The typical American household, six years after the Great Recession, is still worse off, according to a report released Wednesday.

The Census Bureau reported that median household income was $53,657 in 2014. That’s less than the 2013 median of $54,462, but not statistically different. What is of significance is that, when adjusted for inflation, the median household generated 6.5% less than they did in 2007, the year before the recession.

The declining living standards of the average American goes some way to explain why outsiders like Donald Trump and Ben Carson on the right, and Sen. Bernie Sanders on the left, are shooting up the polls for the presidential nomination.

Monthly statistics produced by Sentier Research shows a somewhat better picture — by their numbers, the median household income in July was $55,218, though that’s still 2.6% lower than when the recession started and 3.8% below January 2000 levels.

The Census Bureau report also says that households with lower levels of education were more likely to remain in or move into a lower quintile than households with higher levels of education.

Women still earned 79 cents on the dollar compared with men, the latest report shows.

Other points of interest:

• By region, only the West saw a notable change in 2014, with the real median household income falling 4.6%.

• Family households made more than double nonfamily households, $68,426 compared to $32,047.

• Among racial groups, Asian households had the highest median income in 2014 ($74,297). The median income of non-Hispanic white households was $60,256, and for black households it was $35,398, with Hispanic households making $42,491.

• While income inequality as measured by the Gini index did not change in 2014, it has increased from 1999 levels.