The Distribution of Wealth in America Since 2016

After almost a decade of increasing inequality during the Great Recession and its aftermath (as documented in previous RIHA report, The Distribution of Wealth Since the Great Recession, covering 2007-2016), the distribution of wealth in the United States became somewhat more equal between 2016 and 2019. The average net worth of Americans increased by 1.9 percent during those three years, from $733,000 to $747,000 (both measured in 2019 dollars), while the net worth of the typical household - the family in the middle of the distribution, richer than half and poorer than half - increased by 17.6 percent, from $103,000 to $127,000, the highest it has been since 2007