NEW CHARTS: The State of America’s Middle Class

Washington, D.C. — The Center for American Progress today released a series of five charts illustrating the state of America’s middle class. While some still dispute that the middle class is struggling, the charts released today provide evidence that middle-class incomes have declined over the past decade. They also show that for the past several decades, the share of the economic pie that the middle class receives has decreased, and fewer people have earned middle-class incomes. Moreover, the costs of middle-class basics have risen, and debt levels have increased.

Related resources:

• Video: Once Upon a Trickle Down: The Rise and Fall of Supply-Side Economics by the Center for American Progress and Mark Fiore
• Making Our Middle Class Stronger: 35 Policies to Revitalize America’s Middle Class by David Madland
• The American Middle Class, Income Inequality, and Strength of Our Economy by Heather Boushey and Adam Hersh
• The Middle Class and Economic Growth by Michael Ettlinger
• The Failure of Supply-Side Economics by Michael Ettlinger and Michael Linden

To speak with a CAP expert on this topic, please contact Katie Peters at 202.741.6285 or kpeters@americanprogress.org.

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