Household Income Rises In Bergen County, New Census Data Shows

The median income of the average Bergen County household increased by more than $4,000 from 2014 to 2015, annual U.S. Census data released to the public Thursday shows.

The data shows that the median household income in Bergen County increased from $84,677 in 2014 to $89,023 in 2015.

The majority of households made $50,000 or more, with 19 percent making between $100,000 to $149,999, basically the same percentage as it was in 2014.

Bergen County families reported earning a median amount of $111,043 in 2015, up from $102,642 in 2014.

In terms of race, more than 42,000 all-white households reported earning $200,000 or more in 2015 while more than 8,500 all-Asian and 900 all-black households reported earning more than that amount.

The majority of all-white and all-Asian households reportedly earned $200,000 or more. The majority of all-black and all-Hispanic or Latino households reportedly earned between $75,000 and $99,999, the data shows.

Median household income in the United States in 2015 was $56,516, an increase of 5.2 percent from 2014. The median household income increased in 39 states and the District of Columbia — the highest increase was Montana, with 6.8 percent. Maryland and D.C. have the highest median household incomes at $75,847 and $75,628, respectively. The lowest is Mississippi — at $40,593, it was statistically unchanged from 2014's rate.

No state saw a poverty rate increase, according to Census figures, and nearly half saw poverty rates decrease between 2014 and 2015. Poverty rates in 2015 ranged from a low of 8.2 percent in New Hampshire to a high of 22.0 percent in Mississippi, according to survey numbers.

Some of the highest poverty rates were found in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and New Mexico. Some of the lowest poverty rates were found in Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Vermont.

"The American Community Survey allows us to track incremental changes across our nation on how Americans live and work, year­-to­-year," Census Bureau Director John H. Thompson said in a statement. "It helps people, businesses and governments in all of our states and local communities better understand the needs of their populations, the markets in which they operate and the challenges and opportunities they face."

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