US wealth inequality keeps rising as the top 0.1% pull away
Original title: US inequality is getting worse in ways you might not expect
Federal data show the top 1% share rose from 31.7% to 32.5% in one quarter of 2026, a gain of over $8.5 trillion.
An economist writing in The Conversation says US wealth inequality has risen since 1980 and accelerated under recent policy. Federal figures put the top 1% share at 32.5% in the second quarter of 2026, up from 27.4% in 1999, while the middle 40% hold 28.8%. The top 0.1% own 15% of wealth and took two-thirds of early-2026 gains, helped by corporate profits and tech and AI stock prices. Tax cuts, lapsed ACA subsidies, energy costs and tariffs are cited as shifting costs onto lower- and middle-income households.
Unconfirmed: The tariff discussion is cut off, and wealth and enrollment figures are attributed to cited analyses rather than independently verified here.
- A Pew survey in October 2026 found about 6 in 10 Americans see too much inequality.
- The top 0.1% captured two-thirds of wealth gains from the first to second quarter of 2026.
- ITEP concluded policy changes since the start of 2025 raised costs for everyone except the top 1%.
- Analysts expect about 5 million fewer ACA sign-ups after federal subsidies lapsed.
- The article says the Iran conflict from February 2026 pushed up global oil prices.
- Countries
- United States
From the original article
5 min read at theconversation.com
The buzzword of the 2026 U. S. midterm elections may be affordability , but growing anger over inequality is behind the sentiment.
By JKCalhoun · theconversation.com
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