% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $58,869 | [tooltip text=”N/A” gravity=”n”]Because of a change in the Los Angeles metro area’s geography between 2012 and 2013, the Census Bureau did not provide inflation-adjusted figures for years prior to 2013.[/tooltip] | [tooltip text=”N/A” gravity=”n”]Because of a change in the Los Angeles metro area’s geography between 2012 and 2013, the Census Bureau did not provide inflation-adjusted figures for years prior to 2013.[/tooltip] | [tooltip text=”N/A” gravity=”n”]Because of a change in the Los Angeles metro area’s geography between 2012 and 2013, the Census Bureau did not provide inflation-adjusted figures for years prior to 2013.[/tooltip] | [tooltip text=”N/A” gravity=”n”]Because of a change in the Los Angeles metro area’s geography between 2012 and 2013, the Census Bureau did not provide inflation-adjusted figures for years prior to 2013.[/tooltip] |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $57,398 | $57,532 | $59,110 | -0.2% | -2.9%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $57,366 | $56,578 | $58,692 | 1.4% | -2.3%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $55,733 | $55,271 | $59,955 | 0.8% | -7%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $54,449 | $53,015 | $56,094 | 2.7%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] | -2.9%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $53,220 | $52,221 | $58,415 | 1.9% | -8.9%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $51,857 | $50,885 | $52,660 | 1.9%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] | -1.5% |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $51,847 | $51,860 | $57,354 | 0% | -9.6%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $51,716 | $52,131 | $51,920 | -0.8% | -0.4% |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $51,291 | $50,998 | $50,249 | 0.6% | 2.1%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $51,251 | $53,288 | $55,446 | -3.8%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] | -7.6%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $46,946 | $47,154 | $49,836 | -0.4% | -5.8%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $45,880 | $45,053 | $48,050 | 1.8% | -4.5%[tooltip text=”*” gravity=”n”]Indicates statistical significance[/tooltip] |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2013 American Community Survey
In California, the San Diego metro area ranked second behind the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metro and ahead of both the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metros.
Nationally, the San Francisco area ranked just below the Washington, D.C. area.
The release of the Census Bureau’s data comes amidst a hard-fought signature gathering campaign to place San Diego’s minimum wage increase on the ballot.
It also comes amidst increasing statewide concern over economic inequality.
You can track the change in median household income for the nation’s 25 largest metros with a data visualization we’ve built that allows you to filter by area. Check it out below.
