Gini Ratio Over Time
Description: Explore the historical trajectory of the Gini Ratio from 1980 to 2023, revealing trends in income inequality across the United States. This graph illustrates the shifts in wealth distribution and sets the stage for discussing the impacts of fiscal policy.
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Gini Ratio Over Time
Gini Ratio Over Time Animated
Income Trend Analysis
Description: These graphs depict the divergence in income and wealth growth over the past forty years, showing that the top quintiles, especially the top 5%, have experienced significantly larger increases than other segments. This disparity, evidenced by the stagnation of middle-class wealth and income, highlights the impact of fiscal and economic policies on wealth distribution, underscoring the urgent need to address the growing economic inequality and its effects on the middle class and overall economic stability.
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Wealth Distribution Percentage by Quantile
Annual Income by Quantile
Total Distribution of Wealth by Quantile
# A tibble: 6 × 3
Date_Observed Quantile Wealth
<date> <chr> <dbl>
1 2007-08-01 Top 0.1% 7.89
2 2007-08-01 99% to 99.9% 11.3
3 2007-08-01 90% to 99% 25.1
4 2007-08-01 51% to 90% 20.8
5 2007-08-01 Bottom 50% 1.36
6 2007-10-03 Top 0.1% 7.79Income Trend Analysis: Wealth Distribution Total Assets Animated
RMI and CPI Over Time
Description: These visualizations tracks the real median household income in the United States, adjusted for inflation from 1980 to 2023, alongside the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over the same period. It provides a dual perspective, showing both income growth and the inflation rate, to offer a comprehensive view of economic conditions and the changing purchasing power of American households over several decades.
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Real Median Household Income in the United States Over Time
Consumer Price Index (CPI) Over Time
Hexbin Map
Description: The Hexbin maps of the United States display real median household income for 2000, 2010, 2015, and 2022. Each map uses a color gradient to represent different income levels, highlighting shifts in median household income across various states over the two decades. These maps also reveal a trend in the movement of higher-paying positions, with specific areas becoming more affluent while others experience a decline in median income. This visual representation provides insight into economic changes and disparities within the United States over time.
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Hexbin Map: Real Median Household Income 2000
Hexbin Map: Real Median Household Income 2010
Hexbin Map: Real Median Household Income 2015
Hexbin Map: Real Median Household Income 2022
Gini Index Per County
Description: The map of the United States depicting income inequality (Gini Ratio) by county in 2020, as indicated by the Gini Index values. The map uses a color gradient to represent the Gini Index range from 0.3 to 0.7, with varying shades of green to blue, showing the degree of income inequality within each county.
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Gini Index Per County, United States
Median Income Per County
Description: The map of the United States, illustrates the median household income by county in 2020, with a color scale that seems to reflect income levels from $50,000 to $100,000. The use of varying shades of blue to green across the counties serves to highlight the differences in median income, providing a visual representation of economic disparities across the country
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Median Income Per County, United States
Wealth Asset Distribution
Description: The histogram charts related to the Federal Reserve Balance Sheet Assets and the wealth assets of each quantile. The first histogram shows a distribution of values, with a higher frequency in the mid-range of the assets scale, indicating a concentration of balance sheet values within a specific range. This chart is important as it offers insight into the distribution and concentration of Federal Reserve and quantile wealth assets, which can indicate implications for monetary policy and economic analysis.
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Distribution of Federal Reserve Balance Sheet Assets
Distribution Wealth Assets Over Time per Quantile
Federal Balance Sheet Compared to Wealth Distribution
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Distribution of wealth Compared to Federal Balance Sheet Chart
Chart Analysis
The Federal Reserve Balance Sheet Assets and Wealth Distribution Over Time chart presents a time series analysis of the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet assets alongside the wealth distribution among .1% and bottom 50% quantile segments from 2008 to 2022. The .1% quantile segement balance sheet assets line, denoted in red, shows a marked increase over time, particularly during periods labeled as Quantitative Easing (QE) and the COVID-19 Pandemic Response. These increases correspond to the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy actions, which is reflected by the purple line with dark blue dots indicating each year. The QE actions often aim to lower interest rates and stimulate economic activity, especially during economic downturns or crises.
The blue line represents the wealth of the bottom 50% of the population, and it appears relatively flat, with a slight uptick in later years, suggesting that the wealth of this group has relatively stagnant growth over a 14 year period. In contrast, the wealth of the top 0.1%, shown by the red line, has seen a much more significant increase, particularly aligning with the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet expansion.
This divergence could indicate that while stabilizing financial markets and promoting investment, monetary policy may also inadvertently contribute to wealth inequality. The wealth of the top 0.1% could be more closely tied to asset markets, which have benefited from low interest rates and increased liquidity. Meanwhile, the bottom 50%, which may have less exposure to these markets, experience a different level of wealth growth.
The importance of this chart lies in its potential to inform discussions on economic policy, particularly regarding the effectiveness and consequences of monetary interventions. It visually argues that while such policies may be necessary for economic recovery and stabilization, they may also exacerbate wealth inequality. This underscores the need for a holistic approach to policy-making, which considers the distributional effects of monetary policy and the potential need for complementary fiscal measures to promote wealth equality.