Real median household income reached a record $87,460 in 2025, rising 2.6% from $85,210 in 2024 and moving above the 2019 pre-pandemic level of $85,320. The Census Bureau’s snapshot shows that inflation-adjusted incomes recovered despite persistently higher prices, but gains remained uneven and the data do not capture most of last summer’s tax cuts or the recent energy-price surge linked to the Iran war. Employment patterns contributed to the increase: the number of full-time men workers rose by 1.3 million and the number of full-time women workers by 800,000, while total workers increased by 230,000 for men and 130,000 for women. Median earnings for full-time male workers fell $690, while those for full-time female workers rose $1,900, narrowing the gender gap. Income gains were concentrated toward the upper end, with the 90th percentile rising 1.7% to about $261,300 and the bottom 10% showing no statistically significant improvement. The official poverty rate declined to 10.2%, while the Supplemental Poverty Measure remained 13.1%; 26.7 million Americans lacked health insurance for the full year. A slowing manufacturing labor market contrasted with continued job and wage growth in services, which employ relatively more women.