The median US household income last year finally reached its previous peak since 1999 after rising at the slowest annual rate since 2014. The government figures show that after more than a decade of economic growth, which is the longest such period, Americans are not earning more than they did two decades ago when inflation is taken into account.

The National Bureau of Statistics reported that in 2018, median inflation-adjusted household income increased by 0.9% to 63,179 USD against 62,626 USD in 2017. Household income includes bonuses, Social Security, public assistance payments and interest and dividends from investment, among other sources.

Poverty rates have fallen to 11.8%, which is the lowest since 2001. While the declining poverty rate was heartening, some experts said the stagnant median household income signaled that many Americans still struggle to make ends meet.

At the same time, the proportion of Americans with health insurance dropped from 92.15% in 2017 to 91.5% last year. The drop came as the Trump administration took steps to weaken the Affordable Care Act and toughen Medicaid requirements.