Work

Declining earnings inequality, rising income inequality: What explains discordant inequality trends in the United States?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: From 2010 to 2019, personal earnings inequality declined in the United States (U.S.) for the first time in decades, yet household income inequality continued to increase. Discordance between the inequality trends reached its highest rate in recent history. We introduce a framework to decompose differences in inequality trends. We find that 46% of post-2010 discordance in inequality trends is due to changing household composition, namely a larger share of young workers living with their parents and combining low (but increasing) personal earnings with high household incomes. The remaining discordance stems from increases in private income among higher-earning households and declining redistributive effects of government transfers. Declines in personal earnings inequality do not imply declines in household income inequality. • Despite declining earnings inequality, US household income inequality has increased. • Discordance between earnings and income inequality trends peaked during 2010–2019. • Changing household composition explains 46% of discordant inequality trends post-2010. • One key contributor: the rising share of low-earning young adults living with parents. • Declining redistribution from SNAP & EITC largely explains the remaining discordance.

Source: Journal of Public Economics

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2025.105337

Authors: Zachary Parolin, Lukas Lehner, Nathan Wilmers

Institutions: Bocconi University, Vienna University of Economics and Business, University of Edinburgh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Income, Poverty, and Inequality

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, No poverty

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,510