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Changes in Household Wealth in the 1980s and 1990s in the U.S

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  • Edward N. Wolff

Abstract

I find that despite slow growth in income over the 1990s, there have been marked improvements in the wealth position of average families. Both mean and median wealth grew briskly in the late 1990s. The inequality of net worth leveled off even though income inequality continued to rise over this period. Indebtedness also fell substantially during the late 1990s. However, the concentration of investment type assets generally remained as high in 2001 as during the previous two decades. The racial disparity in wealth holdings, after stabilizing during most of the 1990s, widened in the years between 1998 and 2001, and the wealth of Hispanics actually declined in real terms between 1998 and 2001. Wealth also shifted in relative terms away from young households (under age 45) toward elderly ones (age 65 and over).

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  • Edward N. Wolff, 2004. "Changes in Household Wealth in the 1980s and 1990s in the U.S," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_407, Levy Economics Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:lev:wrkpap:wp_407
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    1. Francine D. Blau & John W. Graham, 1990. "Black-White Differences in Wealth and Asset Composition," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 105(2), pages 321-339.
    2. repec:bla:revinw:v:34:y:1988:i:4:p:339-69 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Arthur B. Kennickell & R. Louise Woodburn, 1999. "CONSISTENT WEIGHT DESIGN FOR THE 1989, 1992 AND 1995 SCFs, AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 45(2), pages 193-215, June.
    4. Robert B. Avery & Gregory E. Elliehausen & Arthur B. Kennickell, 1988. "Measuring Wealth With Survey Data: An Evaluation Of The 1983 Survey Of Consumer Finances," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 34(4), pages 339-369, December.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Fiaschi, Davide & Marsili, Matteo, 2012. "Distribution of wealth and incomplete markets: Theory and empirical evidence," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 81(1), pages 243-267.
    3. Davide Fiaschi & Matteo Marsili, 2006. "Distribution of Wealth: Theoretical Microfoundations and Empirical Evidence," Working Papers 49, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    4. Athreya, Kartik & Tam, Xuan S. & Young, Eric R., 2009. "Unsecured credit markets are not insurance markets," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(1), pages 83-103, January.
    5. Robert Buchele & Douglas L. Kruse & Loren Rodgers & Adria Scharf, 2010. "Show Me the Money: Does Shared Capitalism Share the Wealth?," NBER Chapters, in: Shared Capitalism at Work: Employee Ownership, Profit and Gain Sharing, and Broad-based Stock Options, pages 351-375, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Stefan Humer & Mathias Moser & Matthias Schnetzer, 2015. "Socioeconomic structures of the Austrian wealth distribution," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 42(2), pages 269-289, May.
    7. Corbae, Dean & D'Erasmo, Pablo & Kuruscu, Burhanettin, 2009. "Politico-economic consequences of rising wage inequality," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(1), pages 43-61, January.
    8. Nam, Yunju & Huang, Jin, 2009. "Equal opportunity for all? Parental economic resources and children's educational attainment," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 625-634, June.
    9. John Schmitt, 2005. "Labor Markets and Economic Inequality in the United States Since the End of the 1970s," CEPR Reports and Issue Briefs 2005-14, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).
    10. Jon D. Wisman & Barton Baker, 2011. "Increasing Inequality and the Financial Crises of 1929 and 2008," Working Papers 2011-01 JEL classificatio, American University, Department of Economics.

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