Effective Tax Rate, Top 1%
Average federal tax rate actually paid by the top 1% of households.
| Year | Effective Tax Rate, Top 1% |
|---|---|
| 1979 | 35.1% |
| 1980 | 33.1% |
| 1981 | 30.5% |
| 1982 | 26.8% |
| 1983 | 26.8% |
| 1984 | 27.0% |
| 1985 | 26.0% |
| 1986 | 24.6% |
| 1987 | 30.0% |
| 1988 | 28.6% |
| 1989 | 27.9% |
| 1990 | 27.7% |
| 1991 | 28.9% |
| 1992 | 29.6% |
| 1993 | 33.2% |
| 1994 | 34.4% |
| 1995 | 34.8% |
| 1996 | 34.8% |
| 1997 | 33.8% |
| 1998 | 32.4% |
| 1999 | 32.6% |
| 2000 | 32.2% |
| 2001 | 32.0% |
| 2002 | 31.9% |
| 2003 | 30.3% |
| 2004 | 29.9% |
| 2005 | 30.2% |
| 2006 | 29.8% |
| 2007 | 28.2% |
| 2008 | 28.0% |
| 2009 | 28.7% |
| 2010 | 29.2% |
| 2011 | 29.0% |
| 2012 | 28.5% |
| 2013 | 33.6% |
| 2014 | 33.6% |
| 2015 | 33.3% |
| 2016 | 33.0% |
| 2017 | 31.5% |
| 2018 | 30.3% |
| 2019 | 30.0% |
| 2020 | 30.2% |
| 2021 | 29.8% |
| 2022 | 31.5% |
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 actually paid by the top 1% of households.
Average federal tax rate paid by the top 1% of households by income, 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.
Read across
No single number is the economy. These measure nearby parts of it — add one to compare, or open it on its own.
- Top Marginal Tax Rate The top statutory rate set in law — higher than this, because it applies only to the last dollar in the top bracket while much top income (such as capital gains) is taxed at lower rates.
- Effective Tax Rate, Lowest Fifth What the lowest-income fifth pays on average, the other end of the distribution.
- Top 1% Wealth Share The same top 1%'s share of household wealth — a different lens on the top.