As the twentieth century drew to a close, the gap between rich and poor in the United States, and between the wealthy and impoverished nations of the world, continued to widen. This entry extends the analysis presented in the 1992 edition of the Encyclopedia (largely based on 1988 data) to include information on income, wealth, and poverty gathered from studies conducted in the midand late 1990s by various government departments, academic economists, and private research institutions.

Income Distribution

Data on money income for households, families, and persons in the United States are collected yearly by the Bureau of the Census, based on a national probability sample of approximately 50,000 households. The official definition of "income" is money income before taxes, including some government transfers (Social Security benefits, welfare payments, worker's compensation), returns on investments, and pensions, but excluding capital gains or...