Customs Duties Relative to U.S. Disposable Income
An auditable annual fiscal ratio built from two U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis series.
Annual ratio, 2015–2025
The chart applies one formula to every year: customs duties divided by aggregate disposable personal income, multiplied by 100.
What this measure can—and cannot—say
In 2025, federal customs duties equaled 1.2% of aggregate U.S. disposable personal income. The ratio was 0.5% in 2019. That comparison describes federal receipts relative to an economy-wide income total.
It does not show the share paid by an average household, the burden for any income group, the portion passed through into prices, or the change in the consumer price level. Answering those questions requires separate incidence and price research.
The ratio is contextual and has no household-distress pole. It is not an input to the American Distress Index. The ADI currently reads 43.8, in its Typical band. On average, its inputs sit higher than in 44% of their own quarterly histories. View the full indicator methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this ratio calculated?
For each year, federal customs duties from BEA series B235RC1A027NBEA are divided by aggregate U.S. disposable personal income from BEA series A067RC1A027NBEA, then multiplied by 100.
Does this estimate what tariffs cost my household?
No. Customs duties are federal receipts, while disposable personal income is an economy-wide income total. The ratio does not estimate household incidence, price pass-through, substitution, or the consumer price-level effect of tariffs.
Why did the ratio rise in 2025?
The ratio rose because annual customs-duty receipts increased much faster than aggregate disposable personal income. The two source series establish that arithmetic; they do not by themselves identify who ultimately bore the cost or how much consumer prices changed.
How does this connect to the American Distress Index?
This ratio is contextual and is not an ADI composite input. It cannot be read as a household-distress direction. The ADI currently reads 43.8, in its Typical band. On average, its inputs sit higher than in 44% of their own quarterly histories.