In 1971, 61% of Americans were “middle income.” By 2023, that share had dropped to 51%. The upper class grew by a larger amount, from 11% to 19%, than the lower class, which went from 27% to 30%.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. often says that Americans were healthier when he was a kid in the '50s and '60s. People weren't so overweight or taking so many medications.