On Monday, July 29, CBO Director Phill Swagel will speak to the Aspen Economic Strategy Group about the long-term fiscal challenges facing the nation. This blog post is provided to the members of the audience as background for those remarks.
July 2019
In 2016, average household income before accounting for means-tested transfers and federal taxes was $21,000 for the lowest quintile and $291,000 for the highest quintile. After transfers and taxes, those averages were $35,000 and $214,000.
The federal budget deficit was $746 billion for the first nine months of fiscal year 2019, the CBO estimates, $139 billion more than the deficit recorded during the same period last year. Revenues were $69 billion higher and outlays were $208 billion higher than during first nine months of 2018.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour for most workers. In this report, CBO examines how increasing the federal minimum wage to $10, $12, or $15 per hour by 2025 would affect employment and family income.