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Week of 2.1.08

Quiz: The Middle Class Squeeze

check writing Find out how much you know about today's economy and the pressures facing middle-income Americans.

  1. The richest 1/5 of households owns how much of America's wealth?
    91%
    83%
    25%
    18%

  2. How much more do workers who belong to unions make than non-unionized workers?
    84%
    75%
    56%
    28%

  3. How much did Americans' median household income rise or fall from 2000 to 2006?
    Fell by $957
    Rose by $496
    Fell by $342

  4. The median price of a single-family home increased how much between 2002 and May 2005?
    74%
    45%
    29%

mortar board and cash
  1. A graduate of a two-year college earns how much more over her lifetime than a high school graduate?
    $275,000
    $200,000
    $185,000

  2. By how much has the cost of tuition and fees at a four-year state college risen in the past 20 years?
    56%
    34%
    28%

  3. How many middle-income families live paycheck to paycheck?
    9 out of 10
    7 out of 10
    4 out of 10

  4. Between 1989 and 2001, debt among middle-class families has risen how much?
    88%
    75%
    38%

  5. What is the main reason middle-class individuals file for bankruptcy?
    Out-of-control debt
    Marital breakup
    Defaulting on a mortgage
    Illness-related expenses

  6. How many middle-class Americans go without health insurance?
    35%
    28%
    18%