For weeks, protestors have gathered at Cesar Chavez Park in downtown Sacramento to rail against the excesses of “the 1%” – the top earners they say are thriving while the other "99 percent" struggle to get by.
In many ways, the top 1% of earners in the Sacramento region look exactly like what the protestors at Cesar Chavez Park would expect: mostly old; mostly white; mostly native-born; mostly men.
But they also tend to be highly-educated; put in more hours at work than others; and served their country in the military at a high rate. They are more likely to be doctors than bankers.
Using census data from 2005 through 2009, here’s a breakdown showing characteristics of Sacramento residents who make more than $217,000 a year in personal income – enough to place them in the top 1% of the region’s earners. For comparison, facts about the rest of us are also shown.
RELATED: Recession widens gap between California's wealthy, others
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2005-2009; Bee Research
Notes: Figures shown are for Sacramento residents 16 and older. Median income for “everyone else” shown above only includes those in the labor force.
Updated Sunday, 10/29: Breakdown of 1%ers by profession now only includes those in labor force.
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