Use the subtabs above to get the facts on income inequality, tax inequality, wealth concentration, econnomic opportunity, inquality impacts, and pulic opinion.

The wealthiest one percent of American families own over one third of the nation’s net worth and the top ten percent owns over 70 percent of the nation’s net worth.

Economic Policy Institute.  2011.  “The State of Working America: Wealth.”

The richest 1 percent of Americans now own more wealth than the poorest 90 percent of Americans combined.  

Economic Policy Institute.  2011.  “The State of Working America: Wealth.” 

The richest 400 Americans now have more wealth than the bottom 155 million Americans combined.  

Economic Policy Institute.  2011.  “The State of Working America: Wealth.”

The richest 400 American households now own $1.37 trillion.  That could pay the annual salaries of 19 million American families for one year.

United for a Fair Economy.  July 2011.  “11 Things the Wealthiest Americans Could Buy for the U.S. that Most Families Can Afford for Themselves.”

The gap between the wealthiest 1 percent and the rest is greater now than even during the Great Depression.  

 Piketty, Thomas and Emmanuel Saez. 2007. “Income and wage inequality in the United States, 1913–2002.” In Atkinson & Piketty 2007, pp. 141–225.

In the first year of the economic crisis, average workers lost 25 percent of their retirement savings in IRA accounts, while the wealthiest 400 families increased their wealth by $300 billion.  

Greenberg Quinlin and Rosner.

There is currently greater wealth concentration in America than there is in politically unstable counties like Egypt and Tunisia. 

Central Intelligence Agency.  2011.  “The World Factbook.”

Average household wealth in the United States increased 40.3 percent between 1983 and 2009, but the wealth of the median, or most typical, U.S. household actually fell.

Tax Policy Center.  May 2011.  “Who Benefits from Tax Expenditures?”