I checked a little further. Your point is valid, but the data you quote from the article isn't granular enough to demonstrate it very clearly. I found a chart

I checked a little further. Your point is valid, but the data you quote from the article isn't granular enough to demonstrate it very clearly. I found a chart on the interwebs that illustrates the point a little better. Check out the 2nd chart on this page, the chart titled "Real (Inflation adjusted) Average Household Income": https://www.advisorperspectives.com/dshort/updates/2016/09/15/u-s-household-incomes-a-49-year-perspective https://www.advisorperspectives.com/dshort/updates/2016/09/1... What is shows is the bottom three quintiles have been stagnant in terms of income. Most of the growth has occurred in the top quintile and especially in the top 5%.