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The one percent

Publication ,  Journal Article
Keister, LA
Published in: Annual Review of Sociology
January 1, 2014

Recent protest movements brought attention to the one percent, a segment of the population that is critical to understanding inequality and social mobility but that attracts relatively little research attention. In this article, I survey current research on the one percent in the United States. I distinguish income from wealth and show that both are very concentrated but that the concentration of wealth, particularly financial wealth, is extremely high. I describe the demographic traits and finances of households who are in the one percent and discuss how these have changed in the past decade. I review literature that explains rising top incomes, and I propose that future research will usefully concentrate more on top wealth owners and on the demographic and life course processes that underlie income and wealth concentration. I conclude by speculating about why Americans are so tolerant of resource concentration. © Copyright ©2014 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Annual Review of Sociology

DOI

ISSN

0360-0572

Publication Date

January 1, 2014

Volume

40

Start / End Page

347 / 367

Related Subject Headings

  • Sociology
  • 4410 Sociology
  • 1608 Sociology
  • 1505 Marketing
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Keister, L. A. (2014). The one percent. Annual Review of Sociology, 40, 347–367. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-070513-075314
Keister, L. A. “The one percent.” Annual Review of Sociology 40 (January 1, 2014): 347–67. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-070513-075314.
Keister LA. The one percent. Annual Review of Sociology. 2014 Jan 1;40:347–67.
Keister, L. A. “The one percent.” Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 40, Jan. 2014, pp. 347–67. Scopus, doi:10.1146/annurev-soc-070513-075314.
Keister LA. The one percent. Annual Review of Sociology. 2014 Jan 1;40:347–367.

Published In

Annual Review of Sociology

DOI

ISSN

0360-0572

Publication Date

January 1, 2014

Volume

40

Start / End Page

347 / 367

Related Subject Headings

  • Sociology
  • 4410 Sociology
  • 1608 Sociology
  • 1505 Marketing