For the country as a whole, the average (median) income of families in 1961 was about $5,700; but for families headed by college graduates, the average was $9,300, according to estimates released today by the Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce. The all-family average was $120, or 2 percent, higher than in 1960. Consumer prices rose during this period by about 1 percent; therefore, any increase in family income greater than this amount represented a net gain in purchasing power for the average family.

Average family income has nearly doubled in the postwar period (from $3,000 in 1947 to about $5,700 in 1961). However, consumer prices have risen substantially during the period so that only three-fifths of the increase in current-dollar incomes represented an increase in purchasing power. In terms of constant (1961) dollars, average family income increased from about $4,100 in 1947 to $5,700 in 1961, a rise that averaged approximately $120 a year over this period.

The number of families with money incomes below $3,000 in 1961, although unchanged from the previous year, has decreased markedly since 1947. About 10 million families received money incomes under $3,000 in 1961. This represented a drop of about 8 1/2 million since 1947. In relative terms, the proportion of families in the cash income range under $3,000 has decreased from one-half in 1947 to about one-fifth in 1961.