Editors
Dmitri N. Shalin
Document Type
Report
Publication Date
2006
Publication Title
The Social Health of Nevada: Leading Indicators and Quality of Life in the Silver State
Publisher
UNLV: Center for Democratic Culture Publications
First page number:
1
Last page number:
24
Abstract
In his famous visit to the U.S. early in the nineteenth century, the French observer Alexis de Tocqueville was surprised by what he saw as “an equality of condition” in his travels around the country. Although he commented on the existence of wealth in the new nation, he was impressed by what he saw as its relative lack of concentration (de Tocqueville 1969). Recent studies by social historians, however, suggest that de Tocqueville was mistaken. In their examination of tax forms, old census documents, and probate records, these scholars document a high degree of inequality, particularly wealth inequality (Hurst 2004). Further research suggests that a pattern of highly unequal distributions of wealth and income persisted from the time of the Revolution up through the end of the Civil War, peaking during the period from 1850 to 1870 (Sturm 1977). In subsequent years, patterns of income and wealth inequality fluctuated only slightly until the late 1970's, when they began to rise significantly and have continued to do so ever since (Keister and Moller 2000; Hurst 2004).
Keywords
Income distribution; Income--U.S. states--Growth; Poverty--Measurement
Disciplines
Community-Based Research | Demography, Population, and Ecology | Sociology
Language
English
Repository Citation
Dickens, D. R.,
Morales, C.
(2006).
Income Distribution and Poverty in Nevada. In Dmitri N. Shalin,
The Social Health of Nevada: Leading Indicators and Quality of Life in the Silver State
1-24.
Available at:
https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/social_health_nevada_reports/20