May 5, 2024

Based upon the US government’s advance estimate of Q4 2024 US economic activity, our initial estimate of the YTD Q1 2024 Staying Even Index is 4.9%.

The 4.9% YTD Q1 2024 YoY change in the Staying Even Index (SEI) is based upon reported nominal GDP growth of 5.5% and estimated annual population growth of 0.5% during the period.

These projections suggest that individuals whose 2024 YTD Q1 total income from all sources (after tax wages and other income) grew by more than 4.9% from the same period in 2023 expanded their adjusted share of the U.S. economy, and those whose total income grew by less than this fell behind compared to the prior year. Q4 2024 YTD average inflation was 3.2%, continuing to moderate from higher rates over the prior seven quarters, yet showing yet again that raises that just keep up with inflation are not sufficient to stay even in the growing US economy.

This Q1 YTD performance compares to an SEI reading of 5.8% for all of 2023, as inflation has continued to moderate.

StayingEven.com will publish updates to these figures as GDP and population estimates are revised. We are dedicated to helping individuals understand what income growth is required to keep up in the U.S. Economy.

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To find out whether you have gotten ahead, try our Staying Even Calculator, and to learn more about the Index, visit us at StayingEven.com. You can also follow us @stayingeven on Twitter.