Rising Gas Prices Temper Middle-Income Gains Amid Campaign

Rising gasoline prices threaten to temper a hard-won sense of economic momentum for middle-income families in the U.S. as the election campaign heats up.

Middle-income families have seen their purchasing power drop during most of the economic recovery even as stocks soared. Inflation-adjusted median income only began to climb after bottoming out last August, according to Sentier Research, an economic consulting firm based in Annapolis, Maryland.