According to the U.S. Census Bureau, income inequality has risen significantly in recent history. Income inequality in the United States has increased to “its highest level since the Census Bureau started tracking it, more than five decades ago.” Even in a prolonged period of economic growth and expansion, the United States has seen dramatic spikes in the rate of income inequality. For example, in 2018, the Gini index (a measure for income inequality) rose to reach 0.485, and this variable has continued to increase even as the country’s unemployment and poverty rates have reached historic lows. Within the article, it argues that one potential reason for the increase in income inequality, despite the high economic performance, is the steady federal minimum wage rate which has not been adjusted in more than a decade.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/09/26/income-inequality-america-highest-its-been-since-census-started-tracking-it-data-show/
With a possible up coming rescission there is potential that this gap could be reduced. This is especially true if the stock market crashes. The ones who own the most stock, the super rich, loose the most.
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