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Inequality and financial sector vulnerabilities, Accessible Data

Figure 1. The top 1 percent income share has increased in the United States since the late 1970s.

Percent

Year Top 1% Income Share
1960 12.71
1961 12.55
1962 12.78
1963 12.91
1964 13.04
1965 12.97
1966 12.92
1967 12.4
1968 12.59
1969 11.58
1970 10.63
1971 11.02
1972 11
1973 10.92
1974 10.41
1975 10.45
1976 10.35
1977 10.61
1978 10.39
1979 10.91
1980 10.48
1981 10.69
1982 10.97
1983 11.35
1984 11.99
1985 12.1
1986 11.76
1987 12.92
1988 14.72
1989 14.28
1990 14.31
1991 13.59
1992 14.53
1993 14.02
1994 13.87
1995 14.4
1996 15.15
1997 15.86
1998 16.29
1999 16.66
2000 17.37
2001 16.58
2002 16.07
2003 16.27
2004 16.95
2005 17.78
2006 18.37
2007 18.51
2008 18.12
2009 16.72
2010 17.72
2011 18.22
2012 19.33
2013 18.4
2014 18.93
2015 18.88
2016 18.63
2017 18.8
2018 18.96
2019 18.76
2020 18.76

Note: We use pretax income share data based on Piketty et al. (2018) as our income inequality measure. The share excludes capital gains. Income shares measure how large of a portion of total income is earned by a given percentile of the income distribution.

Source: The World Inequality Database.

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Figure 2. Assets by income percentile in 2019:Q4, percent of total.

Income percentile
Percent

Assets (% of total) 99-100% 80-99% 60-80% 40-60% 20-40% 0-20%
Real estate 13.6 22.8 28.1 33.1 40.5 40.3
Consumer durable goods 2.4 3.4 6.3 8.4 9.4 8.6
Corporate equities and mutual fund shares 42 23.1 11.9 8.5 6.6 11.8
Defined benefit pension entitlements 2.2 14.3 23.7 22.8 16.3 7.1
Defined contribution pension entitlements 4.1 11.7 9.9 7.8 3.4 1.5
Private businesses 18.6 8.6 4.7 3.9 4.3 9.8
Other assets 17.2 15.9 15.4 15.5 19.6 20.9

Note: The key identifies series in order from top to bottom.

Source: Survey of Consumer Finances and Financial Accounts of the United States.

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Figure 3. Assets by income percentile in 2019:Q4, trillions of dollars.

Income percentile
US$ Trillions

Assets (US$ Trillions) 99-100% 80-99% 60-80% 40-60% 20-40% 0-20%
Real estate 3.86 13.05 5.5 3.5 2.38 1.6
Consumer durable goods 0.67 1.97 1.24 0.89 0.55 0.34
Corporate equities and mutual fund shares 11.91 13.23 2.33 0.9 0.39 0.47
Defined benefit pension entitlements 0.63 8.2 4.65 2.41 0.96 0.28
Defined contribution pension entitlements 1.15 6.68 1.94 0.83 0.2 0.06
Private businesses 5.28 4.94 0.92 0.41 0.25 0.39
Other assets 4.89 9.11 3.02 1.64 1.15 0.83

Note: The key identifies series in order from top to bottom.

Source: Survey of Consumer Finances and Financial Accounts of the United States.

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Last Update: April 19, 2024