real income

American  

[ree-uhl, reel] / ˈri əl, ril /

noun

1. the amount of goods and services that money income will buy.

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real income Cultural  

1. Income measured in terms of the goods and services it can buy.

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Etymology

Origin of real income

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

real income

The economist expects households’ real income to deteriorate further as inflation worsens, driven by supply shortages.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

"The subdued labor market, depressed confidence, meager real income growth, and exhaustion of pandemic-era excess savings all are starting to weigh on households," he warned.

From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026

“On Jan. 1, working Americans will reset their withholding levels, and they will have substantial real income increases,” Bessent said.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 21, 2025

"However, softer earnings growth, higher inflation, tighter fiscal policy, and the lagged impact of past interest rate rises for some mortgagors point to much weaker real income growth moving forward."

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2025

A lot of the men here were trying some mining out on the west Flat; their findings had so far been small but they brought the only real income the planet had so far yielded.

From Warlord of Kor by Carr, Terry Gene