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    December 8, 2015
    The American Middle Class Is Losing Ground

    The wealth of U.S. families increased from 1983 to 2007, fell sharply since

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    The wealth of U.S. families increased from 1983 to 2007, fell sharply since

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    The American Middle Class Is Losing Ground

    Post Infographics

    The middle class is losing ground
    Who is “middle income” and “upper income”?
    Share of adults living in middle-income households is falling
    Growth in income for middle-income households is less than the growth for upper-income households since 1970
    The wealth gap between upper- and middle-income families is growing
    Older people, married couples and black adults improved their income status more than other groups from 1971 to 2015
    Who is middle income?
    Share of adults living in middle-income households is in steady decline, and share in lower- and upper-income households is rising
    Adults in middle-income households are now fewer in number than adults in other households
    Income range for middle-income households and households in other income tiers
    Share of adults living in lowest- and highest-income households has risen the most
    Older people, married couples and black adults improved their income status more than other groups from 1971 to 2015
    Married adults are more likely to be upper income than unmarried adults
    Unmarried women with children are more likely than other groups to be lower income
    Among American adults, there are large differences in income status by race and ethnicity
    U.S.-born adults are higher up in income status than immigrants, except for black adults
    Despite gains in income status, older adults are most likely to be lower income
    College-educated adults are more likely than others to be upper income
    From 1971 to 2014, higher-skilled occupations were among those that rose in income status
    Teachers and salespeople slid down in income status from 2001 to 2014, while other job categories rose
    Big income status gains in some industries contrast with losses in others from 1971 to 2014
    Income status gains in most industry sectors from 2001 to 2014
    Demographics of middle-income adults look like those of U.S. adults overall
    On work-related measures, U.S. middle-income adults rank between lower- and upper-income adults
    Median household income in the U.S. rises faster when adjusted for the decrease in household size since 1970
    Median income of upper-income households has risen more than the median income of middle- and lower-income households from 1970 to 2014
    Incomes rose for all households in each decade from 1970 to 2000, but have languished from 2000 to 2014
    The share of aggregate income held by middle-income households plunged from 1970 to 2014 and is now less than the share held by upper-income households
    The wealth of U.S. families increased from 1983 to 2007, fell sharply since
    There is a large gap in the wealth of upper-income families and other families
    Families in all income tiers lost wealth since 2007, but only upper-income families have started to recover
    The asset portfolios of upper-income families are more diversified
    Families reduced debt in the wake of the Great Recession of 2007-09, but losses in asset values cut deeper
    Families in all income tiers accumulated debt at a rapid pace from 1983 to 2007

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