The Tax Files1932-2026
Who picks up the check.
In 1950, corporations paid about 27 cents of every dollar the government collected. Today it is about 11 cents, and workers' payroll taxes filled the gap.
Who funds the government
Share of federal revenue by source, 1945-2024.
IndividualPayrollCorporateExcise & other
Data table
| 1945 | 40% individual | 8% payroll | 32% corporate | 20% other |
| 1950 | 40.5% individual | 11.8% payroll | 26.5% corporate | 21.2% other |
| 1960 | 44% individual | 15% payroll | 23% corporate | 18% other |
| 1970 | 47% individual | 23% payroll | 17% corporate | 13% other |
| 1980 | 47% individual | 30% payroll | 12.5% corporate | 10.5% other |
| 1990 | 45% individual | 36% payroll | 9% corporate | 10% other |
| 2000 | 49.6% individual | 33% payroll | 10.2% corporate | 7.2% other |
| 2010 | 41.5% individual | 40% payroll | 8.9% corporate | 9.6% other |
| 2020 | 46% individual | 36% payroll | 6.6% corporate | 11.4% other |
| 2024 | 49.3% individual | 34.8% payroll | 10.8% corporate | 5.1% other |
The Time Machine
Pick a year. Solid bars are that year; dashed bars are today.
Year1955
91%
Eisenhower-era top rate.
income over $5.0M91%
$2.0M-$5.0M87%
$1.0M-$2.0M75%
$500k-$1.0M62%
$250k-$500k50%
$100k-$250k38%
under $100k20%
The corporate rate, annotated
Statutory top/flat corporate income-tax rate.
Data table
1932: 13.75%
1942: 40%
1952: 52%
1964: 48%
1979: 46%
1987: 40%
1988: 34%
1993: 35%
2018: 21%
What people actually pay
Effective total tax rates, 1950-2018.
Top 400 familiesTop 1%Bottom 50%
Data table
Top 400 families: 1950 70%, 1960 56%, 1970 52%, 1980 47%, 1990 40%, 2000 35%, 2010 30%, 2018 23%
Top 1%: 1950 42%, 1960 40%, 1970 38%, 1980 35%, 1990 31%, 2000 30%, 2010 31%, 2018 30%
Bottom 50%: 1950 20%, 1960 22%, 1970 24%, 1980 25%, 1990 25%, 2000 24%, 2010 24%, 2018 24.2%