In 2025, personal income in the United States totaled around $26 trillion, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Strikingly, only about 60 percent of that income came from wages, salaries, and benefits workers receive from employers. The other 40 percent came from the myriad sources that make up nonwage income.

At $11 trillion, nonwage income likely contributes importantly to household finances and the overall economy. But wage and salary income tends to be the star of the show when it comes to assessing Americans’ economic well-being. Nonwage income, a more eclectic category, receives less discussion. READ MORE