Explore the map below to see how the distribution of incomes in American cities has changed since 1970. Select one of the eight cities shown and toggle between years. The color and height of each region correspond to that area’s...
According the UN’s Comtrade database, the global market for imported goods totaled $15.6 trillion in 2015. This map shows where those goods came from and where they went, each dot representing $1 billion in value. Select a country to...
The other day, I posted a graphic showing the evolution of U.S. federal government revenue. Last year, the feds took in a total of $3.2 trillion, mostly from income / social security taxes and corporate income tax. This figure, $3.2 trillion, represents the total amount...
Through most of its history, the federal government did not have the power to tax incomes. How was it funded before the income tax? Today’s national debt is big by historical standards, but it has been bigger. When was...
It’s clear that the U.S. economy is heavily concentrated in certain locations (the Northeast, California, Chicago) and less in others (the Heartland and Mountain regions), but what is the precise distribution? How much of the U.S. GDP comes from...
Typically, the discussion around U.S. economic inequality focuses on the growing disparity between incomes. However, another measure of inequality, one which may be a more useful measure, has gone largely overlooked, wealth inequality. Below are a few charts to...