COTW: Squeezing the Middle

This chart shows the inevitable disintegration of the middle class when society becomes stratified by economic means. The rich become too remote from the poor, increasingly unconcerned with them, and hold no common interests needed to preserve democratic institutions:

[credit: Residential Segregation by Income, 1970-2013]

Sorting neighborhoods by income has grown substantially in the last forty years. Income segregation among blacks and Hispanic families is much more prevalent than among white families. In 1970 65% of families lived in middle class neighborhoods, but by 2009 that category was only 42%. Some studies of the effects of socio-economic segregation tend to show that it affects residents' lives substantially. For example, prolonged residence in very poor neighborhoods harms school achievement and outcomes. Anyone who grew up in a ghetto, can tell you how difficult it is to escape the cycle of poverty and achieve a modicum of financial security. The class lines based on wealth are hardening.