The incomes of typical Americans rose in 2015 by 5.2 percent, the first significant boost to middle-class pay since the end of the Great Recession and the fastest increase ever recorded by the federal government, the Census Bureau reported on Tuesday.
In addition, the poverty rate fell by 1.2 percentage points, the steepest decline since 1968. There were 43.1 million Americans in poverty on the year, 3.5 million fewer than in 2014.
The share of Americans who lack health insurance continued a years-long decline, falling 1.3 percentage points, to 9.1 percent.
The numbers, from the government's annual report on income, poverty and health insurance, suggest the recovery from recession is finally beginning to lift the fortunes of large swaths of American workers and families. (our emphasis)We dare! Thanks a lot, Obama!
Note to Dems: It would be political malpractice if these stats weren't the topic of multiple ads in the coming months. Every Democratic candidate from Hillary Clinton down to county commissioner should be touting these achievements. It's the answer to the question, "Are you better off now than you were 8 years ago?"
And we don't want to hear about how voters "feel" or "perceive" how they're doing. If they're provided a steady diet of bad news that's largely anecdotal (which they are), they're going to "feel" or "perceive" something is wrong. Slap them with some information that shows, yes, we're headed in the right direction, and say it loud, clear and often. Don't be shy about sharing it with your friends, because chances are you won't be seeing it in the broader media.
(h/t the great P.E.C.)
