Economic Inequality

Seven-in-ten U.S. adults say the U.S. economic system unfairly favors powerful interests. Less than a third say the system is generally fair.

About six-in-ten U.S. adults say there’s too much economic inequality in the country these days, and among that group, most say addressing it requires significant changes to the country’s economic system, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

Three-in-four Republicans give the economy positive ratings, while a majority of Democrats rate it negatively. But within parties, views differ widely by income.

U.S. military veterans and their families have consistently had higher standards of living than non-veterans over the past 40 years.

Household incomes in the United States have rebounded from their 2012 bottom in the wake of the Great Recession. And for the most part, the typical incomes of households headed by less-educated adults as well as more-educated adults have increased.

Americans continue to have positive views of the nation’s economy, though views are split by party. Most Republicans and half of Democrats rate their personal finances positively.

Black adults are particularly likely to say slavery continues to have an impact: More than eight-in-ten say this is the case.

Millennials are the largest adult generation in the United States, and the American family continues to change.

The overall gain in income among Latino workers is driven by a rise in the share of higher-income immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for more years. Yet the incomes of U.S.-born Latinos are still less than since the recession began.

The median adjusted income in a household headed by a Millennial was $69,000 in 2017. The previous peak for households headed by people ages 22 to 37 was in 2000.