American Incomes: Demographics of Who Has Money, 8th ed. (hardcover)

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ISBN 978-1-935775-43-0 (hardcover); ISBN 978-1-935775-44-7 (paper); 454 pgs.; hardcover; Dec. 2011

Contents
Introduction
Bibliography
Index
Sample Pages

The first edition of this book was a Library Journal Best Reference Source.

“American Incomes does an admirable job of interpreting what the census data demonstrate in terms that are easily understandable to the average researcher, while also attending to the needs of business researchers and public policymakers who will find this easily accessible source of demographic information invaluable. . . this reference work will be of great use to those in search of a quick and easy alternative to the drudgery and confusion inherent in combing through reams of census data.”
—American Reference Books Annual

“Recommended for all types of libraries.”
—CHOICE

The eighth edition of American Incomes: Demographics of Who Has Money explores and explains the economic status of Americans in the aftermath of the Great Recession. It looks at household income trends through 2010 by age, household type, race and Hispanic origin, education, region, and work status. It examines trends in the incomes of men and women by a variety of demographic characteristics. It includes an analysis of discretionary income, produced by New Strategist's statisticians specifically for this book. It provides the latest data on the wealth of American households, showing the impact of the Great Recession on household assets and debt. The poverty population is also a focus of American Incomes.

Most of the tables in American Incomes are based on data from the March 2011 Current Population Survey of about 60,000 households, who are asked about their demographic characteristics and income in the preceding year. This survey is the best source of up-to-date, reliable information on the incomes of Americans. The New Strategist editors and statisticians compiled each table in American Incomes, adding where necessary historical data and calculations so you can instantly understand the trends without having to do the work yourself.

The six chapters in American Incomes are:

1. Household Income
   Chapter 1 examines trends in household income over the past two decades. It also presents current household income statistics by age of householder, race and Hispanic origin of householder, type of household, and other important demographic characteristics.
2. Men's Income Trends
   Current income statistics for men are shown by a variety of demographic characteristics including education, occupation, and work status.
3. Women's Income
   Examines trends and the current status of women's income, which has become increasingly important to family economic well-being over the past few decades.
4. Discretionary Income
   Found only in American Incomes, the statistics show that most American households have money to spend after paying taxes and buying necessities but not as much as they did a few years ago.
5. Wealth
   These statistics, most of them from the Federal Reserve's one-of-a-kind Survey of Consumer Finances, provide a comprehensive portrait of the assets, debts, and net worth of American households.
6. Poverty
   Poverty is on the rise, and this chapter reveals the demographic characteristics of who is falling behind.

You can gain more insight into the economic well-being of Americans by thumbing (or scrolling) through the pages of American Incomes than you could by spending all afternoon surfing databases on the Internet. By having it on your bookshelf or computer desktop, you can get the answers to your questions even faster than you can online.