Incomes are rising in America, especially for the poorest
But those in the middle, hit by inflation, have less to cheer about

Cardi B, better known for her punchy hip-hop than her economic analysis, recently observed that the price of a lettuce had soared to as much as $7. “If I think that shit is crazy, I can only imagine what middle-class people or people in the hood are mother [bleep] thinking,” she said. Ms B is right. Paying that much for a head of lettuce is indeed crazy. Inadvertently or not, she also opened a window onto a more fraught topic than the price of greens: are incomes in America going up or down?
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This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “The unstuck middle”
United States
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From the January 21st 2023 edition
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