From the 2008 OECD Report (I'd love to look at their 2009 data, but it's not available yet):
www.oecd.org/els/social/inequality
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/47/2/41528678...
The United States is the country with the highest inequality level and poverty rate across the OECD, Mexico and Turkey excepted. Since 2000, income inequality has increased rapidly, continuing a long-term trend that goes back to the 1970s.
(Figure: Income inequality and poverty continue to increase, especially since 2000)
Rich households in America have been leaving both middle and poorer income groups behind. This has happened in many countries, but nowhere has this trend been so stark as in the United States. The average income of the richest 10% is US$93,000 US$ in purchasing power parities, the highest level in the OECD. However, the poorest 10% of the US citizens have an income of US$5,800 US$ per year – about 20% lower than the average for OECD countries.
Redistribution of income by government plays a relatively minor role in the United States. Only in Korea is the effect smaller. This is partly because the level of spending on social benefits such as unemployment benefits and family benefits is low – equivalent to just 9% of household incomes, while the OECD average is 22%. The effectiveness of taxes and transfers in reducing inequality has fallen still further in the past 10 years.
Wealth is distributed much more unequally than income: the top 1% control some 25-33% of total net worth and the top 10% hold 71%. For comparison, the top 10% have 28% of total income.
(Figure: Income inequality and poverty continue to increase, especially since 2000)
Rich households in America have been leaving both middle and poorer income groups behind. This has happened in many countries, but nowhere has this trend been so stark as in the United States. The average income of the richest 10% is US$93,000 US$ in purchasing power parities, the highest level in the OECD. However, the poorest 10% of the US citizens have an income of US$5,800 US$ per year – about 20% lower than the average for OECD countries.
Redistribution of income by government plays a relatively minor role in the United States. Only in Korea is the effect smaller. This is partly because the level of spending on social benefits such as unemployment benefits and family benefits is low – equivalent to just 9% of household incomes, while the OECD average is 22%. The effectiveness of taxes and transfers in reducing inequality has fallen still further in the past 10 years.
Wealth is distributed much more unequally than income: the top 1% control some 25-33% of total net worth and the top 10% hold 71%. For comparison, the top 10% have 28% of total income.
From http://www.mybudget360.com/top-1-percent-c... / :
Income inequality in the United States is at an all-time high, surpassing even levels seen during the Great Depression: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/14/i...
However, tax burden fell disproportionately:
Data released by the IRS in January showed the average tax rate paid by the richest 400 Americans fell by a quarter, to 17.2%, and their average income doubled to $263.3 million through the first six years of the Bush Administration. ( http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/conte... )
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