According to IRS statistics, there were 6.2 million high-income filers (those with income over $200,000) in 2014 (the most recent year for statistics). This is a 12% increase over the prior year. Since 1977, the number of returns above this inflation-adjusted threshold has increased at a rate of approximately 6.9 percent per year. In comparison, the total number of returns has increased 1.5 percent per year since 1977.