A Guide to Statistics on Historical Trends in Income Inequality

The broad facts of income inequality over the past six decades are easily summarized:
The years from the end of World War II into the 1970s were ones of substantial economic growth and broadly shared prosperity.
Incomes grew rapidly and at roughly the same rate up and down the income ladder, roughly doubling in inflation-adjusted terms between the late 1940s and early 1970s.
The income gap between those high up the income ladder and those on the middle and lower rungs — while substantial — did not change much during this period.
Beginning in the 1970s, economic growth slowed and the income gap widened.
Income growth for households in the middle and lower parts of the distribution slowed sharply, while incomes at the top continued to grow strongly.
The concentration of income at the very top of the distribution rose to levels last seen 90 years ago (during the “Roaring Twenties”).
Wealth — the value of a household’s property and financial assets, minus the value of its debts — is much more highly concentrated than income. The best survey data show that the share of wealth held by the top 1 percent rose from just under 30 percent in 1989 to nearly 39 percent in 2016, while the share held by the bottom 90 percent fell from just over 33 percent to less than 23 percent over the same period.
Comments
-
Ok boomer
I'd ask what your solution is but you don't have one -
First needs to articulate the actual problem.RaceBannon said:Ok boomer
I'd ask what your solution is but you don't have one
-
The solution is the fire bomb the cities and factories of China, Japan and Germany. We'll have 1950's era economic growth in no time.RaceBannon said:Ok boomer
I'd ask what your solution is but you don't have one -
Might as well close the gates since there's little opportunity for the poors of America. It's Amazing people want to come here, somebody warn the caravans.
-
Your the one trying to sell capitalism why this shit is going on.RaceBannon said:Ok boomer
I'd ask what your solution is but you don't have one
You prefer to be ignorant? Good to know -
ThudGwad said:
Your the one trying to sell capitalism why this shit is going on.RaceBannon said:Ok boomer
I'd ask what your solution is but you don't have one
You prefer to be ignorant? Good to know -
Read or listen (hi @GrundleStiltzkin ) to this excellent (albeit dry at times) book by Robert Gordon. There's no solution because the favorable economic tailwinds that existed for the US in EVERY sector of the economy from 1945- 70 can never be replicated.
-
Sounds like your calling old people spoiledYellowSnow said:Read or listen (hi @GrundleStiltzkin ) to this excellent (albeit dry at times) book by Robert Gordon. There's no solution because the favorable economic tailwinds that existed for the US in EVERY sector of the economy from 1945- 70 can never be replicated.
-
Legal and illegal immigration is a huge factor. Toss in the destruction of much of the public education system and single parent households. All of those are the real issues. Blaming billionaires only works if they are leftards and support the above. Zuckerberg hasn't cost me a penny.
-
People can still make it in this country. Not being obsessed over what someone else has is a good start. No substitute for brains and hard work
Bill Gates being worth billions didn't come at my expense. What he developed has made my life easier
We actually did the flooring at his early office. At night. And he was roaming the halls
Most people don't want to work 24/7. I didn't. The rich people I worked for did
There is no socialist or communist system ever that made as many people rich or comfortable middle as America
Simply an indisputable fact
So stop worrying and get your ass to work kids. Stop buying into bullshit like climate change. Embrace progress and cheap energy
Don't give up -
A hard working, average IQ blue collar Joe had an easier jerb of getting buy back then. That's for sure.Gwad said:
Sounds like your calling old people spoiledYellowSnow said:Read or listen (hi @GrundleStiltzkin ) to this excellent (albeit dry at times) book by Robert Gordon. There's no solution because the favorable economic tailwinds that existed for the US in EVERY sector of the economy from 1945- 70 can never be replicated.
-
Which goes to what Westlin saidYellowSnow said:
A hard working, average IQ blue collar Joe had an easier jerb of getting buy back then. That's for sure.Gwad said:
Sounds like your calling old people spoiledYellowSnow said:Read or listen (hi @GrundleStiltzkin ) to this excellent (albeit dry at times) book by Robert Gordon. There's no solution because the favorable economic tailwinds that existed for the US in EVERY sector of the economy from 1945- 70 can never be replicated.
The people that claim to care the most pursue the most damaging policies to Joe -
And @CirrhosisDawg calls them trash
-
1- Don't get pregnant or get someone pregnant in HSRaceBannon said:People can still make it in this country. Not being obsessed over what someone else has is a good start. No substitute for brains and hard work
Bill Gates being worth billions didn't come at my expense. What he developed has made my life easier
We actually did the flooring at his early office. At night. And he was roaming the halls
Most people don't want to work 24/7. I didn't. The rich people I worked for did
There is no socialist or communist system ever that made as many people rich or comfortable middle as America
Simply an indisputable fact
So stop worrying and get your ass to work kids. Stop buying into bullshit like climate change. Embrace progress and cheap energy
Don't give up
2- Graduate HS
3- Get job
4- Get married
Follow these 4 easy steps and your odds of living in poverty are less than 3%.
#itshard
#itsaprocess -
So you guys are suggesting to ignore the.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_economic_inequality
-
No we're waiting for your solution while giving good adviceGwad said:So you guys are suggesting to ignore the.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_economic_inequality
-
I didn't know you were a racistYellowSnow said:
1- Don't get pregnant or get someone pregnant in HSRaceBannon said:People can still make it in this country. Not being obsessed over what someone else has is a good start. No substitute for brains and hard work
Bill Gates being worth billions didn't come at my expense. What he developed has made my life easier
We actually did the flooring at his early office. At night. And he was roaming the halls
Most people don't want to work 24/7. I didn't. The rich people I worked for did
There is no socialist or communist system ever that made as many people rich or comfortable middle as America
Simply an indisputable fact
So stop worrying and get your ass to work kids. Stop buying into bullshit like climate change. Embrace progress and cheap energy
Don't give up
2- Graduate HS
3- Get job
4- Get married
Follow these 4 easy steps and your odds of living in poverty are less than 3%.
#itshard
#itsaprocess -
And to define the problem.RaceBannon said:
No we're waiting for your solution while giving good adviceGwad said:So you guys are suggesting to ignore the.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_economic_inequality
-
Funny how offering sound life advice that is proven to work = racism these days. We fucked...RaceBannon said:
I didn't know you were a racistYellowSnow said:
1- Don't get pregnant or get someone pregnant in HSRaceBannon said:People can still make it in this country. Not being obsessed over what someone else has is a good start. No substitute for brains and hard work
Bill Gates being worth billions didn't come at my expense. What he developed has made my life easier
We actually did the flooring at his early office. At night. And he was roaming the halls
Most people don't want to work 24/7. I didn't. The rich people I worked for did
There is no socialist or communist system ever that made as many people rich or comfortable middle as America
Simply an indisputable fact
So stop worrying and get your ass to work kids. Stop buying into bullshit like climate change. Embrace progress and cheap energy
Don't give up
2- Graduate HS
3- Get job
4- Get married
Follow these 4 easy steps and your odds of living in poverty are less than 3%.
#itshard
#itsaprocess -
The flaw in CD's and @creepycoug meritocracy argument will always be that you have to give Joe a decent chance to succeed. I don't believe in going all protectionist or having no low skill immigration, but things need to be balanced from time to time. If you only favor Joes, then us non Joes get fucked. If you favor mostly non Joes, like we've done the past 40 years, then the Joes give up and start doing stupid shit.RaceBannon said:And @CirrhosisDawg calls them trash
-
Huh?Gwad said:
Your the one trying to sell capitalism why this shit is going on.RaceBannon said:Ok boomer
I'd ask what your solution is but you don't have one
You prefer to be ignorant? Good to know
Does anybody alive today, with a functioning brain, really need to "sell" capitalism? Whatever that means.
I just want somebody on this board to go to Cuba and not eat the food you want to eat for 2 years and come back and tell me how much fun you had.
Rationing is a bitch. I have family who can vouch for that truth. -
I don't hit hyperlinks for good reason. I'm at work.Gwad said:So you guys are suggesting to ignore the.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_economic_inequality
But based on the words "income inequality", yes. Ignore it. I think there are like 5 posts in the thread telling you to do just that, and why. -
I’m worried about the Joe’s rising up and stealing/burning down our shit. That’s why I favor breaking them off a few crumbs to keep them from losing hope. Self serving philanthropy. Win-win.
-
This is why I try to focus more on pictures, gifs and short paragraphs. Make it like USA today. Safe for work and your average Joe.creepycoug said:
I don't hit hyperlinks for good reason. I'm at work.Gwad said:So you guys are suggesting to ignore the.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_economic_inequality
But based on the words "income inequality", yes. Ignore it. I think there are like 5 posts in the thread telling you to do just that, and why. -
There's never a flaw in the creep. Don't forget that.YellowSnow said:
The flaw in CD's and @creepycoug meritocracy argument will always be that you have to give Joe a decent chance to succeed. I don't believe in going all protectionist or having no low skill immigration, but things need to be balanced from time to time. If you only favor Joes, then us non Joes get fucked. If you favor mostly non Joes, like we've done the past 40 years, then the Joes give up and start doing stupid shit.RaceBannon said:And @CirrhosisDawg calls them trash
If you manage the welfare state with an iron fist (my idea: you can't draw on any public assistance until you've been here and employed for 10 years (make it 20 if you like that better), it won't be an issue. Labor and capital will migrate to where they should. Every day I hear or read about labor shortages. The truth is that MANY American citizens don't want to do many low-skill jobs. We have this problem YUGELY in my industry. It's also a problem in timber and forest products. The number of independent logging contractors is nowhere what it was when @dflea and @RaceBannon and @creepycoug were growing up TUFF down in timber country. Nobody wants to do it anymore. Has nothing to do with Clinton shutting down the national forests. Private industry struggles to get these services in all of the U.S. wood baskets. Seedling planting is even worse. I hear all the time from friends in the building trades that framers and other hard labor jobs are hard to fill.
So, no, we don't need all of Mexico and Central America to show up all at once or ever, but this idea that letting in more low-skill labor is fucking things up here just doesn't play out empirically where I hang out.
I'm all for balance, but I'm not all for human beings trying to legislate it because they always fuck it up. The market is the best means by which to achieve said balance because it factors in actual human behavior at the margin. ACTUAL human behavior; not theorized human behavior.
Stick with Creep. It hasn't steered you wrong yet young buck.
PS: chinned you anyway because you're a level-headed UW rowboat man. -
Brother I've been singing this tune for 20 years.YellowSnow said:
1- Don't get pregnant or get someone pregnant in HSRaceBannon said:People can still make it in this country. Not being obsessed over what someone else has is a good start. No substitute for brains and hard work
Bill Gates being worth billions didn't come at my expense. What he developed has made my life easier
We actually did the flooring at his early office. At night. And he was roaming the halls
Most people don't want to work 24/7. I didn't. The rich people I worked for did
There is no socialist or communist system ever that made as many people rich or comfortable middle as America
Simply an indisputable fact
So stop worrying and get your ass to work kids. Stop buying into bullshit like climate change. Embrace progress and cheap energy
Don't give up
2- Graduate HS
3- Get job
4- Get married
Follow these 4 easy steps and your odds of living in poverty are less than 3%.
#itshard
#itsaprocess -
Minorities skin color doesn't allow them to do these things and it's racist to expect them to be able to do so. Need more welfare.RaceBannon said:
I didn't know you were a racistYellowSnow said:
1- Don't get pregnant or get someone pregnant in HSRaceBannon said:People can still make it in this country. Not being obsessed over what someone else has is a good start. No substitute for brains and hard work
Bill Gates being worth billions didn't come at my expense. What he developed has made my life easier
We actually did the flooring at his early office. At night. And he was roaming the halls
Most people don't want to work 24/7. I didn't. The rich people I worked for did
There is no socialist or communist system ever that made as many people rich or comfortable middle as America
Simply an indisputable fact
So stop worrying and get your ass to work kids. Stop buying into bullshit like climate change. Embrace progress and cheap energy
Don't give up
2- Graduate HS
3- Get job
4- Get married
Follow these 4 easy steps and your odds of living in poverty are less than 3%.
#itshard
#itsaprocess -
Lets compare my income to Mark Zuckerberg's income over the last 10 years. You'd hard pressed to find a more unequal income. Now tell me how I'm hurt by that? Run and hide.Gwad said:So you guys are suggesting to ignore the.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_economic_inequality
-
In all fairness, yes, you have.SFGbob said:
Brother I've been singing this tune for 20 years.YellowSnow said:
1- Don't get pregnant or get someone pregnant in HSRaceBannon said:People can still make it in this country. Not being obsessed over what someone else has is a good start. No substitute for brains and hard work
Bill Gates being worth billions didn't come at my expense. What he developed has made my life easier
We actually did the flooring at his early office. At night. And he was roaming the halls
Most people don't want to work 24/7. I didn't. The rich people I worked for did
There is no socialist or communist system ever that made as many people rich or comfortable middle as America
Simply an indisputable fact
So stop worrying and get your ass to work kids. Stop buying into bullshit like climate change. Embrace progress and cheap energy
Don't give up
2- Graduate HS
3- Get job
4- Get married
Follow these 4 easy steps and your odds of living in poverty are less than 3%.
#itshard
#itsaprocess -
The Gini coefficient suggests this is all bullshit anyway.
Careful. Hondo will accuse you of wanting to force kids to be taught in school that getting married and having kids is a better choice than having kids single.SFGbob said:
Brother I've been singing this tune for 20 years.YellowSnow said:
1- Don't get pregnant or get someone pregnant in HSRaceBannon said:People can still make it in this country. Not being obsessed over what someone else has is a good start. No substitute for brains and hard work
Bill Gates being worth billions didn't come at my expense. What he developed has made my life easier
We actually did the flooring at his early office. At night. And he was roaming the halls
Most people don't want to work 24/7. I didn't. The rich people I worked for did
There is no socialist or communist system ever that made as many people rich or comfortable middle as America
Simply an indisputable fact
So stop worrying and get your ass to work kids. Stop buying into bullshit like climate change. Embrace progress and cheap energy
Don't give up
2- Graduate HS
3- Get job
4- Get married
Follow these 4 easy steps and your odds of living in poverty are less than 3%.
#itshard
#itsaprocess