The growing wealth gap

Wall Street protests have gotten many of us wondering about the disparity in wealth between the rich and middle- and low-income Americans. Here are some of the facts.

The top 1% owns 36% of all wealth
The top 1% owns 36% of all wealth
While the average net worth of the top fifth of American households has more than doubled in real terms since 1962, the middle class has seen only a 25% rise, and the bottom 20% is deeper in debt.


Source: Economic Policy Institute, Deloitte, Census Bureau, Mark Kroll
This article is from the November 7, 2011 issue of Fortune.
By Doris Burke, senior research editor - Last updated October 26 2011: 8:29 AM ET
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