What does this measure?

Median household income, inflated to 2007 dollars. Half of incomes are below the median and half are above.

Why is this important?

Median household income is a gauge of overall economic health of the region and the financial resources of households.

How is the Greater Capital Region performing?

The median household income in 2005-07 was about $54,800 in the Greater Capital Region, higher than the state ($52,900) and nation ($50,000). Adjusted for inflation, the region's median household income declined 1.3% since 1990, while the state figure decreased at a faster rate of nearly 4% and the nation rose in 2000 and then fell back to the 1990 level. In the Greater Capital Region, Schoharie County had the lowest median income at $50,500 in 2005-07, but the largest increase since 1990 of 16%. Saratoga County had the highest median income at $61,800, with a growth rate of just under 1%. Albany County experienced the largest decline in median household income since 1990, falling 5% to $52,900.

Notes about the data

Data are presented in 2007 dollars. A figure for the region was calculated by aggregating county medians based on each county's share of the region's population. The 2005-2007 figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined three years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census.