<P> Most of the growth in income inequality has been between the middle class and top earners , with the disparity widening the further one goes up in the income distribution . The bottom 50 % earned 20 % of the nation 's pre-tax income in 1979 ; this fell steadily to 14 % by 2007 and 13 % by 2014 . Income for the middle 40 % group , a proxy for the middle class , fell from 45 % in 1979 to 41 % in both 2007 and 2014 . </P>
<P> Most of the growth in income inequality has been between the middle class and top earners , with the disparity widening the further one goes up in the income distribution . The bottom 50 % earned 20 % of the nation 's pre-tax income in 1979 ; this fell steadily to 14 % by 2007 and 13 % by 2014 . Income for the middle 40 % group , a proxy for the middle class , fell from 45 % in 1979 to 41 % in both 2007 and 2014 . </P>
roughly 40 to 45 percent of the u.s. population falls within the largest social class which is the
roughly 40 to 45 percent of the u.s. population falls within the largest social class which is the
middle class
middle class