United States | Piketty lines

The incomes of America’s poorest are growing faster than those of its richest

Ever-widening inequality is not an immutable law of a modern economy

|WASHINGTON, DC

THE PAST year and a half has served up a reminder, if one were needed, of how unequal America is. The wealthiest Americans have seen their assets increase in value thanks to a stockmarket rally, especially in the tech sector. At the opposite end of the ladder, millions of mostly low-wage workers have lost their jobs, while also facing a higher risk of death from covid-19. But there is also some good news to set against this: the incomes of poor Americans have grown more quickly than those of rich ones.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Piketty lines”

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