America’s ultrarich just get wealthier 
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America’s wealthiest one-percenters have benefited from a surging stock market, low interest rates and Republican tax cuts, amassing assets just shy of those held by each of the middle and upper-middle classes
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Top five richest Americans today (from left), Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison. They are worth $435.4 billion collectively – more than 2% of U.S. GDP
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Assets ($ trillions*) 
Wealthiest 1% 
Next 40% 
Bottom 50%
Next 9%
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*$1 trillion = $1,000,000,000,000
Figures for Q4 except 2019, which is for Q2
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Middle class
Upper middle class
One-percenters
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2010  19.5  27.1  25.0  5.3
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2011  19.7  27.6  25.3  5.1
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2012  21.4  29.6  26.4  5.1
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2013  24.7  32.1  29.1  5.3
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2014  27.0  34.0  30.4  5.4
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2015  27.9  34.9  31.4  5.5
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2016  30.1  36.8  32.8  5.8
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2017  33.3  39.5  35.0  6.5
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2018  32.5  40.3  35.6  7.0
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2019  35.4  42.6  36.9  7.5
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Sources: Bloomberg, Economist, U.S. Federal Reserve Pictures: Associated Press © GRAPHIC NEWS



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