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Increasing income and wealth inequality has characterized the U.S. economy for several decades. While researchers differ on the extent of the increase and its causes, they no longer disagree on the essential phenomenon. Yet the nation's disparate federal statistics make it difficult to accurately measure income and wealth inequality and other aspects of economic well-being for the nation's households and families. This study will review the major income, consumption, and wealth statistics currently produced by U.S. statistical agencies and provide guidance for modernizing and integrating the information to better inform policy and research.
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Creating an Integrated System of Data and Statistics on Household Income, Consumption, and Wealth: Time to Build
Consensus Study Report
·2024
Many federal agencies provide data and statistics on inequality and related aspects of household income, consumption, and wealth (ICW). However, because the information provided by these agencies is often produced using different concepts, underlying data, and methods, the resulting estimates of pov...
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External resources
These materials are not produced by the National Academies.
Commissioned Paper 2023 Measuring the Value of Health Insurance for Individuals and Families by Carpenter and Simon
Commissioned Paper
Commissioned Paper 2023 How Should Health Insurance Transfers be Included in Income Measurement by Helen Levy
Commissioned Paper
Issue Paper 2024 The Distribution of Income and Consumption by Hong, Meyer, Murphy, Sullivan, and Wu
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