Anatomy of the US Taxpayer

[haha]

The Average U.S. Taxpayer

Interesting statistical portrait of US taxpayers.

 

[LOL!]

Related and more detailed stats from the IRS:
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/08inreturnsbul.pdf

The IRS also has many stats based on ZIP codes in Excel files. You can see the aggregate AGI, charitable deductions, capital gains, dividends, etc of all your neighbors if you like.

The Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances is also interesting. For example, http://www.federalreserve.gov/econresdata/scf/files/2007_scf09.pdf

 

[MichaelB]

Thanks for the data links. As soon as I get past taxes and such I'm gonna sift through.

 

[frank]

Where on the irs site can you find the numbers for your neighbors? Assuming that I am on there as well, I didn't know that was public info.

 

[Chuckanut]

Once again, it looks like I am in that 50% that is below average.

 

[sheehs1]

Lot of data to go thru. Will do so when I have more time. Quick comment. Only 48% actually filed. We do not have 52% unemployment in this country. What does this 52% live off of? Cash wages?

Also noted the column for those filing that made less than $1. So, do I assume they are being paid for filing?

 

[LRDave]

Hard head? Cold feet? No guts?

(I crack myself up sometimes....)

 

[Independent]

The H&R table is somewhat mislabeled. That's a profile of tax returns, not taxpayers. So the 53 million is the number of joint returns, but that means 106 million married people. So there are 194 million adults who are not claimed as dependents on other returns, who are filing. If there are 98 million dependents, then the filed returns represent 292 million people. That leaves 20 million or about 6% of the population not on any return.

(I looked at table 1.2 here: SOI Tax Stats - Individual Statistical Tables by Size of Adjusted Gross Income)

 

[ziggy29]

Once again, it looks like I am in that 50% that is below average.

You need to move to Lake Wobegon, then you wouldn't be below average...

 

[Finance Dave]

Lot of data to go thru. Will do so when I have more time. Quick comment. Only 48% actually filed. We do not have 52% unemployment in this country. What does this 52% live off of? Cash wages?

Also noted the column for those filing that made less than $1. So, do I assume they are being paid for filing?

Non-working people, children, house maids, college kids without jobs, gray market folks such as drug runners and flea market sales, etc.

 

[Alan]

Lot of data to go thru. Will do so when I have more time. Quick comment. Only 48% actually filed. We do not have 52% unemployment in this country. What does this 52% live off of? Cash wages?

Also noted the column for those filing that made less than $1. So, do I assume they are being paid for filing?

That is 48% of the US population of 313 million (as shown on that link), so not surprising.

 

[Independent]

Once again, the heading on the link is misleading.
Note that the detail says 140 million returns. 53 million of those returns were joint.

So 62% of the population filed returns (ie their names are at the top of the return).
Another 31% of the population are listed as dependents on somebody else's return.
Leaving 6% of the population not on any return.

( 140.5 + 53.6 ) / 312 = 62.2%
98 / 312 = 31.4%
( 312 - 194 - 98 ) / 312 = 6.4%

 

[Alan]

Once again, the heading on the link is misleading.
Note that the detail says 140 million returns. 53 million of those returns were joint.

So 62% of the population filed returns (ie their names are at the top of the return).
Another 31% of the population are listed as dependents on somebody else's return.
Leaving 6% of the population not on any return.

( 140.5 + 53.6 ) / 312 = 62.2%
98 / 312 = 31.4%
( 312 - 194 - 98 ) / 312 = 6.4%

Thanks for doing the arithmetic.

Numbers is hard.

 

[Mulligan]

Lot of data to go thru. Will do so when I have more time. Quick comment. Only 48% actually filed. We do not have 52% unemployment in this country. What does this 52% live off of? Cash wages?

Also noted the column for those filing that made less than $1. So, do I assume they are being paid for filing?

Had a friend tell me the other day, he had a relative who paid $2500 into federal government, but was getting back over $5,000 only because she is rewarded for " spitting out kids she cant afford" ( his words). I wonder if she counts as a taxpayer since she did pay in before collecting back double? She is part of the 48% who filed give her credit, but not so much on helping reduce the deficit

 

[Free To Canoe]

Lot of data to go thru. Will do so when I have more time. Quick comment. Only 48% actually filed. We do not have 52% unemployment in this country. What does this 52% live off of? Cash wages?

Also noted the column for those filing that made less than $1. So, do I assume they are being paid for filing?

The unemployment is taxable.

Capital gains are not for some of us FIRED folks. Maybe there are more than we thought. Then there are your overseas bank accounts.

That ain't workin....

 

[sheehs1]

Once again, the heading on the link is misleading.
Note that the detail says 140 million returns. 53 million of those returns were joint.

So 62% of the population filed returns (ie their names are at the top of the return).
Another 31% of the population are listed as dependents on somebody else's return.
Leaving 6% of the population not on any return.

( 140.5 + 53.6 ) / 312 = 62.2%
98 / 312 = 31.4%
( 312 - 194 - 98 ) / 312 = 6.4%

Thanks Independent. Still have not had time to go thru all links.