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Monday, October 06, 2014

The Walmart Heirs Are Worth More Than Everyone in Your City Combined

Everybody knows that middle-class incomes have stagnated while those of the richest Americans have skyrocketed, but the trend is even more pronounced when you look at the relative fortunes of the super-duper rich. Consider the Walmart heirs: Since 1983, their net worth has increased a staggering 6,700 percent.
According to a report released today by the union-backed Economic Policy Institute, here's how many American families earning the median income it would have taken to match the Waltons' wealth in a given year:
In 1983, the Walton family's net worth was $2.15 billion, equivalent to the net worth of 61,992 average American families, about the population* of...
Peoria, Arizona Hanroanu/Flickr
 
 
In 1989, the Walton family's net worth was $9.42 billion, equivalent to the net worth of 200,434 average American families, about the population of...
Albuquerque, New Mexico Len "Doc" Radin/Flickr

In 1992, the Walton family's net worth was $23.8 billion, equivalent to the net worth of 536,631 average American families, about the population of...
San Antonio. Texas Wells Dunbar/Flickr
 
 

In 1998, the Walton family's net worth was $48 billion, equivalent to the net worth of 796,089 average American families, about the population of...
The State of New Mexico Shoshanah/Flickr

In 2001, the Walton family's net worth was $92.8 billion, equivalent to the net worth of 1,077,761 average American families, about the population of...
Chicago, Illinois Conway Yao/Flickr

In 2010, the Walton family's net worth was $89.5 billion, equivalent to the net worth of 1,157,827 average American families, about the population of...
The State of Arkansas (pictured: Walmart visitors center in Bentonville) Walmart/Flickr
 

In 2013, the Walton family's net worth was $144.7 billion, equivalent to the net worth of 1,782,020 average American families, about the population of...
The State of Louisiana Jim Hobbs/Flickr

Correction: An earlier version of this article confused families with individuals, causing an under-estimate of how many individuals' net worth would equal that of the Waltons. Population equivalents in this story are based on the size of the average American family: 2.55 individuals.
Original Article
Source: motherjones.com/
Author:  Josh Harkinson

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