June 22, 2023

Based upon the US government’s second estimate of Q1 2023 US economic activity, our initial estimate of the YTD Q1 2023 Staying Even Index is 6.5%. This represented a continued deceleration of the SEI, as moderating nominal GDP growth impacted the index.

The 6.5% Q1 2023 YoY change in the Staying Even Index (SEI) is based upon reported nominal GDP growth of 7.1% and estimated annual population growth of 0.5% during the period.

These projections suggest that individuals whose Q1 2023 total income from all sources (after tax wages and other income) grew by more than 6.5% from the same period in 2022 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. Q1 2023 average inflation was 5.8%, showing yet again that raises that just keep up with inflation are not sufficient to stay even in the growing US economy.

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.