UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls

Poverty Indicators

2019 Median Household Income 3

  • Median household income in the U.S. in 2019 was $68,703 according to the U.S. Census, so Minnesota had a somewhat higher than average household income and Wisconsin a lower one.
  • The median household income in two-thirds of the St. Croix River Valley counties (Chisago, Washington, Pierce and St. Croix) was higher than their respective state averages.
  • Polk County was slightly lower and Burnett County much lower than the Wisconsin state average median income.

2019 Median Household Income 1

  • From the Great Recession until about 2013 median household income in Wisconsin and its St. Croix Valley counties was essentially flat, but all have shown strong increases since that time.
  • Median income in Pierce and St. Croix Counties consistently exceed the state average.
  • Median income in Polk County is consistently close to, but slightly below, the state average.
  • While Burnett County has consistently shown a lower median household income than the state, the difference has been narrowing in recent years; the gap from 2010 to 2016 averaged $12,309 but averaged only $9,075 for the 2017 – 2019 period.

2019 Median Household Income 2

  • Median household income in Minnesota and its St. Croix River Valley counties grew modestly from 2009 until 2015, but has grown more quickly over the 2015 to 2019 period.
  • Chisago County by a fair amount and Washington County by a great deal have consistently reported higher median household income than the Minnesota average.
  • The gap between median household income between both Chisago County and Washington County vis a vis the Minnesota average has grown over time.

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