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comment by wasoxygen
wasoxygen  ·  2979 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Dynamics of Economic Well-Being

    Anyone else quite surprised by the 2.7 percent number?

I was completely surprised. I would have guessed 10%, and would have believed 15%. What happened to the permanent underclass?

What's more, this is the 48-consecutive-month poverty measure. A survey over ten years would necessarily reduce the 2.7 number, though it's hard to imagine how it could get much smaller.

    This is not to say that the U.S., along with other advanced economies, does not struggle with issues of income inequality and poverty. But given the much higher standard of living in the U.S., what is considered poor here is a level of income still not available to most people globally.