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The Course of Income Inequality as a Cohort Ages into Old-Age

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  • Thomas L. Hungerford

    (National Academy of Social Insurance)

Abstract

Several researchers have shown that income inequality of a cohort increases as the cohort ages. The various studies examining cohort income inequality use a variety of data, measures, and methods. Is the U.S. experience documented in other studies due (1) to cumulative advantages and disadvantages continuing to work through market income into retirement, (2) to the relative weakness of the U.S. Social Security program, or (3) to potential biases due to data, measures and/or methods? This study examines cohort income inequality using nationally representative longitudinal data and a variety of inequality measures to follow a large sample of individuals from their late pre-retirement years into their retirement years. The findings are: (1) the course of the Gini coefficient is flat as the cohort ages into retirement, (2) but the course of income inequality as this cohort ages into retirement depends on the inequality measure employed, and (3) the trend results suggest that what is going on in the bottom part of the distribution is different from what is going on in the upper part.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas L. Hungerford, 2020. "The Course of Income Inequality as a Cohort Ages into Old-Age," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 18(1), pages 71-90, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joecin:v:18:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s10888-019-09427-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10888-019-09427-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Marta Escalonilla & Begoña Cueto & María José Pérez-Villadóniga, 2022. "Is the Millennial Generation Left Behind? Inter-Cohort Labour Income Inequality in a Context of Economic Shock," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 285-321, November.

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