Median per-capita income* in the United States: $52,673
Mitt Romney’s income: 21.7 million in 2010. (He and his wife, Ann, donated 16 percent, about 3.5 million, of their income to charity.)
Former Senator Rick Santorum’s income in 2010: $923,000
Newt Gingrich and his wife, Calista’s, reported income in 2010: $3,162,424
Rep. Ron Paul’s salary: $174,000 for serving as a U.S. representative. Any other income, he has not divulged.
President Obama and his wife, Michelle’s, income in 2010: $1,728,096. (The presidential salary is $400,000. They gave 14.2 percent of their income, $245,075, to charity.)
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s income: $186,600 salary, but she and Former President Bill Clinton bring in roughly $20 million per year from his speaker’s fees and book royalties, her book royalties, investments, his pension, and investments and savings interest.
Sen. John McCain’s income in 2007: $405,000. (His wife, Cindy, reported income of about $4.2 million.)
Former Gov. Sarah Palin’s income: at least $12 million from book income, speakers’ fees, and television show.
Rep. Michele Bachmann’s salary: $174,000 for serving as a U.S. representative.
(Note: members of Congress received $74,000 annually in 1985. In 2000, they voted to increase it to $141,800, and since then, a cost-of-living increase automatically ups the salaries each January 1, unless Congress votes not to accept it. The $174,000 has been in effect since 2009.)
Sources: U.S. Census (median income for United States, 2008… median is the number falling exactly in the middle of the range of salaries in the United States); news reports from the Associated Press, Politico, and others, on candidadates’ and former candidates’ income tax returns. (Ron Paul has not released his.)
