Wages for American’s in the top 1% grew by 206%

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Thirty years ago, America’s celebrated middle class commanded twice as much wealth as the upper 1%.

Over the years, the rich have grown steadily richer. The top 1% caught and passed the middle class in collective wealth in late 2020, Fed data show.

The top 1% of American earners now control more wealth than the nation’s entire middle class.

“The number of deca-millionaires has more than doubled since 2000, and the number of centi-millionaires has quadrupled,” said Owen Zidar, a Princeton University economist, referring to people worth more than $10 million and $100 million, respectively.

Between 1979 and 2021, the wages of Americans in the top 1% grew by 206%, after adjusting for inflation, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute. In the same years, wages for the bottom 90% grew by only 29%.

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