These 20 Harsh Facts About Income and Wealth Inequality Will Shock You

U.S. inequality has returned to levels not seen since the early 1900s: The richest 0.1% take in 196 times as much as the bottom 90%. The average American is well aware that paychecks haven’t kept pace with inflation, while the super-wealthy keep getting richer and pay less in taxes. But while 61% of Americans say that there’s too much economic inequality in the country, only 42% see it as a top policy priority for the government, according to a Pew survey in 2019. Maybe that’s because they don’t realize just how extreme the disparities have become between the top 1% and the rest of us, or the key role the government has played in enabling that gap to grow.

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