The election of Donald Trump alerted many to what should have been obvious long ago: the U.S. economy has failed to deliver the goods to the vast majority of American families for decades. In the context of Trump’s election, this economic failure was often characterized as being unique to white working-class voters in the upper Midwest. But this is wrong. Income growth has been sluggish, and hourly wage growth near zero, for low- and middle-income families across the board. The fact is, our economy has generated enough income in recent decades to deliver very substantial wage gains for all workers—men and women, people of color and whites. Our economy has the capacity to provide not just decent wages but labor protections that support strong families and policies that provide security in retirement. These charts show the gap between what is and what could be. (For policies to close the gaps, see EPI’s Real agenda for working people.)…

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