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Seattle's Rich Get Richer While Everyone Else, Not So Much

A new report by the Brookings Institution took a look at income growth and disparity among the 50 largest U.S. cities and found Seattle to be the city where top earners grew faster than anywhere else between 2012 and 2013. The household income of Seattlites in the top 5 percent grew by $36,000 (15 percent) from $241,944 in 2012 to $278,084. Meanwhile, Seattle ranked 32nd among cities when it came to income growth for low-income households. As GeekWire notes, there are multiple factors in play, including the incoming $15 minimum wage hike and the fact that many low-income households are moving out of Seattle as they get priced out. Not to mention that Seattle's middle class continues to disappear under the evolving financial make-up of the city.
· Some cities are still more unequal than others [Brookings]
· The rich get richer in Seattle, while the poor stay about the same [GW]
· Indiscreet Math [CS]