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

A study by financial advising company SmartAsset of the 94 largest population centers in the U.S. looked at real income growth in 2024, and the Orange County neighborhoods were in the top 15.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

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 moderation in growth from this year’s projected 2% is owing to a slowdown in real income growth and consumer spending.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026

“If Brent crude remains above $100 a barrel for long, the tax-refund buffer will eventually be exhausted, real income growth will compress further, and aggregate demand will slow.”

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

Census figures and some additional investigations have led to the estimate of the average real income of the farmers of the United States in 1909, expressed in monetary terms, as $724.

From Modern Economic Problems Economics Volume II by Frank Albert Fetter