Income inequality dipped and fewer people moved, according to largest survey of US life
By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press Income inequality dipped more people had college degrees fewer people moved to a different home and the share of Asian and Hispanic residents increased in the United States last year according to figures issued Thursday by the U S Census Bureau These year-to-year changes big and small from to were captured in the bureau s information from the American District Survey the largest annual audit of American life The survey of million households asks about more than topics including income housing costs veterans status computer use commuting and coaching Here s a look at how the United States changed last year Income inequality dips Income inequality or the gap between the highest and lowest earners in the United States fell nationwide by nearly a half percent from to as median household income rose slightly from to Five Midwestern states Iowa Nebraska Ohio South Dakota and Wisconsin had statistically substantial dips along with Georgia Massachusetts New Jersey Oregon and Puerto Rico Related Articles South Korean workers detained in immigration raid leave Atlanta and head home What we know so far about the Colorado high school shooting Venice mayor condemns published attack on American Orthodox Jewish couple Sentencing underway for wife of disgraced former Sen Bob Menendez for her role in a bribery scheme Do you live here states where you might outlive your retirement savings North Carolina was the only state to see a statistically major rise in inequality North Carolina State economist Michael Walden noted it reflected the state generating high-paying jobs in tech and other professional sectors while the post-pandemic labor shortage which raised wages in lower-paying function jobs had ended In South Dakota which had a leading drop the inequality dip could reflect stronger development in the household income among lower and middle income households or smaller rise in the income of the highest brackets state demographer Weiwei Zhang mentioned Wednesday in an email In Nebraska it could be high employment rates across all demographic groups since high employment leads to income thus less income inequality announced Josie Schafer director of the Center for Inhabitants Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska Omaha In Massachusetts one of the traditional strengths of the state s financial market high-paying jobs in life science high tech and research has been sluggish in the past two years mentioned Mark Melnik director of economic and society plan research at a University of Massachusetts Amherst institute The typical jobs in this industry are the kind of thing that helps Massachusetts have the highest per capita income in the country but also exacerbates certain elements of income inequality Melnik mentioned FILE Dark storm clouds hang over TD Ameritrade Park and the Omaha skyline in Omaha Neb Friday June as the rain starts coming down AP Photo Eric Francis file Greater diversity and fewer people married The United States became more demographically diverse and fewer people were married from to The non-Hispanic white population who identify with only a single race dropped from to while the share of the nation s Asian population rose from to and the Hispanic population rose from to The rate of the Black population stayed the same at as did the American Indian Alaska Native alone population at In the marriage department the share of men who have never married increased from to and it rose from to for women Fewer people moved as costs of renting and owning homes rose Last year only of U S residents moved to another home compared to in the previous year The decline of people moving this decade has been part of a continuous slide as home prices have skyrocketed in certain metros and interest rates have gone up In by comparison of U S residents moved The monthly costs for U S homeowners with a mortgage rose to from Homeowners with a mortgage in California Hawaii New Jersey Massachusetts and the District of Columbia had the highest median monthly costs Costs for renters also increased as the median rent with utilities went from to
