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Income: The average hourly wage for private non-farm payroll for April 2006 was $16.01/hour, up $.50 since 2005.
Click here for Bureau of Labor Statistics link.
Income: For the change in average Income received by each fifth of Household Income, click here.
Wealth: In 2001, the richest 10% of Americans owned 70% of the country's wealth.
See below.
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Charts based upon tables found in "A Rolling Tide: Changes in Distribution of Wealth in the U.S., 1989-2001" by Arthur Kennickell, Senior Economist and Project Director, Federal Reserve Board.
According to the latest Forbes Magazine survey of richest Americans, the combined net worth of the top 400 wealthiest Americans exceeds $1 trillion. This is roughly the same as the entire net worth of the bottom 50% of Americans, roughly 145 million in number.
As of 2002, the richest 400 held 2.2% of the nation's wealth. In 1989, they had 1.5%.
Compare the 2001 distribution to 1989. The richest 1% grabbed an additional 3% of the country's net worth, basically from the middle class.
Other articles and links:
New Survey of Consumer Finances