The declines NFL football is experiencing aren’t unique. Prime-time entertainment ratings have been declining for the broadcast networks and many cable channels. This season, CBS, Fox, NBC, and ABC have all experienced rating declines in their prime-time lineups. Despite its falloff, NFL programming still accounted for 33 of the top 50 programs on TV in 2017, according to the league. The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider.
American Household Income Hits a Record & Are You in the Middle Class?
About half of American adults lived in middle-income households in 2016, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of government data. In percentage terms, 52% of adults lived in middle-income households, 29% in lower-income households and 19% in upper-income households. Pew Research Center.
Americans’ incomes are rising. Household income grew for the third consecutive year in 2017, but at a slower pace, i.e. rising 1.8% in 2017 to an all-time high of $61,372. That followed advances of 5.2% in 2015 and 3.2% in 2016.
Household income includes bonuses, Social Security, public assistance payments and interest and dividends from investment, among other sources.
A big reason for the income gains is that more part-time workers got full-time jobs in an improving labor market, says Trudi Renwick, assistant division chief for income statistics at the bureau. USA Today.