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The average person's income was up by 10 percent between 1950 and 1951, according to estimates released today by Roy V. Peel, Director, Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce. For all persons 14 years old and over receiving any money income, the average (median) income was estimated at $2,200 in 1951 as compared with $2,000 in 1950. The median income of men, which has been rising steadily since the end of World War II, showed a record postwar gain in 1951. The 1951 median of $3,000 was about $400 above the 1950 estimate, and the proportion of men receiving incomes or $5,000 or more rose to 14 percent from 11 percent during the year. In contrast, the median income of women in 1951 was only $100 higher than in 1950. In fact little change has been noted in the median income of women since 1945, despite the fact that there were substantial increases in the annual earnings of women in certain major occupation groups. The relative stability in the average income of women is probably explained by the fact that the effect of wage increases for women workers has been offset by an increase in the proportion or intermittent workers, particularly married women, whose annual earnings tend to be low.
Census statistics date back to 1790 and reflect the growth and change of the United States. Past census reports contain some terms that today’s readers may consider obsolete and inappropriate. As part of our goal to be open and transparent with the public, we are improving access to all Census Bureau original publications and statistics, which serve as a guide to the nation's history.
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