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Commentary
A Tale of Two Americas
Economic pain in the United States is obvious and palpable everywhere except in the stock market. This spotlights inequality that has been increasing for decades. Undoing disparities will require firm policy commitment over many years.
Jul 9, 2020
Commentary
Most Americans Consider Themselves Middle-Class. But Are They?
There are different ways of determining who should be considered middle-class. But there is one thing they have in common: All reveal that the middle class in the United States is shrinking.
May 14, 2021

Explore Households

Commentary
The Inflation Pain You Don't See
Official statistics don't capture the pain of inflation for many Americans. That's because there's something wrong with how we define the middle class. Far more American households earn a middle-class income than enjoy a middle-class lifestyle.
Jan 18, 2023
Journal Article
A Consumption-Based Definition of the Middle Class
In this paper, we develop a consumption-based measure of the middle class that closely follows economic theory of constrained optimization.
Jan 11, 2023
News Release
Americans' Spending Declines Consistently After Age 65; Finding Applies Broadly Across All Wealth Groups
Americans' personal spending drops consistently after age 65, both among the affluent and those with lower levels of financial resources. The findings contradict traditional wisdom that spending will be constant or even increase during older age, and suggests that individuals and couples could spend more early in retirement.
Dec 7, 2022
Report
Americans' Spending Declines Consistently After Age 65
Americans' personal spending drops consistently after age 65, both among the affluent and those with lower levels of financial resources. The findings contradict traditional wisdom that spending will be constant or even increase during older age, and suggests that individuals and couples could spend more early in retirement.
Dec 5, 2022
Journal Article
American Single Father Homes: A Growing Public Health Priority
This commentary highlights the need for public health, child welfare and healthcare to pay more attention to fathers and their role in parenting/child development.
Jun 22, 2022
Journal Article
Pathways to Retirement Among Dual Earning Couples
This paper examines the transition from full-time work to fully retired among dual earning couples, which we call joint retirement trajectories. We analyze 12 waves of the Health and Retirement Study to map out the distribution of potential pathways that couples undertake when retiring.
Apr 21, 2022
Journal Article
CPS Nonresponse During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Explanations, Extent, and Effects
This paper examines survey nonresponse in the CPS at the start of the pandemic and estimates to what extent nonresponse led to an underestimate of the unemployment rate.
Dec 21, 2021
Journal Article
A Dynamic Behavioral Model of Korean Saving, Work, and Benefit Claiming Decisions
We develop a model that captures elements of the South Korean National Pension Scheme and behavioral responses in labor supply, savings and benefit claiming to changes in the public pension system using a sample of married couples nearing retirement.
Dec 21, 2021
Journal Article
SNAP Participants and High Levels of Food Insecurity in the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic
We examined how people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, particularly Black participants, and participants residing in food deserts.
Apr 2, 2021
Report
The Decline of the American Middle Class
Depending on definition, the American middle class has been either receiving less income or shrinking in size since the '70s. The economic effects of the pandemic will likely generate further declines in the middle class and a disproportionate entry into the lower class.
Feb 25, 2021
Journal Article
Inequality in Household Adaptation to Schooling Shocks: Covid-induced Online Learning Engagement in Real Time
Using internet searches, we study real-time demand for online learning resources. Internet searches for online learning resources doubled during the pandemic. Increases were larger in are as with higher income and better internet access. The pandemic will likely widen achievement gaps along these dimensions.
Feb 3, 2021
Report
Estimating the incidence of a housing affordability gap across the Cambridge travel-to-work area
The aim of this study is to estimate the number of households living in the Cambridge travel-to-work area that fall into a housing affordability gap, i.e. earn below £45,000. Almost half (48.4%) of these households fall in the gap, varying locally.
Dec 9, 2020
Blog
Veterans Day, Psychedelic Drug Policy, Family Caregivers: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses supporting veterans with mental health and substance use disorders, changes to psychedelic drug policy, the vital role of family caregivers, and more.
Nov 13, 2020
Report
How Is COVID-19 Changing Online Shopping Habits?
Americans' online shopping habits have continued to shift during the pandemic. By August 2020, more people were shopping online, and 39 percent reported spending more money on their purchases. People who spent less were likely to have lost employment.
Nov 10, 2020
Journal Article
Emerging Infectious Disease, the Household Built Environment Characteristics, and Urban Planning: Evidence on Avian Influenza in Vietnam
This study examines the relationship between the mix of household-scale water supplies, sanitation systems, and construction materials, and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza among poultry in Vietnam.
Sep 16, 2020
Journal Article
Heat, Energy Efficiency, Smart Technology and Health: A Review of Evidence from High-Income Countries, with a Focus on the UK
A rapid evidence assessment on the health and wider societal impacts of poor indoor heating in the home and workplace, exploring the impacts on human health and the indoor environment of introducing energy efficient and smart heating systems.
Sep 3, 2020
Blog
Online Shopping, Living in a Riskier World, Stress in Communities: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on Americans' online shopping habits during the pandemic, living in a riskier world, how stress builds in communities, and more.
Jul 10, 2020
Report
Online Shopping: Many Americans' Habits Haven't Changed During COVID-19
Almost two-thirds of Americans haven't changed their online shopping habits since the pandemic began. About one-quarter are shopping online more, but 13 percent are actually shopping online less.
Jul 7, 2020

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RAND Topic:
Households

Topic Synonyms:
Homes;
Residences

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Melanie A. Zaber

Economist

Melanie Zaber (she/her) is an economist at the RAND Corporation and codirector of the Middle-Class Pathways Center. She has diverse research interests spanning workforce development, postsecondary education, gender equity, and access to civil justice. Her research has examined household…
Jessie Wang

Economist

Jessie Wang is an economist at RAND Corporation. Her research interests include time use, population aging, the macroeconomic implications of individual decisions in labor and health, and gender roles. Her current work studies caregiving and care arrangement in an aging population; alternative…

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