disposable income
Americannoun
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the part of a person's income remaining after deducting personal income taxes.
-
(in national income accounting) the total disposable income of all consumers.
noun
-
the money a person has available to spend after paying taxes, pension contributions, etc
-
the total amount of money that the individuals in a community, country, etc, have available to buy consumer goods
Etymology
Origin of disposable income
First recorded in 1945–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
London is an outlier with an average disposable income of more than £36,000 per head although there are very large variations between London's boroughs.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
For Lowe’s, which reported sluggish growth, the middle-income homeowners to which the company caters “have a strong personal balance sheet. They got real disposable income growth,” Chief Executive Marvin Ellison said on an earnings call.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Garcia-Herrero said there are "so many reasons" for a lack of demand in the housing sector, including stagnant disposable income for households and a shrinking population.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
The extent of this growth means consumption has grown despite a reduction in real disposable income over the last year or so — which would have previously implied a recession.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
My parents never openly discussed their money struggles, but I knew we didn't have disposable income.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
