Finance2 min read

Wealth Inequality in America drawn to scale

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The visualization charts household assets by assigning every $5,000 of net worth to a single pixel on the display. While a typical family's wealth equals a 9-inch stack of currency, the top tier reaches towering heights equivalent to 145 feet. Notably, figures for the poorest 8% of the population capture substantial reported debt rather than positive accumulated capital.

Key points

  • Data for percentiles 1 through 99 utilizes the 2023 Survey of Consumer Finances adjusted…: Data for percentiles 1 through 99 utilizes the 2023 Survey of Consumer Finances adjusted to 2026 dollars.
  • Wealth metrics for the richest 1% are based on Federal Reserve Distributional Financial A…: Wealth metrics for the richest 1% are based on Federal Reserve Distributional Financial Accounts from early 2026.
  • The scale model incorporates comparative research published by Norton and Ariely in 2011…: The scale model incorporates comparative research published by Norton and Ariely in 2011 alongside current federal datasets.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

But you still have a long, long way to go.

The average 0.01% household has … and beyond

Something went wrong starting the scrolling graph: a slow connection, a browser extension, or an older browser. The graph is U.S. household wealth drawn to scale, where one pixel is $5,000 and the top 1% is so far up you have to scroll for minutes to reach it.

The average 0.01% household has … and beyond

The 136,095 households at the top. Richer than 99.9% of U.S. households. Keep going ↑

Free PDF. Tape it up on your wall, your classroom, your city council chamber. We dare you to print the whole thing.

Get the printable graphEach column above is 1% of American households, lined up from poorest to richest. Picture each one as a stack of $100 bills: the median household’s stack is about 9 inches tall. The average top-1% household’s is 145 feet, and it keeps getting taller and taller…

Inspired by Politizane’s video Wealth Inequality in America.

Share of all wealth held by American households

Bars 1–99: estimated net worth at each percentile, 2023 Survey of Consumer Finances, adjusted to 2026 dollars (×1.1); the poorest 8% are shown with their reported debt. Top 1%: average, Federal Reserve Distributional Financial Accounts, Q1 2026. “Think” and “Ideal”: Norton & Ariely (2011), spread across percentiles for illustration. Sources & method · The Companion (PDF)

This is the bottom. The graph starts above you.

Original source: dreamagainusa.org

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