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Many Americans Are Rising Out of the ‘Middle Class’ — But Are They Better Off?
Many Americans Are Rising Out of the ‘Middle Class’Â
By Tim Henderson
Michael O’Machearley, who makes custom knives in Wilmington, Ohio, earns half what he did before he was laid off from a shipping job in 2008. The loss of blue-collar jobs has helped hollow out the middle class in Ohio and almost every other state.
Since the turn of the century, the middle class has shrunk in every state but Hawaii. But in 42 states, more people have moved up than down, according to a new Stateline analysis.
The upward movement, however, comes with a huge caveat: Families that have risen above the middle class may still be doing worse than they were in 2000 because the inflation-adjusted median income has declined in all but four states — North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming.
The story is more straightforward — and negative — in the six states where median income was down and more people fell below the middle class than rose above it: Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah and West Virginia. In North Dakota and South Dakota, the other two states where more people moved below the middle class than rose above it, the increase in median income brightened the overall picture.
The “middle class†includes people making between two-thirds and twice a state’s median household income, according to a definition developed by the Pew Research Center (Pew also funds Stateline). Median incomes vary widely, from $39,680 in Mississippi to $73,971 in Maryland.
“People are shifting out of that middle category to a higher category, but whether they’re better off or not is not as clear,†said Harry Holzer, a Georgetown University professor and the chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor during the Clinton administration.
To many economists, the shrinking middle class is worrisome regardless of whether more people are rising above that category or falling below it. Either way, the result is more income inequality, which may reduce intergenerational mobility — the ability of children from low-income families to do better than their parents.
These economists argue that rising inequality dampens the demand for goods and services — and harms the overall economy — as affluent households save more and spend less. It also prompts lower-income families to borrow more to sustain their own consumer spending.
In another indicator of growing inequality, the Stateline analysis found that in 44 states, income has grown fastest for households in the top 20 percent of earners — whether at the 80th, 90th or 95th percentile.
But Scott Winship, an economist at the conservative Manhattan Institute, argues that no matter where American families stand on the income ladder, more of them enjoy middle-class living standards than ever before, thanks to technology and more choices for all kinds of goods and services.
“What people really care about is whether fewer people have middle-class living standards over time, and whether they are falling out of the middle class into the lower group,†Winship said.
If any states are in trouble, Winship said, it’s the eight where more people are falling out of the middle class than rising above it. But even in those states, he said, focusing exclusively on income ignores other measures of financial well-being, such as health insurance and investments.
“Today’s middle class remains the richest in American history, and more or less the richest middle class in global history,†he said.
Ohio at ‘Epicenter’
Ohio, one of the 42 states where more people rose above the middle class than fell below it, illustrates the dark side of that seemingly sunny statistic.
Ohio has lost 350,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000. Now, health care is the state’s largest employer, and those jobs pay less than the factory jobs that vanished. Adjusted for inflation, the state’s median income has declined from $57,748 in 2000 to $49,308 in 2014. Since 2000, Ohio’s middle class has shrunk more than any other state’s.
Even those Ohio families that have risen above the middle class are feeling the pinch.
Consider an Ohio household that increased its income from $75,000 in 2000 to $100,000 in 2014. That 33 percent increase enabled the family to rise above the middle class, according to the Stateline definition. But because inflation was 41 percent, the household had less purchasing power despite the higher income.
The state’s economy has made progress in recent years, according to Will Cooley, a history professor at Walsh University in Ohio who specializes in labor relations and social mobility. But the loss of manufacturing jobs has had a huge impact on middle-class incomes.
“We’re at the epicenter of the decline,†Cooley said.
Many of the Ohio manufacturing jobs that disappeared were union jobs. The share of household income going to the middle class in Ohio has dropped at about the same rate as union membership since the 1970s, said David Madland, who published a book last year on the hollowing out of the American middle class.
“Unions are central to rebuilding the middle class,†said Madland, a fellow at the liberal Center for American Progress. “The system is only working for people at the top.â€
Downward Movement
The disappearance of union jobs also may be a factor in some of the states where more people fell out of the middle class than rose above it.
Historically, poverty rates have been high in West Virginia, but the loss of mining jobs has exacerbated the problem. Competition from cheap natural gas, which employs fewer people, has “kicked the bottom out†of the state’s coal market, said economist Roger Congleton of West Virginia University.
“When people are used to those unionized, pretty-well-paying coal mining jobs and they disappear, they don’t know what to do,†Congleton said.
Jobs of any kind are relatively scarce in New Mexico, which has the country’s highest unemployment rate (6.7 percent) and a poverty rate (21.3 percent) second only to Mississippi’s. As other parts of the country have recovered from the recession, many New Mexicans have left the state for opportunities elsewhere, according to Adelamar Alcantara, a senior demographer at the University of New Mexico.
“When they start hearing that the economy is good, that’s when people start leaving,†Alcantara said.
Delaware has struggled to bounce back from the loss of jobs in manufacturing and finance — more people are working in lower-paying retail and health care. Delaware’s biotech industry also is in a slump, said James Butkiewicz, an economics professor at the University of Delaware.
“High-wage jobs are shrinking and low-wage jobs are growing,†he said.
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Traffic Stop Nets Over 450 Grams of Crystal Meth
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Gibson County – Early this morning at approximately 5:35, Trooper Ross Rafferty was patrolling US 41 when he stopped the driver of a 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis for having a defective tail light and failing to indicate a lane change in heavy traffic near Warrenton Road. Rafferty stopped the vehicle on US 41 near SR 68. The driver was identified as Tyshecqua M. Cook, 25, of Indianapolis. A passenger was identified as Travontae R. Franklin, 25, of Indianapolis. While Trooper Rafferty was talking to the driver an odor of marijuana was detected inside the vehicle. Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Deputy Baehl and his K-9, Ali, arrived to assist and performed a free air sniff around the vehicle. Baehl’s K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics. During a search of the vehicle officers found 458 grams of crystal meth located inside the front passenger door panel. The street value of the meth is approximately $20,000. Both subjects were arrested and taken to the Gibson County Jail where they are currently being held without bond. Arrested and Charges: • Travontae R. Franklin, 25, Indianapolis, IN
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Eagles Earn Second Straight Win With Balanced Scoring Attack
Eagles Earn Second Straight Win With Balanced Scoring Attack
Nine University of Southern Indiana Womens Basketball players contributed in the scoring column Saturday as the Screaming Eagles earned a 76-69 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over the University of Missouri-St. Louis on Homecoming at the Physical Activities Center.
USI (12-11, 5-10 GLVC), which shot 51.0 percent from the field, used a 13-4 fourth-quarter run to secure its second straight win.
The Screaming Eagles got scoring contributions from five different players during the run, which staked them to a 68-57 lead with three minutes to play in the contest. Sophomore guard Randa Harshbarger (Philo, Illinois) had four points during the rally, while sophomore guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) and junior forward Tasia Brewer (Terre Haute, Indiana) each connected from long range.
USIs run came on the heels of a Missouri-St. Louis three-pointer that trimmed what was once a 10-point third-quarter lead to two points early in the fourth period. It was the second time in the game that the Tritons were able to rally from a large deficit after coming back from seven down in the opening period to take a two-point advantage early in the second frame.
The Eagles, who used an 8-0 surge in the second period en route to building a 39-32 halftime advantage, closed the door on any chance of a Missouri-St. Louis comeback when they used a 7-0 push in the final two minutes of the contest to seal the victory.
Harshbarger and Grooms each had 14 points to lead the Eagles, while sophomore forward Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois) and freshman center Kacy Eschweiler (St. Charles, Missouri) added 10 and nine points, respectively. Harshbarger added five assists and four steals to her career-high point tally.
USI, which had just 14 turnovers in the contest, benefitted from 21 Missouri-St. Louis turnovers. The Eagles outscored the Tritons, 22-10, off turnovers.
The Eagles return to action Thursday at 5:30 p.m. when they visit the University of Illinois Springfield.
Eagles Surge By Tritons, 86-76
Eagles Surge By Tritons, 86-76
The University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball team used a second half offensive surge to defeat University of Missouri-St. Louis, 86-76, on Homecoming Saturday afternoon at the Physical Activities Center. USI watched its record rise to 16-9 overall and 8-7 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while UMSL went to 10-14, 4-11 GLVC.
The Screaming Eagles grabbed an early 7-6 lead before the Tritons used a 9-1 run to post the largest margin of the opening half, 15-8. USI rallied to tie the score, 15-15, but was unable to push ahead as UMSL pulled into the lead and took a 33-32 advantage into halftime.
USI got back on track offensively in the second half, beginning with a 5-0 run to take command, 37-33, and the lead for good. The Tritons closed the gap to one point, three more times before the Eagles re-extended the lead to a comfortable margin. USI would lead by as many as 12 points, 83-71, with 1:20 to play before settling for the 10-point, 86-76 victory.
As a team, USI shot a blistering 69.6 percent from the field (16-23), 30 percent better than the first half, and 75 percent from beyond the arc (6-8), 35 percent better than the preceding 20 minutes.
Leading the second half charge was junior forward T.J. Tisdell (Cape Girardeau, Missouri), who finished the game with a team-high 20 points. Tisdell, who scored 14 of the 20 points in the final half, was eight-of-10 from the field, six-of-six in the second half, and four-of-nine from the stripe.
Junior guard Bobo Drummond (Peoria, Illinois) followed Tisdell in the scoring column with 17 points, hitting four bombs from long range, while freshman guard Alex Stein (Evansville, Indiana) dropped in 13 points. The final USI double-digit scorer was junior guard Jeril Taylor (Louisville, Kentucky), who had 11 points.
The Eagles hit the road for their final road trip of the regular season next week when they travel to play the University of Illinois Springfield Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and McKendree University Saturday at 3 p.m.
Following the final road swing of 2015-16, USI will host its regular season finale and Senior Day February 25 when Bellarmine University comes to visit the PAC for a 7:30 p.m. contest. The GLVC Tournament is set to begin February 28 with first games at campus sites.
Softball splits second day at Trojan Invite
Evansville defeats Alabama State, falls to Troy
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TROY, Ala. – In Saturday’s action at the Trojan Invite, the University of Evansville softball team split a pair of games, defeating Alabama State by a 2-0 final before falling to Troy by a 5-4 final in walk-off fashion in game two.
“I am extremely proud of the way our ladies played today,†Aces head coach Mat Mundell said. “In the first game, our pitching was amazing. Against Troy, I thought we were the aggressors all game. We battled on every single pitch, which is a theme for the season. If we play like that, we will have a fun year.â€+
Morgan Lambert recorded three of UE’s four hits in game one, going a perfect 3-3 from the plate while knocking in both of the Aces’ runs. Amanda Blankenship got the job done with her pitching, allowing just one hit in her five innings of work.  She struck out six batters. Morgan Florey went the final two innings, fanning four on her way to the save.
Evansville grabbed the lead in the bottom of the first. Danielle Freeman reached the base paths via a double and was brought home on a 2-base hit from Lambert. Blankenship kept the Hornets off the board as the Aces continued to hold the 1-0 lead until the 6th inning. That is when Lambert struck again. With one out, she posted her first home run of the season to give the Aces a 2-0 lead heading into the 7th. Florey finished it up from there, sitting ASU down in order to clinch the win.
In game two, a battle down to the wire saw Troy walk it off to take a 5-4 win. Evansville opened the scoring in the top of the second as Olivia Cheatham singled to right to plate Kristin Koepke. Another run was added in the next frame as Chandra Parr doubled to center to score Danielle Freeman.
Troy remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when a 3-run home run saw them take a 3-2 advantage. In the next half inning, the Aces tied it right back up as a Lambert ground out scored Tess Hupe, who walked earlier in the inning. Two innings later, a Freeman single put the lead back into UE’s hands, but two Troy runs in the bottom of the inning saw them grab the walk-off win.
Cyclones Snap IceMen Winning Streak in Cincinnati
Iles stops 31 shots in Cyclones shutout of Evansville in first of home-and-home weekend series.
Records:Â Â Evansville: 18-23-4-1; Cincinnati: 24-19-3-2
Goalies:  CIN – Iles (W), 9-7-1-0, 31 saves, SO
EVN – Greenham (L), 5-4-1-0, 33 saves
Scoring:
1st Period: 1. CIN – Huard 14 (Noonan, 14:05)
2nd Period: No Scoring
3rd Period: 2. CIN – Budish 18 (Wilson, Mulvey, 13:15)
CINCINNATI, OH – A 31 save shutout from goaltender Andy Iles led the Cincinnati Cyclones past the Evansville IceMen 2-0 Saturday at US Bank Arena, snapping Evansville’s three game winning streak.
The Cyclones peppered IceMen goalie Scott Greenham with 19 shots in the first period, and struck first when Nick Huardscooped up a blocked shot in front of the net and slid the puck behind Greenham’s right pad with 5:55 left in the frame. Evansville managed seven shots on Iles, but trailed 1-0 after one.
The IceMen held a slight shots advantage in a scoreless second period, but Iles stopped all 11 Evansville shots. Greenham made several big saves early in the stanza to keep the score 1-0, bringing his two-period total to 28.
Zach Budish added an insurance goal to the Cyclones’ lead with 6:45 left in regulation when he deflected a Joe Wilsoncentering pass under the crossbar. Iles stopped 13 more shots in the final period for his first shutout of the season, while Greenham made 33 total saves in the loss.
The teams return to Evansville Sunday to wrap up the weekend home-and-home series at the Ford Center at 6:15pm. It will be heart night, presented by Deaconess Heart Group, and fans can take advantage of a special Valentine’s Day ticket special that includes two goal zone seats, a rose, chocolate and a photo on the ice after the game for just $40.
UPCOMING HOME GAMES
Sun. 2/14 – Cincinnati at Evansville (6:15pm) – Ford Center
Heart Night – Valentine’s Day
Fri. 2/26 – Atlanta at Evansville (7:15pm) – Ford Center
                        Pink the Rink Weekend – Paint the Ice
Sat. 2/27 – Atlanta at Evansville (7:15pm) – Ford Center
                        Pink the Rink Weekend – Jersey Auction
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HEART NIGHT WITH YOUR VALENTINE
Come celebrate Valentine’s Day with your significant other and the Evansville IceMen Sunday at 6:15pm when the IceMen take on the Cincinnati Cyclones at the Ford Center, presented by Deaconess Heart Group. Need an idea for a Valentine’s Day date? The IceMen have a ticket special for you. For just $40 you can get two goal zone tickets, a rose, chocolate, and a photo on the ice after the game.
SUNDAY – SUBWAY FAMILY NIGHT
Bring your friends and family out to the Ford Center Sunday by taking advantage of the Subway Family Night ticket special. It includes a Goal Zone or Corner ticket to the game, an IceMen Subway t-shirt, and vouchers for popcorn and a soda, all for just $21. There is also an opportunity to upgrade to Center Ice or Club seats for just $4 more. Evansville hosts Cincinnati this Sunday at 6:15pm.
DOMINO’S 4-GAME HAT PACK
Choose any four IceMen home games and get a FREE limited edition IceMen hat and a large 1-topping Domino’s pizza, starting at only $17 per ticket. Call the IceMen front office at 812-421-GOAL (4625) for details.
Visit us at www.evansvilleicemen.com, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter @EvvIceMen for more information about your hometown professional hockey team.
USI T&F claims 7 provisional marks at GVSU
ALLENDALE, Mich.-The University of Southern Indiana men’s and women’s indoor track & field teams recorded seven NCAA Division II provisional qualifying marks this weekend at the Grand Valley State University Big Meet.
Sophomore Emily Roberts (Fredericktown, Ohio) paced the women’s squad with a third-place finish in the 5,000 meters. Roberts finished with an NCAA II provisional mark of 16 minutes, 40.32 seconds, good enough for third-place all-time at USI in the event.
Roberts was joined with a provisional mark by senior Jessica Reeves (Midland, Michigan), who finished ninth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 17:18.14.
Sophomore Jenna Martin (Evansville, Indiana) led the Screaming Eagles’ contingent that competed at the University of Indianapolis Tom Hathaway Distance Carnival. Martin finished first in the long jump with a season-best mark of 17 feet, 6.25 inches. She also was fourth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.26 seconds.
USI’s men, ranked No. 21 in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association Top 25 Computer Rankings, had five provisional marks at the GVSU Big Meet.
The Eagles finished second in the distance medley relay with a school-record time of 10:01.17. USI’s DMR team consisted of senior Johnnie Guy (Palmyra, Indiana), junior Chase Broughton (Marengo, Indiana), sophomore Jesse Stanley (Chandler, Indiana), and freshman Darius Payne (Louisville, Kentucky).
Guy and Broughton also finished fifith and ninth, respectively, in the mile with NCAA II provisional times of 4:08.74 and 4:10.14, respectively. Juniors Josh Guy (Palmyra, Indiana) and Noah Lutz (Evansville, Indiana) also posted provisional marks in the 5,000 meters with times of 14:27.13 and 14:38.89, respectively.
Freshman DeAvion Sullivan (Evansville, Indiana) and junior Micheal Hammonds (Evansville, Indiana) also had strong weekends. Sullivan ran the second-fastest 400-meter time in program history when he crossed the tape in 51.14 seconds, while Hammonds was second in the weight throw and ninth in the shot put at the Tom Hathaway Distance Carnival.
Senior Marius Ulrich (Wesseling, Germany) and junior Cain Parker (Petersburg, Indiana) finished second and fourth, respectively, in the mile to aid the Eagles at UIndy.
USI returns to action February 27-28 when it competes at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Indoor Championships in Somers, Wisconsin.