California taxpayers’ incomes rose 2% in 2013

Californians who filed more than 16 million state income tax returns for 2013 reported $1.42 trillion in adjusted gross income, and the median income for individual tax returns rose 2 percent to $36,624, the state Franchise Tax Board revealed Wednesday.

Within those statewide numbers, however, there were wide variations, with Marin County’s individual taxpayers reporting the highest median, $57,244, and Imperial County at the other end of the scale at $24,058.

There was also a wide median income gap between those who filed individual returns and those who filed jointly, often with two or more incomes. The latter was $73,378, a 3.4 percent increase from 2012. Marin also had the highest median income for joint returns, $133,389, and Imperial the lowest at $39,653.

San Benito County came closest to the statewide median for individual returns at $35,726 and joint returns at $72,577.

In addition to Marin, two other Bay Area counties had joint return median incomes above $100,000, San Mateo at $115,651 and Santa Clara at $115,013. The lowest-income counties, in addition to Imperial, were clustered in the Central Valley.