Income comes from three sources: earnings, dividends and transfers.

About 70 percent of all income earned in Indianapolis in a year comes from wages from work. The remaining 30 percent is about equally divided between dividends, interest and rents (income from investments) and transfer receipts (income from welfare or retirement benefits).

Transfer payments are a larger share of all earnings now than in the past. In 1975, transfers were only 10.7 percent of all income. Since then, both transfers and dividend incomes have increased, and wage income has fallen as a share of total income.

  
 


   
     
  College-educated povertyThe wage curve  
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  IncomeThe income basicsIndianapolis wagesIncome by race, number of householdsIncomes are highest for the 45-64 age groupPovertyIndianapolis incomes: middle of the packNearly one in five Indianapolis workers lives outside the countyIncomes and educationwhere the income comes from  
  Income by race, share of householdsIndianapolis is America's most affordable housing marketMore than $10 billion is earned in Indianapolis by non-residentsHigh incomes are concentrated outside IndianapolisIndianapolis has a wider income gap than most other cities between its urban core and its metro area  
  Poverty in Indianapolis is highest among children and youthsPoverty and racePoverty happens to females more than males, even among childrenMost people in poverty work at least part timeMany in poverty work their way out