time ▁employ ment , ▁the ▁youth ful ness ▁of ▁His pan ic ▁household ▁heads , ▁and ▁the ▁ 2 0 0 7 – 0 9 ▁re cess ion ▁are ▁important ▁factors ▁that ▁have ▁pushed ▁up ▁the ▁His pan ic ▁pover ty ▁rate ▁relative ▁to ▁non - H is pan ic ▁whites . ▁During ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 2 0 s , ▁median ▁ear nings ▁decre ased ▁for ▁both ▁sex es , ▁not ▁increasing ▁substantial ly ▁until ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 9 0 s . ▁Since ▁ 1 9 7 4 ▁the ▁median ▁income ▁for ▁workers ▁of ▁both ▁sex es ▁increased ▁by ▁ 3 1 . 7 % ▁from ▁$ 1 8 , 4 7 4 ▁to ▁$ 2 4 , 3 2 5 , ▁reaching ▁its ▁high - point ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 0 . ▁ ▁In cent ives ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁context ▁of ▁concern ▁over ▁income ▁inequality , ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁econom ists , ▁such ▁as ▁Federal ▁Reserve ▁Chair man ▁Ben ▁Bern an ke , ▁have ▁talked ▁about ▁the ▁importance ▁of ▁in cent ives : ▁"... without ▁the ▁possibility ▁of ▁une qual ▁out comes ▁tied ▁to ▁differences ▁in ▁effort ▁and ▁skill , ▁the ▁economic ▁in cent ive ▁for ▁product ive ▁behavior ▁would ▁be ▁elimin ated , ▁and ▁our ▁market - based ▁economy ▁... ▁would ▁function ▁far ▁less ▁effectively ." ▁ ▁Since ▁abund ant ▁supply ▁decre ases ▁market ▁value , ▁the ▁possession ▁of ▁scar ce ▁skills ▁consider ably ▁increases ▁income . ▁Among ▁the ▁American ▁lower ▁class , ▁the ▁most ▁common