The 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances shows that the typical U.S. family’s inflation-adjusted income and net worth increased between 2022 and 2025, even as average income declined. The Federal Reserve released the triennial survey on October 9, 2026, separating the data-collection year from the publication date.

2025 Survey of Consumer Finances shows uneven gains

The Federal Reserve’s release points to a mixed distributional picture. Median income—the midpoint family—rose, but the lower mean suggests income declines among some higher-income households pulled down the average. Net worth moved the other way, with the mean rising faster than the median.

That gap matters because averages are more sensitive to large values at the top of the distribution. Readers should also distinguish nominal changes from real changes: the Fed adjusted the comparisons for inflation, the same concept behind understanding how CPI measures changes in consumer prices.

Real change from 2022 to 2025

Median family income+7%
Mean family income−6%
Median net worth+2%
Mean net worth+7%

Source: Federal Reserve, 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, released October 9, 2026. Bars compare absolute percentage changes; red denotes a decline.

Housing and retirement remain central to household wealth

Homeownership was unchanged at 66%, but homeowner equity increased. The median net housing value reached $230,000 in 2025, up from $218,900 in 2022, while roughly 65% of families participated in a retirement plan. Those assets can respond differently to rates and inflation, which is why investors often track bond yields and inflation-protected securities separately.

The Survey of Consumer Finances covers family balance sheets, income, pensions and demographic characteristics. The Fed says the 2025 public dataset represents 4,367 families, and it provides data files and documentation for researchers. The results describe the 2022-to-2025 period and should not be read as a real-time measure of household finances in October 2026.

Sharron Kendi is a seasoned crypto market analyst and writer with over three years of experience decoding blockchain trends, price movements, and market dynamics. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce (Finance) from Kenyatta University, blending a solid academic foundation with a sharp eye for technical analysis and a deep understanding of on-chain data. Her work delivers clear, data-driven insights that empower investors to navigate the fast-evolving digital asset space with confidence.