President Trump’s opponents are constantly claiming the so-called middle class is suffering under his policies without defining either the middle class or the alleged suffering. But an examination of Census bureau data tells a different story.
Population Survey data now show that middle-class incomes, after adjusting for inflation, have surged by $5,003 since Donald Trump became president in January 2017. Median household income has now reached $65,976 – an all-time high and up more than 8 percent in 2019 dollars under the Trump presidency.
This data was compiled by the statisticians at Sentier Research, an economic research group whose founders have more than 30 years of experience in analyzing the monthly income numbers.
For perspective
In the 16 years before the Trump presidency, incomes rose by about $1,500 while in less than three years middle incomes have risen three times faster.
The contrast is even sharper when measured on a monthy basis. The monthly rise in incomes under Bush was $4. That number was $11 under Obama and $161 under Trump.
The actual impact is understated because it doesn’t include tax cuts under Trump.
Once we look at the facts the rhetoric is exposed as false.