## Context:¶

According to NPR.org, "After 1980, only the top 1% saw their incomes rise." Flowing Data quoted this figure:

Another figure:

Their source came from World Top Incomes Database.

I decided to double-check it using a dataset from census.gov

In [43]:
%matplotlib inline
import pandas as pd
import seaborn as sns
sns.set(context="poster", style="dark")
import mpld3
import pylab as pl

In [57]:
# csv location = https://github.com/aflyax/Python/blob/master/income/income_2013_dollars.csv
income_df.columns = ["year", "lowest fifth", "second fifth", "third fifth", "fourth fifth", "top fifth", "top 5%"]
income_df.sort(columns="year", inplace=True)

Out[57]:
year lowest fifth second fifth third fifth fourth fifth top fifth top 5%
47 1966 14747 32739 46844 62710 107026 164340
46 1967 14977 33490 48138 64560 113997 180362
45 1968 16143 35208 50300 67270 114947 177194
44 1969 16656 36783 52635 70510 120757 185476
43 1970 16404 36271 52445 70744 121652 185243
In [50]:
income_df.tail()

Out[50]:
year lowest fifth second fifth third fifth fourth fifth top fifth top 5%
4 2009 16604 40232 65061 98788 205788 352985
3 2010 15944 39436 64276 98064 199918 334275
2 2011 15828 38898 63212 96563 205003 356839
1 2012 15760 38739 63372 96861 205503 357458
0 2013 16109 39514 63916 97207 206687 358722
In [60]:
ax = income_df.plot(x="year")
ax.set_ylabel("income")
ax.set_xlabel("year")
print("feel free to interact with the graph:")
fig = pl.gcf()
mpld3.display()

feel free to interact with the graph:

Out[60]:
In [62]:
mpld3.save_html(fig, "fig.html")

In [84]:
income_df[income_df.year.isin([1970, 2000, 2013])]

Out[84]:
year lowest fifth second fifth third fifth fourth fifth top fifth top 5%
43 1970 16404 36271 52445 70744 121652 185243
13 2000 19103 43678 68646 101170 212266 376138
0 2013 16109 39514 63916 97207 206687 358722

### Slightly different story from "after 1980, only the top 1% saw their incomes rise".¶

This is all beside the point that neither NPR's nor the above graph show mobility. I.e., the same person in 1970 and today is unlikely to belong to the same "income class".