Economics
US Income Inequality Rose to Record During Biden’s First Year
- Gini measure of inequality rose to 0.494, Census Bureau says
- Income share of lowest 80% shrank in 2021, rose for top 20%
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A key measure of US income inequality rose to a new record in 2021, the first year of President Joe Biden’s term.
The so-called Gini Index rose by 1.2% last year to 0.494, according to data released Tuesday by the US Census Bureau. The index measures how income is distributed, with a value of 0 representing perfect equality while 1 indicates absolute inequality.