Atlanta Repeats As Most Unequal City

The raw data is pretty bleak on its own and a widely unequal city is bad.

However, Atlanta’s ranking might be a sign of success or the victim of factors beyond our control.

Atlanta’s average income for the top 5% of households exceeded $663,000 while families in the bottom half of the population earned less than $65,000 — a ratio of 10.2 to 1. Nationwide, the ratio was 6.7.

Bloomberg measured the distribution of household income in 87 cities using 2018 data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Atlanta earns the title of inequality capital with a Gini coefficient of 0.57, followed by Miami, New Orleans and New York. The scale ranges from zero, which reflects absolute equality, to one — complete inequality.

Having a physically larger metropolitan area doesn’t help Atlanta’s data, and an increase in demand for highly-skilled workers exacerbates things further.

OK so that’s all well and good, that must mean the future is rosy for Atlantans hoping for a more prosperous life. Right?

Wrong.

Atlanta is 49th of 50 for inter-generational mobility.