This is a huge oversimplification. You're completely ignoring so many factors, including rising housing costs. This article illustrates it well: https://www.b

This is a huge oversimplification. You're completely ignoring so many factors, including rising housing costs. This article illustrates it well: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-high-income-and-low-income-americans-spend-their-money-2017-3?international=true&r=US&IR=T https://www.businessinsider.com/how-high-income-and-low-inco... The bottom 20% earners spend 40% of their income on housing. The top 20% spend 30% of their income on housing. And keep in mind, that housing that the poor people are paying for would be considered horrid compared to the housing that the rich people spend their money on. If you were to look at the housing prices in the areas that the bottom 20% are renting/owning, and apply that price to what the top 20% earn, the top 20% would be spending less than 5% of their income on housing (comparing apples to apples). Yes, credit has made it much worse for the poor people. Credit appeared to be a way to save them from a difficult short term or starting situation, but predatory lending (provably so) has essentially enslaved them. The bigger question is, how/why do the bottom 20% start off in such bad situations (in some countries)? The answer almost always involves corporate influence of government.