I have wondered why the U.S. Census data on incomes has not been widely discussed—especially when there have been so many conversations about the impact of inflation during this election cycle. There’s a great deal of conversation about how expensive goods are, yet I have found stories highlighting the fact that the median household income increased. However, I have not found a single story that mentioned this stat:
Real median household incomes increased by 5.4 percent for White households and by 5.7 percent for non-Hispanic White households between 2022 and 2023 (p. 1).
In a society where data-driven decisions are paramount, I am disappointed that data about incomes by race have not been covered nationally. I am even more disappointed that these data have not been used to answer the question, “Are we better off?”
It is political
I have asked the policy wonks in my circle why candidates are not sharing this data, and the response has been, “It is political,” and “It is being shared.” I was told that when candidates say the rich are better off, they are saying white people are better off. There are 24.3 million whites living below the poverty line who would disagree (Table A-1).
This doesn’t just happen with the income numbers. Occasionally, when I ask that “women or people of color” not be used because it assumes homogeneity and erased identity, I have been told these terms are political.
But if we continue to shy away from sharing data or terms because they are deemed “political,” how can we achieve a more equitable society? If we’re unwilling to call things what they are, we won’t be able to craft and implement policies that increase society’s well-being.
