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Effective Tax Rate, Middle Fifth
Average federal tax rate paid by the middle income fifth.
13.4%
Percent · latest, Jan 2022
vs prior month▲ 5.7 pp
vs year ago▲ 5.7 pp
| Year | Effective Tax Rate, Middle Fifth |
|---|---|
| 1979 | 19.1% |
| 1980 | 19.0% |
| 1981 | 19.4% |
| 1982 | 18.1% |
| 1983 | 17.6% |
| 1984 | 18.0% |
| 1985 | 18.2% |
| 1986 | 18.1% |
| 1987 | 17.8% |
| 1988 | 18.2% |
| 1989 | 18.1% |
| 1990 | 18.2% |
| 1991 | 17.8% |
| 1992 | 17.7% |
| 1993 | 17.6% |
| 1994 | 17.7% |
| 1995 | 17.8% |
| 1996 | 17.7% |
| 1997 | 17.9% |
| 1998 | 17.2% |
| 1999 | 17.2% |
| 2000 | 17.1% |
| 2001 | 15.7% |
| 2002 | 15.1% |
| 2003 | 14.2% |
| 2004 | 14.7% |
| 2005 | 14.8% |
| 2006 | 14.8% |
| 2007 | 14.8% |
| 2008 | 12.2% |
| 2009 | 11.8% |
| 2010 | 12.0% |
| 2011 | 12.0% |
| 2012 | 12.2% |
| 2013 | 13.6% |
| 2014 | 13.9% |
| 2015 | 13.9% |
| 2016 | 13.8% |
| 2017 | 13.7% |
| 2018 | 12.7% |
| 2019 | 13.0% |
| 2020 | 7.7% |
| 2021 | 7.7% |
| 2022 | 13.4% |
Hover the line to read any month. Drag across the chart to zoom; double-click to reset.
Source: cbo · cbo-dhi-table9 · series · Jan 1979 to Jan 2022 · latest-revised
Refreshed Jun 25, 2026 from cbo. May be delayed: our daily refresh has not run in the last few days.
Average federal tax rate paid by the middle income fifth.
Average federal tax rate paid by the middle income quintile, CBO.
Source: cbo · Jan 2022 · Full lesson → Learn
About the bands. Shaded spans are NBER-dated US recessions, drawn as factual overlays. They mark when the economy contracted, not why. Lining an event up with a move is not evidence it caused the move.