The Review of Economics and Statistics Vol. 66 No. 3 1984
Wealth Inequality in the United States in 1798 and 1860
Abstract
Ahstrrct-The distribution of wealth in real estate am?ong people in the United States at the end of the eighteenth centuLry has hcen estimated frornt a samplc of rolls of the censuLs of real estatc in 1798. Mean real wcalth was $1,433 and the (lini coeficieint of incqualitv was 0588 with half the aduLlt male population owning property. A comparison with the distribultion for rcal estate in 1860 shows that wealth grew 1.9% a year pcr person. Relative inequality was a little larger than in 1798 buLt the diflcrcnce can be explained by crrors in mncasurcmcnt.
- DOI
- 10.2307/1925000
- Volume
- 66
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 444
- Sources
- openalex crossref