With an expanding share of the gains from economic growth flowing to a tiny fraction of high-income US households, average family income for the bottom 90% has been flat since 1980. According to a recent report by the Council of Economic Advisers, if the share of income going to the bottom 90% was the same in 2013 as it was in 1973, median annual household income (adjusted for family size) would be 18%, or about $9,000, higher than it is now.
导致该国收入失衡状况不断加剧的深层次原因则是绝大多数美国民众的收入停滞。一方面经济增长收益流向了极少数高收入美国家庭的份额越来越大，另一方面下层那90%家庭的平均收入却自1980年以来一直原地踏步。按照经济顾问委员会最近发布的一份报告。如果2013年流向下面那90%家庭的收入比例跟1973年一样的话，年均家庭收入中位数（按照家庭成员数量有所调整）将是18%。或者约9000美元，高于现在的水平。