In the third quarter of 2024, the top ten percent of earners in the United States held over 67 percent of total wealth. This is fairly consistent with the second quarter of 2024. Comparatively, the wealth of the bottom 50 percent of earners has been slowly increasing since the start of the 2010s, though remains low. Wealth distribution in the United States by generation can be found here.

In the first quarter of 2024, almost two-thirds percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by the top 10 percent of earners. In comparison, the lowest 50 percent of earners only owned 2.5 percent of the total wealth. Income inequality in the U.S. Despite the idea that the United States is a country where hard work and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps will inevitably lead to success, this is often not the case. In 2023, 7.4 percent of U.S. households had an annual income under 15,000 U.S. dollars. With such a small percentage of people in the United States owning such a vast majority of the country’s wealth, the gap between the rich and poor in America remains stark. The top one percent The United States follows closely behind China as the country with the most billionaires in the world. Elon Musk alone held around 219 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. Over the past 50 years, the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio has exploded, causing the gap between rich and poor to grow, with some economists theorizing that this gap is the largest it has been since right before the Great Depression.

Graph and download economic data for Share of Net Worth Held by the Top 0.1% (99.9th to 100th Wealth Percentiles) (WFRBSTP1300) from Q3 1989 to Q4 2024 about shares, net worth, wealth, percentile, Net, and USA.

New York was the state with the greatest gap between rich and poor, with a Gini coefficient score of 0.52 in 2023. Although not a state, District of Columbia was among the highest Gini coefficients in the United States that year.

In 2022, from the total national wealth in Mexico, 79.1 percent belonged to the top ten percent group. Meanwhile, the bottom 50 percent had a total of -0.3 percent, which means that, on average, the bottom half has more debts than assets. Further, the average personal wealth of the top one percent was valued at 2.91 million euros.

This table contains data on income inequality. The primary measure is the Gini index – a measure of the extent to which the distribution of income among families/households within a community deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. The index ranges from 0.0, when all families (households) have equal shares of income (implies perfect equality), to 1.0 when one family (household) has all the income and the rest have none (implies perfect inequality). Index data is provided for California and its counties, regions, and large cities/towns. The data is from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. The table is part of a series of indicators in the Healthy Communities Data and Indicators Project of the Office of Health Equity. Income is linked to acquiring resources for healthy living. Both household income and the distribution of income across a society independently contribute to the overall health status of a community. On average Western industrialized nations with large disparities in income distribution tend to have poorer health status than similarly advanced nations with a more equitable distribution of income. Approximately 119,200 (5%) of the 2.4 million U.S. deaths in 2000 are attributable to income inequality. The pathways by which income inequality act to increase adverse health outcomes are not known with certainty, but policies that provide for a strong safety net of health and social services have been identified as potential buffers. More information about the data table and a data dictionary can be found in the About/Attachments section.

Graph and download economic data for Income Inequality in New York County, NY (2020RATIO036061) from 2010 to 2023 about New York County, NY; inequality; New York; NY; income; and USA.

Slovakia - Inequality of income distribution was 3.63 in December of 2023, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Slovakia - Inequality of income distribution - last updated from the EUROSTAT on March of 2025. Historically, Slovakia - Inequality of income distribution reached a record high of 3.93 in December of 2014 and a record low of 3.03 in December of 2020.

Romania - Inequality of income distribution was 4.62 in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Romania - Inequality of income distribution - last updated from the EUROSTAT on March of 2025. Historically, Romania - Inequality of income distribution reached a record high of 8.32 in December of 2015 and a record low of 4.62 in December of 2024.

Graph and download economic data for Income Inequality in Montgomery County, MD (2020RATIO024031) from 2010 to 2023 about Montgomery County, MD; inequality; Washington; MD; income; and USA.

Brazil is one of the most unequal countries in terms of income in Latin America. In 2022, it was estimated that almost 57 percent of the income generated in Brazil was held by the richest 20 percent of its population. Among the Latin American countries with available data included in this graph, Colombia came in first, as the wealthiest 20 percent of the Colombian population held over 59 percent of the country's total income.

Czech Republic - Inequality of income distribution was 3.32 in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Czech Republic - Inequality of income distribution - last updated from the EUROSTAT on March of 2025. Historically, Czech Republic - Inequality of income distribution reached a record high of 3.54 in December of 2011 and a record low of 3.32 in December of 2024.

Portugal - Inequality of income distribution was 5.60 in December of 2023, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Portugal - Inequality of income distribution - last updated from the EUROSTAT on March of 2025. Historically, Portugal - Inequality of income distribution reached a record high of 6.23 in December of 2014 and a record low of 4.99 in December of 2020.

Data and insights on Wealth Distribution in India - share of wealth, average wealth, HNIs, wealth inequality GINI, and comparison with global peers.

Graph and download economic data for Income Gini Ratio for Households by Race of Householder, All Races (GINIALLRH) from 1967 to 2023 about gini, households, income, and USA.

In the first quarter of 2024, 51.8 percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by members of the baby boomer generation. In comparison, millennials own around 9.4 percent of total wealth in the U.S. In terms of population distribution, there is almost an equal share of millennials and baby boomers in the United States.

Greece - Inequality of income distribution was 5.28 in December of 2023, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Greece - Inequality of income distribution - last updated from the EUROSTAT on March of 2025. Historically, Greece - Inequality of income distribution reached a record high of 6.63 in December of 2012 and a record low of 5.11 in December of 2019.

Income Inequality in Broward County, FL was 17.32913 Ratio in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Income Inequality in Broward County, FL reached a record high of 17.32913 in January of 2023 and a record low of 14.78784 in January of 2010. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Income Inequality in Broward County, FL - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

Income Inequality in Westchester County, NY was 25.51079 Ratio in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Income Inequality in Westchester County, NY reached a record high of 25.51079 in January of 2023 and a record low of 21.21995 in January of 2010. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Income Inequality in Westchester County, NY - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

Statistics on income inequality based on the Gini index and the p90/p10 ratio on various household income concepts (market income, total income, after-tax income) for Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions.