Median household income is a gauge of overall economic health of the region and the financial resources of households. Examining income for different racial and ethnic groups is important as a measure of inequity.

In 2017-21, the median household income in Norfolk County for African Americans, $80,970, was substantially lower than that for Hispanic ($105,600) Asian ($114,800) and white ($115,400) households. Racial/ethnic income disparities were similar at the state and national level. Since 2000, African American households experienced a 17% drop in income while incomes increased for Hispanic (20%), Asian (16%) and white (10%) households (all figures are inflation-adjusted).

African American and Hispanic households in Norfolk County had the highest median incomes compared to Essex and Middlesex Counties. Asian Americans in Norfolk County had the lowest median incomes compared to Essex and Middlesex, while white households in Norfolk has incomes on par with Middlesex and above Essex.

Sample sizes for each race/ethnicity in Brookline and comparison municipalities were too small to report reliably.

These large and persistent disparities in income are the result of historic and current policies and practices that disadvantaged people of color. Research has connected slavery and the inability of black Americans even after emancipation to fully participate in economic life to the wealth and income gaps still present today. Structural racism perpetuated by policies and practices that systematically disadvantage African American and Latino communities include inequitable education, low wages, job and wage discrimination, lack of access to capital, and globalization. Even when a recovery from the current economic crisis occurs, it is not expected to make up for the pre-existing racial disparities experienced over time unless policies are enacted to address these gaps.

Figures are in constant 2021 dollars. The multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined 5 years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. However, because the information came from a survey, the samples responding to the survey were not always large enough to produce reliable results, especially in small geographic areas. CGR has noted on data tables the estimates with relatively large margins of error. Estimates with 3 asterisks have the largest margins, plus or minus 50% or more of the estimate. Two asterisks mean plus or minus 35%-50%, and one asterisk means plus or minus 20%-35%. For all estimates, the confidence level is 90%, meaning there is 90% probability the true value (if the whole population were surveyed) would be within the margin of error (or confidence interval). The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are released annually in December.