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Most Americans are better off financially now than before the pandemic
The majority of Americans are better off financially now than they were before the pandemic. Full stop. Not every American, but the majority. That’s true across demographic and income groups. It’s in the aggregate and individual-level data: • Millions more good jobs. • Bigger paychecks, even after inflation. • Consumer spending back on strong pre-Covid trend. • Historic increases in wealth, including at the bottom. • Lowest debt burdens on record. It’s become a controversial view, and frankly, if you had asked me in April 2020—when unemployment hit almost 15%—that three and half years later, we ... (full story)