Two Texas counties among most economically disparate in nation



Source: Economic Policy Institute less The gap between the rich (1 percent) and the rest of us lowly plebs (99 percent) has yet to see much of a decrease. In fact, the Economic Policy Institute says the income of so-called "1 percenters" continues to grow. See how much money they make in Texas cities compared with the remaining wage earners. The gap between the rich (1 percent) and the rest of us lowly plebs (99 percent) has yet to see much of a decrease. In fact, the Economic Policy Institute says the income of so-called "1 percenters" continues ... more Photo: Michael Nagle, Bloomberg Photo: Michael Nagle, Bloomberg Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Two Texas counties among most economically disparate in nation 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

The topic of income inequality is a growing discussion this election season, but just how much the middle class is shrinking is difficult to conceptualize.

An easier way to grasp just how large the gap has grown is to look at a new infographic that illustrates how much the wealth of the nation's top earners has grown. Data site How Much mapped findings on income inequality using information from the Economic Policy Institute.

The findings are surprising.

Two Texas counties — La Salle and Shackelford — are among the top five most economically unequal areas in the country. They placed second and third, respectively.

The No. 1 spot went to Teton County, Wyoming, where the top 1 percent earns 223 times the income of the lower 99 percent. New York, New York; and Custer, Colorado round out the the top five.

The institute also found that "in 24 states, the top 1 percent captured at least half of all income growth between 2009 and 2013, and in 15 of those states, the top 1 percent captured all income growth."