Economic Inequality is Increasing in the U.S.
The U.S. is the richest country on earth, yet more than one fifth of the children in the U.S. live in households with incomes below the poverty line. The poverty rate in the U.S. is higher than in any of the other 25 O.E.C.D. countries.
To truly understand the amount of wealth inequality in the U.S., please watch this short video, and review these 9 charts.
Economic inequality, the gap between the rich and everyone else, has been increasing over the last three decades in the U.S. And nearly all of the economic gains over the past few years have gone to those at the top.
Income of families near the top increased roughly 90 percent from 1963 to 2016, while the income of families at the bottom increased less than 10 percent. If you would like to learn more about escalating inequality, watch this 24 minute video What the 1% Don’t Want You to Know.
It is important to recognize that as economic inequality grows larger in a society, health and social problems such as drug and alcohol addiction, obesity, life expectancy and social mobility get worse. To better understand the negative impacts of economic inequality watch this 16 minute video How Economic Inequality Harms Societies.