Working class white men make less than they did in 1996
No wonder they are frustrated.
Working class white men saw their income drop 9% between 1996 and 2014, according to a new report from Sentier Research. This group, who Sentier defines as having only a high school diploma, earned only $36,787,on average, in 2014, down from $40,362 in 1996.
Meanwhile, college educated white men saw their income soar nearly 23% over the same period, from $77,209 to $94,601.
Published by two former Census Bureau officials, the Sentier report shines yet another light on the fortunes of the
white working class. This group has become a force in the 2016 presidential election, serving as the backbone of Donald Trump's support. And the Republican candidate's campaign has tailored much of his campaign to the
working class, with promises that he will bring back the manufacturing jobs that once allowed them to support their families.
Related: White, working class & worried
The study first looked at the 1996 incomes earned by 10 groups of men in two-year cohorts ranging in age from 25 to 26 to 43 to 44. Sentier then looked at what men earned 18 years later, when the youngest cohort were 43 to 44 and the oldest were 61 to 62.
The results varied greatly by age. The youngest group of
working class white men, who were 25 to 26 in 1996, saw their incomes rise by 19%, from $32,677 to $38,803, over the 18-year period. However, their college educated peers enjoyed a 133% explosion in their incomes, from $40,487 to $94,252.
Related: Working class whites blame Washington, but still want more government help
When it came to the oldest cohort, who were 43 to 44 in 1996, both working class and college educated white men saw their incomes fall over the period. But the
working class still fared worse, suffering a 47% drop in income, from $51,491 to $27,230. Men with college diplomas, however, saw their incomes fall 28.5%, from $95,734 to $68,406.
This decline among older workers stems in part from people who left the labor force or shifted to part-time work, which pulls down the average income for the group, said Gordon Green, co-author of the report...
http://money.cnn.com/2016/10/05/news/economy/working-class-men-income/index.html
