Middle-Class neighborhoods are disappearing according to a recent study conducted at Stanford University.
Examining 117 of the countries biggest metropolitan areas the study found that 44% of families live in “middle class” areas, down from 64% during a similar study in 1970. The study also found that “affluent” neighborhoods have actually increased to 14%.
Poor neighborhoods also more than doubled from 8% to 17%, proving that the income gap is continuing to widen.
The study reveals:
“Given that in 2008 the top 10% of earners controlled approximately 48% of all income in the United States, the increasing isolation of the affluent from the low and moderate-income families means that a significant portion of society’s resources are concentrated in a smaller and smaller portion of neighborhoods.”
Speaking about the problems associated with the widening gap study author Sean F. Reardon says neighborhood shifts have far-reaching implications, for example poor neighborhoods receive less access to high-quality education and child care and various other support networks.
The debate is still open regarding the income gap and what it really means for America, where do you stand regarding this issue?
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