| YEAR | lowest | second | third | fourth | highest | highest | |
| fifth | fifth | fifth | fifth | fifth | 5% | ||
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| 1947 | 5 | 11.9 | 17 | 23.1 | 43 | 17.5 | |
| 1948 | 4.9 | 12.1 | 17.3 | 23.2 | 42.4 | 17.1 | |
| 1949 | 4.5 | 11.9 | 17.3 | 23.5 | 42.7 | 16.9 | |
| 1950 | 4.5 | 12 | 17.4 | 23.4 | 42.7 | 17.3 | |
| 1951 | 5 | 12.4 | 17.6 | 23.4 | 41.6 | 16.8 | |
| 1952 | 4.9 | 12.3 | 17.4 | 23.4 | 41.9 | 17.4 | |
| 1953 | 4.7 | 12.5 | 18 | 23.9 | 40.9 | 15.7 | |
| 1954 | 4.5 | 12.1 | 17.7 | 23.9 | 41.8 | 16.3 | |
| 1955 | 4.8 | 12.3 | 17.8 | 23.7 | 41.3 | 16.4 | |
| 1956 | 5 | 12.5 | 17.9 | 23.7 | 41 | 16.1 | |
| 1957 | 5.1 | 12.7 | 18.1 | 23.8 | 40.4 | 15.6 | |
| 1958 | 5 | 12.5 | 18 | 23.9 | 40.6 | 15.4 | |
| 1959 | 4.9 | 12.3 | 17.9 | 23.8 | 41.1 | 15.9 | |
| 1960 | 4.8 | 12.2 | 17.8 | 24 | 41.3 | 15.9 | |
| 1961 | 4.7 | 11.9 | 17.5 | 23.8 | 42.2 | 16.6 | |
| 1962 | 5 | 12.1 | 17.6 | 24 | 41.3 | 15.7 | |
| 1963 | 5 | 12.1 | 17.7 | 24 | 41.2 | 15.8 | |
| 1964 | 5.1 | 12 | 17.7 | 24 | 41.2 | 15.9 | |
| 1965 | 5.2 | 12.2 | 17.8 | 23.9 | 40.9 | 15.5 | |
| 1966 | 5.6 | 12.4 | 17.8 | 23.8 | 40.5 | 15.6 | |
| 1967 | 5.4 | 12.2 | 17.5 | 23.5 | 41.4 | 16.4 | |
| 1968 | 5.6 | 12.4 | 17.7 | 23.7 | 40.5 | 15.6 | |
| 1969 | 5.6 | 12.4 | 17.7 | 23.7 | 40.6 | 15.6 | |
| 1970 | 5.4 | 12.2 | 17.6 | 23.8 | 40.9 | 15.6 | |
| 1971 | 5.5 | 12 | 17.6 | 23.8 | 41.1 | 15.7 | |
| 1972 | 5.4 | 11.9 | 17.5 | 23.9 | 41.4 | 15.9 | |
| 1973 | 5.5 | 11.9 | 17.5 | 24 | 41.1 | 15.5 | |
| 1974 | 5.5 | 12 | 17.5 | 24 | 41 | 15.5 | |
| 1975 | 5.4 | 11.8 | 17.6 | 24.1 | 41.1 | 15.5 | |
| 1976 | 5.4 | 11.8 | 17.6 | 24.1 | 41.1 | 15.6 | |
| 1977 | 5.2 | 11.6 | 17.5 | 24.2 | 41.5 | 15.7 | |
| 1978 | 5.2 | 11.6 | 17.5 | 24.1 | 41.5 | 15.6 | |
| 1979 | 5.2 | 11.6 | 17.5 | 24.1 | 41.7 | 15.8 | |
| 1980 | 5.1 | 11.6 | 17.5 | 24.3 | 41.6 | 15.3 | |
| 1981 | 5 | 11.3 | 17.4 | 24.4 | 41.9 | 15.4 | |
| 1982 | 4.7 | 11.2 | 17.1 | 24.3 | 42.7 | 16 | |
| 1983 | 4.7 | 11.1 | 17.1 | 24.3 | 42.8 | 15.9 | |
| 1984 | 4.7 | 11 | 17 | 24.4 | 42.9 | 16 | |
| 1985 | 4.6 | 10.9 | 16.9 | 24.2 | 43.5 | 16.7 | |
| 1986 | 4.6 | 10.8 | 16.8 | 24 | 43.7 | 17 | |
| 1987 | 4.6 | 10.7 | 16.8 | 24 | 43.8 | 17.2 | |
| 1988 | 4.6 | 10.7 | 16.7 | 24 | 44 | 17.2 | |
| 1989 | 4.6 | 10.6 | 16.5 | 23.7 | 44.6 | 17.9 | |
| 1990 | 4.6 | 10.8 | 16.6 | 23.8 | 44.3 | 17.4 | |
| 1991 | 4.5 | 10.7 | 16.6 | 24.1 | 44.2 | 17.1 | |
| 1992 | 4.3 | 10.5 | 16.5 | 24 | 44.7 | 17.6 | |
| 1993 | 4.1 | 9.9 | 15.7 | 23.3 | 47 | 20.3 | |
| 1994 | 4.2 | 10 | 15.7 | 23.3 | 46.9 | 20.1 | |
| 1995 | 4.4 | 10.1 | 15.8 | 23.2 | 46.5 | 20 | |
| 1996 | 4.2 | 10 | 15.8 | 23.1 | 46.8 | 20.3 | |
| 1997 | 4.2 | 9.9 | 15.7 | 23 | 47.2 | 20.7 | |
| Source: (quintile data) http://www.census.gov/hhes/income/histinc/f02.html | |||||||
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| Wealth Class | Share of Wealth* | Change | ||||||||
| 1962 | 1983 | 1989 | 1995 | 1997** | 1962-83 | 1983-89 | 1989-95 | 1989-97** | ||
| Top Fifth | 81.0 | 81.3 | 83.5 | 83.7 | 84.3 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 0.8 | |
| Top 1% | 33.4 | 33.8 | 37.4 | 37.6 | 39.1 | 0.3 | 3.6 | 0.2 | 1.8 | |
| Next 4% | 21.2 | 22.3 | 21.6 | 22.3 | 22.3 | 1.2 | -0.8 | 0.7 | 0.7 | |
| Next 5% | 12.4 | 12.1 | 11.6 | 11.7 | 11.4 | -0.2 | -0.5 | 0.1 | -0.2 | |
| Next 10% | 14.0 | 13.1 | 13.0 | 12.1 | 11.5 | -0.9 | -0.1 | -0.8 | -1.5 | |
| Bottom | ||||||||||
| Four-fifths | 19.0 | 18.7 | 16.5 | 16.3 | 15.7 | -0.4 | -2.2 | -0.2 | -0.8 | |
| Fourth | 13.4 | 12.6 | 12.3 | 11.5 | 10.8 | -0.8 | -0.2 | -0.8 | -1.5 | |
| Middle | 5.4 | 5.2 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.4 | -0.2 | -0.4 | -0.3 | -0.4 | |
| Second | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.2 | -0.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | |
| Lowest | -0.7 | -0.3 | -1.5 | -0.7 | -0.5 | 0.4 | -1.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |||||
| *Net worth | ||||||||||
| **1997 figures are estimates | ||||||||||
| Source: "Recent Trends in Wages, Incomes, and Wealth in the United States" by John Schmitt, Lawrence Mishel, and Jared Bernstein. Data comes from Wolff (1998) | ||||||||||