Only 18% of US individuals earn more than $100,000

The claim that only 18% of US individuals earn more than $100,000 is supported by a direct citation from a social media post referencing Fortune. While this is a secondary reference, it aligns reasonably well with broader income distribution data. Wikipedia's page on personal income in the United States notes that about 25% of households earn more than $100,000, but clarifies that household income differs from individual income because many households have multiple earners. This distinction is important because individual income percentages are typically lower than household percentages. Other sources provide context rather than exact percentages: CBS News highlights that the median individual income is around $73,000, implying fewer people earn above $100,000. Quora discussions ( and ) suggest figures in the range of roughly 18-23%, though these are user-generated and less authoritative. IBISWorld focuses on households rather than individuals, so it is less directly relevant to the claim.en.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.orgPersonal income in the United Statescbsnews.comcbsnews.comHere's how much you need to earn to live comfortably in major U.S. cities+4 more

Overall, the figure of 18% for individuals earning over $100,000 is consistent with available data when considering individual rather than household income. Minor variations exist due to differences in data collection years, definitions of income (pre-tax vs post-tax), and whether the data includes all individuals or only those with reported earnings.

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Therefore, the claim is mostly true but should be interpreted with nuance regarding the population measured and data source.