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The U.S. had 61.3 million households with annual income of $100,000 or more in 2025, according to a September 15 National Restaurant Association analysis of Census data. That was 7.4 million more than in 2022 on an inflation-adjusted basis.
The group represented 45% of U.S. households in 2025. The association's separate analysis of 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics data puts its share of food-away-from-home spending at about 60%.
Within that 2024 spending total, households earning $100,000–199,999 supplied about 33%, and those earning $200,000 or more supplied 27%. Those spending shares refer to the year before the new household count.
A broader increase in household income#
The Census Bureau's September 15 release put real median household income at $87,460 in 2025, up 2.6% from its inflation-adjusted 2024 estimate of $85,210. It was the highest level in the series, which begins in 1967.
The median marks the middle of the income distribution. Census's headline measure counts money income before taxes and excludes in-kind benefits. Its separate post-tax measure, which incorporates federal and state taxes and credits as well as payroll taxes, rose 3.1% to a median of $76,060.
The estimates come from the Current Population Survey's Annual Social and Economic Supplement, conducted in February, March and April 2026. Respondents reported income for the previous calendar year.
What the spending figures measure#
The BLS report on 2024 consumer expenditures, published in August, provides a closer view of the food spending behind the income discussion. Average annual spending on food away from home was $3,945 per consumer unit in 2024, compared with $3,933 in 2023, an increase of 0.3%.
A consumer unit can be a family, a financially independent person or people living together who make joint spending decisions. The annual average therefore describes spending per unit, which may include more than one person.
The category includes meals from restaurants, takeout establishments and delis. It covers more than quick-service restaurants, and the survey records dollars spent rather than the number of restaurant visits. BLS reports these amounts in nominal dollars, reflecting prices at purchase rather than adjusting them for inflation.
Food away from home accounted for 5.0% of total consumer-unit expenditures in 2024. Food bought for home consumption averaged $6,224, up 2.8% from 2023. Together, the two categories brought average annual food spending to $10,169.
The BLS report also shows how food-away-from-home spending changed across five income groups:
| Income group | Change in annual average spending, 2023–24 | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest fifth | +$84 | +5.3% |
| Second fifth | +$27 | +1.1% |
| Middle fifth | +$43 | +1.3% |
| Fourth fifth | +$49 | +1.1% |
| Highest fifth | −$145 | −1.9% |
These are survey estimates for groups ranked by income before taxes and divided into equally sized fifths, which BLS calls quintiles. They use different boundaries from the association's fixed income bands: the highest fifth in 2024 began above $155,925. The table measures changes in average spending; the association's figures measure shares of total spending.
QSR Pro Staff
The QSR Pro editorial team covers the quick service restaurant industry with in-depth analysis, data-driven reporting, and operator-first perspective.
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