The Middle Income Squeeze

The Wall Street Journal reports on the changing spending habits of Americans, since 2007. More on home internet and health care and health insurance. Less on restaurants and clothing. Earnings look about flat.

To see how it has moved, the Journal analyzed Labor Department data on 2013 out-of-pocket spending for the middle 60% of the population by income—households earning between about $18,000 and $95,000 a year, before taxes.

The data show they are losing ground. Overall spending for the group rose by about 2.3% over the six-year period from 2007, even as inflation totaled about 12%. At the same time, income for the group stagnated, rising less than half a percent.

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