--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The share of income going to the rich…" description: "\"“The share of income going to the rich remained remarkably constant from the mid-1940s through the 1970s and then began to escalate rapidly. For exampl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b0/larry-m-bartels-55905_quote_the-share-of-income-going-to-the-rich-re_281143.jpg" --- # The share of income going to the rich remained remarkably… ![“The share of income going to the rich remained remarkably constant from the mid-1940s through the 1970s and then began to escalate rapidly. For example, the top 5% of taxpayers accounted for 23.0% of total income in 1981 but 37.2% in 2005. The top 1% accounted for 10.0% of total income in 1981 but…” quote by Larry M. Bartels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b0/larry-m-bartels-55905_quote_the-share-of-income-going-to-the-rich-re_281143.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b0/larry-m-bartels-55905_quote_the-share-of-income-going-to-the-rich-re_281143.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b0/larry-m-bartels-55905_quote_the-share-of-income-going-to-the-rich-re_281143.jpg) > ““The share of income going to the rich remained remarkably constant from the mid-1940s through the 1970s and then began to escalate rapidly. For example, the top 5% of taxpayers accounted for 23.0% of total income in 1981 but 37.2% in 2005. The top 1% accounted for 10.0% of total income in 1981 but 21.8% in 2005; after declining gradually over most of the twentieth century, their share of the pie more than doubled in the course of a single generation.”” [Larry M. Bartels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-m-bartels/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Income inequality rose sharply after mid‑1970s, with the rich capturing a larger share of total income. **In simple terms:** Rich get richer over time. Key Takeaway Address policies that curb growing inequality. Themes economics inequality policy history Mood concerned inquisitive Type economic analytical When to use this quote - tax reform debates - public policy design - economic research - social advocacy Key Concepts wealth concentration taxation social mobility Questions to Reflect On - What policies effectively reduce top‑income share? - How does inequality impact social cohesion? A Different Perspective Data may overlook regional variations and informal economies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [The total amount of money that Wall Street handed out in bonuses last year was double the total income of ALL full-time minimum wage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-total-amount-of-money-that-wall-street-handed-out-in-bonuses-last/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [When America installs a minimum income, it's going to be doing it in a very different historical context than Switzerland or Sweden or Germany,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/when-america-installs-a-minimum-income-it-s-going-to-be-doing-it-in-a/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [In the old 20th-century income distribution system, the shares of income going to capital, mainly in profits, and labor, in wages and non-wage benefits,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/in-the-old-20th-century-income-distribution-system-the-shares-of/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [I'm just trying to get used to living on a fixed income. 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Bartels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-m-bartels/) > [“Many ordinary Americans believe that “large differences in income are necessary for America’s prosperity,” as one standard survey question puts it.18 However, economists who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-m-bartels/many-ordinary-americans-believe-that-large-differences-in-income-are/) [Larry M. Bartels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-m-bartels/) > [“the roll call votes cast by U.S. senators are much better accounted for by their own partisanship than by the preferences of their constituents.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-m-bartels/the-roll-call-votes-cast-by-u-s-senators-are-much-better-accounted/) [Larry M. Bartels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-m-bartels/) > [“In a political system where nearly every adult may vote but where knowledge, wealth, social position, access to officials, and other resources are unequally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-m-bartels/in-a-political-system-where-nearly-every-adult-may-vote-but-where/) [Larry M. Bartels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-m-bartels/) [Explore all 6 Larry M. Bartels quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-m-bartels/) ## More Income Going quotes > [When America installs a minimum income, it's going to be doing it in a very different historical context than Switzerland or Sweden or Germany,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/when-america-installs-a-minimum-income-it-s-going-to-be-doing-it-in-a/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [In the old 20th-century income distribution system, the shares of income going to capital, mainly in profits, and labor, in wages and non-wage benefits,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/in-the-old-20th-century-income-distribution-system-the-shares-of/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [I'm just trying to get used to living on a fixed income. Now, it's going to get unfixed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-just-trying-to-get-used-to-living-on-a-fixed-income-now-it-s/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) Browse all 4 Income Going quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The share of income going to the rich remained remarkably constant from the mid-1940s through the 1970s and then began to escalate rapidly. For example, the top 5% of taxpayers accounted for 23.0% of total income in 1981 but 37.2% in 2005. The top 1% accounted for 10.0% of total income in 1981 but 21.8% in 2005; after declining gradually over most of the twentieth century, their share of the pie more than doubled in the course of a single generation.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Larry M. 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