06-08-2015, 04:06 AM
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/Decline_of_the_Middle_Class_in_Philadelphia.html?c=r
This is more of a case study involving a single city, Philadelphia
In the city the lower income grew by 17% while the upper income dropped by 1%. In the suburbs the lower income grew by 5% while the upper income grew by 11%.
Combining city and suburban figures: lower income 17%+5%=22%, upper income -1%+11%=10%
I multiplied the percentages of each category by the number of residents in 1970 and 2010 to get raw numbers of residents who moved up or down. From 1970 to 2010, the number of residents in the lower income from both the city and the suburbs increased by 461,873 residents. From 1970 to 2010, the number of residents in the upper income from both the city and the suburbs increased by 495,442 residents.
So in Philadelphia the middle income is shrinking for two different reasons. An increased number of people are becoming wealthier and moving into the upper class, while an increased number of people are becoming poorer and moving into the lower class. The absolute numbers are roughly the same in both directions.
It's real easy to say everyone has the same chance, but the numbers don't seem to bear that out for the residents of Philadelphia when the numbers on both ends of the spectrum are increasing while the middle is disappearing. That's income inequality. It's not a about taking money from you and giving it to someone else (whom you invariably believe is a lazy freeloader.) Income inequality is about the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots because the middle is disappearing. FFS! While some people are successful, it is getting more and more difficult for just as many in the middle class to keep up and it isn't because every one of them is lazy.
This is more of a case study involving a single city, Philadelphia
In the city the lower income grew by 17% while the upper income dropped by 1%. In the suburbs the lower income grew by 5% while the upper income grew by 11%.
Combining city and suburban figures: lower income 17%+5%=22%, upper income -1%+11%=10%
I multiplied the percentages of each category by the number of residents in 1970 and 2010 to get raw numbers of residents who moved up or down. From 1970 to 2010, the number of residents in the lower income from both the city and the suburbs increased by 461,873 residents. From 1970 to 2010, the number of residents in the upper income from both the city and the suburbs increased by 495,442 residents.
So in Philadelphia the middle income is shrinking for two different reasons. An increased number of people are becoming wealthier and moving into the upper class, while an increased number of people are becoming poorer and moving into the lower class. The absolute numbers are roughly the same in both directions.
It's real easy to say everyone has the same chance, but the numbers don't seem to bear that out for the residents of Philadelphia when the numbers on both ends of the spectrum are increasing while the middle is disappearing. That's income inequality. It's not a about taking money from you and giving it to someone else (whom you invariably believe is a lazy freeloader.) Income inequality is about the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots because the middle is disappearing. FFS! While some people are successful, it is getting more and more difficult for just as many in the middle class to keep up and it isn't because every one of them is lazy.
