at lant am agazine .

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http://www.atlantamagazine.co m/agenda/2014/02/21/atlanta-highest-rate-o f-inco me-inequality-in-the-us

Atlanta: Highest rate of income inequality in the U.S.

You dont have to be a statistician or policy analyst to understand that theres a huge gap between Atlantas
haves and haves-not. Just walk down Edgewood Avenue on any given evening; you will f ind one group of
people sleeping on the sidewalks of the Downtown Connector underpass and another paying $20 f or parking
spots in an empty lot near a bar called Church. Or consider the discussions around the planned Falcons arena.
Personal seat licenses f or Falcons f ans could run between $2,000 and $10,000 a yearwhile the new
stadiums neighbors in Vine City have a per capita annual income of less than $15,000.
New analysis quantif ies that income disparity. According to a report issued T hursday by the Brookings
Institution, Atlanta has the greatest dif f erence between the household income of the top 5 percent of
residents$280,000and the lowest 20 percent$14,850. T he study looked at Census Bureau income data
f or 2012 to calculate the 95/20 ratio, which compares how the incomes of those in a citys top 5 percent
compare to those in its lowest f if th. In Atlanta, that ratio was 18.8 percent. Only three other citiesBoston,
San Francisco, and Miamihad ratios above 15 percent.
T he top f ive cities f or income inequality according to the Brookings analysis:
Atlanta
San Francisco
Miami
Boston

Washington D.C.
While the Brookings report only looked at the city of Atlanta, the gap between rich and poor f or the metro
region is well documented. Metro Atlanta has the lowest rate of income mobilitythe odds that a child born
into one of our area's poorest f amilies will make it into the wealthiest income bracket as an adultand one of
the highest rates of growing suburban poverty.
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