Author: Tamarine Cornelius

A 2014 national report found that the city of Milwaukee had the 6th largest increase in income inequality among the 50 largest U.S. cities. That finding is particularly troublesome when considered in the context of the substantial increase in income inequality across the nation. The study by the Brookings Institute examined the change in income inequality in major cities from 2007 to 2012. Their analysis found that Milwaukeeans at the 95th percentile of the income scale had a $237 increase in income over that five-year period, whereas those at the 20th percentile lost $3,481 in annual income over those...

An improving economy should offer more people a chance to climb the economic ladder to the middle class. But too many people in Wisconsin and nationwide are still being left behind, with their path to prosperity blocked by low-paying jobs, high housing costs, and lack of access to higher education, according to a new scorecard from Prosperity Now. Families of color are among those facing the most difficulty getting by, as they continue to feel the effect of generations of wealth-stripping policies targeting households and communities of color. There are some signs of improvement in the national economy, most...