Income inequality has become an increasingly important issue for many Americans. It is no secret that both wealth and income in the United States are much more lopsided toward the highest earners than in other major developed economies. While methods of measuring income inequality vary, it is clear that the highest earners in the United States hold a disproportionate amount of the nation’s wealth and income.
The implications of income inequality – and potential political responses to it – represent their own enormous issue that are beyond the scope this article, but the underlying statistics and trends about income inequality can still offer insight into why and how it occurs. Important economic context for Idaho can also be gained by comparing Idaho’s inequality to other states.