---
title: "Appendix"
description: "Defining income tiers To create upper-, middle- and lower-income tiers, respondents’ 2018 family incomes were adjusted for differences in purchasing power by geographic region and for household size. “Middle-income” adults live in families with annual incomes that are two-thirds to double the median family income in the American Trends Panel (after incomes have been adjusted […]"
date: "2020-04-30"
authors:
  - name: "Emily A. Vogels"
    job_title: "Former Research Associate"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/emily-a-vogels/"
  - name: "Andrew Perrin"
    job_title: "Former Research Analyst"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/andrew-perrin/"
  - name: "Lee Rainie"
    job_title: "Former Director, Internet and Technology Research"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/lee-rainie/"
  - name: "Monica Anderson"
    job_title: "Director, Internet and Technology Research"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/monica-anderson/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/04/30/covid-internet-appendix/"
categories:
  - "COVID-19 & Politics"
  - "COVID-19 & Technology"
  - "Digital Divide"
  - "Economic Inequality"
  - "Education & Learning Online"
  - "Education & Learning Online"
  - "K-12"
  - "Platforms & Services"
---

# Appendix

#### *Defining income tiers*

To create upper-, middle- and lower-income tiers, respondents’ 2018 family incomes were adjusted for differences in purchasing power by geographic region and for household size. “Middle-income” adults live in families with annual incomes that are two-thirds to double the median family income in the American Trends Panel (after incomes have been adjusted for the local cost of living and for household size). The middle-income range for the panel is about $37,500 to $112,600 annually for a three-person household. Lower-income families have incomes less than roughly $37,500, and upper-income families have incomes greater than roughly $112,600.

Based on these adjustments, among respondents who provided their income and household size, 32% fall into the lower-income tier, 45% in the middle-income tier and 23% fall in the upper-income tier.

For more information about how the income tiers were determined, please see [here](https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/01/09/methodology-27/).