Economic inequality is the unequal distribution of income and wealth and it has been rising in the United States in recent decades. Questions about whether and how this rise in inequality affects economic growth and stability are fundamental to Equitable Growth’s work, which explores how economic inequality impacts individuals and families across a wide range of issues, and what policies might address these challenges.
Featured work
Analyzing recent U.S. economic policies using Equitable Growth’s Inequality Tracker
January 22, 2026
January 22, 2026
In conversation with Sabeel Rahman
November 18, 2025
November 18, 2025
Accounting for capital gains in income significantly increases U.S. inequality
July 15, 2025
July 15, 2025
Americans informed about the distributional effects of Republicans’ tax and budget bill overwhelmingly oppose it
July 3, 2025
July 3, 2025
U.S. income and wealth inequality are no longer increasing, but a return to the equitable levels of the mid-20th century isn’t likely anytime soon
January 17, 2023
January 17, 2023
Six charts that explain how inequality in the United States changed over the past 20 years
February 1, 2022
February 1, 2022
Explore Content in Economic Inequality821
Marriage is an unexpected fringe benefit of a quality job in the United States: Food for thought this holiday shopping season
November 27, 2018
November 27, 2018
Job quality and the educational gradient in entry into marriage and cohabitation
November 27, 2018
November 27, 2018
Remembrance: Scholar Devah Pager (1972–2018)
November 19, 2018
November 19, 2018
Veterans in the U.S. labor market face barriers to success that can and should be addressed
November 9, 2018
November 9, 2018
Equitable Growth releases 2019 Request for Proposals
November 8, 2018
November 8, 2018
What upticks in U.S. economic inequality and incarceration mean for marriage
October 23, 2018
October 23, 2018
Paid Family and Medical Leave in the United States: A Research Agenda
October 22, 2018
October 22, 2018
Testimony by Heather Boushey before the Joint Economic Committee
September 26, 2018
September 26, 2018
The Matching Multiplier and the Amplification of Recessions: Evidence from the LEHD
September 20, 2018
September 20, 2018
Stratification, Stress-Related Morbidity, and Labor Supply at Older Ages
September 20, 2018
September 20, 2018
How rising U.S. income inequality exacerbates racial economic disparities
August 23, 2018
August 23, 2018
Equitable Growth Grantee Conference 2018
September 26, 2018 6:00PM - September 28, 2018 5:00PM
Explore the Equitable Growth network of experts around the country and get answers to today's most pressing questions!