Our own optimist economist Kathryn Anne Edwards worked on a research project several years ago to measure income inequality. Its massive headline number has taken on a life of its own in columns, talking points, memes. We explain how Kathryn and co-author Carter Price managed to answer this question: What would have happened to Americans’ incomes if they’d grown at the same rate as the U.S. economy overall? Spoiler alert: 90% of us would be a lot better off. Read the working paper Kathryn co-wrote in 2020: <a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WRA516-1.html">Trends in Income From 1975 to 2018</a> and Carter Price’s <a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WRA516-2.html">update going through 2023</a>. Watch video clips from this episode at the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@optimist_economy">Optimist Economy YouTube channel⁠⁠</a>. Follow us on Instagram at ⁠⁠<a href="https://www.instagram.com/optimist_economy">@optimist_economy</a>. Follow us on TikTok at ⁠⁠<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@optimist_economy">@optimist_economy</a>. Read some stuff on our <a href="https://optimisteconomy.substack.com/">Substack</a>. Consume leisure in an O.E. hat or shirt: <a href="https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/optimisteconomy">https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/optimisteconomy </a> Support us and our tireless editors and producers by donating at <a href="https://optimisteconomy.com">https://optimisteconomy.com</a> Send your economic questions or executive orders to optimist.economy@gmail.com

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;Our own optimist economist Kathryn Anne Edwards worked on a research project several years ago to measure income inequality. Its massive headline number has taken on a life of its own in columns, talking points, memes. We explain how Kathryn and co-author Carter Price managed to answer this question: What would have happened to Americans’ incomes if they’d grown at the same rate as the U.S. economy overall? Spoiler alert: 90% of us would be a lot better off.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Read the working paper Kathryn co-wrote in 2020: &lt;a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WRA516-1.html"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trends in Income From 1975 to 2018&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and Carter Price’s &lt;a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WRA516-2.html"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;update going through 2023&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;Watch video clips from this episode at the &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/@optimist_economy"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Optimist Economy YouTube channel⁠⁠&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Follow us on Instagram at ⁠⁠&lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/optimist_economy"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;@optimist_economy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Follow us on TikTok at ⁠⁠&lt;a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@optimist_economy"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;@optimist_economy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read some stuff on our &lt;a href="https://optimisteconomy.substack.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Substack&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Consume leisure in an O.E. hat or shirt: &lt;a href="https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/optimisteconomy"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/optimisteconomy&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Support us and our tireless editors and producers by donating at &lt;a href="https://optimisteconomy.com"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;https://optimisteconomy.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Send your economic questions or executive orders to optimist.economy@gmail.com&lt;/p&gt;
 </description>

Our own optimist economist Kathryn Anne Edwards worked on a research project several years ago to measure income inequality. Its massive headline number has taken on a life of its own in columns, talking points, memes. We explain how Kathryn and co-author Carter Price managed to answer this question: What would have happened to Americans’ incomes if they’d grown at the same rate as the U.S. economy overall? Spoiler alert: 90% of us would be a lot better off.

Read the working paper Kathryn co-wrote in 2020: <a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WRA516-1.html">Trends in Income From 1975 to 2018</a> and Carter Price’s <a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WRA516-2.html">update going through 2023</a>.

Watch video clips from this episode at the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@optimist_economy">Optimist Economy YouTube channel⁠⁠</a>.



Follow us on Instagram at ⁠⁠<a href="https://www.instagram.com/optimist_economy">@optimist_economy</a>.



Follow us on TikTok at ⁠⁠<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@optimist_economy">@optimist_economy</a>.



Read some stuff on our <a href="https://optimisteconomy.substack.com/">Substack</a>.



Consume leisure in an O.E. hat or shirt: <a href="https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/optimisteconomy">https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/optimisteconomy

</a>

Support us and our tireless editors and producers by donating at <a href="https://optimisteconomy.com">https://optimisteconomy.com</a>



Send your economic questions or executive orders to optimist.economy@gmail.com

Optimist Economy

$79 Trillion Worth of Income Inequality

$79 Trillion Worth of Income Inequality

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