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Public swimming pools, by the numbers

Sep 18, 2023
Public pools are more of a bellwether for racial and economic inequality than you might think. We break down the numbers.
Despite hot temperatures, some pools were closed this summer due to staffing shortages or repairs.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Lower-income earners' wages have grown faster than others

Mar 8, 2023
A tight labor market has helped low-income workers raise their wages, according to a new working paper.
Many young people without degrees have left jobs in restaurants and hospitality to move to higher paying fields.
Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images

Econ 101: Why learn about economic inequality?

Professor Homa Zarghamee explores issues tied to wealth distribution and explains how economics translates into policies that affect people's lives.
Barnard professor Homa Zarghamee says learning about economic inequality is a fundamental part of understanding the modern economy.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Is income inequality the reason why interest rates have been low?

Wealthy people and their savings are driving down interest rates, a recent paper suggests. Marketplace contributor Chris Farrell explains it.
A recent paper by economists suggest income inequality is the reason why interest rates have been low for decades. Above, a 2011 news report shows the Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates near zero until 2013.
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

What will it take to get more Black and Latinx workers in manufacturing jobs?

Aug 26, 2021
Manufacturers complain they can't find skilled workers, even as they face a wave of retirements of older white men.
Nieves Longordo, president and owner of Diseños Ornamental Iron in Detroit's Mexicantown, said she's concerned about finding and recruiting younger talent for her shop.
Photo courtesy of Nieves Longordo

New inequality index launched to compare income groups

May 31, 2021
The Morning Consult-Axios data suggests that inequality is inching up as low-income people run out of relief money.
Lower-income households are starting to worry about losing eviction protections and unemployment benefits.
prempapan via Getty Images

College, though out of reach for many, seems key to financial stability

May 18, 2021
A Federal Reserve study shows the widening economic gap between those with a college degree and those without one.
Graduating helps. About three-quarters of the job losses during the pandemic occurred among people who lack bachelor’s degrees, according to an employment researcher.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

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A huge wealth gap makes economic recovery harder for Black Americans

Dec 10, 2020
The average white American male under 35 has 224 times the household wealth of the average Black female of the same age, a new study says.
A woman makes grilled cheese with her granddaughter after being laid off from her job early in the pandemic.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

New Rand study quantifies cost of rising U.S. inequality

Dec 8, 2020
In the past 40 years, income inequality has cost 90% of workers about $2.5 trillion, the Rand study suggests.
From the mid-1970s on, while the U.S. economy has grown, fewer people have reaped the benefits.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Risk of getting COVID at the grocery store is higher in low-income neighborhoods

Nov 30, 2020
In part because they're more crowded and people stay longer, researchers found.
A bodega worker restocks produce in Brooklyn earlier this year.
Stephanie Keith/Getty Images