The Huffington Post lists 10 states where the middle class is falling behind – it includes much of New England., and all the Pacific Coast states (with California ranking number 1).
Despite overall economic improvements, such as falling unemployment rates and increased GDP, the average income among middle class families shrank by 4.3 percent between 2009 and 2013, The Huffington Post reports, while incomes among the wealthiest 20 percent of American households grew by 0.4 percent. Only one Southern and one Midwestern state made the list: Louisiana and Indiana.