After Hillary Clinton's convincing wins in the Nevada caucus and South Carolina primary, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders now faces an uphill battle in the contest to win the Democratic Party nomination to run for president.

Even if Sanders' campaign struggles to match Clinton's momentum on Super Tuesday, the fact that a 72-year-old self-identified democratic socialist could generate so much excitement early in the campaign says a lot about the state of economic inequality in the US today.

The charts below explain how economic reality in the US creates an ideal springboard for Sanders' message, giving it the kind of resonance that Clinton, or any candidate who ends up in the White House, will need to address.

Reaping the rewards of hard work