The Washington Post, February 13, 2022, ‘Survival mode’: Inflation falls hardest on low-income Americans
While inflation is rising everywhere, price hikes are particularly devastating to lower-income households with already tight budgets. Nearly all their expenses go to necessities — food, energy, housing — which have seen some of the largest increases at different points over the past year.
Fast-rising inflation is just the latest example of how the pandemic recession has widened inequality nationwide. Throughout the crisis, the economic consequences have fallen hardest on lower-income and service-sector workers whose health and livelihoods were most vulnerable to the coronavirus. Now, soaring inflation is deepening the divide, despite blockbuster economic growth and a remarkable jobs recovery.
