Income Growth Distribution Across U.S. Economic Expansions (1949-2012) #2071596 (License: Personal Use)

This bar chart illustrates the stark divergence in average income growth between the bottom 90% and top 10% of U.S. earners across 11 postwar economic expansions. While early periods (e.g., 1949-1953, 1954-1957) show relatively balanced growth, later expansions (2001-2007, 2009-2012) feature dramatically higher gains for the top 10%, with the bottom 90% often seeing near-zero or negative growth. The data, sourced from Pavlina R. Tcherneva’s calculations using Piketty/Saez and NBER data, underscores rising income inequality over time.

Used in economic policy articles, inequality reports, or educational content about U.S. macroeconomic trends; targets readers seeking data-backed understanding of wealth distribution shifts during business cycles.