Comparing the distribution of wealth of the wealthiest 1% of the population in the United States before and after the recent Great Recession to what occurred before and after the Great Depression,

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The percentage of wealth held by the wealthiest 1% increased after the Great Recession, unlike what happened after the Great Depression. According to a 2013 study by economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman, the top 1% of earners in the United States held 18.2% of the country's total income in 2012, up from 10.4% in 1978. This increase in wealth concentration is largely attributed to policies that favor the wealthy, such as tax cuts and deregulation. In contrast, after the Great Depression, there was a decline in the percentage of wealth held by the wealthiest 1%.

Comparing the Distribution of Wealth of the Wealthiest 1% of the Population