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Median Income

Definition

In bankruptcy, the median income of your state is the baseline for calculating whether you're eligible for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. It's step 1 of the means test.


Learn more about "Median Income"


Median means in the middle, between two things. On a highway, the median is the strip of land between opposite lanes of traffic. In math it's the number in the middle of sorted list of numbers. The folks at "Math is Fun" do a great job explaining this here.

If you make exactly the medium income for a household of your size, the number of households making more than you is the same as the number of households making less than you.

The median household income is calculated by the Internal Revenue Service and adjusted multiple times per year. The current median income levels, by household size, are available in the graph below.

You can always find up-to-date numbers using the drop-down menu on this page about means testing.

Y-Combinator

Upsolve is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that started in 2016. Our mission is to help low-income families who cannot afford lawyers file bankruptcy for free, using an online web app. Our team includes lawyers, engineers, and judges. We have world-class funders that include the U.S. government, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and leading foundations. It's one of the greatest civil rights injustices of our time that low-income families can't access their basic rights when they can't afford to pay for help. Combining direct services and advocacy, we're fighting this injustice.

To learn more, read why we started Upsolve in 2016, our reviews from past users, and our press coverage from places like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.