Iowa Middle Class Is Shrinking Fast
If you feel like you've been losing ground financially, you are not alone.
You're in Iowa.
In a recent ranking of the Top Ten States where the middle class economy is disappearing the fastest, Iowa ranks #8, just ahead of California(#9) and Arizona (#10).
The state where the middle class is shrinking the fastest? Montana. Yes, Montana!
This is NOT the list that you want to rank in the top ten, much less take the #1 spot.
According to 24/7 Wall St. the website that published the study, "The median income of Iowa’s wealthiest fifth of households increased by 28.3% over the past 10 years, while the income of the middle fifth of earners rose by 19.2 — one of the largest differentials in the country."
It also adds this staggering statistic regarding the annual income Iowa residents earned:
"The income earned by middle class households as a share of all income in the state fell from 15.9% in 2007 to 15.3% in 2016, one of the largest declines of any state. Meanwhile, earnings of the wealthiest 20% of households rose from 46.6% of total income to 48.2%, one of the larger increases in the country. Income growth among Iowa’s upper class also far outpaced that of the lower class"
The rest of the top ten on this dubious list look like this:
- 7. Rhode Island
- 6. Ohio
- 5. Indiana
- 4. Michigan
- 3. Wisconsin
- 2. Louisiana
- 1. Montana
You can read the full study of all 50 states here: States Where the Middle Class is Being Left Behind
[source: 24/7 Wall St.]