Policy

Nation's Biggest Cities Have Highest Income Inequality

Not conservative strongholds. Imagine that.

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The nation's big cities have the highest levels of income inequality, according a Brookings Institution study that has profound implications for African-Americans, who tend to be clustered in big cities.

The Washington research group found that income inequality is sharply higher in economically vibrant cities like New York and San Francisco, while the inequality is lower in less dynamic places like Columbus, Ohio, and Wichita, Kan.— mainly because the rich aren't as rich in those places.

 The income inequality issue has risen in prominence on the national stage as President Obama has made it one of the top causes of his second term, motivating him to push for an increase in the federal minimum wage.