Wealthy Percentiles Rising
The rich continue to get richer, and everyone else either only kind of earns more or stays where they’re at. In the income chart below, the top line for Americans in the 99th percentile, or the top 1%, separates from the bottom more over the years.
ANNUAL INCOME IN 2023 DOLLARS,
AMONG FULL-TIME WORKERS
Sup.
$600k
Oh no.
99th percentile
WHHHEEE AGAIN.
$500k
WHHHHEEEEEEEE.
Great Recession dip.
There is a big jump for just one percentile. It must be lonely up there.
$400k
This person made a lot for 1970.
98th
$300k
97th
96th
95th
$200k
Gaps at the top increase much quicker than at the bottom.
The 1950 survey capped at $10k in contemporary dollars, so 98th and 99th percentile marks are probably higher.
90th
80th
$100k
70th
60th
50th
Since 1970, income levels for the lower 50% did not change much.
40th
SURVEY
SAMPLE
30th
20th
10th
$0k
2000
2010
2021
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
SOURCE: CENSUS BUREAU, IPUMS / BY: FLOWINGDATA
ANNUAL INCOME IN 2023 DOLLARS,
AMONG FULL-TIME WORKERS
Sup.
$600k
PERCENTILE
Oh no.
99th
WHHHHEEEEEEEE.
WHHEEE.
$500k
Big jump.
Great Recession dip.
This person made
a lot for 1970.
$400k
98th
$300k
97th
96th
$200k
95th
90th
$100k
80th
70th
60th
50th
40th
30th
20th
$0k
10th
SURVEY SAMPLE
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2021
Since 1970, income levels for the lower 50% did not change much.
SOURCE: CENSUS BUREAU, IPUMS / BY: FLOWINGDATA
The percentiles are based on income data from the United States Census Bureau, which I calculated using data via IPUMS. The survey data doesn’t specify between full-time and part-time workers, so the estimates are for people who worked at least 40 weeks, most of whom worked at least 50 weeks.
The gray dots represent a sample from each year so that you can see the distributions. The bottom portion doesn’t change much. The top portion for higher income, where there are supposedly more problems, stretches up.
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