Better and Worse Off

Between 1989 and 2004, the net worth of the average American family increased by 35 percent, but household debt more than doubled as more families used debt to finance day-to-day expenses. Over the same period, the country has been enriched by rising productivity, but stagnating wages mean the average worker isn't reaping the benefits.

SOURCE: Survey of Consumer Finances, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis | The Washington Post - February 28, 2008

This Story An Upside for the Middle Class Article \| Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton declares, "The economy is not working for middle-class and working families," noting the typical American family earns less now than it did seven years ago. Citing the same trend, her Democratic presidential rival, Sen. Barack Obama, promises "to put America back on th... Better and Worse Off Bernanke Signals Rate Cuts On Concern About Economy		TOOLBOX E-Mail This Save/Share + Digg Newsvine SOURCE: Survey of Consumer Finances, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis \| The Washington Post - February 28, 2008 ¬es=Between 1989 and 2004, the net worth of the average American family increased by 35 percent, but household debt more than doubled as more families used debt to finance day-to-day expenses. Over the same period, the country has been enriched by rising productivity, but stagnating wages mean the average worker isn't reaping the benefits." onmouseover="changebg('delicious')" onmouseout="resetbg('delicious')" target="new">del.icio.us Stumble It! Reddit Facebook myspace COMMENT Discussion Policy Your browser's settings may be preventing you from commenting on and viewing comments about this item. See instructions for fixing the problem. Discussion Policy CLOSE Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post. Who's Blogging » Links to this graphic
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