Using PSID data for the years 1984-99, we estimate the level and severity of asset poverty. We find that despite a sharp decline in the official poverty rate, the asset poverty rate barely budged over this period. Moreover, the severity of asset poverty increased during this period. The...

Assets in the United States are distributed even more unequally than income, though they can be vital to an individual's standard of living. The authors present a comprehensive assessment of the distribution of assets in the United States and calculate an asset poverty line below which an...