Skip to content

Putting A Face On America’s Tax Returns

All Related Articles

Income changes over the course of an individual's life, average incomes rise with age, average income age income inequality

Average Income Tends to Rise with Age

Average income tends to rise dramatically as someone ages and gains education and experience. Viewing just one year of income tax data without digging any deeper misses some crucial context.

2 min read
Who Benefits from Itemized Deductions? High income taxpayers tax breaks

Who Benefits from Itemized Deductions?

While some tax preferences like the earned income tax credit (EITC) and child tax credit benefit lower- and middle-income households, others, like itemized deductions, benefit high-income households.

4 min read
marginal tax rates, taxes on the rich. top 1 percent tax rates, effective tax rate

The Top 1 Percent’s Tax Rates Over Time

In the 1950s, when the top marginal income tax rate reached 92 percent, the top 1 percent of taxpayers paid an effective rate of only 16.9 percent. As top marginal rates have fallen, the tax burden on the rich has risen.

5 min read
Income and payroll taxes make up a growing share of federal revenue, income tax, payroll tax, corporate tax, tax revenue, federal revenue

The Composition of Federal Revenue Has Changed Over Time

The federal income tax and federal payroll tax make up a growing share of federal revenue. Individual income taxes have become a central pillar of the federal revenue system, now comprising nearly half of all revenue.

2 min read