December 16, 1997
Pulling
Apart:
A State-by-State Analysis of Income Trends
MONTANA
Inequality has been increasing in Montana
for nearly two decades. This can be observed by ranking all
Montana families with children according to their income level,
dividing them into five groups (or fifths) of equal size, and
calculating the average income of each fifth of families. This
analysis shows by the mid-1990s:
- The richest 20 percent of families
with children had average incomes 10 times as large as
the poorest 20 percent of families.
- The richest 20 percent of families
with children had average incomes 2.5 times as large as
the middle 20 percent of families.
The Long-Term Trend
Since the late 1970s, income inequality has
increased in Montana. The long-term economic growth of the past
two decades was not shared evenly among the poor, the rich, and
the middle class. Instead, the top fifth of families with
children fared substantially better than other income groups.
The gap between the top fifth of families
and the bottom fifth of families grew by 23 percent since the
1970s.
- The average income of the poorest
fifth of families fell by $1,230 between the late 1970s
and the mid-1990s, from $10,280 to $9,050.1
- The average income of the middle fifth
of families fell by $2,690 between the late 1970s and the
mid-1990s, from $38,020 to $35,330.
- The average income of the richest
fifth of families increased by $7,160, between the late
1970s and the mid-1990s, from $82,740 to $89,900.1
The Recent Trend
Over the past decade, income inequality has
remained about level in Montana.
- The average income of the poorest
fifth of families increased by about $960, between the
mid-1980s and the mid-1990s, from $8,090 to $9,050.1
- The average income of the middle fifth
of families increased by nearly $420 between the
mid-1980s and the mid-1990s, from $34,910 to $35,330.(1)
- The average income of the richest
fifth of families increased by $7,710, between the
mid-1980s and the mid-1990s, from $82,200 to $89,900.1
End Notes
1. The direction of this change was not
statistically significant at the 95 percent level of confidence.