America: wealthier, but divided
The incomes of middle-class Americans rose last year to the highest level ever recorded, as poverty declined and the scars of the past decade’s Great Recession seemed to finally fade. But inequalities remain high.
3.2%
Increase in median household income in 2016, to $59,039 (U.S.)
$39,490
Income for the median African-American household, compared with more than $65,000 for whites
12.7%
U.S. poverty rate, returning nearly to what it was in 2007 before the financial crisis
25K
Fewer jobs per month created in Donald Trump’s first seven months as president than during the last seven months of Barack Obama’s presidency