One of the seminal moments of presidential debates came in a 1980 tussle between the Republican challenger and the Democrat incumbent. Challenging Jimmy Carter’s record as part of his closing statement, Ronald Reagan asked: “Are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago?”
Last Tuesday, in the very first question of her first presidential debate, Kamala Harris was asked that very thing — are Americans better off than they were four years ago? — and didn’t give a direct answer. But earlier in the day Tuesday, the Census Bureau provided the answer for her: No, they aren’t.
The annual census reports on poverty, income, and health insurance coverage show how Americans’ progress has stagnated over the past four years, thanks to “Bidenomics.” It explains why families consider the economy, and the nation, to be in such poor shape — a problem that Harris’ policies would only make worse.
Years of Missing Raises
On a superficial level, the census income numbers do provide some good news. In 2023, real median household income — that is, the income of the family at the absolute middle (the 50th percentile) of the income distribution, as adjusted for inflation — had its first statistically significant income increase in four years.
But dig deeper into the census data tables, specifically Table A-2 of the income report, and the problem becomes clearer. Inflation-adjusted household income in 2023
